Do silent corridors improve student outcomes?
I believe everyone will agree on what we want in our schools; we need ‘well-behaved’ corridors, not necessarily ‘silent’ corridors.
The concept of ‘silent corridors‘ is a contentious topic, more common in disadvantaged secondary Schools across England. There will be one or two good reasons for doing so, but the crux is whether or not outcomes improve.
When you are a teacher working with a large student population (~1,000+), with 75 to 125 teachers across the organisation, you can see why consistency might be desirable, particularly when discussing behaviour and teaching and learning routines. Here is that simple question again: Which comes first, good behaviour or good teaching and learning?
I’ve never worked in a school with silent corridors. Still, I do know that at times, even as a deputy headteacher, I would have appreciated having the ability to switch on the mute button. From my experience, the essence of effective school management lies not just in enforcing rules, but in fostering an environment where every student’s voice contributes to a productive learning atmosphere.
