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<p>The majority of schools are safe and disciplined environments, where teachers are
respected and pupils learn in an orderly environment. Nevertheless, Ofsted indicates
in its 2013 annual report that there are 700,000 pupils in schools where behaviour
is just not good enough.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken strong action to support
schools in maintaining discipline and developing a culture of respect. The Education
Act 2011, strengthened teachers' powers to discipline pupils for poor behaviour: teachers
can now issue same-day detentions, search pupils for banned items, and have clarity
on their reasonable force powers.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education issued
streamlined advice in 2011 on behaviour and discipline to make it absolutely clear
what teachers can and should do to reduce unacceptable behaviour. Our advice ensures
that all schools have a whole-school behaviour policy which sets out the high standards
of behaviour expected of pupils at all times and is underpinned by effective discipline
and education.</p><p> </p><p>In 2013 the National Foundation for Educational Research's
Teacher Voice Survey found that just under a third of teachers did not have the confidence
to use the powers they have to discipline pupils for unacceptable behaviour. As a
result, in February 2014 we updated our advice to communicate a clear message that
teachers have the right to impose discipline in the classroom. This updated advice
lists a range of tough but permissible sanctions that can be deployed to tackle poor
behaviour. These include imposing a school-based community service such as tidying
a classroom, putting the pupil on report or the imposition of written task such as
writing lines or an essay. This advice is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools</a>.
We have also removed barriers to maintained schools using alternative provision as
a means of early intervention in order to reduce the need for exclusion.</p><p> </p><p>Teachers
must have the support and respect of parents to manage pupil behaviour so they can
teach in an orderly environment. Good schools recognise the importance of engaging
parents and have developed their own approaches according to the particular circumstances
of the school. In March 2014, we published a series of case studies on behaviour and
bullying, which include examples of what good schools are doing to engage parents
in a spirit of openness and shared responsibility. These case studies contain examples
of the work good schools do with parents to encourage participation of hard- to-reach
groups and are published at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/managing-behaviour-and-bullying-in-schools-case-studies"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/managing-behaviour-and-bullying-in-schools-case-studies</a></p><p>
</p><p>We have also commissioned a series of questions on teachers' and headteachers'
perceptions of school climate and ethos in the OECD Teaching and Learning International
Survey (TALIS). This will give us a better understanding of how England compares to
other OECD countries in relation to discipline in the classroom. The results of this
survey will be published in the summer.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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