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Original poster

Behaviour management charts in primary school

113 replies

foggyoutside · 07/02/2023 08:52

My child's school uses behaviour management charts (a rainbow, sun, cloud type system or traffic lights with kids moving up and down throughout the day depending on behaviour) and the more I read about them the more I would like the system to change.. I wondered if anyone's school has moved away from them and what they do instead? I want to talk to school about it but be able to suggest alternatives and not just articulate why I think the chart is wrong!

OP posts:
Deathbyfluffy · 07/02/2023 08:55

Why do you think the chart is wrong?
Seems like a good way of keeping track of things to me

Minnie888 · 07/02/2023 08:58

Shaming doesn't help children to learn right or wrong. Ultimately talking to a child in an age appropriate way helps, understanding why they may be struggling can help identify triggers.

EllaVator · 07/02/2023 09:00

It’s quite dated even in education to be honest. There’s no evidence that publicly shaming children in any way improves behaviour.

I wouldn’t use it in my classroom.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
Original poster
foggyoutside · 07/02/2023 09:35

Deathbyfluffy · 07/02/2023 08:55

Why do you think the chart is wrong?
Seems like a good way of keeping track of things to me

Well there's plenty to read about them online but here's an idea of what I mean

letgrow.org/behavior-charts/

OP posts:
Original poster
foggyoutside · 07/02/2023 09:36

EllaVator · 07/02/2023 09:00

It’s quite dated even in education to be honest. There’s no evidence that publicly shaming children in any way improves behaviour.

I wouldn’t use it in my classroom.

If you were trying to change it what would you propose as an alternative?

OP posts:
Beginningless · 07/02/2023 09:40

I completely agree with you but I’m not sure what the answer is. I’d love our whole society to have a relationship-focussed shift! I think what is needed would cost a lot of money. I remember the sorrow for DD about star of the week when she started school. And don’t get me started on prizes for attendance, during covid…

MaoamAddict · 07/02/2023 09:44

I'm all for behaviour charts in school. My DC are motivated to stay in the 'green' section and their friends and the same. It's always the same kids in the red and the teachers do work with them to resolve this. My DC know they've messed up if they're moved into Amber and we talk about what they should do differently etc.

Before anyone crows 'but neurodiversity', one of my DC is ND, one is NT. The children in red regularly are the ones with parents who don't give a hoot, not the ones with ADHD etc.

ReamsOfCheese · 07/02/2023 09:48

What a load of nonsense. Everything is "shaming" these days. It's bollocks. Maybe we need to teach children not to tie up their self-esteem in external factors and take responsibility for their behaviour. Gee, I wonder what a really easy visual way of doing that would be...?

Margo34 · 07/02/2023 09:58

My school moved away from it a couple of years ago, thank goodness I hated it and it was so demotivating particularly for the children that need the most motivation, so publicly shaming to have a ladder/chart with names!

Now we have an anonymous/name free system where instead of 'moving up' the chart, children get a sticker to celebrate whichever school value they've demonstrated and put an unnamed peg on the value display in class so we celebrate as a whole class at the end of the day e.g. "oooh look we got 12 pegs on caring today, well done team!"

Instead of 'moving down' the chart, staff keep a mental note (or a post it on the desk out of sight from children) of who has been given a warning and then next step is still thinking time/time out etc etc, but it's not named and shamed in front of the whole class. They can still get the stickers for the positive values as well to celebrate, and don't need to 'work their way back up' to get one.

It's taken a while to embed but the children have responded well to it.

SusiePevensie · 07/02/2023 10:01

Good thread on it here: mobile.twitter.com/_MissingTheMark

BrutusMcDogface · 07/02/2023 10:04

This is interesting to me as a teacher. We use schemes as described above. They work for some but not all.

LaFemmeDamnee · 07/02/2023 10:11

If some kids are 'always in the red', then clearly the public shaming for their behaviour does nothing to help them regulate their behaviour.

My DC attend a state school that seems to manage behaviour perfectly well without a wall of shame.

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 07/02/2023 10:15

MaoamAddict · 07/02/2023 09:44

I'm all for behaviour charts in school. My DC are motivated to stay in the 'green' section and their friends and the same. It's always the same kids in the red and the teachers do work with them to resolve this. My DC know they've messed up if they're moved into Amber and we talk about what they should do differently etc.

Before anyone crows 'but neurodiversity', one of my DC is ND, one is NT. The children in red regularly are the ones with parents who don't give a hoot, not the ones with ADHD etc.

The fact that it’s always the same kids in the red shows that it doesn’t work.

And the dismissive attitude to children whose parents don’t give a hoot (the implication of “not the ones with ADHD etc”) is a massive part of the problem.

Schools would be lambasted for consistently failing to find a replacement for something that wasn’t working for kids with ND or even kids who normally do well. Yet if their parents don’t give a shit - so they are completely and utterly disadvantaged children - then it’s find to just always have them in the red.

MistletoeMeadow · 07/02/2023 10:15

@MaoamAddict if it’s always the same kids in the red, it doesn’t really work does it…?!

