Crib Sheet: Behaviour management

Did the recent Education Act make any changes to the law on classroombehaviour? It did indeed; comprehensive changes in order to implementthe findings of the influential Steer report, Learning Behaviour. Thediscipline, behaviour and exclusion provisions in part seven of theEducation and Inspections Act 2006 will come into force in April 2007.Two new pieces of draft guidance are out for consultation: one that setsout the overall framework for school behaviour policies; the other isspecific to the use of force. The Government is also consulting on draftregulations on detention. When finalised, the guidelines will join 16companion volumes on behaviour and attendance. That's a lot of guidance.Tell me about the behaviour policy. Let's start with a grid that has acolumn to the left entitled "rights" and a column to the right entitled"responsibilities", set within a general framework of "ensuring anorderly climate of learning". To paraphrase: schools have the right toexpect co-operation from pupils and parents when enforcing the schoolbehaviour policy, rules and disciplinary measures. Schools areresponsible for ensuring that the whole school community is consulted onthe policy.