How much is your class disrupted by bad behaviour?

[Catinthetwat]

I was just wondering how much of a problem behaviour is in the classroom. I keep hearing that it's getting out of hand.

Interested to hear from teachers and TA's...

There appears to be some confusion about what SEN actually is.

I’m not saying there should not be consequences but what is being sanctioned needs to be looked at for example the rest of Europe is not concerned with uniform, and what teenagers do to their hair or face.

When teenagers are rude or disrespectful to the point where they need to be removed from the classroom then make the parents come and sit with them in school every single time and make it a condition of being accepted into the school. I think the disruptive behaviour will soon end.

Maldives2006

Make sure your learners with additional needs are using all of the assistive technology open to them

What happens when they won't use it?

Find out what style of learning is best for them probably visual and allow them to utilise their preferred style.

Not always available, but most teachers will use multiple learning styles as differentiation.

Where there is a report follow the recommendations don’t make kids learn 20 spellings when their working memory doesn’t allow them too, setting them upto fail.

what happens when your child's report contradicts itself or another child's report

Give them the opportunity to shine these kids may struggle to sit down to write an essay at the drop of a hat but quite often have the ability to dictate an essay.

Not always able to do this do to lack of TA support or contradictory reports for other pupils.

Make sure any access arrangements are put in place early.

Yup, always

Above all listen to parents and work in partnership as I’m sure we all want the best outcome for our kids.

Not always easy when the parents see you as the enemy. There is another part to this but I would get ripped to shreds for even going there.

Children who are disorganised and forgetful are like that because of how their brains work. There is no need to make them feel worse by punishing them and help their parents by developing them strategies to help them to grow rather than damaging their self esteem.

I don't know a teacher that doesn't have a stash of equipment.

And once again we go down the SEND rabbit hole.

Maldives2006

Make sure your learners with additional needs are using all of the assistive technology open to them

What happens when they won't use it?

Find out what style of learning is best for them probably visual and allow them to utilise their preferred style.

Not always available, but most teachers will use multiple learning styles as differentiation.

Where there is a report follow the recommendations don’t make kids learn 20 spellings when their working memory doesn’t allow them too, setting them upto fail.

what happens when your child's report contradicts itself or another child's report

Give them the opportunity to shine these kids may struggle to sit down to write an essay at the drop of a hat but quite often have the ability to dictate an essay.

Not always able to do this do to lack of TA support or contradictory reports for other pupils.

Make sure any access arrangements are put in place early.

Yup, always

Above all listen to parents and work in partnership as I’m sure we all want the best outcome for our kids.

Not always easy when the parents see you as the enemy. There is another part to this but I would get ripped to shreds for even going there.

Children who are disorganised and forgetful are like that because of how their brains work. There is no need to make them feel worse by punishing them and help their parents by developing them strategies to help them to grow rather than damaging their self esteem.

I don't know a teacher that doesn't have a stash of equipment.

When teenagers are rude or disrespectful to the point where they need to be removed from the classroom then make the parents come and sit with them in school every single time and make it a condition of being accepted into the school. I think the disruptive behaviour will soon end

this would require a substantial shift in the thoughts and attitudes of parents. and if that actually happened then a lot of the disruption would stop.

One of the challenges is that a teacher can have a class of 30 in primary, with a range of needs; physical disabilities, invisible disabilities, medical requirements, emotional and mental health needs, 3+ years ahead or behind...and combinations of needs.
They all deserve their needs to be met, often with no additional funding or adult support. Sometimes those needs clash within a class and conflict ensues.
But a parent focuses only on their child. One rather than 30.

boneyback what would you suggest posters do, when inaccurate info is posted about SEND?

Back in day, when I was in school, disruptive pupils were sent out of class to the HT office, is this not allowed anymore?

If you sent to HT, you lost a privilege of some sort, break time, being allowed off premises at lunch (when older) and a phone call home. Does this not happen anymore?

If sent to the HT, a certain amount of times, within a certain time frame, you were ‘suspended’ from school.

Claw01
what would you suggest posters do, when inaccurate info is posted about SEND?

Partially what is going on here, but this thread is a perfect example of what needs to stop, SEND does not equal disruptive.

SEND becomes the be all and end all of the thread, we are once again pointing out that schools shouldn't get away with X, Y and Z.
We can't blame funding. we should all do X, Y and Z in every class no matter what the size because SEND.

But lets not forget that some children (and some with SEND) set out to disrupt lessons.

How can we sort this out when the basic premise becomes 'Its another SEND thread'

I totally agree SEND does not equal disruptive. However, SEND can equal disruptive, just as much as non SEN!

SEN has been thrown about a lot in this thread, sometimes in the wrong context, which is relevant to the thread.

Mucking about every now and again in a lesson is one thing. Consistent, high level disruptive behaviour is another.

Which are we talking about?

There is no respect for teachers. Some students just want to mess around and know they can get away with it. Parents don't support the school. These are the direct reasons. If there are enough kids (1 will do) determined to ruin a lesson then they will. No one adult can manage that. Gone are the days of kids being scared of teachers, their parents or consequences (not allowed to call them punishments).

But I believe there are so many many indirect reasons. It would be impossible to untangle them. I don't think that is a coincidence that the Tories have been in for 10 years or that smartphones have been around for roughly the same amount of time.

