Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has provided guidance to Ofsted on assessing the potential impact of discipline on the wellbeing of children.

Good behaviour in schools is central to a good education, and strong behaviour cultures and boundaries have a positive impact on the wellbeing of pupils and staff. Schools need to manage behaviour well, so that they can provide calm, safe and supportive environments where pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected. No pupil should miss out on education because they feel unsafe or miss out on teaching because their lesson is disrupted.

Where behaviour is poor, pupils can suffer from issues as diverse as lost teaching time, child-on-child abuse, anxiety, bullying, violence, and distress. It can cause some children to stay away from school, missing vital education.

The Department has published non-statutory guidance on behaviour and mental health in schools, entitled ‘Behaviour in Schools’. This is the primary source of help and support for schools on developing and implementing a behaviour policy that can create a school culture with high expectations of behaviour.

Ofsted’s guidance to inspectors, outlined in its published School Inspection Handbook, sets out that inspectors will consider how leaders and staff set high expectations for behaviour, and how well these are communicated and understood. Inspectors will look at whether there is a safe, calm, orderly and positive environment in the school, and will consider the effect this has on the behaviour and attitudes of pupils. Inspectors will also want to see that schools are supporting the development of pupils’ confidence, resilience, and knowledge to help support their wellbeing.