MISNEACHBEHAVIOUR MATTERS:

January 2017

A NOBLE PROFESSION

“There are few professions other than teaching where gaining personal meaning through improving the lives of others for years and even generations to come is so palpable and so profound”

(Fullan, 1999:82)

WHAT EFFECTS DO STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS HAVE ON A CHILD’S EMOTIONAL WELLBEING?

• Just over three-quarters of nine-year-olds had experienced some form of stressful life event. The most common were death of a close family member (43%), moving house (42%) and divorce/separation of parents (15%).

• Children from single-parent families were more likely to have experienced a greater number of stressful life events, including death of a parent, conflict between parents, divorce or separation of parents, or moving house. Growing Up In Ireland Survey

My World Survey14,306 young people aged 12-25 years,More than a fifth of young adults indicated that they had engaged in self-harm and 7% reported a suicide attemptRates of suicidal thoughts, self-harm and suicide attempts were found to be higher in young adults who did not seek help or talk about their problems.Talking about problems is associated with lower mental health distress and higher positive adjustment.Nearly half of all sixth years in secondary school and over 60% of young adults (17-25) reported drinking behaviour outside the normal range as measured by the WHO.  More than 70% of young people said that they received high or very high support from a special adult. The study strongly confirms that the presence of ‘One Good Adult’ is important to the mental health of young people. It has a positive impact on their self-belief, confidence, coping skills and optimism about the future.

ONE GOOD ADULT!

IT COULD BE YOU!

Looking at Behaviour"

Promoting positive behaviour can only occur in a mutually responsive learning environment that offers whole learning to a whole child within a whole school ..."  Tim O Brien

Present Reality The behaviour of a very large majority of pupils

remains satisfactory or better

Most schools are successful at managing behaviour and creating an environment in which pupils feel valued, cared for and safe

The most common form of poor behaviour is persistent low-level disruption of lessons that

wears down staff and interrupts learning.

Ofsted 2006 (2010)

Most Successful Strategies for Improving Behaviour

Schools recognised that behaviour issues would not be resolved by just updating discipline policies

Behaviour was tackled as part of a wider school improvement strategy

Schools promoted honesty, ownership, teamwork

Schools identified behaviours that were most challenging and planned accordingly

Schools used external support effectively

o Behaviour is significantly better in settings which have a strong sense of community and work closely with parents. In these settings learners feel safe and are confident that issues such as bullying are dealt with swiftly and fairly.

o A strong lead by senior managers who set high standards and provide close support to staff contributes significantly to the effective management of behaviour.

o The quality of accommodation has a significant impact on behaviour. Accommodation that is welcoming, stimulating and well maintained tends to foster good behaviour.

Most Successful Strategies for Improving Behaviour

Present Reality

A significant proportion of pupils with difficult

behaviour have special education needs and face

disadvantage and disturbance in their family lives. Many

have poor language skills. Problems with reading and

writing often begin early and continue into secondary

school, limiting achievement in a range of subjects.

Ofsted 2006

What is Behaviour?•Behaviour is anything a person does which can be observed

•Behaviour has to be learned & so can be taught

•Everyone can learn new behaviour

•Behaviour which has been rewarded is more likely to be repeated

•Behaviour is influenced by what happens before it and what happens after it.

- Effective teaching and learning are closely linked to good behaviour.

- What teachers, other adults and other students do in response to a student’s behaviour is critical in influencing the choices students make about how they behave.

- Positive acknowledgement is a very effective way of influencing and promoting good learning behaviour.

- The quality of relationships affects behaviour.

What is Behaviour?

8 principles Vass and Hook

1.Plan for good

behaviour 2.Separate

the behaviour

from student

3.Language of choice

4.Focus on primary

behaviour 5.Actively build trust

and support

6.Model the behaviour you want

7.Follow on issues that

count

8.Reconnect and repair

relationship

CREATING A POSITIVE

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

Guidelines1 Introducing the Guidelines 2 Auditing and reviewing the code of behaviour 3 Principles underpinning an effective code of behaviour 4 Understanding behaviour 5 A whole-school approach to the code of behaviour 6 Setting standards of behaviour 7 Promoting good behaviour 8 Responding to inappropriate behaviour 9 Implementing the code of behaviour10 Suspensions and expulsions: legal and procedural requirements 11 Suspension 12 Expulsion

What is a Code of Behaviour?“The code expresses the vision, mission and values of the school and its Patron. It translates the expectations of staff, parents and students into practical arrangements that will help to ensure continuity of instruction to all students. It helps to foster an orderly, harmonious school where high standards of behaviour are expected and supported.” Page 2

“The code of behaviour is intended to support the school authorities in striking an appropriate balance between ‘… their duty to maintain an effective learning environment for all and their responsibility to students whose behaviour presents a challenge to the teaching and learning process” Page 2

