General

Professional
Studies
A good school behaviour policy, agreed and communicated to all
staff, governors, pupils, parents and carers, consistently applied, is
the basis of an effective approach to managing behaviour.
(House of Commons Education Committee 2011, pg3)

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A good school behaviour policy, agreed and communicated to
all staff, governors, pupils, parents and carers, consistently
applied, is the basis of an effective approach to managing
behaviour.
(House of Commons Education Committee 2011, pg3)
For this assignment, I have chosen to focus on the subject of behaviour policies within secondary
schools and academies. I have considered the statement above and intend to determine the extent
to which I agree with it, based upon my own school placement experiences.
In order to consider other, possible attitudes towards this subject, I will also undertake relevant
background reading to gain an insight into others experiences and opinions which may differ from
my own.
My first school placement (school x) was an 11-16 Academy, based in Nottinghamshire. During my
time at school x, I was able to witness the effectiveness of a strong behaviour policy which had not
only improved behaviour on a class by class basis but also dramatically changed the entire academys
attitude to learning and behaviour. The academy in question had, for a number of years, previously
been struggling to maintain a high level of behaviour, attainment and learning, leading to a poor
reputation throughout the community. Upon moving to the new building in April 2013, the academy
lent itself to the enforcement of a modified, effective whole school behaviour policy.
The policy in question was clearly featured in every classroom for both staff and students to refer to.
The first step for staff to take when dealing with disruptive behaviour was a verbal reminder
for the student, requesting the desired behaviour with reference to classroom rules/code of
conduct.
The second was a formal verbal warning with the student being informed that no more
warnings to be given - consequences will follow.
If the behaviour continued to escalate, the student would be moved to another part of the
classroom which the teacher believed to be more suitable and may resolve the situation,
followed by the information being recorded onto the academy registration system.
The next step was for the student to be removed from that classroom and sent to a safe
house which was another classroom nearby, the student would enter this lesson and sit at
the back, not receiving any attention for their disruptive behaviour. If this sanction was
actioned, the incident would again be recorded onto the registration system and a letter
would be sent home to the childs parents.
If the student continued to cause problems in the new environment, the teacher would
contact on call, a member of senior management would collect the student and take them
to a designated workspace to work in isolation. A letter would be sent home once again to
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the parents of the child in question and the information logged onto the registration system
for other members of staff to see.
As a contrast to this, positive reinforcement was also used under the behaviour policy, rewarding
good behaviour with Vivos. This system allowed students to collect Vivo points, each point worth
one penny, and save up to purchase something of their choice.
Overall, the general behaviour of students throughout lessons and free time was excellent when the
policy structure was followed correctly. The students were aware of how they must behave, and the
consequences that would follow if they didnt. Equally, the staff knew the steps to deal with
problematic behaviour during lesson times quickly and efficiently, reducing the amount of lost
learning.
During my experience there however, I did witness some lessons (whilst shadowing a student) where
the policy was disregarded. The discipline in these lessons was based on the teachers own personal
methods, a variety of sanctions were given for varying levels of behaviour. The students, being
accustomed to the whole school behaviour policy, didnt appear to accept this as being a fair
procedure. Comments such as I wouldnt get a detention for that in (subject) or Thats not fair,
(name) didnt get done for that! were quite frequent. The importance of being seen to be fair by
the students is mentioned by Cowley (2010) when identifying ways of improving behaviour,
Youve also got to be consistent, and again this is much harder to do than it might sound,
students are extremely sensitive to the idea of fairness. Some will feel that they are unfairly
singled out and that, once they have misbehaved, they get picked on over and over again.
One other issue was around the use of mobile devices, under the behaviour policy, students would
be sanctioned for using them during lessons, yet some members of staff allowed students to listen to
music whilst working, or use them for research. This resulted in some students believing they could
continue this in other lessons and having the mobile device confiscated or receiving a detention.
The inconsistency of the behaviour policy application was clearly leading to a number of problems,
resulting in less efficient behaviour management.
This issue is addressed by Cowley (2010), which describes the importance of consistency,

