There’s been an argument about how to manage behaviour in schools since the Ancient Greeks started this pedagogy business
It splits into roughly two sides. Those who see a simple relationship between actions and consequences, and those who understand behaviour as communicating a need that, if we meet it, will reduce the problem
Both have something going for the – as is often the case in these disputes!
I want to focus in this post on one aspect.
People who advocate “no excuses” or “strict” approaches often talk (rightly) about the need to consider all the pupils. Why should one person ruin the experiences of all?
So, the suggestion goes, we should use penalties such as suspensions and exclusions (internal or external) so that everyone can get on with their learning
Recent research suggests this does not work quite so simply.
This found that in classrooms where suspensions were used for minor offences, all the pupils learned less
It seems to be because the atmosphere reduces engagement. You can see why – if people get suspended for small things it increases the overall sense of risk
So it’s not just about good teaching, but about the climate of the classroom. Looking at whether we really need to exclude and suspend pupils might be a good start for raising attainment across a school.