Government announces plans to crack down on bad behaviour

The education secretary has called on parents to get their children ready to learn.

According to the government, seven out of every 30 classroom minutes are lost to disruptive behaviour.

A new package of support for schools has been unveiled to tackle the 'behaviour and attendance crisis'.

However, education secretary Bridget Phillipson has emphasised that mums, dads and carers need to play a part as well.

According to figures, last year, there were five million more days in the classroom and 140,000 fewer pupils persistently absent. This is the biggest year-on-year improvement in attendance in ten years and is equivalent to 1,000 classes of children learning full time for a year.

From the start of the new term, 00 schools – responsible for around 600,000 pupils – will benefit from new RISE Attendance and Behaviour Hubs. The programme will share proven strategies from school leaders that have successfully turned attendance and behaviour around. 

Two new Attendance and Behaviour Ambassadors, Tom Bennett and Jayne Lowe, has also been announced.

Phillipson said: "I am calling on parents, schools and families to join us in playing their part to get children in class and ready to learn for the start of the new school term.  

"We have already made progress with five million more days in school this year and are backing parents and supporting schools through our Plan for Change. But we all need to do more, and when it comes to getting kids in and behaving – this includes mums, dads and carers too.

"We know what works - strong leadership, consistent attendance and schools standing shoulder to shoulder with families. That’s why we’re investing in proven expertise so that schools facing the biggest challenges can get the support they need."

Bennett said: "Every child deserves a school that is safe and calm, where they can be treated with dignity- and so do all school staff.   

"We’re drawing on the professional experience of some of the best schools in England that have successfully created exactly that.   

"By helping to build relationships between these schools and their peers, we’ll be building a national network of expertise that can change the futures for generations of children."