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Learning how to manage behaviour in a classroom will be a key part of your teacher training.

But don’t worry – your provider and placement schools will work together to teach you different techniques and practices and will be there to provide support and advice for any challenges you face.

Balancing time management and behaviour management is essential. I prioritise establishing good behaviour first; once students are engaged, I can cover the lesson content efficiently and on schedule.

Modern foreign languages (MFL) trainee from 2024/25

Things to consider

Each school will have its own behaviour management policy so it’s important to check what your school has in place.

When you start your placement, you might want to consider if you know:

  • what your school’s behaviour management policy is
  • how to record and share good behaviour and achievements
  • how to report a behaviour incident and implement any sanctions for challenging behaviour – will you need access to any systems to do this?
  • if there are any children in your class with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) or a behaviour support plan and how you will be expected to support them
Managing younger pupils, who often needed boundaries and redirection, didn’t come naturally at first. I overcame this by observing seasoned teachers. I read, practised, and adapted.

Science trainee from 2024/25

Behaviour management resources

You can read the Department for Education’s trainee teacher behavioural toolkit. This is an external link.

The important thing to remember is that no technique is universal. Different things will work in different situations.

If you find that what you’re implementing is not effective, talk to your mentor and tutor about other alternatives.

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