SEN
Behaviour and SEN
With the recent
Managing challenging behaviour
the most problematic part of managing your behaviour
renewed focus
policy is tackling unacceptable conduct. there are
simple steps that teachers can take, but perhaps one
on SEN and the
of the most useful and least undertaken activities is to
practice your approach.
importance of
When tension rises in a classroom it can be difficult
to maintain a calm atmosphere and the resulting
pressure can increase the strain. to diffuse the situation,
an inclusive education,
a calm, low-pitched voice and open body language
are key – palms up and thumbs out to signal non-
pupil behaviour is being
threatening action.
With the majority of communication being non-
scrutinised. Lorraine
verbal – 55 per cent via body language and 38 per cent
is tonal – these steps can make the difference between
Petersen
diffusing the tension or escalating the situation.
looks at what
Systems should be in place for communicating with
other staff and parents, as well as the pupil – this can
a successful behaviour
help teachers be aware of potential personality clashes
that occur time and time again, allowing a situation to
strategy looks like and
be prevented rather than simply managed.
For pupils with Sen, this communication is
discusses the government’s
paramount; behavioural issues that stem from a disorder
or disability will require different approaches and need
to be discussed at length with the school’s SenCo in
new Behaviour Challenge
order to develop a separate plan of action.
Keys to assertive teaching include being clear
about your expectations, modelling the behaviour that
n SePtembeR, the secretary of state for you expect from your pupils (being respectful in your
i
education, ed balls, launched his department’s interactions with pupils and adults) to help enforce the
new behaviour Challenge to encourage and expectation. as difficult as it can be it is crucial not to
support all schools to achieve consistently reward unacceptable behaviour with extra attention,
higher levels of behaviour and attendance. however negative. Firm action that follows the same
the behaviour Challenge reflects the key pattern and the use of consequential punishment (listed
recommendations of Sir alan Steer’s final below) should, over time, help to set the right patterns
report on behaviour practices. the central elements of of behaviour.
the strategy are: the use of warnings is crucial but teachers need
to limit warnings so as not to negate their effect.
• Schools that have only a “satisfactory” ofsted if warnings have had no discernable impact it is
Union address: ASCL
grade for behaviour will be encouraged and important to move onto the next consequence in order
supported to work towards the “good” or to enforce the behaviour policy in a way that has a
“outstanding” standard. lasting effect, both on the pupil in question and his or
A true love of languages
• Schools must make behaviour improvement a her peers.
priority for the Good and Great Schools behaviour has a lasting effect on pupils’ ability to
programme. learn successfully – a calm, positive classroom can
• engaging parents through a new leaflet on how encourage learners to respond to teachers’ questions
Dr John
problematic. Secondary schools draw pupils from they can work with schools on pupil behaviour and be open to education and creativity. the progress
a wide range of primary schools and “parental issues. that can be made under the right circumstances leads to
Dunford explains
preference” has in some areas weakened the close the behaviour Challenge also takes forward the greater achievement and harmony in school – the joy of
links between secondaries and partner primaries. commitments in the 21st Century Schools White teaching at its best. SecEd
if there is to be continuity, the one language Paper on the so-called Pupil Guarantee, which state
why his union is
in primary schools will by necessity be French. that every pupil should be able to attend a school • Lorraine Petersen is CEO of nasen, a UK
However, in the last two decades, the school system where there is good behaviour, strong discipline, order professional association embracing all special and
developing a far-reaching
has woken up to the need for diversification and and safety. additional educational needs and disabilities. Visit
German, Spanish, Japanese and mandarin have been Previous guidelines from the education and www.nasen.org.uk
new primary school
introduced as first language options. inspections act 2006 included, for the first time, a
living as we do in a multicultural society and specific power for teachers to discipline pupils — for
working within a globalised economy, the UK breaking a school rule, failure to follow instructions, or
Consequential punishments
languages programme
education system needs to produce a wider range of other unacceptable behaviour.
