GPS

Kirsty
Carlisle
March 21
2014
A good school behaviour policy, agreed and communicated to all
staff, governors, pupils, parents and carers, consistently applied, is the
basis of an effective approach to managing behaviour. (House of
Commons Education Committee 2011 p.3)
Based on your
own school
experiences,
to what extent
do you agree
with this
statement?
Kirsty Carlisle
B1031914
Tutor: John Robson
Page | 2

GPS ASSIGNMENT

It is generally accepted that attainment is affected by behaviour. It may be important to instil
a culture of good behaviour. This notion is understood by government, the House of
Commons education committee (2011) stated that:
A good school behaviour policy, agreed and communicated to all staff, governors,
pupils, parents and carers, consistently applied, is the basis of an effective approach
to managing behaviour. (Committee, 2011)
Throughout this essay I am going to critique and discuss this statement by the House of
Commons Education Committee and outline to what extent I agree with this proclamation.

During both placements and lectures I have attended based on behaviour systems within
schools, I have come to the assumption that behaviour policies are put in place for the
reason that consistency, conformity, respect, expectations and productivity needs to be
retained. However, if this is to be engaged then it needs to be communicated to third parties
outside of school. Although, this would be an ideal situation, through the participation in
target review days and parents evenings, I have come to discover that behaviour policies are
ridiculed within the home situation which can create a privation of consistency.

Further analysing my point I have looked at the works of psychologist B.F.Skinner, and his
research into operant conditioning and negative and positive reinforcement, I strongly agree
that the behaviour policies put in place by schools should be reinforced throughout all areas
of a students life to allow for them to be effective in school.
Behavior which is reinforced tends to be repeated (i.e. strengthened); behavior
which is not reinforced tends to die out-or be extinguished (i.e. weakened). (McLeod,
2007)
His study shown that for behaviour to be repeated and strengthened it needs to be
reinforced which can start to justify why it is important for such policies which are taken very
seriously in schools to be put in place in the home and other areas of a student's life.

During my second placement I have been more proactive in terms of behaviour
management and making good practice of behaviour policies and understanding how
sanctions are applied. In doing this I have managed to create a healthier learning
environment for other students who dont cause the disruption but may be affected by it.
Similar to what has been mentioned previously, negative consequences can potentially get
rid of disturbance if the correct actions applied by the teacher are enforced. I have made
sure that the expectation required is modelled through my own behaviour.
Example: you must listen when others are speaking and not interrupt out of respect
whether you agree with it or not, everyone will get a chance to speak.
Kirsty Carlisle
B1031914
Tutor: John Robson
Page | 3

I mention this to students to create a courteous environment. I find that this is harder to imply
on some students if they dont have the same message instilled at home. Through a recent
target review day, I thought it would be a respectable opportunity to assess and draw up
small conclusions of the situation at home, to do this I arranged to sit in on the session. I
found that for the vast majority of students I was concerned about contentedly interrupted
their parents and were not informed that is was unacceptable. A clear example, showing that
if the same behaviour rules are not being consistently applied across all areas, students will
think its acceptable to portray within the classroom.
If pupil misbehaviour is not picked up on quickly and discouraged by the
consequences that follow, it is likely to become more frequent. (Kyriacou, 2001)
Fair discipline is necessary to ensure fairness and expectation is kept the same. If these
policies were shared between all the people specified in the first quote then students would
surely start to link bad behaviour with the negative consequences and therefore reach a limit
and discontinue. Within my second placement, students are given three chances to redeem
themselves, if three chances are reached then they are hot spotted which means they are
on called and removed from the classroom until further notice. Generally students will be
issued a report and their behaviour will be monitored. They will usually be monitored by an
associate of the senior leadership team (SLT), through word of mouth students see SLT as
dominant and authoritive members of school, more so than their classroom teachers. After
witnessing this first hand I have become conscious of the fact that students tend to stop at
warning number two to prevent these consequences.

