Behavioural Systems

Problems with Inadequate Behavioural Systems

In the absence of a decent behaviour system that works, the lack of boundaries can be dangerous and detrimental on many levels and to both teachers and students alike.

Impacts of poor behavioural policy

When there is a poor behavioural policy and an incident happens, a teacher feels unsupported and tries to compensate with what is within their control; they liaise with the relevant teams, speak with their line manager, contact parents and review what they could do within the classroom.
Without consequences for the students or senior support to convey the message that as a teacher, he or she should simply be able to teach, his or her role becomes clouded to both him/her and the students.

Impact of conflict on teachers

The teacher's unresolved conflict becomes directed at a select few. Without a consistent message to all students, they believe that the teacher is singling them out, and the teacher believes that they are the issue as ringleaders.
The behaviour management system becomes localised without wider support of models of right behaviour/consequences of an absence of that behaviour. It becomes a stalemate between the child and the teacher.

Impact of conflict on children

Unresolved conflict becomes a systemic issue for a child.
If we do not distance teachers with a decent behaviour system, students have an ingrained impression that some teachers are more prepared to let things slide than others and some teachers care less about the progress they make.
None of that is true, but the lack of structure creates a level of resentment on both sides: the teacher with the system, and perhaps even the child; and the student with the teacher, because the system doesn’t exist to them.

Resentment towards students

We’re not meant to discuss resentment towards children, but it is one of the many sad outcomes of when we don’t have effective systems to support teachers.
Jackson (2002): ‘Teachers frequently experience a whole range of unpleasant feelings towards pupils ... Intense feeling of resentment can also be felt towards the head teacher or members of the senior management team, especially if teachers feel their suffering is not being taken seriously enough or that they are not being sufficiently supported.’

'React' rather than 'reflect'

Left unprocessed, Jackson suggests that teachers may then ‘react’ rather than ‘reflect’ when tackling the problem.
They become fixated on solving the problem because they are not being provided with the space and time to rebuild the relationships necessary for learning to take place.

Teacher's struggle to be competent

A teacher forced into this position will then struggle to practise social and emotional competence that wouldn’t be difficult under usual circumstances.
If you want to see why teachers shout in classrooms or see behaviour as a personal flaw (‘David is just an idiot’) as opposed to highlighting its intrinsic link to learning (‘David doesn’t listen when I explain a task’), remove a behaviour policy.

What Does an Ideal Behavioural System Look Like?

It should fit the needs of the teachers, students, and community of the school.

Define what is intolerable

It should draw lines for what is completely intolerable within society and prepare children adequately for the consequences that await them.

Emphasis on work

It should place emphasis on the work, and how valuable both time and work are to success.

Remind students of time

When Kat talks through behaviour choices with students, she always returns to that notion of time: it is their choice to waste time that others in hundreds of schools around the country will now have as an advantage.

Place trust in the teacher

Above all, it should place trust in the teacher. It should take the teacher’s voice as central to understanding what is required for that work to take place.

Set example as teacher

As a teacher, you are not the only one dealing with unresolved conflict in multiple scenarios throughout the day.
As adults, we need to recognise and model the fact that we can know how to compartmentalise, leave our personal concerns (sometimes) at the door and model a professional understanding of how to do so for students.

Create microcosm of systems

Dealing with students will sometimes fail to provide a sense of resolution – they’re children, not robots, after all – but what we can do instead is create a microcosm of systems in our classrooms that demonstrate:
- I’m invested in you – sometimes more than you are yourself.
- I place all value in the work, and I reward your efforts in relation to the work.
- My lines are clear, and I remind you of them frequently.

Well done!

Thank you for completing our CPD course. We hope you've enjoyed it and that it has given you some ideas for your own classroom.

1Conversation & Connection

1.1Email

1.1.1Physiological Impact of Email

1.1.2Appropriate Use of Email

1.2WhatsApp

1.2.1Damaging Impacts & Advice for WhatsApp

1.3Praise & Thank-Yous

1.3.1Giving Less Praise, Better

2Being Human: Effective Relationships in Schools

2.1Dealing with Colleagues, Roles & Resolution

2.1.1Choose Your Crowd

2.1.2Changing Hats

2.1.3Resolution & Compassion

2.2Creating Professional Safety Nets

2.2.1Create Something to Belong To

2.3Educational Leaders

2.3.1Problems with Leadership in Schools

2.3.2The Qualities of the Most Effective Leaders

2.4Connections in the Classroom: Student Systems

2.4.1Behavioural Systems

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