Consistency is a bit of a holy grail for head teachers and senior managers and with good reason.
Where a group of staff apply the rules and consequences in a completely consistent way, the students
are presented with a single set of standards. But if behaviour (x) is okay with one person and not with
another, then the students get confused about where the boundaries lie.
The idea of Operant conditioning seems to feature heavily in this particular behaviour policy. This
was a term coined by behaviourist B.F.Skinner and explains how behaviour can be both reinforced
and punished using a variety of methods. Operant conditioning can be used to both increase
behaviour (positive) and decrease behaviour (negative). For example, a student at the
aforementioned school would be aware of the school behaviour policy and reward system. They may
complete a piece of homework to earn a Vivo; this would be a positive reinforcer, adding something
considered to be a reward after the behaviour.

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Similarly, a negative reinforcer could also be used in the following way; a student has received a
detention for silly behaviour at the start of a lesson. Their behaviour improves and the teacher
rewards them by removing the detention, taking away something considered to be unpleasant.
The other key concept of Operant Conditioning is positive and negative punishment. For example, a
students poor behaviour results in them being given a detention, this presents the student with an
unpleasant event or outcome to weaken the behaviour it follows. This would be referred to as
positive punishment or punishment by application. Negative punishment would be the removal of a
favourable event or outcome. For example, a student is not allowed to attend a trip due to poor
behaviour.
The behaviour policy mentioned above seems to utilise a combination of positive reinforcers and
positive punishment and appeared to be extremely effective if applied in the correct way.
Whilst at school x, I implemented the academys behaviour policy into my own teaching, when it
came to my formative review point in November 2013 and Summative review point in December
2013, I was consistently given a strength for teaching standard seven ( Managed behaviour
effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment). In my opinion, this was due to the
consistency with which I applied the policy. I started each new group with my expectations so the
students knew where they stood and knew what consequences would apply for poor behaviour. My
expectations, rewards and sanctions being clearly communicated to the students meant that there
was no argument when a punishment was given and the boundaries were clear as to what was
acceptable and what wasnt. Personally, I feel that the implementation of the behaviour policy led to
fewer disruptions during my lessons and a minimal amount of issues with behaviour.
The second experience I had of an alternative behaviour policy was at a one day behaviour forum
organised by my university. For this, I attended a second Nottinghamshire, mixed academy (academy
Y), this time providing education from 11-18. This particular academy was one of a group, all run in
the same manner. The entire purpose of my visit to this establishment was to gain an insight into the
academys behaviour policy and why it had been effective or, if not, for what reason?
Upon entering the academy gates, it was impossible not to notice the numerous members of staff
greeting students as they arrived, there was no running riot, dropping litter or fighting, simply
students entering the building in a safe, orderly manner. It soon became evident that the behaviour I
had witnessed on entering the academy was consistent throughout the entire day.
The academy operated a very strict behaviour policy which was reinforced by every single member of
staff. Poor behaviour was clearly sanctioned, but the focus was predominately on rewarding good
behaviour and setting the scene for positive behaviour.

The first statement in the policy communicates this very clearly as a guideline for staff,
In all classrooms, we aim for praise to outweigh consequences. There should be an 80/20 ratio. We
need to concentrate on the positive aspects of behaviour.


