Behaviour hubs

  • Contents

    • Overview

    The Department for Education (DfE) explains that behaviour hubs will enable schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) with exemplary behaviour cultures and practices to work with partner schools that want and need to improve behaviour in their school.

    The behaviour hubs project, led by Tom Bennett, aims to support 500 schools which struggle with poor discipline over the next three years. It will begin at the start of the summer term.

    Schools Week reports that mentoring schools will provide advice on issues ranging from setting clear expectations to eliminate low-level disruption in classrooms, to more systematic approaches to maintaining order and discipline across the school, such as forbidding the use of mobile phones and maintaining quiet corridors.

    Behaviour hubs: what are the aims?

    The behaviour hubs programme aims to improve pupil behaviour in schools by taking a whole school approach and embedding a clear, sustainable behaviour culture throughout the school. How students behave in school is strongly linked to attainment and other outcomes. Good behaviour generally leads to:

    • More time to focus on teaching and learning
    • Students achieving more academically and socially
    • Improved staff satisfaction, higher retention and less problematic recruitment

    The programme is based on the principles and ideas outlined in Tom Bennett’s 2017 review of behaviour in schools Creating a culture: how school leaders can optimise behaviour.

    Behaviour hubs: how do they work?

    Partner schools or partner MATs will be paired with a lead school or lead MAT. They will work together to identify how and where they want to improve, diagnosing specific issues and developing new approaches to address poor behaviour. Schools will receive:

    • A range of support from lead schools over one or 2 years depending on level of need, including bespoke training, one-to-one advice and ongoing mentoring
    • Support for heads and senior leaders with the advice and tools needed to improve their approach

    Partner and lead schools will form hubs to learn from each other and to share what works. Hubs will be made up of one lead school or MAT and a set of partner schools or partner MATs. This is a comprehensive package of support that aims to see results within a year.

    School support offer

    Training and support will include some or all of the following:

    • Training on specific issues, common problems and effective approaches led by expert advisers, that can be implemented in your school context
    • Open days at lead schools to observe good systems and approaches in action
    • Networking events to share experiences and good practice to learn from other schools
    • Online resources developed by the expert advisers which will equip and empower schools to implement changes in their settings
    • Support to develop and implement an action plan, that will set out how to quickly improve and embed a whole school approach to behaviour management, including how to monitor impact
    • One-to-one ongoing support, mentoring and coaching to support leaders in implementing lasting change
    • Partner MATs will work closely with lead MATs to consider, develop and implement an approach to behaviour management across their schools to create a sustained cultural change throughout the trust

    Eligible partner schools

    Eligible partner schools should be rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted.

    Eligible MATs should have at least one school within their trust rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted.

    The programme requires at least 20 days of engagement from partner schools in total, spread across a number of staff in the school, including senior leaders.

    Partner schools and MATs can apply at any time. New cohorts will join the programme at the beginning of each term and therefore do not have to wait for the start of the next academic year.

    Behaviour hubs: further support

    If you are an Edapt subscriber encountering difficulties with consistent poor behaviour in the classroom you can contact us for further advice and support.

    In addition we have also published the following support in collaboration with Education Support on managing classroom behaviour effectively.

    For any queries relating to behaviour hubs, to find out more about the programme or to enquire about participation, email [email protected]

    Was this article helpful?

    Yes No

    The information contained within this article is not a complete or final statement of the law.
    While Edapt has sought to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date, it is not responsible and will not be held liable for any inaccuracies and their consequences, including any loss arising from relying on this information. This article may contain information sourced from public sector bodies and licensed under the Open Government Licence. If you are an Edapt subscriber with an employment-related issue, please contact us and we will be able to refer you to one of our caseworkers.