Why detentions don’t work

Poor behaviour has increasingly been an issue since the Covid lockdowns, and poor behaviour is a major concern for practical subjects such as chemistry. Challenging behaviour can become dangerous in a science lab, so teacher Helen Scally never tolerates it in her classroom. Her school has three simple rules. They encourage their learners to be engaged, respectful and safe. And when they are not, staff remind students of why these rules are important. Like many schools, they have a positive behaviour policy. This describes systems which provide consistency across the school when managing challenging behaviour. Detentions do not factor into this policy at department level, but positive relationships do. Read how understanding the root causes of behaviour can help your students avoid bad behaviours.