BEHAVIOUR
Four years ago, Harefield Rewarding success:
Harefield principal Lynn
Academy replaced
Gadd with students
John Penrose School in
Hillingdon, and one of the
first things new principal
Lynn Gadd asked
teachers and students was
what would help to turn
the school around. The
response was unanimous
– better behaviour
HE ISSUE for Harefield Academy
T
when I came on board was that the
school needed a fresh start. Morale was
Model
low, and this in turn was impacting on
both behaviour and achievement.
A structured approach
I have always believed that structure
is something that really supports young people – they
need to be clear on what the parameters are and how
they fit into that structure. There was a general feeling behaviour
when I arrived that there were not the systems in place
to encourage good behaviour and this meant that
students were not engaged at school.
The first task was to make the school a place
where students wanted to be. It was important to get a We have moved away from traditional tutor and year were proud of, and could feel encouraged to work in. Students also follow their points each week and they
balance between treating the students like adults, while groups and students are now in vertical groups with We run the school day from 7am to 8.30pm, and our know what points they are getting, so it creates a whole-
giving them a structure that encouraged good behaviour children from year 7 to 6th form working together – this café is open for the whole time, offering breakfast, school approach to improving behaviour.
and rewarded success. We were very clear from the creates an atmosphere of openness. lunch and dinner with coffee and tea available all day.
outset that success was not only related to academic These groups have 45 minutes of personalised We want the students to understand that the school is
Student power
achievements, but personal triumphs too – such as learning each day, which gives them time to talk to their resource to use as they need to. We have created The students in particular have been very keen to
success in relationships with friends, and in gaining any their tutor, have house assemblies, do homework, and a mature, grown-up environment, with Sky News on in develop and improve the system. We have worked
new skill, not just academic ones. have a break. the café and newspapers available. closely with the students to get their input, helping them
To achieve all this we had to create an environment understand their rights and responsibilities and having
that was geared towards getting the best out of the
A place to be On the record
older students as mentors to guide the younger ones
students, and our first step was to change the way To encourage a respect culture and improve conduct, Once this positive environment was in place we could that need help.
students are managed and how their school day runs. we also wanted to make the school a place that students work on behaviour. We introduced a clear behaviour I have been incredibly impressed with our students’
policy that was understood by students and was ability to make a number of key decisions for the whole
consistently enforced. student body. Children and young people are often
Union address: NUT
We developed a points system which all the students harder on their peers than some adults are, and they
understand intrinsically. Students get positive and have been rigorous about keeping up standards – they
negative points for good and bad behaviour respectively. want to talk to the students who are potential bullies,
SATs are ‘utterly useless’
At the end of the term, the negative is subtracted from and they want to discipline someone who is behaving
the positive and we reward the highest scoring students badly, and they feel empowered to do this because the
with prizes which could include a trip, cash, or gifts of rules are clear.
some sort.
Christine
term in which we will be asking members if they We use a behaviour management facility in our
Making a difference
will support a boycott if, once all avenues to achieve management information system to track and record So has it been a success? Completely. Our whole raison
Blower updates
a change to the assessment arrangements have been the rewards and sanctions that are given to students. d’être when we opened was to reward students, and we
exhausted, SATs remain. The points system is fantastic because we were able have been successful in turning around behaviour by
Teachers should be able to teach the curriculum to set the values ourselves, so it is consistent and both looking at the positive. Our major concern was raising
us on the
this term, not teach to the test. teachers and students understand it. It is also linked in the aspirations of students, and I know that we have
We will also be campaigning against the with the achievement and attainment data, so the system done that.
campaign to scrap key
governments plans for teachers to be relicensed can automatically award points for good grades. The difference in behaviour is incredible – everyone
every five years from September 2010, contained
stage 2 SATs and the
within the recent White Paper, Your Child, Your
Schools, Our Future: Building a 21st Century
Schools System.