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Inappropriate behaviour, rather than being a confrontation, was met with nonchalance and calm.
This was a very abstract way of dealing with disruptions when comparing it to other policies I had
experienced. The reaction to poor behaviour was dealt with as follows:
When students behave inappropriately, give them what they dont want a cool, mechanical,
emotionless response. Save your emotion, passion, enthusiasm and excitement for when it has most
impact when students behave appropriately.
The structure followed during the lessons was based on a consequences system, set out as below:
Warning A rule reminder to an individual or whole group, such as no chewing, stop
talking etc.
C1 First negative behaviour students name MUST be written on the board at this point
C2 Second negative behaviour Students will be reminded of the behaviour issue and
informed they are on C2
C3 Third negative behaviour student is warned that they are on the verge of leaving the
lesson
C4 Fourth negative behaviour/or immediate C4 for Health and Safety Student must leave
the room and go to the Matrix room (another classroom with lesson taking place) with a
consequences sheet filled in. At this point, the member of staff in the Matrix room will not
acknowledge the student; neither will the group learning in the Matrix room. The student in
question must sit at the back of the classroom without speaking. This will also be followed up
with a detention
C5 - Fifth negative behaviour or immediate C5 for; Health and Safety, Violence or threatening
behaviour towards others, Walking away from a member of staff, Refusing to hand over
items which are not allowed in the Academy, Swearing, Smoking, Not attending a C4/C4
OTHER detention, not attending Study Support sessions -
Fifth misbehaviour (in Matrix) means that the student is sent to the Consequences room for
the rest of the lesson. (If this is a double lesson then students stay there for both parts if
there is a break in between i.e. P2 to P3, the student should return for P3. Again if lunch is in-
between then students will return after the break.) The student needs to return to the initial
classroom at the end of the session in the Consequences room.
The Gatekeeper/Consequences Manager will arrange a full day in the Consequences room
and a one hour detention when a C5 has been issued.
C6 Referral - A C6 can only be given when a student has worked their way through
Consequences. If there is a situation that warrants exclusion then a Fixed Term referral needs
to be made.
The consequences room - Students cannot sleep or put their heads on the desk. They must
sit up. If they do not follow the rules in the consequence room, it will result in an additional
day.

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This behaviour policy was extremely extensive and covered all eventualities (going into more detail in
the policy booklet itself). The guidelines given to staff stated,
Be consistent - use this and only this approach with all students as they must perceive this as a
predictable, reliable and consistent pattern.
This policy, in my opinion, was quite complicated but because of how well it had been communicated
and reinforced to staff, pupils and parents, everyone understood the procedures and it was
extremely effective at managing behaviour. This was evident during recreational periods along with
structured lessons, at lunchtimes, as soon as the bell sounded for lessons to begin, students left the
restaurants and made their way to the classrooms, without leaving any litter behind. Most students
were in school and in lessons five minutes before the sessions actually started. The behaviour was to
such a high standard that the academy operated an open door policy, for visitors to enter
classrooms as they wished, without letting staff/students know.
This experience reinforced my opinion that a good behaviour policy, applied consistently is extremely
effective, even though I didnt necessarily agree with every aspect of the policy, it was undoubtedly
proving to be very successful for that academy and had formed the basis for exceptional behaviour
throughout the school.
My second, current placement is at a Derbyshire based, county run school (Z), catering for ages 11-
18. This particular school is somewhat different to the first two experiences I have reflected upon,
both the first and second academy were rated as outstanding by Ofsted. My current placement,
however, under the now more rigorous framework is rated as requiring improvement.
Whilst working at this establishment, it has become clear, in my opinion that a large amount of the
improvement required could be resolved by addressing behaviour issues in and around the school.
The student population is very large in comparison to my first placement, which had a student body
of approximately 800, whereas my current placement has almost 2000 students, this fact by itself
makes the task of enforcing a strict behaviour policy more difficult. The school behaviour policy at
school Z is quite simple, titled as a behaviour for learning, whole school policy which consists of
three main responsibilities of the students when in school:
Follow all instructions when they are given to you
Leave other people, their work and property alone
Be quiet when asked
These three responsibilities are what should potentially provide the basis for behaviour within the
school. Non-compliance is met with a traffic light system, including the following sanctions:
Name on the board = Warning
Name on the board plus one tick = Break / Lunch detention (teachers discretion)
Name on the board plus two ticks = Before/After school detention
Name on the board plus three ticks = Removed from lesson and contact home
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Under the behaviour for learning policy, it is communicated clearly to all staff that the procedures
must be consistently adhered to, the only exception being if a student refuses to follow an
instruction. A refusal is met with automatic internal exclusion.
The quality of learning, teaching and behaviour at School Z are inseparable issues, and the responsibility
of all staff

The next step of this particular behaviour policy for repeat offenders is a school report system; this
involves the students being put onto green report first which can be focused on one particular faculty or
form tutor. To remove themselves from this report, the student must have 3 consecutive days of five
good lessons where all targets are met. If the behaviour does not improve, the student is then placed on
amber report; this is facilitated by a head of department or head of year. Once again, to remove
themselves from this report, the students must show five consecutive days of success. This time,
however, if that is achieved, they would move back down to a green report. After amber comes the red
report, this is overseen by the senior leadership team and carries with it a formal written warning from
the school governors and the leadership team. After five days of success, the students would move back
down the ladder and back onto amber report followed by green.
If all report cards are ineffective, the student will be issued with a final written warning form the
governor discipline panel and action may be taken to transfer the student to another establishment.

