What we need to know is why behaviour is a significant issue

Last week, I met a seasoned veteran of headship. She’s led several schools in different parts of the UK, and she said something that unnerved me: “Geoff,” she said, “you have no idea how different young people are these days from when you were a head”.

Really, I wondered. Have young people actually changed?

So, earlier this week, I asked ASCL members to share their experiences of the behaviour of young people since the pandemic and whether standards had declined. 

My goodness. I wouldn’t have expected the response I got – the sheer volume of responses or the bleak depiction of what they said.

Now, look, this is a difficult topic. The last thing we want to do is give the impression that pupils are running amok. Most young people are respectful, polite and abide by the rules with an understanding that those rules exist for the good of everybody in maintaining an environment that is safe and conducive to learning. Similarly, it has always been the case that the behaviour of some pupils is challenging for a variety of reasons, and managing those issues is part and parcel of school leadership. The issue here is whether poor behaviour is more prevalent and worse, why that might be the case, what impact this may have on institutions and individuals, and how it might be addressed.