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Mozart, video screens for naming and shaming - even a school dog. They're all used in schools to get pupils to be good. With the latest government figures on behaviour released today, what are successful schools doing right?Missy was scared when she started school, she lacked confidence and as a result didn't behave very well. But she was taught what is acceptable in the classroom and is now a much-loved member of the school community. She is one very happy dog.
The border collie is not credited with turning round the behaviour of pupils at Ian Mikardo High School in east London, but she is part of a raft of initiatives brought in by a new head teacher. It went from being a failing school in special measures, to being judged as outstanding by Ofsted - and all in the space of just two years.
It's among 78% of state-funded secondary schools in England judged as having "good and outstanding standards of behaviour", according to new government figures. Equivalent statistics are not collated in Scotland and Wales.
But what the figures also show is that 22% are not achieving such high standards. The issue is a hot potato - particularly during an election campaign - because bad behaviour too often goes hand in hand with poor results and attainment. So what are schools like Ian Mikardo doing right? Putting good behaviour and respect at the very core of the school ethos, says head teacher Claire Lillis.
"Behaviour feeds into every part of school life," she says. "It's not just something you think about when someone does something wrong. Everyone, including the staff, know what behaviour is expected of them and what they can expect if they don't meet it."
That's not punishment at Ian Mikardo. It doesn't do punishment, it does talking. This doesn't mean there are no consequences for those who behave badly - far from it.
When someone misbehaves they have to apologise to the wronged party. That goes for everyone - even teachers. Ms Lillis says it's about fostering mutual respect and putting emphasis on talking things through.
'Fairy dust'
Key to this is providing an environment where the pupils feel safe to talk and school dog Missy is part of this. Often pupils are too upset to talk straight away and Missy is who they turn to. Sitting with her and stroking her helps them calm down and open up.
Advocates of old-school discipline may dismiss this as "soft" or "fluffy", but it works for the students - some of whom have previously been labelled "unteachable".
Ian Mikardo is for boys with severe and complex social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). They are there because they have been excluded from mainstream education, but Ofsted grades behaviour at the school as "outstanding".
"It's how you work through difficulties and conflict that shapes the quality of your life," says Ms Lillis. "For our boys it's about learning strategies to manage themselves. They will learn far more by facing the person they've upset and hearing how disappointed that person is than they will in a detention." Ms Lillis is not alone in her approach. Punishments like detention have never worked and never will, says Paul Dix, an education trainer specialising in behaviour management and the co-founder of Pivotal Education.
"Getting pupils to talk through their behaviour is not soft or wishy-washy," says the former teacher, who is now brought into schools to improve behaviour. "It works because it forces people to sit down and actually deal with the issue.
"It's not enough to just punish kids, if it were all teachers would be able to sit around eating donuts and patting themselves on the back. They aren't and can't because it doesn't work."
He advises a clear set of graded sanctions to deal with bad behaviour, beginning with pupils sitting out from the class for a few minutes. They should be given clear chances to correct the situation and know there are consequences if they don't, he says.
But while chances are given, if they're not taken up the "touchy-feely" stuff ends there in other successful schools. Some take a hard line with children who persistently misbehave.
Backchat
This includes having their picture flashed up on 20 video screens around the school at West Park School in Derby. It's what happens each week to pupils who get a detention. They are also forced to listen to Mozart during it.
It works, says head teacher Brian Walker. And Ofsted agrees it has good standards.
The video screens are mainly used as large message boards to publicise the school's news, pupils' achievements and its ethos.
"It's about reinforcing to students that the school is a community, it's bigger than just them and it's worth being part of," says Mr Walker.
"But if they break our clear code of behaviour they will be on screen for the wrong reasons. The kids really don't like it, they want to be on screen for the right reasons."
Like many other schools, West Park has a zero tolerance approach to bad behaviour - right down to backchat in class. It sends a very clear message that all problems will be dealt with. It will not passively tolerate any bad behaviour. "It's the low level disruption that wears teacher out and can drive them mad," says Mr Walker. "If you have clarity about what is and isn't acceptable, it is fair to everyone involved and is consistently delivered, everyone knows where they stand.
"When pupils walk through the door each day they know what West Park is about, how we do things here and feel part of it. The pupils are very proud of their school."
Some schools have signed up to points-based reward schemes, offering games consoles and MP3 players in return for good behaviour. Run by private companies, pupils get an online account and are awarded points by their school, which can also be deducted. The points can be spent on prizes the school has bought. It's not an approach all schools agree with.
Remain unruffled
"We don't have punishment, but we don't have rewards either," says Ms Lillis. "Life is about how you relate to other human beings and isn't as simple as 'do this and you'll get this'."
Offering rewards does not have lasting effect, says Mr Dix.
"You can't sustain a change in behaviour that way," he says. "The best people to reward a child are its parents. A teacher's job is to send good news home and let them reward it."
Teachers are just important when it comes to pupil's behaviour as the children themselves, says Mr Dix. Head teachers must invest in them as well. They should let students know what is expected by the school, consistently enforce it, remain unruffled when a student misbehaves and not reward them with any sort of emotional response - like shouting. Also, they should reward good behaviour with praise.
Ultimately, there is no "magic fairy dust" that you can sprinkle to instantly change behaviour, but it's not rocket science either, say the experts. Different schools may take unconventional, even controversial, approaches but the thinking behind them is usually the same - Missy or no Missy.
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