1. NBSS Strategies for developing positive behaviour North/South Conference 21st August 2008

2. NBSS
The NBSS is working with 63 secondary schools identifying, developing and disseminating current good practice and assisting with behaviour issues which impede teaching and learning.
The NBSS will work collaboratively with the school staff to effect change at the level of the individual student, group, class or whole school.
Perhaps a recognition again of the link between learning and behaviour….
The great thing about the service is that we will be working with other schools that are having similar challenges to your school. we get the opportunity to share the practice of other schools.

3. NBSS Guiding Principles
Respect for the on-going work of schools
Belief that schools make a difference
Recognition that behaviour is intrinsically linked to teaching and learning
Awareness of inclusion as a core educational value
1. Link the first one to the previous slide
2. Home 80 school 20%;but the 20 can make a big difference and has the ability to impact on how the students see themselves. If there is chaos in the students’ lives the school can be the safe secure place. The acting out can be a response to their experience . There is a need to remember too how difficult it can be for the teachers- wear and tear; we need to name it, and support it. This is mentioned in the task force.
Link between behaviour and learning. If the teaching and learning link is ignored, the behaviour may not improve. . The concept of behave to learn is very important. This is not just for the misbehaving student but for the others who are trying to learn.
4.Inclusion.-Change from Intergration model where the child fits in to the system; Inclustion is where the system makes every effort to accommodate the needs of the student. Schools are trying to achieve this and are well on the way. They know that it is high on the agenda, no need for the law stuff. The change from integration is difficult: adapting the policies and structures to inclusion. This is not just about special needs students; it’s about a variety-new Irish/international etc.

4. NBSS Team
We are established as a recommendation of School Matters-Report of the Task Force on Behaviour set up by the minister 2005 and chaired by Maeve Martin.
A multidisciplinary team.
Name the different disciplines in the team.Subject teachers, SEN teachers, guidance, then roles-class tutors, year heads, principals, deputy Principals, home school community liaison
The psychologists, have worked with a range of schools and both primary and secondary.
All the team have a strong interest in the area of behaviour and have specific experience in this area.
We are not regional, it is just a job title. We are national.
Associates still to be appointed.

5. Perspectives on Behaviour
Biological
Behavioural
Cognitive-Behavioural
Social Learning
Psychodynamic
Ecological
Humanistic
Ecosystemic

6. National Behaviour Support Service Model of Support
Whole School Support
Customized Support
Intensive
Support
incl. BSC
This is visual representation of proposed model and way of working with schools-The concept- We will work in from the general to the particular. Similar to eye diagram from briefings. Begins at whole school support then move to customised and more intense support. Levels of support will vary according to schools needs.
I will deal with each of these in turn in some detail in the next couple of slides

7. Present Reality
The behaviour of a very large majority of pupils remains satisfactory or better
Most schools are successful at managing behaviour and creating an environment in which pupils feel valued, cared for and safe
The most common form of poor behaviour is persistent low-level disruption of lessons that wears down staff and interrupts learning.
Source: ‘School Matters’ 2006,Ofsted 2006

8. Present Reality
A significant proportion of pupils with difficult behaviour have special education needs and face disadvantage and disturbance in their family lives. Many have poor language skills. Problems with reading and writing often begin early and continue into secondary school, limiting achievement in a range of subjects.
Source: Ofsted 2006

9. Most Successful Strategies for Improving Behaviour
Schools recognised that behaviour issues would not be resolved by just updating discipline policies
Behaviour was tackled as part of a wider school improvement strategy
Schools promoted honesty, ownership, teamwork

10. Most Successful Strategies for Improving Behaviour (cont’d)
Schools identified behaviours that were most challenging and planned ?
Schools used external support effectively
Source: Ofsted inspections of 35 schools in 2005 and 2006

11. What is Behaviour?
Behaviour is anything a person does which can be observed
Behaviour has to be learned so is taught
Everyone can learn new behaviour
Behaviour which has been rewarded is more likely to be repeated
Behaviour is influenced by what happens before it and what happens after it.
Source: South Eastern Education Library Board 2006

12. First Principles of Behaviour Management
communicates information about needs
can result from tiredness, friendship hassles, hunger, sickness, loss etc
can be changed
is taught
Source: Andy Vass 2006

13. Purpose of Misbehaviour
Attention
Power/control
Revenge
Display of inadequacy/task avoidance
Frustration/boredom
Source: Rudolf Dreikurs

14. “If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…
...teach? …punish?”
“Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?”
Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2

15. Cloward and Ohlin’s Strain Model
Anticipation of
failure
Favourable
Comparison
of Abilities
Visible Barriers To
Opportunities
External
Blame
Delinquent
Peers
Legitimacy
of Alternative
Norms
Activities

16. Battle Zone or Learning Zone
Tim O’Brien 1998

17. Why do young people seek to escalate?
To escape
To use anger as a substitute emotion
To deflect
To entertain
To save face
Due to boredom
For fun
To entertain their friends
To heighten their status/kudos
Family modelling
Lack of other strategies
Lack of emotional self-management
Hostile attribution bias