In theory, this behaviour policy is quite simple in my opinion and I would expect it to be effective at
managing behaviour throughout the school. The students are very clear on the policy and it is re-iterated
at the start of each term in assembly for all year groups.
During my experience, I questioned a number of students on what the school behaviour policy was and
the majority were able to clearly outline the lesson sanctions and report system. Unfortunately, once
again, it seems that not all staff follows the same behaviour policy, and when they do, it is not consistent.
This became evident to me on one of my first few weeks at the school, one of my colleagues was
discussing behaviour with me and another member of staff and said,
The problem with behaviour at this school is that not all the teachers follow the same rules so the
students start to think they can get away with more and suffer no consequences

On the flip side to this, the reward system used at school Z was very consistent, each teacher places an
importance on rewarding good behaviour using a Tric system and a collaboration of all the methods
below:
Awarding of Vivo points
Celebration assembly for each year group at the end of the year
Certificates (e.g. attendance, punctuality, and good behaviour)
Post cards home
Text messages home
Class achievement awards
Positive telephone calls / letters home
Departmental rewards schemes
Governors awards
Headteacher awards
Privileges (e.g. trips) for good behaviour
Recommendation for National Awards
Stickers, stamps


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The rewards are extremely vast and positive behaviour is constantly reinforced. I found this to be
extremely positive but I question how effective it is overall if the behaviour policy is not applied with the
same consistency.

The overall policy is also communicated to parent of the students who attend this school and, before
attending the first term in year 7, both the student and the parent are required to sign a contract of
agreement, stating that they agree to the rules and regulations. This does seem to stop complaint about
after school detentions and suchlike as the students are more than aware that the school has the full,
signed support of their parent/carer.

After spending some time at this school, I feel that the behaviour is quite poor in comparison to other
experiences I have had and although there are many positive aspects to the whole school behaviour
policy, I feel that the inconsistent implementation of some aspects leads to repercussions regarding the
learning of the students and results in a less than desirable learning atmosphere.

One particular article I found which relates extremely well to this subject, written by Carla Palmer and
following a report by The Telegraph came to the following conclusions,
Inconsistency is certainly the main cause of behaviour difficulties in children. This is the case with
parenting and no different in schools. Children know exactly what they can get away with and which
adults to play up.
It is easy for inconsistency to kick in because teachers often act on their own ideas, beliefs and instincts
rather than sticking to the letter of policies and practices. Even when a new policy is introduced that
makes it clear for staff how to deal with certain behaviour. Some staff still find it difficult to handle. They
get wound up by persistent bad behaviour and the policy gets thrown out of the window in favour of
quick fixes and angry outbursts.

In conclusion, although I can see there are clearly many factors that influence a teacher when dealing
with behaviour and human emotions play a big part, there is no denying the fact that, judging by my own
experience and research, they key to effective behaviour management is the consistent application of a
good behaviour policy that is communicated to each member of staff, students and parents alike.
I intend to keep in mind the conclusions I have drawn from conducting this study in order to assist my
own behaviour management within the school environment. I hope to ensure that each of my students is
aware of what is expected from them and the rewards and sanctions associated if the expectations are
or are not met. By doing this, I hope to achieve a positive learning environment, build a good relationship
of trust and ascertain a feeling of security within my classroom, where students will be motivated and
flourish to reach their maximum potential.








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Bibliography
COWLEY, Sue (2010) Getting the buggers to behave, 4
th
Ed, London, Bloomsbury

MCLEOD, Saul (2014) Skinner Operant Conditioning [Online] last accessed 8 March 2014 at
www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

PALMER, Carla (2011) Business, work and education [online] last accessed 10 March 2014 at
www.peoplewithvoices.com/2011/10/24/inconsistency-and-behavioural-problems-in-schools/