The Scottish Government

Scottish
Executive

Local
Authorities

Schools

1 The Scottish Executive should provide guidance to all schools on the degree of curricular flexibility available within current guidelines to enable them to take account of local circumstances and meet individual pupil needs. (p17)

2 Local authorities and schools should review existing policies and guidelines relating to learning and teaching, making explicit links with policies for promoting positive discipline. It is recommended that these should be integrated into a single framework of effective inclusive practice. (p19)

3 The additional resources already agreed and planned to support schools and education authorities through the implementation of A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, and for the continuation of the classroom assistants and class size strands of the Excellence Fund should be prioritised to increase staffing (teaching and non-teaching) in order to support social inclusion and the development of positive discipline strategies in all schools. (p19)

4 Schools should agree and share good practice on routine procedures for managing pupils in and around the school and within classrooms. These procedures should be applied consistently by all staff. (p22)

5 The Scottish Executive should endorse the principles of staged intervention. Funding should be made available to enable a number of pilot programmes on staged intervention to be established. The evaluation of such programmes should pay particular attention to the links between indiscipline, classroom management and effective learning and teaching. (p25)

6 Schools should agree and adopt policies for the management of pupil care, welfare and discipline, including the promotion of positive behaviour. Particular attention should be paid to expectations, rules, rewards and sanctions. These policies should be applied consistently. (p28)

7 Local authorities should provide support and advice for all schools in the formulation of policies relating to pupil care, welfare and discipline. School policies and their implementation should be regularly reviewed and endorsed by the local authority and these arrangements should be evaluated by HM Inspectorate of Education through their inspections of education authorities. (p28)

8 A national mechanism for identifying, evaluating and disseminating good practice at education authority and school levels should be established and funded. As part of this mechanism, national research focused on school discipline, behaviour management and school inclusion should be developed. (p28)

9 In supporting the concept of creating a "learning community", schools should consult with pupils, teachers and parents/carers in order to agree a dress code for children and young people. Local authorities should support schools in the implementation of their agreed dress codes. (p30)

10 In consultation with schools, the Scottish Executive and local authorities should consider how additional and existing funding might be used to provide auxiliary support to assist with the care and welfare of children and young people. Consideration should be given to appropriate training for these staff. (p30)

11 Local authorities should provide guidance and advice to all staff regarding the levels of intervention they expect from them with respect to their handling of disciplinary matters in classrooms and public areas within the school. (p31)

12 Schools should develop agreed systems for shared responsibility between staff at all levels for the conduct and behaviour of children and young people in corridors, playgrounds and public areas within the school. (p31)

13 Schools should ensure that there are formal mechanisms in place to allow all pupils to regularly share their views with teachers and other pupils, and to participate in decision-making on matters which affect them directly. These mechanisms should allow for consultation and active participation on a range of issues, including the setting of priorities for the school development plan. (p34)

14 Schools should ensure that opportunities are provided for senior pupils at both primary and secondary levels to take responsibility for 'buddying' and/or mentoring junior pupils. (p34)

15 Schools should review the mechanisms and approaches used to communicate with and involve parents/carers in the general life of the school and with their own child's education in particular. (p36)

16 A national development programme on parenting skills should be developed. (p36)

17 The Scottish Executive and local authorities should prioritise funding from within the Excellence Fund to provide for a home-school links worker in secondary schools and primary clusters. (p37)

18 A media campaign focusing on parents'/carers' rights and responsibilities in the school system should be established. This should include an information leaflet for parents/carers highlighting these rights and responsibilities, and advising ways to support their child's education. (p37)

19 Schools should give consideration to integrating the work of learning support, behaviour support and guidance into a single overall framework of pupil support in order to achieve a more holistic approach to supporting the needs of all children and young people. (p39)

20 There should be a review of the criteria and formula for the allocation of learning support staffing to all schools to allow for appropriate levels of support for children and young people with special educational needs, including those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. (p39)

21 There should be a comprehensive review of the nature and purpose of guidance, both at primary and secondary school levels, and of the training of guidance staff. (p40)

22 Flexible support provision, including in-class support and facilities to educate children and young people outwith the normal classroom environment, should be established in secondary schools and designated primary schools. Best practice in operating such provision should be further researched and disseminated nationally. (p42)

23 In planning for new and refurbished school buildings, local authorities should seek to ensure that suitable and appropriate accommodation is made available for supporting the needs of children and young people who may need to be educated outwith the normal classroom environment. They should also consider how to adapt existing school buildings to allow this to happen. (p43)

24 The guidance contained within Circular 2/98 Guidance on Issues Concerning Exclusion from School should be reviewed in the light of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000. Local authorities should ensure that all schools are aware of relevant guidance and legislation relating to exclusions from school. As part of their inspections of education authorities, HM Inspectorate of Education should review the procedures used to manage the process of exclusions from school. (p44)

25 All schools should have a designated member of staff who is responsible for the care, welfare and tracking of progress of looked after children. There is a clear role for this member of staff in supporting colleagues in caring for the interests and welfare of looked after children. (p45)

26 There should be joint multidisciplinary decision-making relating to the care and welfare of children and young people experiencing social, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Clear mechanisms for ensuring effective multidisciplinary working, adapted to meet local needs and circumstances, should be established for all nursery, primary and secondary school clusters to provide holistic and responsive support for children, young people and their families as required. (p48)

27 Schools and local authorities should consider how to further enhance their investment in early intervention strategies aimed at pre-school and primary school children and their families. This should include a specific focus on supporting pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties which encompasses local family support strategies. (p52)

28 Local education authorities and schools should review policies and procedures to ensure all educational transitions, including those between mainstream education and alternative provision, are proactively managed in the best interests of all children, young people and families. (p52)

29 The success strategies identified in the New Community Schools pilot should be rolled out to secondary schools and primary schools across Scotland. (p53)

30 As trusted professionals, all teachers should have access to relevant background information on pupils, including personal and family details, which may affect the learning and teaching process. (p56)

31 The current review of initial teacher education should include the extent to which student teachers are prepared to meet the challenges of supporting social inclusion through effective behaviour management, the promotion of positive discipline and classroom management skills. It should also include the development of opportunities for students following ITE courses to link with professionals in other fields and to develop an awareness of approaches to working with parents and carers. (p57)

32 In partnership with teacher education institutions and faculties of education, a national continuing professional development programme relating to behaviour management, social inclusion, alternatives to exclusion and effective learning and teaching for probationers, serving teachers and senior managers should be developed. (p58)

33 The continuing professional development programme should include opportunities for teaching staff to take part in multidisciplinary training with professionals in other fields and to develop an awareness of approaches to working with parents and carers. (p59)

34 The Scottish Executive should develop a set of policy targets linked to the performance measures within the National Priorities, focused on school ethos and discipline. These should support education authorities and schools in maintaining a greater number of children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties within mainstream schools without adversely affecting the progress or welfare of other pupils or staff. Schools should receive appropriate funding to achieve such targets. (p61)

35 The relevant strands of the Excellence Fund should be reviewed and focused on promoting effective learning and teaching, promoting positive discipline and alternatives to exclusion. (p61)

36 There should be a national strategy developed to manage the implementation of the recommendations offered by the Discipline Task Group. Local authorities and schools should also consider how they can best address the recommendations which apply directly to them. HM Inspectorate of Education should review the progress being made by local authorities and schools in this respect through routine inspections. (p62)