A long-awaited behaviour plan for Scottish schools will be published “in the coming weeks”, education secretary Jenny Gilruth has said.
The education secretary was responding today to a question in the Scottish Parliament from Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr, who was himself following up a “call from the NASUWT teachers’ union for a system of strategies to be put in place for dangerous and disruptive behaviour, including consequences for pupils”.
Earlier this month NASUWT Scotland used its annual conference to criticise the “half-baked” response to “escalating” school violence.
‘Comprehensive’ behaviour guidance due soon
Today Ms Gilruth said: “In the coming weeks, we will publish a comprehensive national action plan to respond to evidence from our Behaviour in Scottish Schools research (Bissr) and last year’s relationships and behaviour summits.”
The plan will be “jointly owned” by local authorities’ body Cosla, and the government has devised it with help from the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (Sagrabis).
Mr Kerr said that “teachers just want to be safe at work”, adding: “Yesterday a teacher told me: ‘Nothing’s been done, nothing is changing. There are no sanctions. Nobody seems to care.’”
He also quoted NASUWT Scotland official Mike Corbett, who had called on Ms Gilruth to “show real leadership by putting in place national guidelines that make it clear to schools what is expected of them and which uphold teachers’ right to work in safety”.
Ms Gilruth objected to the idea that there was a lack of consequences for dangerous and disruptive behaviour, but accepted that schools needed more support.
Ms Gilruth said: “I make it clear that the existing policy framework, including the national policy on exclusion, does not prevent the use of consequences.
“However, I have been listening carefully to the concerns of the teaching profession, and to members on all sides of the chamber, on the need for further clarification and support on this issue.”
The education secretary pointed out that the NASUWT is a member of Sagrabis and had “provided valuable input” to the imminent plan. She had met Mr Corbett on Tuesday and they “engage regularly on issues in relation to behaviour and relationships”.
She highlighted “a range of different actions” taken since June 2023: “I established a headteachers’ task force, which met again yesterday to discuss behaviour. We have chaired a number of behaviour summits to discuss a range of issues on relationships and behaviour.
“We have also published national [Bissr] research, as I mentioned, on the experiences of nearly 4,000 teachers and support staff.”
Ms Gilruth also cited “a five-step action plan confirming funding for support staff” published in November.
This action plan drew some criticism at the time from political rivals because point one in the plan was to draw up another plan, and £900,000 allocated for training was “unlikely to scratch the surface of the investment needed”.
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