Great behaviour management strategies are already in your school. But are they used consistently, by everyone, all the time? This is the hard bit.
It is especially hard when you have not sat down and agreed what the approach should be. Let us remind ourselves of some basics. There are two reasons pupils do not follow instructions:
1. They do not know what the rules are.
2. They choose not to follow them.
Therefore, there are just two things schools need to agree on and then communicate clearly to pupils:
1. What the rules are.
2. What happens when pupils follow the rules — and what happens when they do not.
Obviously, it is a great idea to consult pupils through class councils, circle time, and assemblies on what they think the rules should be. I have never been in a school where the agreed rules did not heavily involve the two things that should be at the top of every educator's priority list: creating a great learning environment and creating a safe environment. These almost always boil down to three very simple rules:
1. Follow instructions.
2. Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself.
3. Use positive language.
(Things like "Look after our school" and "Do your best" should be part of a school code — not part of the rules.)
Agreeing these rules, and agreeing to use this specific language consistently, is extraordinarily powerful. There are a thousand ways to tell children what we want from them. It is much better if we can agree to use the same language, all the time. That is the first step towards a consistent set of great behaviour management strategies across school — and then everyone's life gets a lot easier.