One In Four Teachers Unhappy With Pupil Behaviour Standards

Badly Behaved Pupils Driving Teachers Out Of The Classroom

One in four teachers do not think there is a good standard of behaviour in their school, according to government research.

It reveals that many still believe that poor pupil behaviour is driving teachers out of the classroom, and suggests that those working in secondary schools are less positive than their primary colleagues.

Teachers are unhappy with pupil behaviour

The study, commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) questioned more than 1,600 teachers about standards of behaviour in schools.

The findings show that while teachers are increasingly positive about behaviour, 6% overall still believe that it is poor, or very poor.

And 19% said it is "acceptable".

Three in four (76%) said they thought behaviour was good or very good - a six percentage point rise compared to a previous survey in 2008.

In secondary schools alone, 8% of teachers said behaviour was poor or very poor, while in primaries it was 5%.

The majority of those questioned (85%) did say that they feel well equipped to deal with pupil behaviour.

Half said that they thought appropriate training was available to those teachers in their school who struggle to manage difficult behaviour, while three fifths agreed that negative pupil behaviour is driving teachers out of the profession.

The study also reveals that teachers are using praise and rewards to help control the classroom.

More than four in five (82%) of teachers said they often use a reward system, with 91% using praise for good behaviour.

Two thirds (65%) display rules in the classroom, while the same proportion use a seating plan and give feedback to parents about all types of behaviour.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "The majority of pupils are well-behaved and want others to behave well too. This survey shows encouraging effects of the Government's reforms, and that schools need to continue with their relentless focus on behaviour."

Ministers have introduced new measures to deal with unruly pupils including giving teachers more powers to search students and scrapping the 24-hour notice period for detentions.

Gibb added: "The survey also reveals some concerns about negative behaviour, which is driving some teachers out of the profession. The Government is committed to maintaining our relentless focus on raising standards of behaviour in schools until every school is a safe and happy place in which pupils can excel academically."

The latest Ofsted figures show that behaviour and safety was rated good or outstanding in 79% of England's schools.

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) warned earlier this year that children need boundaries and society needs to be more confident teaching youngsters what is reasonable behaviour,

Too many children are waited on and treated like "little Buddhas" by their parents, she said.

She warned that problems with poor behaviour are not confined to the working classes, with some middle-class parents buying their children off rather than setting limits.

The government's behaviour tsar, Charlie Taylor, said: "I am encouraged to see that teachers are feeling more in control of the classroom, but still more needs to be done.

"We need to ensure trainee teachers are equipped with the right training in behaviour management."

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