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Better Behaviour in Scottish Schools: Policy Update 2004
The Nature of Behaviour in Schools
1. Making schools safe and well-managed learning environments
- Education authorities have reviewed their policies for positive behaviour. Many have embedded their policies within an over-arching policy for inclusion and effective learning and teaching (Recommendations 2 and 7)
- School policies should also be in place. Although progress has been made by headteachers, who report that many measures are already in place, evidence suggests that communication with the whole staff team on discipline policy, on an ongoing basis, is required. The emphasis on rules and rewards has been taken forward by many schools, but there is still a suggestion there can be inconsistency between staff within some schools. The role of education authorities in supporting and developing schools and staff could enhance school approaches (Recommendation 6)
- There are wide ranging interpretations of what is effective and ineffective practice in schools in response to indiscipline, among teachers and headteachers. Although responses must vary according to the circumstances, more progress is needed to ensure that within schools, teachers responses are consistent (Recommendation 4)
- Many headteachers report that indiscipline is most likely to occur outside the classroom. Positive behaviour in playgrounds and corridors is important as incidents still have to be resolved by staff when pupils return to the classroom, or require senior staff intervention. More progress in ensuring schools promote positive behaviour outside the classroom is required, and the Scottish Executive established a working group to develop a publication promoting good practice, which will be produced later in 2004. This also recognised the importance of ensuring that non-teaching staff promote positive behaviour and respond to indiscipline consistently (Recommendation 12)
- Some education authorities have begun to develop guidelines and training for staff on levels of intervention (for example, de-escalation training). Although serious incidents against staff are very small, the levels of pupil on pupil aggression indicate that staff need to feel confident in their handling of situations. The Scottish Executive is supporting a number of initiatives that will help to develop approaches for handling conflict, and for teaching children to resolve conflict more successfully themselves. These include Restorative Practices in Schools and Cool in School (Recommendation 11)
- The Scottish Executive issued guidance on exclusion from school in 2003. Education authorities have begun to revise their own guidance for schools. Evidence suggests that fewer teaching professionals believe that exclusion changes the behaviour of the excluded pupil; more believe that exclusion provides respite for other pupils and staff. However, the majority of pupils excluded are only excluded once in a school year. Practice on exclusion must continue to be monitored (Recommendation 24)
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Education authority implementation of BB-BL recommendations 2003
1.1 The most frequent negative behaviours encountered in schools
Q Why are the behaviours which teachers encounter different in primary schools and secondary schools? The increase in the range of negative behaviours in secondary school is in some part due to the different nature of these larger schools for older pupils. For example, there are increased opportunities, as children get older, to buy sweets and snacks in and near secondary schools, leading to increased eating or chewing in class. The movement around the school for different classes will lead to greater likelihood of tardiness. Trends in mobile phone use amongst teenagers is clearly a growing irritation in the secondary classroom. Q Are there other factors affecting behaviour in playgrounds and outside school? There are some negative behaviours described in the 2004 discipline survey which raise questions about other aspects of young people's behaviour. Loitering in prohibited areas and leaving school without permission, for example, may be related to young people's smoking habits. The World Health Organisation study on Health-Related Behaviour of School-age Children (HBSC) found that by the age of 15, 19.2% of young women and 13% of young men in Scotland smoke every day (ranking 25 of 35 countries); with the average age among daily smokers when they started to smoke at 11 - for girls and just over 12 for boys. |
The 2004 Survey suggests that irritating, low level indiscipline is by far the most frequent negative behaviour encountered by classroom teachers in both primary and secondary schools. Examining the behaviours selected by teachers as those they experience several times daily; daily; and weekly, similar patterns emerge in both primary and secondary schools. Low level, irritating behaviours are experienced by most teachers within a typical school week, such as talking out of turn or hindering others, and additionally secondary school, eating and chewing. Far fewer teachers experience more serious indiscipline within a week, which we examine in detail in section 1.3, but no teacher reports encountering physical aggression towards themselves daily. Low level incidents clearly have an effect on teaching and learning. Teachers comment on their frustration and the draining nature of 'keeping on top of' behaviour and maintaining order, while helping children learn. More secondary teachers report they experience 14 of the 20 listed behaviours in a typical week in 2004 than in 1996 (misuse of mobile phones is one new behaviour in the list in 2004). There are 7 behaviours out of the list of 20 that more primary teachers report they experience in a week in 2004 than in 1996. Among primary teachers, some behaviours were reported by slightly fewer, or the same number of teachers in 2004. However, it is important to note that 82% of primary teachers and 56% of Secondary teachers in the sample reported that they did not find any of the behaviours difficult to deal with. This is described in more detail in section 1.5. The overall picture is that teachers feel in control, although experience for secondary school teachers there are more teachers who report that some behaviour is difficult to deal with. Secondary teachers have far less time than their primary colleagues to get to know children well and they may spend only a few hours each week with any group of children. This makes their role challenging, in terms of managing group dynamics and judging the best approach to meet individual needs. In the HMIE Pre-inspection questionnaire data, most parents (95%)and teachers (97%) in primary schools felt that there is mutual respect between teachers and pupils at the school. In secondary schools 86% of parents and 82% of teachers feel there is mutual respect.
