Pupils want respect too

Pupils are as keen to see better managed classrooms as teachers, children’s charity NCB said this week.

A study by the charity, commissioned in response to the government setting up a taskforce on behaviour management, shows “considerable consensus” between pupils, teachers and headteachers on discipline and classroom management. 

Jacqui Newvell, head of the charity’s Pupil Inclusion Unit, said that given the government’s current focus on respect, it was vital to understand young people’s perspective on the issue too. 

“What we heard loud and clear was that it is a two way street,” she said. “Young people want respect too. Their understanding of it may be slightly different from the government’s, but teacher management is a big issue for pupils.”

The findings, based on a study of 100 children, echo aspects of the recent Ofsted report on managing pupil behaviour, which emphasised the need for teachers to be properly prepared for lessons, she added.