Bad behaviour not helped by confusing messages

Confusing mixed messages about bad behaviour in schools are allowing young people to challenge authority, according to head teachers. Last week Dr Chris Howard, of NAHT Cymru said that the leniency shown on the pitch towards the likes of foul- mouthed footballer Wayne Rooney was acting as a negative example to young people in the classroom.It is a sentiment that John Hopkins, head of Gwernyfed High School in Brecon, Powys, would agree with. But he says the messages to young people are far more confusing.

“The mixed messages we are sending to youngsters in Wales are a problem,” he said. “The Secretary of State for Education talks of zero tolerance on bad behaviour. Yet in Wales we have moved to complaints policies for pupils and have LEA-set targets on limiting exclusions, which gives the impression that head teachers' decisions can be challenged. “There are so many messages about the rights of children, the right to be heard, the right to complain, but none of that is accompanied by the right to have an education free from disruption and the right of the schools to say, 'We've had enough of these youngsters. Their presence is damaging the education of others'.”

In Gwernyfed High, if a child is found to be misbehaving and fails to stop they are given a warning, which is recorded. “We keep track of their behaviour and I can look back at the records of every pupil in the school for the past week, the past month and even compare the behaviour with the past year,” said Mr Hopkins. “When we introduced this the numbers dropped by half as low-level disruption dropped, but then it remained relatively consistent, with about one lesson in every 200 where a child is causing teachers concern. But there are still the youngsters who are getting warnings time and time again and we need strong parental support there.”

Councillor Alwyn Luke is chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee for children and family in Pembrokeshire County Council. He agreed that parents need to be educated to support the work done in schools.“There is no respect for man or property today, which is why you see such vandalism. ”Do they need more youth centres and facilities? I honestly don't know. In my time we only had cinema once a week. We've got to start from the cradle. If I said bring back the birch and cat o' nine tails that might resolve the problem, but it's not the answer. We would come down to their level then and we are supposed to be moving forward. “We need to talk to people and understand, but unfortunately the respect isn't there any more and we don't know how to get that back.”

Councillor Luke said he was in favour of returning to the 11+ and apprenticeships so that only those pupils who wanted to follow an academic route need stay at school. Mr Hopkins feels it is a school's lack of freedom to tailor the curriculum to the individual child's needs that has not helped. “We were very successful before the National Curriculum was imposed on schools. Schools lost the ability to do non- examined work which was educational and fun. We need more freedom for schools to modify the curriculum as they want to.” But while the National Curriculum remains, behavioural support is desperately needed, said Mr Hopkins.

“I've seen systems that work elsewhere in the country but they are very expensive and we are not funding this sort of thing in Wales.” Ironically schools in Scotland are soon to benefit from a system which has been alleviating this problem - a system which was designed by experts in Wales. Ioan Rees is a chartered educational psychologist with the Sycol Foundation which works with schools, businesses and other organisations to find solutions to, rather than talking about, problems. “Behaviour isn't particularly worse today, it's just that pressures upon professionals make it seem as though they are,” said the North Wales-based expert. “We have less time to deal with it and teachers are not allowed to take the measure they used to which was a short, sharp shock measure. “The measures asked of us now are more time-consuming.”

The programme to be rolled out to education authorities in Scotland over the next two years looks at providing a whole- school approach rather than focusing on a naughty individual. Critically the Solution Orientated Schools Programme has a unique teacher coaching element to provide support to the member of staff experiencing problems with pupils. “It gives a chance for teachers to talk about problems in a non- judgmental way. It doesn't look at them as failures,” said Mr Rees. “And it's viewed as continuing professional development in Scotland so it's been given high ranking. “Behaviour by and large is not going to change over time. What will change is our ability to deal with it effectively.”

Jenny Rees
3 March 2005

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