1.2 When and where indiscipline is likely to occur In both primary and secondary schools, the majority of headteachers in the 2004 Survey said that indiscipline is most likely to occur during morning breaks and during lunchtime.
The majority of primary school headteachers identified the playground as the area where indiscipline is likely to occur, and only 12% of primary headteachers said indiscipline is likely to occur in class. Secondary school headteachers identified additional locations where indiscipline is likely to occur, including corridors and stairs, the playground, and, in third place, the classroom. They also identified indiscipline outside the school.
Behaviour outside of the classroom is an important indicator of pupils' self control. Teachers may spend time at the beginning of each class settling issues that have arisen during break times.
Again, increased negative behaviour in the secondary school may be ascribed to the different nature of break time supervision in secondary schools. To some extent it might be expected that there will be more indiscipline at times in the school day where there is a great deal of pupil movement and a transition from highly structured to unstructured environments.
However, pupils can learn to manage their behaviour and relationships to avoid trouble and conflict, and there is emerging practice in many schools in Scotland focusing on positive behaviour in playgrounds.
1.1 The most frequent negative behaviours encountered in classrooms in 2004
Irritating, low-level indiscipline is by far the most frequent negative behaviour encountered by classroom teachers in both
primary and secondary schools. In any single class, there may be minimal indiscipline. By the end of the working week, most teachers will have encountered some indiscipline. The majority of incidents are minor.
To provide a picture of life in the classroom, the kinds of behaviour that were reported by 25% or more of all of the primary and secondary teachers responding to the survey are described here.
Data Source: 2004 Survey. %= proportion of survey respondents encountering this behaviour several times daily; daily; weekly.
1.2 The most frequent negative behaviours encountered around the school, outside the classroom in 2004
Headteachers were asked where and when misbehaviour was likely to occur. Many identified break times and lunchtimes. Primary headteachers said the playground was the most likely place. Secondary headteachers, also said that indiscipline was likely to occur in corridors and stairs, as well as the classroom, and outside the school.
Data Source: 2004 Survey
1.3 More serious incidents in schools
HMIE inspection reports show that in a minority of schools there are some breakdowns in climate and relationships in Scottish schools which cause stress for staff and affect the learning of other pupils. Some of the behaviours identified by teachers in the 2004 Discipline survey highlight potential areas for concern, although there is no pupil-on-teacher physical aggression reported to happen daily and only 2% of the sample of primary teachers and 5% of the secondary teachers encountered pupil-on-teacher verbal abuse daily. More headteachers reported they encountered pupil-on-teacher aggression. Serious incidents such as pupil-on-pupil aggression are reported more frequently by teachers.
Between 1996 and 2004, the number of secondary teachers who view indiscipline in their school as very serious or serious has risen by 6% and 19% respectively. The numbers of primary teachers regarding indiscipline as very serious or serious has risen by 1% and 4% respectively. The numbers have also risen for secondary headteachers over the 14 year period since 1990, and there is no comparator data for primary headteachers.
The majority of teachers in primary school regard levels of indiscipline as 'not very serious' or 'minor', and a few report that there is no problem at all. In each sector, fewer headteachers regard indiscipline as a serious problem than teachers, however far more secondary teachers report that indiscipline is a serious problem in their school. The different nature of secondary teaching has been discussed, but this information must be taken seriously. It may be that as teenagers are becoming less deferential (in common with many of adults in today's society) it is more difficult for teachers to assume authority. Further questions could be asked of teachers about why they believe indiscipline is serious and what they believe is the cause.
An index of headteacher perception of school safety was created using international data in the PIRLS study. The study found that a greater proportion of pupils (74%) in Scotland attended schools with a high index of safety, compared to the PIRLS average across 35 countries (58%). This might be seen to support the picture of a generally disciplined and safe environment in Scottish schools.
The majority of teachers and headteachers report in the 2004 survey that pupil violence is not a problem in their school - 81% of the primary teachers and 66% of primary headteachers; and 58% of secondary teachers and 61% of secondary headteachers. Generally, where staff do identify violence as a problem, more staff describe pupil-on-pupil aggression as part of the problem than those describing it as pupil-on-teacher aggression.
1.3 The kinds of behaviour teachers and headteachers view as contributing to a perceived problem of violence in their school.
