![\"Teacher](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/student-talking-to-teacher.jpg\")
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What Is a School Behaviour Management Policy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A school behaviour management policy<\/strong> (also known simply as a \u2018behaviour policy\u2019) is a document created by headteachers, senior leaders, proprietors, and governing bodies which:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is mandatory <\/strong>for maintained and independent schools \u2013 and academies \u2013 to have behaviour policies. Maintained schools must publish their policies on their school websites, and it is good practice for independent schools and academies to do so as well. Behaviour policies must be made known to staff, parents, and pupils at least once a year, in writing. See the government guidance here<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All school staff (as well as pupils and parents\/carers) are expected to comply with the school\u2019s behaviour policy in order to make it effective. The headteacher is ultimately responsible for the policy, but schools should also put a dedicated coordinator in place, whose responsibility it is to provide guidance and support to staff on behaviour issues, as well as regularly reviewing and updating the behaviour policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main motivations behind creating behaviour policies are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By making the rules and consequences clear and well-known to all those involved with the school, the likelihood of incidents of challenging behaviour<\/a> \u2013 or poor handling of them \u2013 is reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, many teachers are not made aware of the importance<\/strong> of following their school\u2019s behaviour policy at all times<\/strong>. A survey<\/a> by TeacherTapp in 2021 showed that one third of teachers deviated from the behaviour policy in one day alone, primarily for reasons of avoiding conflict, or being too busy to enforce sanctions. As a result, it\u2019s critical that schools give their staff training that explains why the behaviour policy is necessary and equips them to put it in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Challenging Behaviour training course<\/a> is recommended for professionals who want to have a better understanding of how to respond to the behaviour of the children and young people that they work with. It emphasises the importance of the consistent whole-school approach when proactively preventing behaviour incidents, as well as when responding to them and putting support in place. Visit our course library<\/a> to have a look at this and our other available training courses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Creating a school behaviour management policy requires discussions between the headteacher, senior leaders, proprietors, and governing bodies. You could also choose to involve parents and students, giving them a survey to find out their opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important that everyone agrees on the standards of behaviour that the school expects, and the best way to enforce these expectations. This will form the basis of your policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is recommended that behaviour policies have sections as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n This list is not exhaustive, but covers key points that you should discuss in your policy. You might feel that other additional sections are relevant to your school, and these should be written into your policy so that it reflects your school\u2019s ethos.<\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n The most effective behaviour policies are those that are tailored to your school<\/strong>, simple<\/strong>, and clear<\/strong>, with no room for misinterpretation. You will need to be as specific as possible. You cannot expect staff and students to have the same understanding of \u2018good behaviour\u2019 as you \u2013 if you cite low-level disruption as a reason to give students a warning, you need to define what low-level disruption is so that this sanction is given out consistently. Is tapping a pen on the table low-level disruption? What about shouting out an answer without putting their hand up? What about talking in a low voice whilst getting on with their work \u2013 is this permitted, or should students sit in silence while they\u2019re working?<\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n The next steps in making your policy effective are making it known <\/strong>and having strong leadership to enforce it<\/strong>. All staff, pupils, parents, and carers should be reminded of the behaviour policy regularly \u2013 not only that it exists, but also the content within it. It is a good idea to give them a booklet about the policy, enclosing a form for them to sign that says they will adhere to it. Senior leaders within the school should then check that it is being consistently applied, making sure to deal with any issues or queries as soon as they come up. This is necessary because, as we mentioned above, consistency is key to handling challenging behaviour in schools.<\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n Finally, effective behaviour policies should be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure they\u2019re still relevant and reflective of topical issues. At the very least, reviews should take place annually, with ad-hoc reviews or updates when the need arises.<\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n Behaviour management policies are a legal requirement for all schools, and an opportunity to set out the standards of behaviour you expect, the sanctions and consequences that result from certain behaviour, and the support that students and staff will be given. It’s important to ensure that your policy is comprehensive and well-written – we hope that this article is helpful in that regard.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n \n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n Behaviour management policies are a legal requirement for all schools. We provide guidance on how to create or update one in your setting here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":54193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[81,80],"class_list":["post-54097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-education","tag-teachers-and-parents"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n\n
![\"School](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/parent-teacher-meeting.jpeg\")
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\n\n\n\nWhy Do Schools Have Behaviour Policies and Procedures?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/teacher-talking-to-young-child-in-corridor.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"expert](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/expert-tip-icon.png\"){kind=icon}
\n<\/div>\nNeed Challenging Behaviour Training?<\/h3> \n<\/div> \n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\nHow to Create a School Behaviour Management Policy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sections to Include in a Behaviour Policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
School Ethos and Behaviour Statement
![\"drop](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/down53.png\")
<\/h3>\nRoles and Responsibilities
<\/h3>\nStandards of Behaviour
<\/h3>\nTeaching of Behaviour
<\/h3>\nRewards
<\/h3>\nSanctions
<\/h3>\n
You may wish to mention \u2013 so that pupils, parents, and carers are aware \u2013 that the school legally has the power to give detention outside of school hours, perform searches and confiscate inappropriate items from students, and discipline pupils for misbehaving outside of the school premises. Discuss whether the school intends and to use these powers or not (and when it would be appropriate to do so), as well as the protection the law affords to staff when intervening in this way. Remember that sanctions should take into account the pupil\u2019s age, any SEND they have, and any religious requirements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nInterventions
<\/h3>\nReasonable Force
<\/h3>\nClassroom Management Strategies for Teaching Staff
<\/h3>\nAnti-Bullying Strategies
<\/h3>\nSafeguarding and Welfare
<\/h3>\nStaff Development and Support
<\/h3>\nStudent Support Systems
<\/h3>\nLiaison With Parents\/Carers
<\/h3>\nRaising Awareness of the Policy
<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/teacher-resolving-a-behaviour-incident-after-class.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhat Makes a Behaviour Policy Effective?<\/h3>\n
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\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n
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