Managing behaviour within secondary education

Do you want respect from students? Then lead by example! 

Create a balanced atmosphere in your classroom and uncover the resources that will enable you to deliver outstanding, engaging, and inclusive teaching and learning.

• Never shout at your students. (You will end up in an argument – no respect)
• Never use your physical appearance in a way that could intimidate a student
• Never belittle or embarrass a student, on a one to one, in the presence of other staff or the presence of peers. (You will gain no respect, and this is difficult to rebuild)
• Accept that some poor behaviour will take place (without getting stressed over it) and embrace methods that you can use to calm a situation (or at the very least prevent escalation)
• Be prepared and ensure you know the school systems, processes and policies which will enable you to hit the ground running and show your students that you are a polite and calm person. It also shows that you have the experience and authority to deal with issues in a fair and consistent way
• Remember, managing behaviour is not all about poor behaviour! Acknowledging positive behaviour and applying the school rewards system fairly and consistently is as important as applying the sanctions in a fair and consistent way

Remember, it is your classroom, but your lesson starts outside your door. 

Sounds daunting, doesn’t it! Managing student behaviour is not an easy task! The methods below will help ensure that the students know it is YOUR classroom and you are in charge, whilst maintaining a respectful approach.

Applied consistently as a package, you will gain the respect of your students, even though some will have difficulty in showing this all the time. This will facilitate you moving forwards, your lessons will be calmer and you will create a better environment for teaching and learning.

Remember, it is YOUR classroom, but your lesson starts outside your door. This could be your first meeting with this class and it is important that you get this right. A calm yet authoritative approach, setting a couple of important, immediate expectations. 

The following blogs in my development series will cover a wide range of topics which are useful as stand-alone tips. However, encourage you to use the methods as a package that will put you in charge in your classroom.

This will give you a chance to do what you want to do – provide outstanding, engaging, and inclusive teaching and learning.

About our Community Expert

Paul Raynor

Community Expert

Community expert and former Detective Inspector, Paul Raynor has direct experience in teaching educators how to better manage behaviour within secondary education.

Paul has experience with safeguarding, and has supported schools with writing behaviour policies in conjunction with senior leaders. He is an expert in his field.