School discipline is the tool not the craftsman
By Gabriel Doctor
The
education pages have been filled this week with stories drawn
from the latest Ofsted
report: the transformation of schools through
‘back-to-basics’
discipline and targeted
exclusions. While discipline will help, what really matters is
the headteachers.
Formal discipline does have a role to play in turning round
schools. It establishes that the school does not operate by the
rules of the street; and that everyone is equal, subject to the
same rules properly enforced. Children at the Robert Clack school
agreed, saying the school was a success “because the rules were
enforced”. Targeted exclusions are also necessary, both as a
consequence of clear rules being applied consistently, but also
because they remove unruly children from situations which profit
neither them nor their classmates.
But focussing on discipline exclusively risks mistaking the tool
for the craftsman. A school thrives because of the quality of its
leadership, particularly its
headteacher.
The transformation in each school cited in the Ofsted report
began with the appointment of a new head, replacing an
ineffective one. The headteacher’s first step was to create a
vision for the school, and clear expectations of both staff and
students. For example, just as students were expected to wear
their uniform properly, teachers were expected to be role models
and dress smartly themselves. Though some pupils were excluded,
the overall purpose was to create an inclusive community: one
head described how he would trawl the streets in the school
minivan to bring truants back into school where they
belong. In all the Ofsted cases, mass exclusions were a short
term measure, replaced in the long run by intensive work with
difficult children in the school.
Our Breakthrough Britain
‘Educational Failure’ report stressed that headteachers must
be masters of their domain, properly rewarded and free from
interference by government or quangos. ‘Discipline’ is just one
of the tactics to be used by a headteacher committed to
transforming a failing school.
[Picture by Cliff1066]
Subscribe
