JT CPD 1: Behaviour for Learning

Pausing

BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING

This Pause for Learning aims to provide the knowledge and understanding required to support children and young people's positive behaviour.

The first Learning Intention is to understand legislation, policies and procedures for promoting positive behaviour for learning.

STARTING WITH THE POLICIES...

Promoting positive behaviour for learning is a key concern for schools and education professionals working with children and young people. To achieve this, there are policies and procedures that need to be implemented in schools to ensure a positive learning environment which is both physically and emotionally safe for students. This section summarises the key policies and procedures relevant to promoting children and young people’s positive behaviour in schools.

Behaviour Policy

A behaviour policy outlines the expectations for student behaviour and the consequences for any unacceptable behaviour. The policy should include clear guidelines for behaviour management, which may include rewards and sanctions, and provide a framework for staff to follow consistently. This should include guidance for educators and ideally include expectations for students written in ‘child-friendly’ language which is appropriate for the age or developmental stage of the children / young people. Schools will differ as to how they manage behaviour; a number of educationalists question the validity of encouraging children to behave ‘well’ if/when motivated by external rewards

They would argue that students need to be encouraged to learn with high expectations, and an internal sense of purpose and motivation, rather than simply doing the right thing to be rewarded by external stickers, badges, or star charts An effective behaviour policy should also consider the needs of individual students, including those with additional needs or who may be more vulnerable. A ‘ one size fits all’ approach is unlikely to be appropriate in meeting the needs of all students.

Many educators have suggested that it is unfortunate that we describe a policy in terms of a deficit model – about what we don’t want-rather than how we hope children and young people will treat each other and staff. An increasing number of schools are re-branding their behaviour policy (which covers anti-bullying) as a behaviour policy. However, an anti-bullying policy outlines the school’s approach to preventing and responding to bullying behaviour. The policy should define what constitutes bullying behaviour (and what bullying isn’t) and provide clear guidelines for reporting and responding to incidents.

The policy should also include provisions for supporting those people who have experienced bullying and addressing the needs of the person/people who have displayed bullying behaviour. Terms which label the individual (such as ‘bully’ or ‘victim’) are probably unhelpful because we need to focus on the behaviour rather than label the individual.

Anti- Bullying Policy Inclusion Policy

An inclusion policy ensures that all students are able to access education and participate fully in school life, regardless of their background, ability or individual needs. This policy should include measures to promote equity, diversity and inclusion and address any barriers to learning or participation that students may face. Equality means treating everybody the same, whereas an equitable approach enables provisions to meet the needs of different individuals or groups.

Task Tab:

REFLECT ON A TIME WHEN YOU HAVE SEEN BEHAVIOUR MANAGED WELL, WHEN A TEACHER SAW SOMETHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND INTERVENED. WHAT DID THEY DO? HOW DID THEY KNOW WHAT WOULD WORK FOR THAT CHILD? HOW DID THEY ENSURE THE DIGNITY / SELF-RESPECT OF THAT CHILD/ CHILDREN WERE MAINTAINED? WHAT LEARNING IS THERE FOR YOU, FROM THIS INCIDENT?

Safeguarding Policy

A safeguarding policy outlines the school’s approach to protecting children and young people from harm. In many schools safeguarding the adults also forms part of the safeguarding policy, which may be about protecting them from physical violence from students and/or online behaviour from parents. The policy should provide guidance for staff on identifying and reporting any concerns about the welfare of a child, as well as the procedures for responding to disclosures or allegations of abuse.

As part of their safeguarding responsibilities, the governing bodies of maintained schools and the proprietors of independent schools are responsible for ensuring that:

✔ There are appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place, including a child protection policy Headteachers are responsible for ensuring that these policies are adopted and followed by all staff

✔ A senior staff member is appointed as the Designated Safeguarding Lead to take responsibility for safeguarding and child protection.

✔ All staff undergo safeguarding and child protection training at induction and that they receive regular updates A safeguarding policy should be driven by the statutory guidance from Keeping Children Safe in Education.

