Multi-agency working and pupil behaviour

February 2007

Introduction

How might schools manage inclusion in ways that are compatible with raising all pupils’ achievements? How might schools work with others to benefit at-risk pupils?

For a summary of this ROM, read the overview.

It is now widely accepted that exclusion from school and/or poor attendance are related to low academic achievement. The result of this can be less stable career patterns, greater unemployment and generally fewer opportunities for self-development. In some cases the young people concerned may engage in anti-social activity and/or become involved in criminal behaviour. The poor behaviour of some pupils can also disrupt other pupils’ learning, reducing educational opportunity for all.

In England, tackling truancy and bad behaviour in schools is currently a national priority.  It is seen as crucial to improving levels of attainment for all pupils, improving their life chances and improving communities as a whole. The national ‘Behaviour Improvement Programme’ (BIP) set up by the government in July 2002 provided 34 local authorities with the funds to support behaviour improvement strategies aimed at reducing exclusions and raising attainment. In order to do so, the BIP aimed to identify and respond to issues of pupils’ behaviour that had the potential to lead from disaffection to disengagement to increasingly poor behaviour that disrupted other pupils’ learning and led to the exclusion from school of those responsible.

The strategies all involved multi-agency working through behaviour and educational support teams (BESTs). They have continued to inform the development, from 2005 onwards, of the government’s ‘Every Child Matters’ programme (ECM).  As a result organisations that provide services to children are teaming up in new ways to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life – see for example, how the GTC is working with other organisations to forge shared values and aspirations, in the further reading section.

Evidence about behaviour improvement strategies has accumulated steadily. (See also, for example, Halsey 2006 in the further reading section). This month, the Research of the Month (RoM) team has summarised a report which explored the ‘Behaviour Improvement Programme’ and evaluated its effectiveness. The study describes what schools did – by themselves and through working with other agencies – to try to improve attendance and attainment for the most vulnerable young people. The study is:

Hallam, S., Castle, F., Rogers, L., Creech, A., Rhamie, J., Kokotsaki, D. (2005) Research and Evaluation of the Behaviour Improvement Programme Research report RR702, London: DfES 2005

The study found that secondary and primary schools participating in the programme achieved improvements in attendance compared with control schools. The study also found that there was a reduction in fixed period exclusions in the secondary schools and there were some indications of improvements in attainment.

In LAs in which there had been greatest improvements, working in multi-agency teams (Behaviour and Education Support Teams – BESTs), conducting audits of behaviour to identify problems and deploying Lead Behaviour Professionals (LBPs) were all identified as key measures. The study suggests that multi-agency working brings additional dimensions to responding to pupils’ needs including: specialist professional input and support, additional resources and a more in-the-round perspective on young people.

The RoM presents teachers and schools with detailed observations and findings in relation to multi-agency approaches to improving behaviour. The focus is mainly on the strategies that have been tried by schools and partner agencies that are linked with improvements in exclusion rates and attendance, and that help to create the conditions needed for learning to take place. The RoM does not provide readers with detailed information about teaching and learning strategies. A wide range of evidence, much of it summarised in other RoMs on this site, suggests that by improving learning teachers can raise pupils’ self-confidence and motivation and make a positive contribution to enhancing behaviour. This evidence includes the following conclusions:

• High teacher expectations about pupils’ ability to learn are linked to high standards of learning
• Teaching that builds on pupils’ starting-points helps to connect pupils  with their learning
• Structured, collaborative group work improves pupils’ communication and dialogue and increases pupils’ motivation.

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