Schools failing to tackle bullying and poor behaviour to be heavily punished by Ofsted

‘If every child behaved in school then the standards would rocket up’

Secondary-aged children walking between classes at their school in Glasgow (Getty)

Schools that fail to deal with bullying and low-level classroom disruption are to be heavily punished by Ofsted under a major shakeup of its inspection criteria.

A separate judgement focusing on the behaviour and attitudes of schoolchildren is set to be introduced by the watchdog after parents raised concerns about the scale of disruption.

Under proposals for its new inspection framework, Ofsted will judge schools, colleges and nurseries on whether they have successfully created a disciplined environment free from bullying.

Sean Harford, Ofsted’s national director of education, says the changes for September will tackle a rise in low-level disruption – which includes mobile phone use, swinging on chairs and whispering.

He said: “It is an important issue not only for children in this country but for the teachers who teach them as well. You cannot teach in a class where the behaviour is poor.”

Schools are currently judged on “personal development, behaviour and welfare” of pupils, but Ofsted plans to bring in two separate judgements on “personal development” and “behaviour and attitudes”.

Mr Harford added: “We want to really update the profile of behaviour. It is my personal opinion that if every child behaved in school that the standards would rocket up.”

Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who are frequently late to class would benefit from a “tough love” disciplinary approach in the long-term, he said, as they learn not to be late for work.

Luke Tryl, Ofsted’s director of corporate strategy, said that disruptive behaviour and bullying is the “number one” concern for parents when they look through school inspection reports.

He added that a culture of “teaching to the test” in schools was also a worry to many families.

Under changes to the inspection framework, which will be consulted on from today, pupils’ exam results will no longer be a key focus in inspections. Instead, the wider curriculum will be looked at.

Ofsted says shifting the emphasis away from performance data will actively discourage schools from trying to boost their results by keeping troublesome pupils off the books through “off-rolling”.

But if schools choose to “offload” children who do not do well in exams, Ofsted has warned that they are likely be given the lowest possible rating of “inadequate” following an inspection.

On the crackdown on behaviour, Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Ofsted already judges schools on behaviour, so we know that the overwhelming majority of schools are orderly places where children learn effectively.

“What parents really want to know is whether their children are happy and safe in school, and making good progress. In nine out of 10 schools, this is the case. In places where it’s not, support rather than sanction is what is needed.”