LaFemmeDamnee · 07/02/2023 10:16

ReamsOfCheese · 07/02/2023 09:48

What a load of nonsense. Everything is "shaming" these days. It's bollocks. Maybe we need to teach children not to tie up their self-esteem in external factors and take responsibility for their behaviour. Gee, I wonder what a really easy visual way of doing that would be...?

It is shaming. That's the entire point of it. To shame the 'bad' kids into complying and to scare the 'good' ones into straying off the straight and narrow. It does the opposite of promoting intrinsic motivation to behave.

MaoamAddict · 07/02/2023 10:18

But if the kids are naughty, why shouldn't they be aware that their behaviour isn't acceptable?! This is a very mixed school with wide demographics and the kids who are in the red are the ones disrupting learning for others. Why should my DC be disadvantaged by other people's poor parenting with no way to visualise that the naughty kids are not an act to follow. There's zero accountability on people these days to modify their behaviour and this goes right back to early years.

blacksax · 07/02/2023 10:18

Public shaming my arse.

All kids know who the naughty kids in the class are, and the overwhelming majority of children have a strong sense of fairness.

The ones who do behave need to be able to see that the kids who misbehave are reprimanded in some way. A little sticker on a chart seems a much better way of doing it that giving them the cane, which is what was still happening when I was at school.

Dyslexicwonder · 07/02/2023 10:19

foggyoutside · 07/02/2023 09:36

If you were trying to change it what would you propose as an alternative?

Show quote history

I think this is being used quite widely

therapeuticthinking.co.uk/

LillyBugg · 07/02/2023 10:20

My children's school successfully moved away from this system.

They now award 'badges' for good behaviour which are logged electronically, and each week two children from every class receive a certificate on a Monday, for most amount of badges (KS1). Massive focus on the school values and demonstrating those. Then for KS2, the badges are accumulated and children are in teams. The team with the most badges in last week of term gets an extra play time.

Also every term, two children from every class are awarded as a 'values ambassador'. One is teacher chosen. One is peer elected. They get a badge and a certificate and parents are invited to watch.

My kids know the school values and expectations inside out. The whole focus is on good behaviour and not bad.

The other side of it, for poor behaviour, is managed totally separately with a system of escalation to deal with it. None of it public.

Hope that helps OP.

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 07/02/2023 10:21

MaoamAddict · 07/02/2023 10:18

But if the kids are naughty, why shouldn't they be aware that their behaviour isn't acceptable?! This is a very mixed school with wide demographics and the kids who are in the red are the ones disrupting learning for others. Why should my DC be disadvantaged by other people's poor parenting with no way to visualise that the naughty kids are not an act to follow. There's zero accountability on people these days to modify their behaviour and this goes right back to early years.

If the same kids are always in the red then it doesn’t work.

it would be better for all of the kids, yours included, to do away with shit shaming that doesn’t work and put effort into finding something that does work.

Otherwise the same circle of disruption, usual kids in red and same behaviours just continues. Which benefits nobody.

Somethingvague · 07/02/2023 10:22

As a teacher, most schools have moved away from this and it's unpopular. However, when used properly and positively they were effective. What to do in place of it is a very good question. Personally I've seen behaviour decline since getting rid of them - some children need clear visual systems.

Margo34 · 07/02/2023 10:22

MaoamAddict · 07/02/2023 10:18

But if the kids are naughty, why shouldn't they be aware that their behaviour isn't acceptable?! This is a very mixed school with wide demographics and the kids who are in the red are the ones disrupting learning for others. Why should my DC be disadvantaged by other people's poor parenting with no way to visualise that the naughty kids are not an act to follow. There's zero accountability on people these days to modify their behaviour and this goes right back to early years.

If they behave in an inappropriate way, the teacher will make that child aware. The teacher doesn't need to let the perfect littleMaoam know, as well - it's none of little Maoam's business.

Alexandernevermind · 07/02/2023 10:22

I would find this uncomfortable. At my dc's school the behaviour points were positive, not negative. They were publicly rewarding good behaviour, not publicly punishing bad behaviour. We used to have little sad face slips if our dc had misbehaved, which were handed to the parent at the end of the day.

notsurewherenotsurewhy · 07/02/2023 10:26

blacksax · 07/02/2023 10:18

Public shaming my arse.

All kids know who the naughty kids in the class are, and the overwhelming majority of children have a strong sense of fairness.

The ones who do behave need to be able to see that the kids who misbehave are reprimanded in some way. A little sticker on a chart seems a much better way of doing it that giving them the cane, which is what was still happening when I was at school.

Why on earth should the way schools support struggling children to behave be driven by how other children feel about it? Tell your children to wind their neck in and worry about themselves not their peers.

I'm glad so many schools are moving away from these. Gimmicky nonsense, most often resorted to by over-promoted school leaders who don't really understand children at all.

BootCampSucker · 07/02/2023 10:27

My children's school has a traffic light system, but it's 'ready to learn' (green) 'time to make a choice' (amber) and 'time to reflect' (red).

To me it feels a bit less stigmatic of the behaviour itself, and more about the impact of the behaviour, but am interested to read the views of teachers and other experts on this thread re the value (or otherwise) of these types of systems.