BETTER DISCIPLINE in schools can be achieved by creating a greater sense of belonging for pupils, writes Andrew Argo, education reporter.

A school should also be seen as a community, not just as a physical place where pupils go to learn.

These were the main messages that one of the world’s leading educationalists brought to a gathering of more than 300 teachers in Dundee yesterday.

Bill Rogers, an Australian who specialises in research and lecturing on discipline and behaviour management issues, said teachers are doing a good job in circumstances that are at times difficult.

“A lot is asked of teachers these days and they are having to cope with many situations over which they may have no control,” he explained at Dundee University’s Gardyne Road campus.

“Pupils are coming in to be educated but they may also be bringing in problems to do with family dynamics, substance abuse, long-term structural poverty and unemployment.

“Teachers can’t deal with things they have no control over—but for the third of the day that pupils are in school, teachers must do their best to give pupils a place where they feel they belong.

“Schools are not just about education, but are places where pupils should feel psychologically safe and where they can develop as young persons,” he stressed.

“Discipline problems can be tackled by encouraging a greater sense of belonging for pupils in their schools.”

Mr Rogers noted the debate about the effect of social inclusion on school discipline policies, with some figures contending that efforts to integrate pupils with behavioural problems into mainstream schools was having an adverse effect on classroom control and overall education attainment.

He accepted mainstream integration was a significant problem in some schools, but was convinced that inclusion was “the only way to go.”

“I am against segregating pupils because I think you are creating a whole set of new problems if you start telling some pupils that they don’t belong,” he stated.

“It is said that inclusion can harm the prospect of more able pupils, but I don’t think this is the case. I believe inclusion, with proper support, benefits able pupils and benefits everyone.”

Dundee is one of a number of authorities reviewing its provision of off-site facilities for pupils with severe behavioural problems who are not coping with mainstream schooling.

Mr Rogers accepted the need for off-site facilities and considered there were probably not enough of them. He commented, however, “Where these facilities work best is where … the pupils who go there have the chance to work their way back to school.

“Schools work best when they are seen as a community and not just as a physical place where pupils go to learn.”

As a young teacher, Mr Rogers was troubled by the absence of training in discipline strategies and by the lack of support given to teachers.

As his career and studies progressed he began researching the issues, and his Masters degree concentrated on conflict and conflict resolution among pre-adolescents.

He now works as a consultant in all stages of education. As well as delivering in-service training and lectures, he has run many demonstration classes in schools in Australia and the UK.

Pupil indiscipline was back on the agenda this week when the Headteachers’ Association of Scotland said persistent low-level disruption, along with instances of more challenging and aggressive behaviour, cause regular difficulties for staff and senior managers, “and require to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

The HAS said there was a need to reiterate the basic duties of parents to ensure their children are educated when the local authority has met its obligation of providing a suitable school place.