Schools Week<\/em>, Bennett denied that the hubs programme leaned towards restorative practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe evaluation does not conclude that behaviour hubs leaned away from so-called \u2018zero tolerance\u2019 approaches or towards restorative practice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor starters, I have publicly campaigned for years against zero tolerance policies\u2026 You can be strict (as in highly consistent rather than highly punitive) without being zero tolerance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The survey defined restorative approaches as \u201cstrategies that focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships rather than simply punishing individuals for their actions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Restorative measures adopted by participating schools included \u201crestorative conversations with pupils following a behaviour incident, as well as, or instead of, punishment\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reframing detentions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Schools also reframed detentions as a chance for pupils to reflect on their behaviour, reducing the frequency or length of suspensions, and considering external circumstances such as home life when deciding how to deal with misbehaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just 18 per cent of participating schools shifted towards zero tolerance measures \u2013 defined in the survey as \u201cthe strict enforcement of rules, often with immediate consequences for even minor infractions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bennett said: \u201cNone of the schools that were assigned as lead schools operated on a zero-tolerance model, nor did any of the partner schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe behaviour hubs actively encouraged schools to adopt greater levels of consistency, rigour and predictability, as ways to build healthy cultures, alongside pastoral and proactive strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bennett has often defended high-profile schools with strict disciplinary policies. He denounced a safeguarding review of the Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy, launched in response to reports of abusive disciplinary practices, as a \u201chit job\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zero tolerance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n However, he is critical of zero-tolerance policies that do not make exceptions, though he said this week that none of the schools he has visited took such an approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He told Schools Week<\/em> the evaluation survey used categories based on \u201cself-reported staff perceptions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThey are not independently verified measures of practice, nor do they map neatly onto defined models such as restorative justice or zero-tolerance frameworks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, he said that \u201cincreasing behaviour standards\u201d, \u201cprevention activity\u201d and \u201crewards\u201d were \u201call entirely consistent with schools operating highly structured, rules-based systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey are not philosophical alternatives; they are complementary components of effective behaviour cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSimilarly, the report does not define or measure a specific restorative model. References to restorative practice are inferred from reported shifts in activity, not from programme design or anything directly measured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Restorative actions were not the most frequently adopted strategy among schools participating in the hub programme. Seventy-two per cent of schools created behaviour standards, 66 per cent increased activities aimed at prevention, and 57 per cent increased rewards for good behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biggest improvements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The schools that saw the biggest improvements commonly focused on rewarding good behaviour and increasing teachers\u2019 responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The behaviour hubs evaluation said that several schools had relied on punishing misbehaviour rather than rewarding good behaviour before joining the hubs programme, and in some cases used de-escalation techniques that \u201cappeared to focus on shame\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bennett\u2019s 2017 report on school behaviour, Creating a Culture, described both sanctions and rewards as \u201cessential\u201d parts of school behaviour policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He told Schools Week the hubs programme sought to help schools build \u201ccoherent, sustainable behaviour systems\u201d rather than seeking to \u201cmove schools away from firm sanctions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the evaluation shows many schools strengthening systems, expectations and supports,\u201d he said. \u201cIt does not evidence a shift away from structured discipline, boundaries, high expectations, nor a move toward purely restorative models.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, the behaviour hubs evaluation found \u201cconsistent positive change in the behaviour of pupils\u201d in participating schools, but with difficulties for schools facing substantial external challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Labour government has introduced integrated attendance and behaviour hubs<\/a> as a successor to the Conservatives\u2019 separate hubs programmes, with Bennett continuing in a lead role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘The behaviour hubs actively encouraged schools to adopt greater levels of consistency, rigour and predictability’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":315324,"featured_media":93335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[383],"post-theme":[2533],"class_list":["post-241727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-behaviour","post-theme-behaviour"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t