Gav calls for Silent Corridors - School Behaviour Squad Assembled

[noblegiraffe]

Gavin Williamson made a speech today praising strict schools that don’t let kids piss about in lessons (you’d think this’d be fairly standard, but, y’know, Dix) and have silent corridors.

A new £10 million behaviour task force is being assembled led by Tom Bennett and will work to tackle this on a national level. Not sure how this will have any more impact than his behaviour report that appeared to make fuck-all difference though.

What would be lovely is if he could say ‘centralised detentions are a non-negotiable to be implemented immediately’. But I suspect not.

NEU are not happy, obvs.

schoolsweek.co.uk/williamson-calls-for-silent-corridors-and-banned-mobiles-to-be-the-norm/

[Saucery]

The key to all that is “with the support of their families” isn’t it? If you don’t have that you can implement all the policies you like around uniforms and phones and having the correct equipment, but they aren’t likely to work.

[Itswrongtowishonspacehardware]

pupils are given demerits for things like forgetting their pens or slouching in class

FFS

Is this what counts as bad behaviour now?

[Piggywaspushed]

I actually think that the thing that makes a difference at Michaela is a very present, very driven and very visible (and visionary) headteacher, not the discipline in an of itself.

I am no fan of Dix but so many schools are not set up for silent corridors (I have seen it in two schools, both small and compact). perhaps Gav would like to come and have a go himself.

[noblegiraffe]

Do you know what happens when pupils aren’t given demerits for forgetting pens?

Bringing in a pen becomes totally optional. And then the start of the lesson is wasted doling out spare pens that you don’t get back in.

[noblegiraffe]

My school site is massive, there is no way you could police silent corridors when the kids are walking 5 minutes to get to their next lesson.

But the aim should at least be for quiet and efficient corridors. You shouldn’t be walking to your next lesson past kids tussling or stopping for chats or snail’s pacing along. I think Bennett would be happy with that, he’s not zero tolerance.

[AndNoneForGretchenWieners]

I hope that AP is not going to be lumped in with this new approach. Or if it is, that it is done sensitively and with the full involvement of people who work with damaged and struggling children. I suspect it will go the way of a lot of these sorts of things though, a lot of noise and little action. For some reason the Michaela model makes me shudder., and I went to a very strict school where we respected our teachers and behaviour was excellent - we didn't have to observe silence in corridors, we were naturally sensible but still chattered.

[BoucleEponine]

Who/What is Dix?

Are you in favour of silent corridors, OP?

[BoucleEponine]

Sorry - xpost about the corridors!

[iamnotokaywiththis]

I know what happens when children are given demerits for forgetting stuff, because it happened to my child all the time. Unfortunately she wasnt very good at remembering stuff due to her SN, she also was pretty talented at losing stuff too. She got detentions and tellings off too. Unfortunately her school wouldn't recognise a reasonable adjustment if it hit them in the face. In the end she developed school induced anxiety and couldn't go in any more.

And that's the problem with these strict rules - they disproportionately affect children with SN, children living in poverty, children from disorganised home lives and children in care.

I dont believe the majority of kids forget pens on purpose, although I'm not doubting a small minority might do. People forget things because they're human, and punishing children across the board for stuff like this causing bad feeling, anxiety, stress etc.

[drspouse]

My mum was a teacher in the 80s/90s and used to buy pens in bulk and charge the pupils 5p for a 1p pen. Improved memory for the time wasters, a valuable service for those who really couldn't remember/had to drop off and pick up younger siblings and make their tea.

But basically any child with SEN is discouraged from going to such a school and I imagine involuntary home education will increase.

[noblegiraffe]

And that's the problem with these strict rules - they disproportionately affect children with SN

And the problem is that then people go ‘kids with SEN (actually the majority of kids with SEN can remember a pen) can’t do this, therefore it shouldn’t be expected of anyone’. And then there are no sanctions and swathes of kids rock up with no equipment. Yes, deliberately. They just can’t be arsed.

Clearly rules should be applied sensibly and if there is a kid who genuinely can’t keep a pen in their pocket and is racking up sanctions then arrangements could be made like a pencil case in each classroom.

It’s not one extreme or the other.

[iamnotokaywiththis]

It's not just pens noble it's PE kits, food tech aprons, homework, books, locker keys, calculators etc etc etc
There's a long list of stuff that can be forgotten or lost. And lots of potential for a demerit.

And rules aren't applied sensibly, because teachers like you say things like "the majority of kids with SEN remember" so why can't yours?

[drspouse]

Clearly rules should be applied sensibly
Clearly they should but those of us with children with SEN have far more experience of the opposite.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Oh fgs.

Put the money into more teachers, smaller classes, proper facilities for those who can't cope in mainstream, instead of just forcing schools/classes to put up with the same kids disrupting lessons all day, every day, and huge classes in which it's almost impossible to meet everybody's needs.

[iamnotokaywiththis]

Oh what a surprise

www.tes.com/news/dfe-behaviour-expert-ran-unlawful-exclusions

[Piggywaspushed]

There are AP heads on the behaviour panel Gretchen.

[noblegiraffe]

because teachers like you say things like

It is entirely reasonable for a teacher to apply the school behaviour policy. It is also entirely acceptable for reasonable adjustments to be made for SEN on a case by case basis by the SENCo.

I don’t think we disagree so getting snippy with me is unwarranted.

[iamnotokaywiththis]

It is entirely reasonable for a teacher to apply the school behaviour policy. They are just following their job description after all.

But is the school behaviour policy reasonable? I think that's what's up for discussion here.

My experience of reasonable adjustments being made consistently if at all, isn't great, and it's looks like I'm not the only one.

[noblegiraffe]

But is the school behaviour policy reasonable?

To issue demerits for a lack of pen? Yes. Absolutely.

Next!

[iamnotokaywiththis]

That's fine and I met many teachers like you at my child's school. I honestly think they thought they were doing the right thing when giving my DD detentions for forgetting stuff too.

[noblegiraffe]

That’s not my school behaviour policy, so you’re barking up completely the wrong tree.

Let’s not damn all kids with low expectations though.

[iamnotokaywiththis]

Hey here's a low expection for you - my child going to a special school for MLD because she can't cope in mainstream, despite her being very acedemically able Because that's the sort of low expection I'm dealing with now.

[ParsnipToast]

Low expectations or different expectations?

[ParsnipToast]

Sorry that was to noblegiraffe, not you iamnotokaywiththis

[noblegiraffe]

Parsnip

If you don’t expect any kid to be able to turn up with a pen to school, then that’s having pretty low standards don’t you think?

The vast majority of kids can manage a pen. If they sellotaped it to their phone, even more than that.