Pupils “purposefully coughing on someone” should now be considered a serious breach of behavioural expectations, according to updated Department for Education guidance published today in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The guidance, referred to as a “checklist for school leaders”, is designed to help heads adapt their schools’ behaviour and attendance policies for when all pupils return in September, and has been developed in partnership with the DfE’s behaviour tsar Tom Bennett.

It says: “Some school cultures, norms and routines have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak and some pupils may have been exposed to a range of adverse experiences. Schools will need to make changes to reset behaviour and attendance expectations and consider additional support to successfully reintegrate pupils back.”

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The guidance states that schools need to “plan new routines, habits and systems” - from hygiene practice to break-time routines to behaviour on public transport.

And it says school leaders need to “take time to train staff in the behaviour that will be expected of them and also in the behaviour that they will be expected to teach to pupils”.  

It adds: “Make explicit what behaviours are now considered more serious due to the coronavirus outbreak, for example purposefully coughing on someone, including any escalation points in how they will be dealt with.”

However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the government’s “preoccupation” with the issue of behaviour “doesn’t seem to be the right priority”.

He said: “School leaders and teachers are well aware of how to maintain an orderly environment. They do it all the time. But the more important point is that the main concern over children who are returning to school after a long spell out of the classroom is with their wellbeing rather than their behaviour.

“Many of these children will have been through a very anxious time and some will have personally experienced the trauma of the coronavirus pandemic through the illness and loss of family members. That is the focus of schools and colleges.”

However today’s checklist does acknowledge that “many pupils are likely to need some social and emotional support on their return to school”, and it says school leaders should engage with the parents and carers of these pupils “as soon as possible, ideally before the start of the new school year, to set expectations, understand concerns and build confidence”.

It also says: “Make sure pastoral leads and designated safeguarding leads have undertaken appropriate training to spot signs of distress and poor mental health. Ensure staff are able to identify where changes in behaviour (for example being fearful or withdrawn, aggressive or oppositional, or excessively clingy) may be an indication of an underlying issue.”

Last week, the DfE published full guidance for schools in implementing safety measures for when they fully reopen in September.  

Today’s checklist repeats part of the guidance, including that attendance is compulsory for all pupils from September (except where statutory exemptions apply).

Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of the NAHT heads’ union said it was “unlikely” that the new guidance would add very much to school behaviour policies. He said: “Schools will already have well established behaviour policies that will be designed to suit their unique context and ethos. They will have been adapting these throughout the summer term to reflect the new circumstances they have found themselves operating in.”

He added: “Throughout the pandemic schools have been engaging with specific pupils who need social and emotional support, and they will continue to do so next year. Whilst schools will ensure that all pupils are supported as they return in September, some may need additional, more targeted support. What is vital is that schools are able to access that support for their pupils in a timely manner.”

Commenting on the new guidance, education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “Supporting good behaviour in the classroom will ensure children are ready and able to learn as they return and this is particularly important for vulnerable children. Schools should work closely with families to re-engage pupils, secure full attendance, and instil new behaviour expectations and discipline.”