Pupil-on-pupil verbal and physical aggression is viewed by teachers as a much more likely contributor to violence in schools that pupil-on-teacher incidents. However, the levels of behaviour encountered daily and weekly by more than 25% of teachers (Figure 1.1) shows that most teachers will encounter this in a typical week, but not every day. Since this type of behaviour most affects pupils themselves, what do pupils make of behaviour in schools in Scotland? Section 2 explores their views in detail.
1.4 What impact does indiscipline have on teachers and pupils?
Time spent reacting to indiscipline must be balanced with time proactively spent on promoting positive behaviour, as it might be reasonable to assume that if the promotion of positive behaviour in a school is effective, there will be less time spent on dealing with indiscipline problems, although time spent on both of these is not mutually exclusive - many teachers and headteachers might propose that it is possible to spend '100% of time' on promoting positive behaviour and still have to deal with indiscipline when it occurs.
Just over two-thirds of primary headteachers report they spend less than 10% of their time on dealing with indiscipline problems. However, around a third of primary headteachers spend less than 10% of their time on promoting positive behaviour.
For secondary headteachers, it would be expected that, given the increased indiscipline reported in the 2004 Survey, more time would be spent on indiscipline, but it is still the case that more than half of the headteachers spend less than 10% of their time on indiscipline, perhaps because most indiscipline is low level and does not require senior management intervention. However, more than half of secondary headteachers also spend less than 10% of their time on promoting positive behaviour.
It may be difficult for headteachers to quantify how much time they spend promoting positive behaviour, as a wide range of actions would contribute to this including policy development, staff development, developing personal and social education, building relationships with staff, pupils and parents and many other activities. Just 4 % of secondary headteachers and 12% of primary headteachers report spending 100% of their time on promoting positive behaviour, exemplifying a whole school approach in which promoting positive behaviour is truly embedded in the practice and ethos of the school.
In the 2004 Survey, less than half of primary teachers (46%) and headteachers (40%) feel they are spending more time than they used to on discipline problems. In secondary schools, more than two-thirds of teachers (69%) and just over half of headteachers (53%) feel they are spending more time on discipline problems.
Pupils, however, report experiencing high levels of positive teacher attention and support in the PISA study, comparing well with other OECD countries. Almost - of pupils in Scotland report they have an opportunity to express their opinions; - report that teachers do a lot to help them; and just over - report that teachers continue teaching until they understand and that teachers show an interest in every pupil's learning. Eighty-three percent of pupils report that teachers help them with their work. Sixteen percent of pupils reported that the disciplinary climate meant that pupils could not work well. However, the positive responses by pupils to questions about the levels of attention from teachers suggests that for most pupils, their learning is progressing.
1.5 Teachers' views on difficult behaviour
One of the most important aspects of the 2004 Survey is that 18% of primary teachers and 43% of secondary teachers find any behaviour listed in the survey difficult to deal with. 82% of primary teachers and 57% of secondary teachers report they do not find any of the behaviour difficult.
Individual teachers who report that they do find some behaviour difficult to deal with, differ in their views on which behaviours are difficult. While some teachers may respond to this question by reporting which behaviours they find most annoying or frustrating, there are small clusters of responses chosen by more than 10% of each of the samples (primary teachers and heads; secondary teachers and heads), with similarities by sector and by role. Both primary teachers and headteachers report pupil-on-pupil physical aggression as difficult to deal with while both secondary teachers and headteachers mention persistent infringement of rules. Teachers in both sectors find pupils' lack of concern for others, and cheek and impertinence difficult to deal with, while headteachers in both sectors find talking out of turn difficult to deal with, and verbal abuse to staff.
Many of the behaviours reported as difficult to deal with are those reported as frequent (see section 1.1) either inside or outside the classroom. It is perhaps not the nature of the problem that is difficult, but its ongoing occurrence, although it is also true that these issues present some grey areas, with different people having different perceptions of what is right and acceptable, which may itself create challenges in terms of consistency of response. It is important to note that 1% of secondary teachers, secondary headteachers and primary teachers, find physical aggression toward staff difficult to deal with; and nearly 6% of primary headteachers. Such incidents are reported to occur in a typical week by few teachers, and this may account for the fact that few teachers report this is difficult to deal with. At the same time, it would be hoped that for all serious incidents, procedures for staff in schools would be very clear.
1.5 Some teachers and headteachers find particular behaviours difficult to deal with, but agreement between teachers on which behaviours are difficult is limited.