The Tories have cut and cut funding for not only schools, but loads of other things that will affect parents and their children. The uncertainty of zero-hours contracts, 1/3 of kids growing up in poverty, working families in poverty, closure of care facilities and libraries, no wage inflation for 10 years in most parts of the country. All of these affect the quality of life and kids pick up on this and act out. There are no doubt huge mental health issues or just behavioral problems because parents can't parent as effectively because life is much shitter for many than it was before.

Smartphones are so ubiquitous in society. Most adults are addicted. Nearly all teenagers are. Mobile phones stunt the ability to focus and learn - as well as social skills and empathy. They infer with sleep and replace healthy activities like exercise and hobbies. They also enable kids to be exposed to porn and bullying much more. Any surprise female teachers have a tougher time than male teachers? Also many female teachers have been sexually harassed by boys and sexual abuse between kids at school has also shot up.

It is a bad situation that will only get worse. I believe the shocking behaviour in schools is a symptom of other problems in society. None are really recognized and if they are nothing is being done about it.

Just to add to your list of tory cuts affecting kids. Widowed Parents Allowance cut which was funded by the dead parent's national insurance contributions which they will now never claim as state pension.
From the 1940s til 2017 these contributions were used to help widowed parents just until the youngest child left school. But perish the thought we help bereaved children with their own dead parents national.insurance contributions though. No, that money now kept by the bloody government.
There was a thread on mumsnet about it at the time it was cut though and most people seemed to think it was fine and bereaved parents just needed to suck it up. So there we are.

@SEN & SEMH are totally different. SEN relates to their educational needs and SEMH is relating to their social, emotional and mental health needs. Although they both affect each other they are initially approached separately.

My point was that most of the children who visit my room do not have SEN. Most have other complex issues and find it difficult to manage certain emotions which has a knock on effect on their learning.

Semh needs are sen needs. They are one of the four areas in the send cop. My son has semh needs due to his autism ( his autism causes needs in all 4 areas as it does with many children with autism) and has specific funded provision in his ehcp for this.

Autism related anxiety ( which can lead to behaviours that challenge) is a semh need for example.

My son goes to a boys' Grammar and behaviour is generally very good. No isolation rooms here. They are very strict though and parents get an email every time a behaviour point is given out. At Y8, they only set for Maths so perhaps it makes it easier to teach as they are all a similar level of ability.

opaltree that is shocking, although unsurprising.

clarrylove that sounds like a good system. Parents of kids at grammar school are more invested in their children's education, but the kids can still behave dreadfully (I worked in a grammar school in my NQT year and they ate me alive!)

Some kids in one of my dd’s classes were put into isolation after repeated disruption that went on for several months. It seems to have worked. All those hand wringers saying it’s a dreadful thing - perhaps if one of your dcs was in a class that was being constantly derailed by a bunch of disruptive children you too would be in favour. Unfortunately my dc’s grade trajectory has slipped this year in this subject, despite it being one of her strongest last year, and she thinks it’s largely due to these disrupted lessons, because nothing much was really being taught for the first three months of this AY. I’m really hoping she’ll be able to catch up next year before exams.

I was a disruptive child at school. You would of hated me in your child’s class. I was bored, science I would complete my work and then be told to just sit nicely then, as a 12/13 year old that was just so boring. If I was naughty I was sent out to shadow the head of science so I got to sit in on year 11/12 science now that was interesting. What did it teach me? If I was naughty/disruptive I wouldn’t sit there bored I would actually learn more and be in exciting lessons. School kind of twigged as then I was sent to isolation instead, which then led to pru as I was really really bored at that point. Year7-9 pru was good but didn’t really teach my anything, year 10+ pru was horrible which teachers who thought we where scum so we behaved like scum. It led to me dropping out of school totally by year 10 and not getting any education until I self enrolled into college.

Children need to be kept engaged in education by teachers being able to set work to the child not having to just teach a whole class the exact same piece of work.

“I was a disruptive child at school. You would of hated me in your child’s class. I was bored, science I would complete my work and then be told to just sit nicely then, as a 12/13 year old that was just so boring”

And just what gave you the right to decide that your boredom trumped others’ desire to learn? I can’t stand that attitude. Can’t stand it. If you’re so clever that you have got through your work faster than anyone else then get a book out and educate yourself. Why point the finger at the teacher and say “they taught boring lessons so I acted up”

Do you know what, I bet there were one or two other kids in that class that were bored too and DIDN’T behave as you did but respected other people’s right to learn or maybe even helped the kids that were struggling.

chillpizza you were bored. Big deal. You were arrogant more like.

My mum used to say "You are only bored if you are boring."

Wise words.

I’m not saying what I did was right I was a child. I was simply putting forward why as a child I was one of those disruptive children. I wasn’t the only child doing it I don’t know what the other children’s reasons where I only know my own. My school where good and fast at removing children but they never dealt with the underlying issue of why children where being disruptive. Expecting a child to think with an adult brain that oh yes I should just sit in silence because Rebeca might drop a grade isn’t even on a child radar.

Expecting a child to think with an adult brain that oh yes I should just sit in silence because Rebeca might drop a grade isn’t even on a child radar

I expect all students to bring a personal reading book to every lesson to read if there is no relevant extension work.