ABSTRACT
Schools are places of learning and it is important that behaviour is managed so that the aims of the school can be achieved. The purpose of a behaviour policy is to support this process through:
• The creation o f a positive and orderly atmosphere where teaching and learning can take place
• The creation o f a sale environment for pupils and staff through the clarification o f expectations, roles, rights and responsibilities
• The reduction o f teacher stress through the identification o f effective systems and practices
• Addressing the demands o f changing conditions and approaches
CHANGING CONDITIONS AND APPROACHES This section outlines key issues which schools should bear in mind when developing a behaviour policy:
1) Negative or Neutral approaches —► Positive approaches
2) Individual discipline —► Collegial approach
3) Control - » Cooperation
4) Behaviour management as a personal issue —>A ‘procedural’ approach
5) Severity —* Certainty and Predictability
1) Negative or Neutral approaches —► Positive approaches It is increasingly widely recognised that schools which actively promote good behaviour rather than fust respond to misbehaviour are likely to be effective schools. Such a positive approach is likely to include a recognition that:
* Pupils’ behaviour does not occur in a vacuum and that the ethos of the school and the professional practice of the teachers has considerable influence on the way pupils behave in school.
