LEADERSHIP in association with
www.usethekey.org.uk
Deputy head
Paul Ainsworth
looks at
evaluating
your school’s behaviour
management system
T IS November and by now, the settling down
I
period that comes at the beginning of every
new term is over.
The pupils have settled into their new
routines and have found their feet. Teaching
staff are getting to grips with the new intake
in year 7, and new staff have learnt about the
more challenging students and have established where
the limits are.
However, as this happens, perhaps you are also
beginning to hear comments such as “x year is the worst
ever”, or “this year’s year 7 is far more challenging
than last year”, or probably the most dispiriting, “the
behaviour of the children is getting worse every year”.
Many schools have implemented a variety of systems
which teaching staff can use to manage the behaviour of
pupils. Many of these are based on theories of assertive
classroom management.
This is often designed as a set of staged responses to
student indiscipline in the classroom. The theory is that the
majority of pupils told calmly but assertively when their
behaviour is unacceptable will conform to the norm.
When pupils do not change their behaviour, a set of
Are they really
staged sanctions are implemented sometimes consisting
of various detentions, informing parents and often
with the end-point being removal of the pupil from the
classroom.
A central premise of this type of behaviour
management system is that if staff react consistently
to pupil misbehaviour, the quality of behaviour will
improve as pupils know what is expected of them.
getting worse?
Those teachers who lack confidence will be strengthened
by a whole school system. (It is accepted that such
techniques will not work with all pupils, especially
those who are on the SEN register for an educational
behavioural difficulty.) If the statistical analysis highlights a certain year
If it does appear that teaching is becoming more group being poorly behaved or the opposite, being
challenging, two questions can be asked: has pupil seen as a very positive year group, why not use a
Leadership: Key issues
behaviour deteriorated or is the behaviour management questionnaire to find out their views on the behavioural
system not being fully effective? And if the system is not management system. Questions could include:
working as well as previously, how can it be improved? • What do pupils think of certain sanctions?
How does Ofsted differentiate between attainment
If this is happening in your school, perhaps it is • Are there certain points when they will behave?
time to consider how the quality of behaviour and its • How do different teachers use the sanctions? and achievement?
management can be evaluated. A questionnaire no longer has to be a sheet of
paper which pupils complete in a classroom. Many TWO VERY similar terms; two very different contextual value-added (CVA) data for the whole
Methods of evaluation
virtual learning environments have the facility to set up meanings – under Ofsted’s regime anyway. school and for cohorts.
The real danger of evaluating behaviour is to questionnaires on them which pupils can be directed Ofsted sees pupil attainment as a subset of the • Analyse the current progress of the school by
concentrate on anecdotes. It is only natural that we towards when they log onto the system. school’s overall achievement. When inspecting looking at pupil records and any analysis the
will think of the worst pupils we have taught, the most Such questionnaires are likely to be less influenced achievement, inspectors look at: pupil attainment, school may have done of the progress of specific
challenging classes or extreme behaviours or incidents by other pupils. A school could even incorporate some the quality of pupils’ learning and their progress, and groups of pupils.
from certain pupils. However, this does not answer our kind of reward system so that pupils are encouraged the quality of learning for pupils with SEN and/or Inspectors use the same guidance and criteria
key questions. to complete the questionnaire. It is likely that the disabilities and their progress. Inspectors do not rate for judging pupils’ learning and progress in all
Therefore one of the most challenging tasks in this software will instantly collate statistics too, removing achievement until they have assessed all three of mainstream settings and for pupils with SEN and/or
evaluation is to try and put the anecdotes to one side an otherwise laborious chore. these areas. disabilities.
and deal with evidence. The best type of evidence Once you have the results of the questionnaire, you
has undergone some triangulation; this means similar may be intrigued by some of the children’s responses
Attainment How achievement is judged
conclusions have been found from a number of sources. and wish to probe their beliefs further. Attainment is assessed using test and examination Inspectors judge achievement only after they have
A focus group could be an excellent way of results of pupils in the final key stage at the school assessed attainment and pupils’ learning and progress.
Statistics
gathering this detailed information. It is important to and other evidence taking account of any important The resulting grade for achievement is entirely
A starting point for such an evaluation is to consider carefully consider which pupils you would use in such variations between groups of pupils, subjects and dependent on their conclusions.
what statistical evidence is held in the school. The a focus group as you will need to gather a cross-section courses, and trends over the last three
obvious place to begin would be with the numbers of of opinion. years.