It’s important to remember that having a safeguarding policy is essential, but safeguarding, for individuals, is an emotional experience, we have to feel safe, not just know that there is a policy which should help to keep us safe.

The second learning intention is to promote Positive Behaviour for Learning and how teaching and support staff can promote positive behaviour in the classroom according to the policies and procedures discussed already.

Schools have policies and procedures in place to promote positive behaviour and provide a safe and supportive learning environment for students and staff. There are several strategies that teaching and support staff can use to promote positive behaviour according to these policies and procedures:

Establish clear expectations Use positive reinforcement Use consequences

Schools should have clear expectations for behaviour that are communicated to students, parents and staff. This could include a code of conduct, behaviour policy or behaviour charter. These expectations should be regularly reinforced and positively reinforced when students meet them and should be modelled by staff at all times. When children and young people are at their most unlovely, is when they need our love the most.

Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool for promoting positive behaviour. This could include praise, rewards, certificates or recognition for good behaviour. Schools can also use positive reinforcement through class-wide rewards such as extra playtime, class parties, or other activities that incentivise positive behaviour, although such rewards are best focused on fun, learning activities, rather than simply ‘time off (learning) for good behaviour’.

Consequences in many schools are an important part of promoting positive behaviour and should be fair, consistent and proportionate to the behaviour. Schools should have a range of consequences in place, such as verbal warnings, loss of privileges, detention, or exclusion. It is important that these consequences are consistently applied and communicated to students although this needs to be done equitably and with compassion, not just to punish students.

EFFECTIVE ROLE MODEL BEHAVIOUR STRATEGIES

Effective role model behaviour is a powerful tool for promoting positive behaviour within the learning environment. When children and young people see adults modelling positive behaviour, they are more likely to emulate it. Here are some strategies for using effective role model behaviour:

el behaviour you want to see

Adults should model the behaviour they want to see in children and young people. This could include being respectful, polite, honest, and following the school’s code of conduct or behaviour policy. We sometimes hear less enlightened staff saying things like “they should know how to behave”. Behaviour needs to be taught, although a whole school ethos can contribute to this significantly.

2-Be Consistent

Consistency is key to promoting positive behaviour. Adults should be consistent in their behaviour and expectations, which helps to create a predictable and safe learning environment. Autistic and other neuro-diverse children and young people will often find changes to routines distressing. If we taught all children as if they were autistic, we would first of all do no harm and secondly help autistic children significantly.

3-Use positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is an effective way to promote positive behaviour. Adults should praise and acknowledge desired behaviour and reinforce it through rewards or recognition. There is a common mantra that says “catch them doing something right” – which can be enormously effective.

4-Be mindful of your actions

Adults should be mindful of their actions and how they may be perceived by children and young people. This includes being aware of body language, tone of voice and facial expressions. Just as we see children becoming emotionally disregulated, when faced with behaviour they perceive as ‘challenging’, some staff can become emotionally affected, and may, unintentionally, make a bad situation worse. We need to be self-aware and understand when it is appropriate to let a colleague take over.

5-Seek feedback

Adults should seek feedback from children and young people on their behaviour and how it is perceived. This can help to identify areas for improvement and reinforce positive behaviour.

Task Tab:

Discuss with a more experienced colleague the behaviour of a pupil that concerns you:

a. What are some of the triggers that cause the child to become disruptive?

b. How does the current school policy help staff to manage the child’s behaviour effectively?

c. What things could be done to anticipate the pupil becoming distressed or disruptive and prevent this from happening?

d. What could be done differently to avoid a particular child from becoming distressed/disrupted/emotionally distressed?

e. What learning is there for you from this discussion?

NEXT STEPS:

TO DEMONSTRATE YOU HAVE LISTENED, READ AND UNDERSTOOD THIS PAUSE POINT AND PODCAST CPD, EDITION 1, BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING, PLEASE COMPLETE OUR ONLINE WORKBOOK HERE. YOUR CONSULTANT WILL DISCUSS YOUR RESULTS WITH YOU!