licence to teach plans
As professionals, teachers of course need to be
accountable; however there is already any number
of systems by which teachers are measured – from
THE NATIONAL Union of Teachers (NUT) and initial teaching training, induction, performance
‘
It was important to get a balance between
treating the students like adults, while giving
them a structure that encouraged good
National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) management appraisals, and Ofsted inspections.
national campaign calling on the government to get While I can understand the need for checks
rid of key stage 2 testing has gained a great deal of if teachers have been out of the classroom for a
behaviour and rewarded success
interest and support. number of years, a licence to teach for everyone is
People from all walks of life who have seen the just overkill and I am not sure that headteachers will
damaging effect SATs have on the education of our welcome the additional work the system will create Negative points are awarded for anything from who visits the school comments
children have joined our campaign – 10,000 people for them. bad behaviour, lateness, rudeness or not handing in
have now signed the NUT and NAHT’s petition What this proposal fails to provide is additional homework. Positive points span a huge range of things,
’
on how calm and
friendly the environment is. And, while the greatest
measure for me is what I see and feel as I am walking
calling on the government to end SATs. funding for schools for CPD for teachers. Often so students can get points for getting a clean slate (no around and talking to students, we also track everything
SATs are bad for education, bad for children, and when CPD is made available it can be difficult for bad points in a week), making a contribution to the to ensure what we are doing is working.
bad for teachers. They encourage teaching to the test, teachers to access it because of a lack of funds in the community, being in the school play, working well in a Data is incredibly important, because it means you
a narrowing of the curriculum and the unfair and school to provide cover for their classes while they team, as well as focusing on behavioural qualities such keep an eye on the facts, and do not look at things with
misleading system of league tables. Getting so many undertake training. as acts of kindness, courage and generosity. We award rose-tinted spectacles!
people signing our petition is a clear indication that In order to build a 21st century schools system, points for all of these things, and can access how a pupil When we opened, we were the first choice of school
we are not alone in our concern about the detrimental as this White Paper seeks to do, these plans should is doing immediately through the system to discuss it for only 23 new students, now we are first choice for
effects that SATs have on our education system include a funded entitlement for teachers to receive with them. well beyond the 150 we can take, and the number of
Michael Rosen, former children’s laureate, has regular, high quality CPD. The system also manages and generates automatic families that have listed us as a school they are happy
spoken in this month’s NUT Teacher magazine, Before further consideration is given to the actions when the points reach a certain number – for to send their children to is about 450.
giving his backing to our campaign. His message proposals, the government needs to introduce a negative points this could be generating a letter home, a The exam results have improved as well. In 2005,
to government is: “Abolish SATs – they’re utterly minimum funded entitlement annually for teachers’ prompt to set up meetings with parents, or a one-on-one less than 20 per cent of students gained five or more A*
useless and they drive children, teachers and parents professional development. interview with the pupil in question. to C grades. With the new behaviour policy, combined
nuts.” Without this, I fear that this proposal is more Positive points generate rewards – we use a website with better morale overall, this figure had risen to
He added: “Exams should be treated with likely to damage morale than raise the status of the (www.mystickers.co.uk), for instance, which allows 54 per cent by 2008.
incredible caution by people in authority and they’re teaching profession, at a time when the government me to reward the children with codes to type into the In the end, you have got to focus on what is right
not. They just think they’re the best instrument itself says that we now have the best teachers the website and they can redeem prizes – as well as special for your school, and make sure you engage students in
they have for levering up standards. It’s as if country has ever seen. mentions in class and recognition of their good work. what you are doing. If they believe in something, it will
they don’t look at the educational and emotional The whole approach reassures students that the happen. SecEd
consequences.” • Christine Blower is general secretary of the National system is always being enforced and they are in no
The NUT will be holding an indicative ballot this Union of Teachers. Visit www.teachers.org.uk doubt that if they are late it will be noted and dealt with, • Lynn Gadd is principal of The Harefield Academy,
and if they do well it will be rewarded. which uses SIMS from Capita Children’s Services.
14 SecEd • September 24 2009
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