Sam’s school have a policy that mobile phones should not be used by pupils during the school day, and that they will be confiscated if seen by a member of staff. When the policy was first introduced, it was implemented very consistently by all members of staff. As a result, mobile phones were rarely seen either in lessons or during social times. More recently, inconsistency has crept in. Some teachers and support staff still confiscate phones, but others ignore or give a warning when they see them. Mobile phones are becoming a common sight once again on the corridors, and an increasing number of teachers are joining those who turn a blind eye.
Conversations with school leaders and teachers at the moment will reveal that behaviour, alongside attendance, sit high on their list of priorities.
But behaviour is a complex issue, which unfortunately does not come with quick wins or easy fixes.
Evidence suggests that consistency and coherence at a whole-school level are paramount. This applies to consistency of expectations as well as consistency of high-quality teaching for all pupils. Achieving this at a school level is one of the great challenges of school leadership: as Professor Dylan Wiliam puts it: “it [often] matters much less which school you go to; what matters more is who teaches you when you are there”.
