How should schools respond to the rise in poor behaviour?

Times are challenging for many people right now. The rising cost of living, increases in rent and mortgages and other factors such as healthcare delays are all adding pressure. Schools are, in many ways, a mirror of society and its challenges. They face extreme pressures, not just in educating children and young people but also dealing with the fallout from family issues and societal ills. They’re having to respond to rising mental health issues but without the budget or access to local specialist services.

Anne Longfield, former children’s commissioner for England and chair of the Commission on Young Lives, said: “Schools are buckling under the pressure of children with increasingly complex needs and being almost the only ones left in the system to deal with them.”

The latest government statistics, show that rates of exclusion are higher for children eligible for free school meals. The highest rate of exclusions though is among pupils with special educational needs. A growing body of evidence suggests that there is a link between behaviour and mental health. A recent report published by Impact on Urban Health recognises that, during childhood and early adolescence, mental health problems can manifest as behavioural difficulties.

The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC) has been looking at how school behaviour policies and practices impact the mental health of children and their families. Crucially, it aims to increase understanding of what can be done to help schools develop a better understanding of students’ behaviour and to support mental health and wellbeing.

The evidence they compiled indicates that behaviour is often driven by children’s unmet needs, including mental health needs and special educational needs and disabilities. This can then be exacerbated by schools’ behaviour management techniques, such as timeout rooms and exclusions. These are seen as some of the most damaging techniques. When asked about the impact of these methods on their mental health, young people talked about them making them feel worthless and invisible, increasing levels of anxiety.

Staff wellbeing is crucial – and frequently schools are very high pressure environments to work in. Schools should not be on their own in this. There has to be a properly resourced system of services at a national and local level, so that families can access support for their mental health. Changing the approach to behaviour in school, however, is an important first step and will help to build a more inclusive education system.