During my first placement I quickly realised that respect is a huge part of the behaviour
policies and whilst mutual respect between student and teacher is important it is not instantly
gained but earned by pure determination and enthusiasm.
This authority is given to you to act as a manager of their learning rather than as a
power relationship. (Kyriacou, 2001)
It is uncomplicated to think as a teacher that you instantly have power, but through my own
practice and the practice of others I have established that it is paramount to avoid because I
say so. This instantly shows a lack of respect towards the student, expressing that you
possibly do not care what the issue is.
"1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils". (see
appendix 1.1)

Authority plays a huge role within the management of pupil behaviour and parents tend to
have this, therefore they are usually the role model in which the students look too. If the
parents do not have the same opinion as the teacher in regards to the behaviour policies in
affect within school then the student is given two different ideas of expectation, which may
prevent the teachers approach from being effective. However, keeping respect in mind,
teacher authority will be tested by how fair and effective the behaviour is confronted.
Behaviour policies allow teachers to keep sanctions consistent in the hope that students will
learn the code of conduct and comprehend the boundaries to which they are willing to go.
Kirsty Carlisle
B1031914
Tutor: John Robson
Page | 4

These need to be portrayed through an important person who the students see as an
authoritive figure for them to be keen to duplicate the behaviour.
Behaviour policies across the two schools seem to be effective, however, when observing
teachers within placement one, when medium level sanctions were specified they were very
rarely carried out, in terms of a loss of a lunch time or short break time detentions. Students
were often given a chance to redeem themselves and retrieve back their break or lunch.
Although, this worked in the short term, the long term affects were a result of 'never ending
behaviour issues'. Students would play out every expectation in order to gain back their time,
but during the next lesson students would rebel against the behaviour expectations until they
reach the medium level sanctions and repeat the same behaviour as the previous lesson.
This tends to be a circle that has no ending point, whilst the teacher attempts to confront the
initial behaviour students are quick to realise that there isn't any real consequence. This is
very different within my second placement, as a medium level sanction is taken very
seriously and no student is given the chance to redeem themselves and gain back any time
lost. It is a clear instruction that if they waste other people learning time then the teacher is
allowed to take theirs. Any break or lunch time detentions issued are agreed with both
teacher and pupil, any reason to no attendance instantly results in a period seven. Students
tend to understand this very well and accept the consequences of their behaviour.
"Unless the behaviour is very serious, start with the most minimal form of
intervention, and work up gradually". (Cowley, Types of Sanctions, 2010)
In relation to this it has been noticed that some teachers may start off by giving a low level
behaviour too much attention and apply a medium level sanction, which tends to result in
having nowhere to go. Through faulty practice when first starting out and observations it is
apparent that starting from the bottom and giving a few chances often allows the behaviour
to stop before it reaches a point of 'no return'. I have come to understand that most students
no the limits but they test the teacher in terms of how far they can be pushed. It's important
to not allow any room for disruption or misbehaviour by setting out expectations clearly from
the start and putting these into practice shows a clear understanding and a willingness to
follow protocol in a confident manner.
Both policies clearly have positives and negatives,
"An effective and well-though-out behaviour policy is an invaluable aid in helping you
control behaviour in your classroom". (Cowley, Effective Behaviour Policy , 2010)
I propose that both schools have clearly thought out their behaviour policy but the extent to
which it will work will be dependent on on how assertively it is put across to students and
how efficiently it is adjured to in the home.

Although, punishment may weaken the behaviour, another way to approach negative
behaviour would be through positive reinforcement, using compliments, praise and
encouragement, behaviour can be dismissed before it progresses. However, to enable the
teacher to access this they need to be able to recognise when behaviour is about to turn in
the undesired direction. Such things as noticing disrespect, moving pupils (letting them know
it was their choice), change of activities and pace, circulation, eye contact and scanning of
the classroom, have all allowed me to develop upon this skill within my own practice. I have
Kirsty Carlisle
B1031914
Tutor: John Robson
Page | 5

been told many times by various teachers that the skilful use of such strategies to pre-empt
misbehavior is an immense ability to master.
A ratio of five compliments for every one complaint is generally seen as being the
most effective in altering behavior in a desired manner. (Mcleod, 2007)
If a desired response is received praising a student is vital to reinforce that behaviour.
Reinforces: Responses from the environment that increase the probability of a
behavior being repeated. Reinforces can be either positive or negative. (Mcleod,
2007)
The extent to which I agree with the above statement stems from the fact that I tend to use a
lot of positive reinforcement within my own practice and praise is something I have been
commended on from my mentor. From doing this I have discovered that positivity can go a
long way in terms of behavior. It could be argued that this will work better if its not acted out
within other environments by different people. If students do not receive appraisal within
other environments but receive masses within the classroom, this could become something
that the students desire and intend on continuing the good behaviour to receive the feel
good factor.
Most of what people learn occurs outside of school. One person can influence the
learning of another person through teaching and similar endeavors (Shuell, 2013)

