Whilst there are young people, there will always be aspects of their behaviour that are challenging. We are reminded of this in the EEF’s 2019 guidance report on improving behaviour in schools, which begins by citing perceptions of Hellenic youth in 600 – 300 BC.
Mark Giles, Principal at The Hathershaw College, a secondary school in The Pinnacle Learning Trust, has used the report’s findings to redefine his school’s approach to managing behaviour, particularly in this post-pandemic era. He believes that Covid disruption fostered innovative teaching methodologies among the staff, it simultaneously highlighted the necessity for a refined approach to behaviour management. There are also some teachers in their early years of the profession or who trained during the pandemic, who had fewer opportunities to observe experienced professionals in action and when they did, ‘teaching from the front’ was very different. The pandemic and the legacy of this on communities has also seen an increase in some of the complexities of student behaviour. A perfect storm perhaps, but one that is less powerful when approached with solutions underpinned by evidence.