18. Why do adults seek to escalate?
Control
As a means of establishing position
As a means of maintaining position
To exert power
To gain kudos
Fear
Revenge
To save face
Lack of other strategies
Colleague modelling
Lack of emotional self-management
Hostile attribution bias
To get rid of a pupil

19. Cycle of acting out 5 Calm Trigger Agitation Acceleration Peak
De-escalation
Recovery 5 4 6 3
Engage or Enrage
Intervention 2 7 1
Baseline behaviour

20. Consistency
Preliminary findings from a survey conducted by the NBSS on Low Level Disruption found that only 5.8% of the 982 respondents agreed that school rules are “enforced consistently by all staff”, 47% stating that enforcement was “consistent most of the time”, with 43.2% reporting that consistency ranges from “some of the time” to “never”.

21. Consistency

22. Inconsistency

23. NBSS Preliminary Findings
NBSS preliminary findings show that only 36.6% of 982 teachers surveyed stated that the Code of Behaviour and school rules are understood by all of the teaching staff, with only 17.6% indicating the same for members of non-teaching staff.
Almost a third (32.7%) felt that school rules are not being taught to all students.

24. Encouraging Positive Behaviour
Structure
Predictability
Consistency
of approach
Firm but fair
management
RULES
and
ROUTINES

25. Rules should be: As few as possible As short as possible
Positive – emphasis on “Do” rather than “Don’t”
Clear, explicit, specific
Associated with desirable behaviour
Personalised

26. Student Engagement 10 As A1 Atmosphere A2 Attitude A3 Adventure
A4 Activities
A5 Aspirations
A6 Assessment
A7 Awareness
A8 Agenda
A9 Acceptance
A10 Accessibility

28. Literacy, Learning and Behaviour
There is an extensive history of research studies internationally providing evidence that academic problems promote, or at least exacerbate behaviour problems
Research demonstrates that strategies that address literacy early in a student’s educational experience may have significant positive effects on behaviour and achievement.
(Miles & Stipek, 2006; Nelson, Martela, Marchand-Martella, 2002; Verdugo & Schneider, 1999).

29. Other findings note:
Many students with poor literacy skills exhibit significant behavioural and academic problems also.
Pupils entering secondary school in the UK, with very poor literacy skills, were five times more likely to be excluded from school and four times more likely to truant than pupils without literacy difficulties
Students who exhibit poor behaviour are more likely referred for special education supports than are their peers who function within behavioural expectations.
[Sources: (DfES Literacy Strategy (1997); Fleming, Harachi, Cortes, Abbott & Catalano, 2004; Larsen, Steele, & Sailor (2004); KPMG Foundation, (2006); Morrison, Anthony, Storino, & Dillon, 2001; Murdock, Anderman, and Hodge (2000); Nelson, Benner, Lane, & Smith, (2004) Roeser, Eccles & Sameroff, 2000; Tobin & Sugai, 1999).]

30. NBSS literacy support and development for schools
To date, findings reveal that amongst students (chronologically aged 12 to 15 years) exhibiting disruptive behaviours that significantly obstruct effective teaching and learning -
70.4% have reading ages of 10 years or less,
84.5% have reading ages of 11 years or less
Of the 18.5% who are reading at age levels 12 to 15 years, only 5.2% of these are reading at their chronological age.

31. Positive Behaviour Support Programmes
Framework for Intervention (FFI) – Birmingham, Scotland, Norway
Restorative Approach – Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, North America, Sligo and Donegal
Solution Oriented School Programme (SOS) – Scotland, Jersey, United Kingdom attendance and behaviour strategy
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) – North America, Canada, Australia

33. Positive Behaviour Support

34. Emotional Literacy
“the ability to understand, manage and express the social and emotional aspects of one’s life in ways that enable the successful management of life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, solving everyday problems and adapting to the complex demands of growth and development.”
(Elias at al, 1997)

35. Emotional Literacy – The Five Domains
Social skills
Empathy
Motivating oneself
Self Understanding/awareness
Managing feelings
Goleman, 1996 and DfES SEAL materials

36. The Six Week Strategy
Using the most severe sanction in the first instance leaves no room for properly planned intervention or fall back position.
Behaviour does not change overnight. All strategies should be followed through consistently for at least six weeks.

37. Sanctions/Procedures
Sanctions should:
be immediate and discrete
provide school with opportunities to make low level response to pupil behaviour
have a hierarchy appropriate to behaviour
be fair
be consistent
be appropriate to meet individual needs

38. Some reasons why sanctions may not always be appropriate
draws attention to bad behaviour
does not offer appropriate strategies
does not eliminate unacceptable behaviour
can lead to avoidance behaviours e.g. lying and truancy
can damage self-esteem
encourages emotional responses e.g. fear and withdrawal