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Press Release

NUT gives evidence to the education select committee on behaviour and discipline

13 October 2010

Speaking to the education select committee this morning, Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said;

"The NUT starts from the premise that what we have to have in the education system is a continuum of provision to meet a continuum of need.

"While the majority of our classrooms are well ordered, if we are going to have children with a wider range of ability and background and a wide range of aptitude and willingness to come in and learn, we have to make sure that in those classrooms teachers have both the resources and knowledge to ensure that every child can access learning.

"For this to happen it is important that those who go into teaching understand what the normal process of child development would be. Teachers are not going to be psychologists and they are not going to be child development professionals, so it is essential that Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is offered throughout a teacher's career to ensure they remain confident and well informed in how to deal with pupil behaviour.

"Schools need to be able to draw on support services from outside of the school to help with tackling some aspects of behaviour or discipline problems. One of the critical problems of the academies programme and Free Schools programme is that by leaving the local authority they will be less able to deal as effectively with issues that may arise as the vital support given from the centre will not be there to the same degree.

"Critically we have to have behaviour and discipline policies which have been drawn up not only in consultation with staff but also with children and young people. It frankly isn't very clever to say to a child 'your behaviour isn't acceptable' if they don't really know what you mean. So it is important that the whole school community is actually involved in making sure that the policy is drawn up, and implemented on a proper and consistent basis, but before it can be implemented it has to be drawn up and understood by everybody.

"This is not about treating children like adults, as Michael Gove said, but about saying they must be engaged in their learning and therefore it is perfectly reasonable for them at least to have a view of how the behaviour and discipline structure works."



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National Union of Teachers

National Union of Teachers

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