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BETTER BEHAVIOUR: PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR IN SCOTTISH SCHOOLS
Making the CONNECTION
'Communication is the key to promoting positive behaviour in many ways' says the national Development Officer for Promoting Positive Behaviour, 'there is excellent work underway in Scotland but it must be shared between authorities and practitioners.'
PROGRESS IS GOOD, BUT ALL PROFESSIONALS NATURALLY WANT TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AND NEVER STOP SEEKING THE BEST FOR CHILDREN. PERHAPS THAT'S WHAT MAKES US SO RELUCTANT TO BLOW OUR OWN TRUMPETS
Hailed in her first weeks in post as the new 'tsar' of school discipline, Shannon Bigham laughs off the suggestion that a completely new direction is needed in Scotland for positive behaviour in schools. Having spent the first few months of her new position poring over authorities' reports, Shannon is more convinced than ever that implementation of Better Behaviour - Better Learning is well on track. 'It requires a steady and sure-footed development of policy and practice, and investment in confident teachers - they are our best weapon and it would be futile seeking a 'magic bullet'', she says.
On secondment from East Lothian Council where she managed the Pupil Support Service, she has spent 30 years in education and concludes that Scottish schools and authorities are too reticent in promoting their practice. Aiming to change that, Shannon has embarked on a 'Connect Programme' to facilitate exchange of information between authorities, using visits to authorities to enable her to 'match-make' between those with complementary experiences and needs.
'Considering that there are 36 recommendations, authorities have done remarkably well to embed policies and practices on discipline into their busy agendas. Different authorities have different priorities, and local needs must come first. But this helps the sharing of information - authorities that have tackled some recommendations before other authorities, can share their experience to the benefit of others, and vice versa', Shannon explained. 'My role over the coming year will be to connect authorities for their mutual benefit.'
Shannon will forge a closer link between authorities and the Executive, helping to nurture stronger relationships between policy makers and colleagues in authorities and schools. She insists that the title 'expert' does not describe her approach as a lifelong learner and reflective practitioner and prefers to highlight how much she has learned from authorities and schools about promoting positive behaviour from their reports to the Executive, building on her existing knowledge and experience. Excited by the prospect of seeing practice around Scotland at first hand, Shannon's visits to local authorities are planned as two-way exchanges of local practice and Executive news, in which a national overview of progress will be presented to authorities.
Shannon will be sharing authorities' progress in reviewing and updating their discipline policies, as well as the steps that have been taken to involve pupils in establishing positive behaviour in schools. She will be particularly keen to share practice between authorities about how they might co-ordinate effective approaches for pupils experiencing difficulties through integrated support teams, and share examples of multi-disciplinary professional development.
'On the whole', she stresses, 'progress is good, but all professionals naturally want to continue to improve and never stop seeking the best for children. Perhaps that's what makes us so reluctant to blow our own trumpets.'
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