1.5 Primary teachers and headteachers differ in how they respond to indiscipline and what they think is effective
1.5 Secondary teachers and headteachers differ in how they respond to indiscipline and what they think is effective
Responding to misbehaviour depends a great deal on what has happened, who is involved and the circumstances in which it takes place. Teachers and headteachers use their skill and experience to judge what they believe will be effective to deal with the different personalities, group dynamics and practical situations they face. However, consistency of approach by teachers is believed to be the key to whole-school positive behaviour, where pupils are clear at all times of expectations and boundaries and, in turn, can see a fair and predictable response from teachers to mistakes and misbehaviour. The disparity in responses here perhaps requires schools and education authorities to re-visit their school policies for positive behaviour. However, there are some responses which would be expected to be different. Withdrawal to an on-site unit is a far less likely response to indiscipline in primary schools where these facilities are not found so frequently. Re-organisation of school timetables and classes would be a major step to take in secondary school, and would therefore be expected to be an infrequent response.
While teachers and headteachers might differ in what they find to be effective, there is limited data available on what responses to indiscipline might contribute to behaviour change. Many in the education community consider that pupils of all ages can learn to behave well and improve their behaviour.
Over a third of teachers in the 2004 survey do not regard exclusion as having a good effect on the excluded pupil. 40% of secondary teachers and 35% of primary teachers disagreed or strongly disagreed that exclusion has a good effect on the behaviour of excluded pupils; 42% of secondary teachers and 32% of primary teachers agreed or strongly agreed that exclusion is just a holiday for excluded pupils. The most positive effects of exclusion are to allow other pupils to get on with their work (95% secondary teachers and 90% of primary teachers) and to give the teacher respite (87% of secondary teachers and 84% of primary teachers). Although the vast majority of pupils temporarily excluded in Scotland in 2002-03 were excluded only once in the school year (62%), 19% were excluded twice, 9% of pupils were excluded 3 times and 9% were excluded 4 times or more. In real numbers, there were 26 pupils in Scotland who were excluded more than 10 times in the school year.
Exclusion from school is described in Scottish Executive guidance 2 as the most severe sanction that may be used to ensure the safety and good order for the school, in response to serious indiscipline. While there is only a 3% downturn in the overall exclusion statistics for 2002/03 there are several behaviours/circumstances for which exclusion is not rising overall, including physical abuse of fellow pupils, fighting and insolent or offensive behaviour. However trends are difficult to interpret since headteachers may categorise the reason for exclusion differently or record one of several reasons for any exclusion. Exclusion is a response which may vary according to what is considered to be effective, so it is a poor indicator of behaviour itself.
Responses to serious incidents of indiscipline must be immediate and conducted in a way in which teachers and pupils are safe. Better Behaviour-Better Learning (2001) recommended that all education authorities should provide guidance to staff on levels of intervention expected when handling disciplinary issues in school. Staff may be faced with situations where intervention is required, for example when pupils fight or a pupil loses his or her temper, and some authorities report they have provided training for staff on 'crisis intervention' or 'de-escalation', by which staff are trained to manage such situations confidently and whenever possible, without physical intervention. In their 2003 reports to the Scottish Executive, 15.5% of authorities reported well-established guidelines on levels of intervention; 38% reported making good progress in this regard and 46.5% reported they were in the early stages of development regarding implementation of this recommendation.
1.6 Whole school promotion of positive behaviour
Almost all primary headteachers and secondary headteachers in the 2004 survey reported that they have a range of measures in place to promote positive behaviour and maintain discipline in their school. The majority of suggested measures listed (those deemed by educationalists to be so) are well established in schools, and few have been established only recently in the last year. Only 7% of primary headteachers reported they had all 15 listed measures in place, but 42% had 14 measures in place. Only 7% of primary headteachers in total had 10 or fewer measures in place for promoting positive behaviour and maintaining discipline. Twenty-seven percent of all secondary headteachers said they have all 15 measures in place and only 5% had 10 or fewer measures in place.
Good progress seems to have been made on the approach of contacting parents to provide them praise for their child. Four in 5 primary schools and 87% of secondary schools report they do this. HMIE note in their inspection reports that in many schools, involving parents in developing policies for positive behaviour still requires development.
However, there are some suggested approaches which more headteachers report are not in place. Establishing a discipline committee in the school can help all staff (and parents and pupils) feel involved in actively developing the school's approach. However, 87% of primary headteachers and 34% of secondary headteachers report that they have not adopted this measure. Home school contacts are bedding in only slowly in schools (although this will also depend on authority-level support), with 22% of primary headteachers and 18% of secondary schools reporting this is not in place, and more schools than for other measures reporting this has happened in the last year.
Fifteen percent of secondary headteachers report they have not established a reward scheme for good behaviour, although this was a recommendation of Better Behaviour - Better Learning and there are good examples of practice in both secondary and primary schools throughout Scotland.
HMIE inspection reports find that around a quarter of primary and secondary schools need to develop their policies and guidelines on positive behaviour, and to link these with guidance on effective teaching and learning. In their reports, HMIE found in particular that where there was poor learning and teaching, there was increased indiscipline. In just over half of secondary schools, HMIE inspection reports have found scope for improving climate and relationships, where there is inconsistency among teachers in their approaches to positive behaviour.
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