Five things you need to know about behaviour in schools

It is vital that students are able to concentrate fully on their education free from the distraction and disturbance of bad behaviour. That’s why the Department has invested £10m in a set of measures that will help school leaders improve behaviour in their schools.

Here are five things you need to know about Behaviour Hubs:

 1. We’re supporting schools to prevent bad behaviour because it holds pupils back

Incidents of bad behaviour in class mean pupils are distracted and the teacher has to stop teaching in order to deal with whatever is happening. It means vital teaching time is lost for a whole class thanks to the actions of one or two individuals. It’s also stressful for teachers.

As well as delivering excellent teaching, schools should be calm and disciplined environments free from disruption.

This is why our Behaviour Hubs programme is such an important step forward in ensuring all schools have access to the resources they need to make sure pupils aren’t held back by bad behaviour.

2. We’re investing £10million so that the standards set by the schools with the best behaviour do can be replicated all over the country

Standards of behaviour vary from school to school. And we recognise that developing ways of improving behaviour in schools relies on collaboration.

To make sure that can happen more easily, our £10m Behaviour Hub programme will support the children and teachers who need it most.

This programme will match schools who have exemplary behaviour practices with schools that want to improve behaviour. They will work closely to identify areas for improvement and develop clear guidance for pupils and teachers.

Behaviour Hubs will help schools improve their approach to managing behaviour. Staff & students at @bedsfreeschool, one of the lead schools in the programme, tell us how good behaviour helps pupils to focus on learning and feel happy about being in schoolhttps://t.co/vXwy6k5D0opic.twitter.com/T0S6xYPzkj

— Department for Education (@educationgovuk) April 7, 2021

3. Behaviour Hubs will help set out high, achievable standards of behaviour for other schools to adopt in the classroom

They will do this by:

• Providing training on specific issues, common problems and effective approaches
• Open days at schools with great behaviour to observe the way they work
• Networking events and online forums to share experiences and good practice to learn from other schools.
• Online resources, developed by expert behaviour advisers, to equip and empower schools to implement changes.
• One-to-one ongoing support, mentoring and coaching to support leaders in implementing lasting change.

4. But this doesn’t mean a one size fits all approach…

Of course, we know that all schools are different.

The Behaviour Hubs will allow schools to work closely with one another, empowering leaders to ensure any behavioural policies suit the specific environment of their school.

It will be up to headteachers to decide what works best. We expect that for many this will include a broad revision of behavioural policies in schools, from creating clearer guidance for parents and pupils through to banning mobile phones or upholding uniform rules.

5. Behaviour Hubs help reduce the risk of suspension and expulsions

The Government supports head teachers in using suspension and expulsions as sanctions where necessary, however they should be used as a last resort.

Behaviour Hubs will help curb bad behaviour in schools, point teachers in the right direction, and reduce suspensions or expulsions.