Use of lesson observations
temporary and permanent exclusions. If you worked with six pupils, one sampling method Inspectors use the indicators in Since September this year, Ofsted
Be careful though not to concentrate on figures could be to consider the number of times pupils have RAISEonline along with other data has placed more emphasis on lesson
of extreme behaviour as this is not necessarily a true received sanctions and select two children who have and pupils’ current work. They will pay observation in order to judge pupils’
reflection of a school and in some cases it could signify rarely received sanctions, two children at the other end attention to pupils’ attainment in key outcomes and the quality of provision.
that poor behaviour is dealt with. of the spectrum, and two from the middle. It is also subjects and the attainment of sizeable Ofsted publishes Conducting School
Moving down the hierarchy of response, you could important that you carefully plan the questions that you groups of pupils in particular. Inspections, a guidance document for
consider the number of pupils who have been removed will ask and how you will record their responses. The judgement on attainment is inspectors. It states that classroom
from lessons and how often certain pupils have been made in relation to national standards observation of teaching, and the impact
removed. Are there patterns to be found in the figures,
Working with staff
and in comparison to all schools. it is having on learning, is the most
such as peaks for particular year groups, in certain Staff will have views on the effectiveness of the school’s Inspectors consider patterns in important source of evidence. It tells
subject areas, or with individual teachers? behaviour management system. Remember though it is attainment data over the last three years, inspectors to:
However, these last two figures do not mean that necessary to move beyond individual anecdotes if you particularly noting any evidence of performance • Judge the accuracy of the school's self-evaluation
certain subjects or practitioners are less effective than wish to improve the system. significantly above or below the national average. of teaching and learning.
others; it could just be that they are sticking to the letter The evidence that you have collected and triangulated They also take into account evidence of pupils’ • Look into issues identified in the pre-inspection
of the system. will be a good way of trying to reduce these types of current performance. In the case of schools with 6th analysis, or in early inspection activity.
Probably what is most interesting is if you have comments. This evidence could be shared with middle forms, evidence about attainment in the 6th form is • Inspect how well particular groups of pupils, as
evidence about behaviour in the classroom. Are there leaders, both curriculum and pastoral, and then they could looked at separately in the 6th form section of the well as individuals, are learning.
particular behaviours that are being listed? Do pupils be asked what it reveals about behaviour at the school and report. It does not contribute to the judgement of • Collect evidence to make detailed and specific
begin to behave at a certain point in the hierarchy how better conditions for learning might be created. attainment at the school overall. recommendations to improve teaching/learning.
of response? Are teachers jumping up the ladder There could be three different conclusions: the Inspectors should give feedback to all the teachers
of response and not appearing to work through the system needs improving, staff need further training,
Quality of learning and progress
they observe for 20 minutes or more. For lessons
system? The answers to those questions will enable you or work needs to be done with pupils to change their In order to judge the quality of pupils’ learning and they observe for less than 20 minutes, inspectors are
to consider the systems that are in place. behaviours such as improving their listening skills. their progress, inspectors: expected to provide a grade for those aspects of the
Most importantly, this type of project will move the • Observe lessons, scrutinise work and talk to lesson that it is possible to evaluate.
What do the pupils think?
conversation in the staffroom away from the negative pupils.
We can often forget the most important group of people that behaviour is getting worse and will refocus it on • Look at the school’s evaluation of the quality of • Answer by Philippa Walker, specialist researcher
in the process – the pupils. how staff can be empowered in a school to deliver the learning for different groups. for The Key, a national information and guidance
They will often tell you where they believe the weak very best teaching and learning – after all that is what • Look at the external evaluation of the quality of service for school leaders of maintained schools in
points are in the system and will be able to explain to you we are all trying to achieve. SecEd learning, for example Ofsted’s survey visits or England offering practical answers to questions on
when they choose to behave and when they do not. It is the local authority’s evaluation. all aspects of school leadership and management.
generally true that most young people do not want poor • Paul Ainsworth is deputy head at Belvoir High School • Analyse data from the past three years, including Visit www.usethekey.org.uk
behaviour in the classrooms as they do want to learn. in Leicestershire.
SecEd • November 26 2009 13
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