Six in 10 school leaders and teachers in England reported that poor pupil behaviour had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing when questioned over a single week in June last year as part of a snapshot survey for the Department for Education.
Of more than 1,800 heads and teachers questioned by the DfE’s National Behavioural Survey, 7 per cent reported that the negative impact of poor pupil behaviour on their health and wellbeing had been felt to “a great extent”, 23 per cent to “some extent” and 31 per cent to “a small extent”.
However, respondents were less likely to report a negative impact on their health and wellbeing compared with a similar exercise carried out three months earlier in March 2022 (47 per cent versus 54 per cent).
Primary school leaders and teachers were least likely to report a negative impact to at least some extent in June, compared with the previous survey (26 per cent versus 36 per cent in March).
On average, teachers reported that for every 30 minutes of lesson time, 6.3 minutes were lost owing to misbehaviour. The majority of teachers (69 per cent) reported that between one and 10 minutes were lost per 30 minutes of lesson time. This was similar between primary and secondary school teachers.
Of the 1,062 teachers questioned, just under two thirds (62 per cent) reported pupils shouting out in at least some lessons, down from 66 per cent in March 2022.
Meanwhile, a third of teachers reported pupils answering back or challenging instructions in at least some lessons, down from 39 per cent in March 2022. And 15 per cent of teachers reported pupils using prohibited mobile devices in at least some lessons, up from 12 per cent in March.
Secondary school teachers were more likely than primary school teachers to report difficult behaviour.
Pupils were also surveyed during the same week and reported a rise in answering back or challenging instructions in all or most lessons. Of over 1,900 pupils, almost a third (32 per cent) reported this compared with 27 per cent in March 2022.
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) reported throwing things - “non-aggressively” - in all or most lessons, up from 19 per cent in March 2022. And 72 per cent of pupils reported talking when not supposed to in all or most lessons, up from 68 per cent in March 2022.
The interventions most commonly used by schools to manage behaviour were referrals to specialist services (92 per cent) and targeted interventions such as mentoring and social/emotional learning (92 per cent), according to the survey.
These were followed by the involvement of specialised pastoral support staff (79 per cent) and removal as a restorative measure (77 per cent).
Overall, more than four in 10 (41 per cent) of school leaders and teachers said that external specialist support was “not timely at all”, while 38 per cent said it was at least “somewhat timely”.
Varying opinions on school ‘calmness’
Heads’ perception of the level of calm in their schools was likely to be more positive, with 92 per cent of school-leader respondents reporting that their school had been calm and orderly “every day” or “most days” in the past week, compared with 70 per cent of teachers.
Far fewer pupils (55 per cent) reported that their school had been calm and orderly “every day” or “most days” in the past week.
When asked how often they felt safe at school, just 41 per cent of pupils said that they had felt safe at school “every day” in the past week. And less than half of pupils (49 per cent) said they enjoyed coming to school “every day” or “most days” in the past week, with this being lowest for Year 9 pupils - at 41 per cent.
However, some 73 per cent of pupils felt motivated to learn, with 20 per cent saying that they were “very motivated” and 53 per cent saying they were “fairly motivated”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the survey confirms that behaviour has undoubtedly become more challenging among some pupils since the pandemic.
“Growing mental health issues among young people, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the prevalence of social media are all likely having an impact, as well as there being some evidence of shifting levels of parental support,” Mr Barton said.
“Teachers are doing their best to adapt to the changing needs of their pupils and provide additional pastoral care where possible but they are working under significant time and budget pressures. The underfunding of children’s services means teachers are forced to fill this void without the necessary training and resources, all of which places them under huge workload and stress. The government must do more to support schools and families.”