What must be included in the Code!

a) The standards of behaviour that shall be observed by each student attending the schoolb) The measures that may be taken when a student

fails or refuses to observe these standardsc) The procedures to be followed before a student

may be suspended or expelled from the school concerned

d) The grounds for removing a suspension imposed in relation to a student

e) The procedures to be followed relating to notification of a child’s absence from school

PURPOSE OF GUIDELINESLEGAL COMPLIANCESUPERSEDE CIRCULARS: 20/90 AND

M33/91USE GUIDELINES TO:

AUDIT CURRENTREVIEW REGULARREFLECT ONGOING Process & content must take account of good practice

outlined in the guidelines Plan to review, with timeframes – approved & adopted

by the board

“There’s only room for one angry person in a group of two” Sean Ruth

PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING AN EFFECTIVE CODE OF BEHAVIOUR (Chapter 3)•Clarity•Affirmation that everyone’s behaviour matters•Promoting good behaviour•Balancing needs•Relationships•Personal responsibility

•Fairness & equity•Promoting equality•Recognition of educational vulnerability• Attending to student welfare•Attending to staff welfare•Promoting safety & freedom from threat

Standards of Behaviour (Ch 6)School Rules– Kept to a minimum– Clear, simple language– Stated positively ; what to do + what not

to do– Based on a clear rationale – explained,

understood & agreed– Developed through consultation– Communicated/referred to regularly

–MODELLING PREFERRED BEHAVIOUR

Sanctions/ProceduresSanctions should:

– be immediate and discrete– provide school with opportunities to make

low level response to pupil behaviour– have a hierarchy appropriate to behaviour– be fair– be consistent– be appropriate to meet individual needs

PROMOTING GOOD BEHAVIOURREFLECTION

HOW DOES OUR SCHOOL – WE – PROMOTE GOOD BEHAVIOUR?

Good Practice in the use of Sanctions– A form of positive intervention– Use respectfully– Should defuse not escalate– Preserve the dignity of all– Applied fairly & consistently– Be Timely

– Part of a plan to change behaviour– Used consistently– Students & parents know what sanctions are used in

the school– Proportionate – Appropriate

Responding to Inappropriate Behaviour – Chapter 8 Whole School Strategies:

• Agreed ways of describing Behaviour NB• Arrangements for Recording Behaviour Duty of

Principal• A Ladder of Intervention: lists, bullying: the

code needs to articulate what action the school will take in relation to alleged breaches of the policy

• DUTY OF CARE: INTEGRAL PART OF OUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

SUSPENSIONS & EXPULSIONS•- FAIR PROCEDURES BASED UPON THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL JUSTICE

• THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD: what that entails• THE RIGHT TO IMPARTIALITY• Authority to Suspend : IN WRITING

“Where the purpose of a proposed suspension is clearly identified, and that purpose cannot be achieved in any other way, suspension can have

value”

SUSPENSIONS & EXPULSIONS

• Grave• Rolling suspensions• State examinations• Open-ended• Report to the BOM• Reaching/exceeding 6 days to Túsla

Decision-makingDetermine the nature of the situationClarify the factsIdentify the playersThink of several options for actionEvaluate options using different ethical approachesChoose the best optionExplain your choiceWork out how to implement the optionTake action carefullyReflect and learn………..

(Educational Leadership, Key Challenges and

Ethical Tensions, Duignan, P.,2006)

How young people see it 1. Sometimes the young people’s bad behaviour is as a result of

being provoked or the teacher making the situation worse. It’s a two way process with the young people and the teacher

2. Some teachers think good behaviour is being quiet, not doing any work in class and not asking any questions

3. The school code of behaviour is important because it’s important the students know what they can and can’t do

4. The Principal and teacher should listen to the young person’s side of the story and not just the teacher

5. There are certain teachers you would go to if you had a problem, you wouldn’t go to the counsellor …as you would get slagged and you know they are going to talk about you in the staff room

6. Some teachers do not enforce the school rules and come up with their own

“Caring is the bedrock of all successful Education…”

“Students learn best in a caring environment. They listen to people who ‘matter to them’ and ‘to whom they matter’….”

(The Challenge to Care in Schools, Noddings, 2005)

Ethical LeadershipLeaders should be trustworthy, and this worthiness is an important virtue. Without trust leaders lose credibility. This loss poses difficulties to leaders as they seek to call people to respond to their responsibilities. The painful alternative is to be punitive, seeking to control people through manipulation or coercion. But trust is a virtue in other ways too. The building of trust is an organizational quality. …Once embedded in the culture of the school, trust works to liberate people to be their best, to give others their best, and to take risks. (Sergiovanni (2005))