Behaviour in schools – is it as bad as they say – or is it worse?

Abstract

This chapter will explore a range of sources that inform the government, the public and schools; what constitutes inappropriate behaviour in schools and the range, and scale of, the perceived problem around poor behaviour in schools. The chapter charts 35 years of insights into the nature of behaviour in schools from the Elton Report (1989) to the Ofsted Report (2014), and considers whether the problem of inappropriate behaviour has changed for the better or worse – or indeed not changed at all. The chapter considers why the issue is deemed important, again by drawing on a range of government and academic reports. Finally, Haydn (2014) adds the learner voice to the discussion.