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One of the best things about discussing behaviour in schools is that those conversations are never dull.

We all come to them with strong feelings and opinions that are shaped by our own experiences of situations that have gone well and those that haven’t. And, unfortunately, we can sometimes end up with our views becoming even more firmly entrenched.

Yet, as a profession, we now find ourselves in a place where we are going to have to think differently over the next few years if we are to address the concerning increases in suspension and exclusion, encourage more people to become teachers (and then retain them) and improve the .

Below, I have pulled together a reading list that provides some food for thought around different aspects of supporting children to behave well in schools. I hope it might lead to reflection and fresh thinking for teachers and leaders, ahead of the new academic year.

Lost at School: why our kids with behavioural challenges are falling through the cracks and how we can help them by Ross W Greene

In Lost at School, Ross Greene discusses children’s behaviour in a compelling way, arguing that they do well in terms of behaviour if they can and that if they’re not doing well, it’s because they are lacking the skills to do so.

He challenges the orthodoxy that children “choose” to misbehave, arguing that the use of incentives in the form of rewards and sanctions is therefore bound to fail.

Greene encourages us to better equip children with the skills to appropriately and successfully adapt in situations that they find difficult and where behaviour challenges arise.

Running the room: the teacher’s guide to behaviour by Tom Bennett

Tom Bennett has a very engaging, conversational style that can be missing from much educational writing and his outlook is deeply informed by his experiences at the chalkface.

As a result, what you get is a resource that provokes memories of situations that teachers have found themselves in before and that offers practical advice about what to do.

Flowing nicely from social norms to rules and routines and rewards and sanctions, the book also covers the key areas of working with parents and dealing with crises.

Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties and Communication Problems: there is always a reason by Melanie Cross

A common concern being raised by teachers, particularly following the Covid lockdowns, is that seemingly increasing numbers of children are starting school with delayed development in their speech, language and communication skills.

The evidence linking speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and behaviour issues is well established and bidirectional. That is to say that children with SLCN are more likely than their peers to develop behaviour difficulties, and children with behaviour difficulties are more likely than their peers to develop SLCN difficulties later on.

Melanie Cross’ excellent book provides a solid grounding in the scale of the problem, how it manifests itself and what you can do about it.

Offering broad strategies and specific interventions, this book also covers the issue of undetected communication problems. This is a crucial area, given that the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists cites evidence indicating that 81 per cent of children with emotional and behavioural disorders have .

Bullying: a review of the evidence by Kristen Brown

The Education Policy Institute produced this authored by Kristen Brown, in 2018. It should be of interest to all school leaders because identifying and eliminating bullying is an ongoing challenge in schools - and is often interlinked with issues of behaviour.

As the report notes, “Some approaches to tackling bullying are better evidenced than others. Interventions that create empathy and understanding of harm caused appear to be more effective than punitive action. Existing research suggests that resources should be focused on anti-bias and bystander intervention training, peer support programmes and restorative justice approaches rather than zero-tolerance policies.”

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Children, classrooms and challenging behaviour: do the rights of the many outweigh the rights of the few? by Jenna Gillett-Swan and Laura Lundy

Many discussions about behaviour - especially when alternatives to suspension or exclusion are suggested - end up with a plea to think of the impact on other children in the form of the attention that it may take away from them or the disruption to their learning.

Professors Jenna Gillett-Swan and Laura Lundy tackle this argument head-on with a very that you may be inclined to dismiss on the basis of the title alone. I encourage you to resist that and engage with the authors in this very important discussion.

Jarlath O’Brien is the author of Better Behaviour: a guide for teachers and Leading Better Behaviour: a guide for school leaders. He works for a multi-academy trust of special schools in the South of England

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