Scottish Government

Better Behaviour in Scottish Schools: Policy Update 2004

ANNEX B: REVIEW OF INFORMATION-GATHERING ON INDISCIPLINE: SUMMARY OF ADVICE

The review group was asked to provide advice to Ministers on the gathering of information to support policy-making on indiscipline. The group's advice is summarised below.

• A range of information is required at a national level, in particular on the prevalence and nature of indiscipline; on its effects on learning and teaching; and on the effectiveness of initiatives to promote good behaviour.
• There should be a regular, sample-based survey of teachers' and pupils' experiences of indiscipline. This should cover a broad range of indiscipline and behaviour issues, including lower-level disruptiveness; it should cover the effects of indiscipline on teaching and learning; and it should be capable of being linked to evidence evaluating particular initiatives to promote better behaviour.
• Because of inconsistency in reporting, the current statistical collection on incidents of anti-social behaviour and violence against staff cannot be taken as a reliable indicator of trends in indiscipline in Scottish Schools. If the regular sample-based survey is taken forward as proposed above, the group does not consider there is a value in continuing this collection as currently constituted.
• Local authorities should have robust arrangements in place for monitoring indiscipline, to enable them to meet their responsibilities for managing the delivery of the education service, and as employers of staff.
• There should be continued Scottish participation in international studies, where these provide useful comparative data.
• There should continue to be a programme of research work to assess the impact of specific initiatives.
• Further relevant information will also provided by existing reporting mechanisms, including National Priorities improvement reports and reports by HMIE.
• Supplementary information should also be sought on any other significant aspects of discipline and behaviour, to the extent that these are not capable of being adequately covered by the survey or other existing sources.
• All such national information should be brought together into a regular 'thematic report', providing a robust and rounded picture of behaviour in Scottish schools.