How Team Teach Training Positively Impacts School Behaviour Culture

According to the School Surveys report, Behaviour Barometer: Essential Insights for Leaders, teachers nationally are struggling with student behaviour. In fact, behaviour is now cited as their main source of stress.

76% of teachers say that behaviour interrupts teaching and learning, and that student behaviour is having an ongoing detrimental impact on their workload, feelings of self-worth and value, and retention levels.

And it’s not just teachers who are affected by behaviour; students themselves, and their families, are also impacted. Not only do 20% of students say that behaviour is ‘never, or almost never good’, a recent BBC report states that suspension rates amongst primary school pupils have more than doubled in a decade. The rate of permanent exclusions has also risen by 70% in the same period, the vast majority of these being students with special educational needs and disabilities.

“Improving behaviour almost resembles a silver bullet because of its wide reach across so many parts of school life.”

– Behaviour Barometer: Essential Insights for Leaders, November 2024

How Team Teach training positively impacts school behaviour

Every member of staff deserves to be equipped with the knowledge, skills and understanding to confidently support behaviour and meet individual need. We see this happen in Team Teach training, with a 90% confidence rate after training, rising to 94% for refresher training.

Effective behaviour support training that is embedded and implemented consistently can also positively influence inspection gradings for schools. 90% of all Team Teach-trained schools are currently rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ for pupil Behaviour and Attitudes, and 89% of all Team Teach-trained schools are currently rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ for Overall Effectiveness. 96% of Team Teach-trained primary schools and 82% of secondary schools that were graded ‘Requires Improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’ in 2019 achieved ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ ratings for Behaviour and Attitudes in 2024.

Only by taking a joined-up approach can we hope to tackle the consequences of behaviour, such as high rates of exclusion. 60% of Team Teach primary schools that had permanent exclusions in 2019 & 2021 had no permanent exclusions in 2023. Empowering school staff with the confidence and skills to effectively support behaviour, along with a consistent, joined-up approach shared by everyone in school, can help to reduce the need for exclusions.

Pragmatic and practical support for schools

Few would disagree that schools are currently facing an unrelenting wave of challenges. Leaders, teachers, students and families are all being impacted by rising rates of student absence and exclusions, increasing mental health and special educational needs, and a deepening teacher recruitment and retention crisis.

And at the heart of many of these issues is behaviour.

The teachers surveyed for the Behaviour Barometer report recognise a need for pragmatic, practical approaches to behaviour support and understand the importance of clarity, consistency and a collective effort when it comes to implementation. They want increased consistency and support from leaders, and to feel reassured that everyone is accountable for and involved in creating a positive behaviour culture.

There’s no doubt that improved student behaviour benefits everyone: it facilitates optimal conditions for teaching and learning, as well as helping to foster a calm, safe and supportive environment for all.

If we assume a correlation between this type of environment and student engagement, children and young people – especially those who may have school-related anxiety – may feel more confident about attending school. This would then go some way to reducing the rate of severe and persistent absence.

Establishing a positive behaviour culture has the power to improve teacher wellbeing and ensure that every child in every class is supported by a member of staff who feels confident to meet their individual needs.

Team Teach training provides leaders, teachers and support staff with the practical skills and confidence to support students with often complex behavioural needs, helping to create a positive and supportive school-wide ethos.