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Five things every member of staff can do to support pupil behaviour

Behaviour
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Top takeaway

Supporting pupils with their behaviour isn't just a job for teachers. Every person who interacts with a child during the school day – from the receptionist at the front desk to the midday supervisor – can make a meaningful difference. 

In Getting curious about behaviour: a relational approach, Dee Higgins, a therapeutic thinking lead with over 20 years’ experience in schools and alternative provision, explains what a relational approach looks like in practice. Here are five things any member of staff can do to support pupil behaviour, drawn from our discussion. 

Five ways to be

  1. Be present and pay attention. The smallest of interactions on a regular basis will help ensure that a child feels safe and they belong in a school. It could be a playful meet and greet at the door. Find out what makes them tick. Notice when a pupil seems off, ask how they’re feeling or if something has happened. Try and re-establish that sense of safety and acceptance for them.
  2. Be calm. If a pupil is dysregulated, upset or in crisis, the worst thing the adult in the room can do is escalate. The most helpful thing you can do is to bring calm. Keep your language simple and clear. Slow down. Give the pupil space to regulate before expecting them to respond.
  3. Be consistent in your use of language. Children feel more secure when the adults around them are consistent, not just in expectations, but in the way they speak. If your school uses particular words or phrases to talk about feelings, behaviour, and consequences, use them too. Shared language creates a shared culture, and it helps pupils make sense of the world around them. 
  4. Be responsible. Relationships with pupils are built in small moments: a greeting, a kind word, remembering something they mentioned last week. They are also repaired in small moments. If things have gone wrong between you and a pupil, the responsibility to take a step towards repair lies with the adult. Don't wait for someone else to fix it.
  5. Be curious. Behaviour is communication. A child who is acting out, shutting down, or being disruptive is often trying to express something they don't yet have the words – or the safety – to say directly. Get curious about what might be underneath, rather than reacting to what's on the surface. 

‘It is thinking about all aspects of the school day, from the moment the children get on a bus, to when they leave and go to an after school club.’

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Listen to the full conversation (29 minutes) 

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Five things every member of staff can do to support pupil behaviour on Creating Value In Schools