Although the first statement insists that to achieve effective behaviour management it must
be approached from all angles and as much as I agree with this statement, I still firmly
believe there are many other factors that need to be contributed to this. How the students act
in the classroom is effected by how the teacher engages those pupils. If the activities that
are prearranged are unable to elicit and sustain the pupils interest and dont provide them
with a stimulus, they are likely to get bored. Boredom can lead to behavioral issues, as I
learnt when I first started out as a trainee. As one of my targets I started to make interesting
and fun starters, mini plenaries and conclusion tasks to engage pupils and develop their
interest in the subject and my teaching. I found that relevance is a key a concept to the
approach, lessons created around the pupils interest, shows respect and an importance in
their involvement within society and recognising that they are an individual.
Whilst bearing all these approaches in mind, it is important to remember that teachers have
to meet a standard which states they must be able to:
"Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment".
(Education, 2011) (See appendix 1.2)
Clear rules must be set out at the start to have an instant impact on the effect of behaviour.
Within Design Technology creating a safe environment is of up most importance, there are
many hazards within a workshop setting. To comply with Teacher Standard number 7,
managing behaviour effectively implies that a 'good and safe learning environment' will be
attained through doing this. Teacher standards are expectations of which a trainee teacher
should work towards to be noted as able education provider. To allow my own practice to
resemble this standard I have begun to develop my skills in this area to allow for an effective
teaching practice when focusing on behaviour management. I strongly believe that the
efficiency of a strong behaviour policy framework needs to be well promoted by all parties
that play a role within the student's life.
Kirsty Carlisle
B1031914
Tutor: John Robson
Page | 6

"Good behaviour is necessary condition for effective teaching and learning, and an
important outcome of education". (Schools, 1993)

Within my research I use the term good loosely as the term is very general and I am yet to
find out what good behaviour is, but what I have discovered informs me that for effective
classroom behaviour, not only do sanctions need to be consistent for any one pupil but
mutual respect needs to be gained between teacher and pupil. Making exceptional use of
the policies and acquiring the skills to notice when things are going wrong will be useful to
manage behaviour, however, behaviour cannot lie solely on the teacher. Students need to
be prepared for regulations and expectations by carers, parents etc, so there is a reduced
amount of distress regarding sanctions and a healthy classroom environment can be
created. I believe pupils of secondary school age need to take more responsibility for their
own actions and although many students really need the policies to abide by, most can
understand where they have gone wrong, meaning, they just need the guidance to be able
to rectify their behaviour first time without needing to go through each step of any behaviour
policy. In conclusion, I agree that behavioral policies need to be shared between all parties
involved in the students life, but there are many more approaches that need to be used in
conjunction with this one to have an impact on effective behavior management.

















Kirsty Carlisle
B1031914
Tutor: John Robson
Page | 7

Bibliography

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Cantor L (2009) Assertive Discipline: positive behaviour Management for Today's Classroom
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th
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(p. 163). ontinuum International Publishing Group.
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B1031914
Tutor: John Robson
Page | 8

Rodgers, B. (2009) How to Manage Children's Challenging Behaviour. (2
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Appendix
1.1
1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils
establish a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect
set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and
dispositions
demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are
expected of pupils.

1.2
7. Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
have clear rules and routines for behaviour in classrooms, and take responsibility
for promoting good and courteous behaviour both in classrooms and around the
school, in accordance with the schools behaviour policy
have high expectations of behaviour, and establish a framework for discipline
with a range of strategies, using praise, sanctions and rewards consistently and
fairly
manage classes effectively, using approaches which are appropriate to pupils
needs in order to involve and motivate them
maintain good relationships with pupils, exercise appropriate authority, and act
decisively when necessary.