New review offers practical advice to tackle classroom behaviour problems

A government-backed review has highlighted a number of measures that schools can take to tackle the problem of bad behaviour in the classroom.

Conducted by teacher and behaviour expert Tom Bennett, the Department for Education-commissioned report saw Mr Bennett spend several months meeting classroom teachers and leaders from a variety of schools around the country to identify successful strategies used to tackle disruptive behaviour.

Although varying circumstances and challenges were seen in different locations, a number of key themes emerged, including the benefits of determining and firmly administering clear routines and patterns, as well as instilling high expectations.

A focus on building a strong sense of identity and good relationships between children and with teachers can also help pupils to feel they belong, are safe and are expected to do their best, underlining the importance of school culture in supporting good behaviour.

Mr Bennett said: "The skills required to improve school behaviour cultures already exist within the ecosystem of schools. The challenge now is for us to collaborate as a community to do so."

Based on these findings, the government has announced a series of measures to implement the advice, including reforming National Professional Qualifications from September this year to equip school leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to deal with bad behaviour.

A total of £75 million will be allocated from the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund to develop and run professional development programmes on tackling bad behaviour for those in challenging areas, while existing mental health and behaviour guidance for schools will be updated.

Finally, it was pledged that further research will be carried out into what approaches work best to help young people with behavioural problems, with a focus on empowering schools to take responsibility for their own approaches to this key issue.