If you looked back over the lesson observations I’ve completed in the past decade, you’d probably find the same comment on almost every single one: “Use the school behaviour policy”. It’s not that beginning teachers don’t know the policy or think it is unimportant, it’s just that putting it into practice is fiendishly difficult.
There are many reasons for this, but generally most beginning teachers struggle to:
- believe they have the right to expect pupils to behave in line with the behaviour policy.
- work out how a written policy should be interpreted and applied in a real classroom full of real pupils.
It is this second challenge that I want to focus on today. How can novice teachers walk the tightrope between implementing whole-school policies faithfully and consistently, while recognising that effective behaviour management also requires flexibility and is inevitably shaped by context and the individual needs of pupils?
Consistency at all costs
Let’s consider the case of Mr Bailey who has just begun his ECT post in a school with a clear behaviour policy. The policy states that any disruption results in a warning, a second disruption triggers a sanction, and further incidents escalate accordingly. Determined to do the right thing, Mr Bailey has been applying the policy exactly as written.
Josh turns around during an explanation. WARNING.
In shock at being given a warning, Josh whispers briefly to his neighbour. SANCTION.
Afsa forgets her equipment. WARNING.
Josh is upset by the sanction and rummages in his bag to find a tissue. ESCALATION OF SANCTION.
Afsa makes a comment about how silly the rule is. SANCTION.
Mr Bailey is being consistent by applying the rules precisely as he has been instructed and feels pleased that he has managed to master using the behaviour policy – something he found hard during his Initial Teacher Training year.
However, later, when Mr Bailey discusses the lesson with experienced colleagues in the departmental office, he doesn’t receive the praise he anticipated. Instead, his colleagues ask whether Josh, a usually polite and well-behaved child, really needed to be escalated through the behaviour system so quickly. Mrs Jones, Mr Bailey’s Head of Department, responds wearily that while she follows the policy she would not necessarily move immediately to sanctions in every circumstance. Instead, she might give a brief non-verbal cue, move closer to the pupil, use a reminder of expectations, or quietly redirect behaviour before formally triggering the sanctions process, seeking to nip it in the bud and stop the situation escalating.
Mr Bailey the ECT is left wondering what he’s meant to do with that. Should he follow the policy or not? What hope does he have if his colleagues aren’t going to follow the policy to the letter?
Consistency does not mean rigidity
Many people would agree with Mr Bailey: what hope is there if colleagues do not all follow and enact the behaviour policy consistently across the school?
Indeed, research suggests that consistency is an important foundation of effective behaviour systems. The Education Endowment Foundation (2019) argues that consistency and coherence at whole-school level are essential because clear boundaries help pupils understand expectations and create a sense of fairness. However, the EEF report (2019) also acknowledges that schools are complex human environments and that staff inevitably need to make professional judgements when applying behaviour systems in specific situations. Moreover, reasonable adjustments may be required to meet the additional needs of some pupils. Professional practice therefore involves maintaining the integrity of school expectations whilst making appropriate adjustments for individual pupils. Critically, where adaptations are required, they should be planned, understood by staff and applied consistently rather than changing from day to day.
Consistency does not therefore necessarily mean responding identically to every behaviour in every circumstance. Rather, it means being predictable, reliable and fair in how expectations are communicated and reinforced. As Haydn’s (2026) work on classroom climate repeatedly demonstrates, there are no ‘magic answers’ that work in every context. Effective behaviour management involves what he describes as ‘complex and sophisticated skills’ developed through experience, judgement and deep knowledge of pupils. Indeed, ‘the dynamic human environment of schools means teachers and leaders have to make constant decisions about how to apply a behaviour strategy in specific circumstances’ (Morrissey, 2023). Perhaps it is more about coherence than consistency?
Flexibility can still be consistent
Rather than leaping to give a formal warning, Mrs Jones, the Head of Department, would instead use a brief reminder to re-establish a positive classroom environment:
“Josh, all eyes to the front, thank you.”
This reminder is not a substitute for the behaviour policy. Rather, it serves as a predictable precursor to it. Mrs Jones consistently uses a prompt such as this before issuing a formal warning, meaning that her expectations remain clear and her responses remain predictable. The behaviour policy is enacted through routines that are consistent with both the school’s expectations and the culture of the department, while still allowing room for professional judgement and adaptation. She has developed consistency in her flexibility. Mrs Jones does not need to behave like a machine, applying the policy mechanically and without thought, to be predictable, fair and trustworthy. Because she understands not only what the policy requires, but why it exists, she is able to make informed decisions about how best to implement it in different situations. Mrs Jones’ approach has coherence because her decisions are informed by this why. As Morrissey (2023) argues, ‘responsiveness and thoughtful adaptation are necessary for what we do in schools.’
Learning the craft: walking the tightrope successfully
The challenge for Mr Bailey, as for many beginning and early career teachers, is that sound professional judgement is difficult to exercise before a secure foundation has been established. For this reason, mentors frequently advise novice teachers to stay close to the published behaviour policy. Consistent implementation helps establish routines, communicate expectations and reduce uncertainty during the early stages of learning to teach. The policy provides a stable framework within which this professional expertise can gradually develop.
However, alongside being instructed to follow the behaviour policy, Mr Bailey would also benefit from observing how experienced colleagues enact the school’s approach to behaviour management in practice. This involves noticing the routines, language choices and subtle interventions that sit beneath the formal behaviour system. By seeing how experienced teachers maintain high standards and fidelity to the policy while responding sensitively to context, he can begin to understand how consistency and flexibility work together in practice.
Learning to make these judgements is part of learning the craft of teaching and, ultimately, of learning to walk the tightrope between policy and practice successfully. The problem for Mr Bailey is that he won’t get that right immediately – it requires practise and time. He needs to strive for coherence as much as consistency.
References
Education Endowment Foundation. (2019). Improving behaviour in schools: Guidance report. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/behaviour
Haydn, T. (2026). Managing pupil behaviour. https://terryhaydn.co.uk/managing-pupil-behaviour/
Morrissey, F. (2023). Managing behaviour: The challenge of consistency. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/eef-blog-managing-behaviour-the-challenge-of-consistency