• Spoken rebuke.
linguists and, just as importantly, people interested this applies at any time a pupil is in school or
• Loss of privilege or free time (lunch time
in languages, positive about learning them, and elsewhere under the charge of a teacher. the discipline
Some national papers recently have reported equipped to learn them when they need to. and behaviour policies may also allow teachers to
or after-school detention).
that an aSCl project is bringing latin into primary the Primary languages Project aims to regulate the conduct of pupils when they are off
• Being placed on report.
schools. this actually is only a small part of the develop those attributes in young pupils. it uses a school premises, on their journey to or from school for • Letter sent home.
picture, as the Primary languages Project is designed methodology and robust materials which can be example. the discipline would take place in line with
• Discussion between parents, pupil and
to promote “multilingual language awareness” and delivered by non-specialist teachers and thus can the school’s behaviour policy on their return to school.
members of staff.
develop young pupils’ love of learning about a be more easily integrated into the primary school
variety of languages and cultures. routine. each language is studied for about an hour a
A successful behaviour strategy
• Withdrawal from normal lessons.
the programme, funded by the esmee Fairbairn week for five to six months. the first step in implementing and adhering to a
• Reprimand from a senior member of staff.
Foundation and run by our former union president there is nothing sacrosanct about the languages successful behaviour policy is to let the pupils know • Attendance at school during training days.
and languages teacher, Peter Downes, does this in the scheme. Provided there are good teaching exactly what is expected of them, outlining your
• Temporary or permanent exclusion.
by allowing pupils to sample a range of languages materials available, there is no reason why Chinese, expectations clearly, and checking for understanding.
drawn from different language families: French, Urdu or others should not be included. the important it can also be helpful to have printed or pictorial
Steps to tackle disobedience
German, Spanish, Japanese, Punjabi and latin, the points are to: instructions on display in the classroom – having firm
• Approach the pupil but be aware of
last being an excellent vehicle for teaching about • Choose a range of languages that illustrate the evidence to immediately refer to can help to reinforce
personal space and body language.
language structure. different ways languages operate (pronunciation your policy’s importance and is particularly useful for
it may seem an anomaly for an association patterns, syntax, etc). pupils with Sen.
• Use warnings.
which represents secondary schools and colleges to • Provide access to teaching materials for non- in upholding the behaviour policy, teachers should
• Remind the pupil if this isn’t the first
develop a primary languages programme but, as we specialist teachers and the occasional give pupils opportunities to practise on a regular basis, time you have had to talk to them.
all know, experience at primary school has serious input of a native speaker – a parent, someone revisiting the policy to underpin it. Reinforcing positive
• Use a calm, low-pitched voice.
knock-on effects for later education. from the community or a pupil in the class. or appropriate behaviour with praise or reward helps to
• Clearly state your expectations: “I need
introducing foreign languages into the primary • not require teachers to go beyond a fairly basic cement expectations.
school curriculum, as the government has done, is syllabus. involving pupils in developing the rules, rewards
you to…”
a welcome move. Young children pick up sounds We have seen some light in the tunnel in that draft and consequences in your classroom will help
• Stress the inevitability of punishment.
easily, are fascinated by other languages and documents for the Qualifications and Curriculum to embed them in their minds, and a self-review • Move through these stages slowly to
countries, and have fewer inhibitions and prejudices Development agency’s primary curriculum system can be incredibly useful when unacceptable
avoid escalating behaviour.
than secondary pupils. consultation state clearly that schools may use “one behaviour is encountered, enabling the learner to
• Once you have spoken to the pupil it is
However, the Rose Review of the primary language or more” to meet the requirements of the re-assess their actions easily.
curriculum published in spring 2009 recommended area of learning described as “understanding english, modelling the behaviour that you expect and
important to move away (this enables
that just one language, or possibly two, should be communication and languages”. We will continue to maintaining a consistent approach where you are
the pupil to make a decision about their
taught from year 3 starting in 2011. promote the multilingual scheme so that, when the respectful in your interactions with both pupils and behaviour without the stress of your
the government wants to see “continuity” in the one language model does prove to be unworkable, adults emphasises the importance of adhering to the
presence).
transition from primary to secondary; that is, pupils there will be an alternative ready and waiting. behaviour policy.
• Expect to have to repeat yourself two to
going further in the same language they have already For non-Sen pupils, unacceptable behaviour can
started. We strongly believe that this is a mistake and • Dr John Dunford is the general secretary of the begin to seem as if it will have an isolating effect on
three times and refocus the pupil on the
will fail to produce what the nation needs by way of Association of School and College Leaders. Visit the learner in question; when coupled with a response
issue, but do this with a statement of
foreign language skills in the 21st century. www.ascl.org.uk. Contact Mr Downes on peter. that does not reward (i.e. a limited amount of understanding to their argument: “Yes,
this is because continuity in transition is highly downes@cambridgeshire.gov.uk attention), it should not be long before these practices
I can see...” “You now need to...”
start to take root.
10 SecEd • November 19 2009
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