Understanding Behaviour: Building Positive Cultures in Schools

As pupils return to classrooms, the Department for Education’s latest survey has brought national attention to what Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has described as a “behaviour crisis.” Teachers report that seven minutes out of every 30 are lost to disruption, equivalent to 45 days of missed learning for every child each year.

For senior leaders, these figures underline what many already know. Behaviour is not simply a classroom challenge, it is a whole-school priority that affects attainment, staff retention, parental trust, and the wellbeing of pupils and adults alike.

Understanding the “why” behind behaviour

The starting point for effective behaviour support must always be understanding why we’re seeing a particular behaviour. Every behaviour communicates something, and when staff are able to look beyond what they see and identify the needs that drive behaviour, they are better placed to respond effectively.

This is not about excusing poor behaviour, but about ensuring that children receive the right support at the right time. Classrooms that focus on understanding behaviour become calmer, more consistent, and more purposeful environments. For leaders, this means equipping staff with the skills to see beyond the surface of behaviour and to feel confident in their responses.

From reactive responses to proactive cultures

Many schools find themselves caught in a cycle of reacting to behaviour incidents as they occur. Senior leaders know that this is both exhausting for staff and ineffective in the long term. Real transformation comes when schools move from reactive approaches to proactive ones.

Proactive behaviour cultures are built on prevention and early intervention. They involve giving staff practical strategies to de-escalate situations, embedding consistent approaches across the school, and creating systems that reduce risk for everyone.

This approach protects learning time, but it also improves the wider culture of the school. When pupils feel supported and understood, they are more likely to engage positively. When staff feel confident and secure, they are better able to focus on teaching. For leaders, the challenge is to ensure that proactive approaches are not left to individual teachers to interpret, but are embedded across the organisation as part of a shared culture.

Working with parents and carers

Behaviour does not begin and end at the school gates. Parents and carers play a vital role in shaping how children engage with learning, yet most receive no training or guidance on how to support their child’s behaviour. This means that when difficulties arise, they often feel under-equipped and uncertain.

Senior leaders are increasingly aware of the impact of Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) and persistent absence, which highlight the importance of working alongside families. Building parents’ confidence and strengthening family engagement allows schools to establish a consistent approach between home and school.

When staff and families develop a shared understanding of behaviour, children experience stability, boundaries, and support in both environments. Training in family engagement can give school staff practical tools to build these relationships, helping to address issues collaboratively rather than in isolation.

The evidence of impact

At Team Teach, we train tens of thousands of professionals each year. The outcomes are clear and measurable. As of May 2025, based on nearly 120,000 responses, first-time participants reported that their confidence in managing behaviour rose from 6.3 out of 10 before training to 8.1 afterwards. For refresher participants, confidence increased from 7.4 to 8.5. This growth reflects what schools tell us daily. Staff who feel confident, capable, and connected are more consistent in their approaches and better able to maintain positive learning environments.

Ofsted outcomes reinforce this picture. Ninety per cent of Team Teach trained schools are currently rated Good or Outstanding for behaviour and attitudes. Eighty-nine per cent are rated Good or Outstanding for overall effectiveness. Among schools that were previously graded Requires Improvement or Inadequate in 2019, 96 per cent of Team Teach trained primary schools and 82 per cent of Team Teach trained secondary schools had achieved Good or Outstanding ratings by 2024.

Exclusion data shows a similar impact. By 2023, 60 per cent of Team Teach primary schools and 13 per cent of secondary schools that had permanent exclusions in 2019 or 2021 reported none. For leaders, this demonstrates that the right support for staff does not just reduce disruption, it also helps keep children in school and engaged in learning.

Data-informed leadership

Strategic decisions around behaviour need to be rooted in evidence, not assumption. That is why the Team Teach Insights Report is automatically available to every school where at least one member of staff holds a valid Team Teach Behaviour Support Training certificate. Developed with education data experts at SchoolDash, the report combines each school’s DfE-submitted data with local and national comparisons. This enables leaders to see clearly where their school is making an impact and where further support may be needed.

The Insights Report allows leaders to benchmark against comparable schools, celebrate successes, highlight good practice, and plan strategically with clarity. This ensures that behaviour and inclusion strategies are built on reliable evidence. In a context where inspection outcomes, staff retention, and pupil progress are all influenced by behaviour culture, having access to robust data is an important leadership tool.

Supporting the workforce

Strategies to support behaviour aren’t effective without acknowledging the dedication and hard work of staff. Teachers and support staff are working daily with the realities behind the statistics, often under considerable pressure. They deserve to feel safe, supported, and equipped to carry out their roles. For senior leaders, investing in behaviour culture is not only about improving outcomes for pupils, but also about protecting and sustaining the workforce. Staff who feel supported are more confident, more consistent, and more likely to stay in the profession.

That is why Team Teach provides trained staff with access to over 100 hours of resources related to every aspect of behaviour support through Team Teach Connect. This ongoing support allows them to continue deepening their knowledge, refreshing their skills, and building confidence long after the initial training has taken place.

Final thoughts

The current debate on behaviour highlights a real and pressing challenge for schools. Yet the solution is not simply tighter discipline or reactive measures. The evidence shows that schools thrive when behaviour is understood, when proactive systems are embedded, when families are engaged, and when staff feel confident and supported.

For school leaders, the task is to ensure these elements come together as part of a coherent strategy. When they do, behaviour culture is no longer a barrier to learning but a foundation for success.

Please get in touch any time if you’d like help with behaviour in your organisation.