Dianne Giblin, president of the Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Associations of NSW, says “misbehaviour is just a symptom of something else. We need to take the next step to find out what that is. Parents and teachers need to work together; there is no place for blame when something goes wrong I hear calls to bring back the cane from parents all the time, but just not for their child.” Parents are very aware when other children misbehave, and the impact that has on their child.
The report Learning Behaviour: Lessons Learned, published by Sir Alan Steer in April, concluded: “Poor behaviour cannot be tolerated as it is a denial of the right of pupils to learn and teachers to teach. To enable learning to take place preventative action is most effective”. Although the guidelines for serious incidents of misbehaviour are clear, managing the child who does not misbehave to that extent, but still causes regular disruption and monopolises a teacher’s time, is the challenge.