Schools - fostering a positive, inclusive and safe environment: guidance

Section 2: The use of consequences in school

Why is setting boundaries for children and young people important?

Children and young people’s behaviour is shaped by their stage of development, life experiences, family culture, individual needs and socio-economic circumstances in which they live. Children and young people will also be trying to make sense of potentially complex societal issues and social influences. They are undergoing rapid social, emotional and cognitive development, with executive functions such as reasoning, long-term planning and impulse control still developing throughout childhood and adolescence. All these factors will influence the way that children and young people behave and communicate their needs, and may result in dysregulated behaviour.

Setting boundaries for children and young people, and ensuring they understand them, is fundamental to healthy child development. They provide structure and security, helping children and young people to navigate social interactions and build essential skills for life, learning, and work as they move into adulthood. Supporting children and young people to learn to behave well is also a key part of promoting wellbeing, as outlined in the GIRFEC wellbeing indicators. Therefore, age and developmentally appropriate expectations for behaviour should be set, particularly where this impacts on other children and young people and adults within the school community.

Guidance on creating a whole-school approach to values-based boundaries and expectations can be found in section 3.

What do we mean by ‘consequences’ in a school context?

Consequences are an important tool to help reinforce boundaries and expectations.

In this guidance, the term ‘consequences’ refers to the actions or interventions implemented in response to a child or young person’s behaviour.

While these are often thought of as the actions or interventions taken in response to behaviour that falls below expectations, they can also be a response that reinforces positive behaviour and the meeting or exceeding of shared expectations.

The use of consequences where behaviour does not meet expectations is about addressing the young person’s behaviour and supporting them in a way that reduces the likelihood of the behaviour occurring in future. This means approaches will often be tied to understanding the underlying drivers of a young person’s behaviour, and taking separate, supportive action to address related needs.

The use of consequences to strengthen positive behaviour and make it more likely to occur in future is called reinforcement.

This guidance will refers to both ‘responses’ and ‘consequences’ throughout. The use of consequences within this guidance should therefore be interpreted as focusing on the response to support a child or young person.

A table of illustrative examples of consequences can be found at Appendix 1.

How do consequences support children and young people’s development?

When applied consistently, equitably and as part of a school’s wider approach to relationships and behaviour, consequences can positively influence children and young people’s outcomes, including social and emotional development, learning, and long-term behaviour. They can also help maintain a safe, supportive and happier learning environment for all. Conversely, inconsistent or punitive approaches can lead to disengagement, exacerbating inequalities, and can negatively impact wellbeing.

Constructive, logical, predictable and developmentally appropriate responses and interventions can help children to feel safe, to understand the impact of their actions, and to learn how to respond differently. The goal is therefore not just to uphold values and expectations, but to promote responsibility, emotional regulation, and problem-solving skills.

Use of consequences in schools

National policy emphasises the importance of promoting positive relationships and behaviour. Consequences are an essential part of a supportive learning environment and should be integral to a relationships and behaviour policy.

All children have the right to learn, and staff have the right to work, in a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment. Local authorities and schools have a responsibility to uphold these rights and ensure a secure, respectful learning and working environment for everyone.

Developing effective responses that promote good relationships and positive behaviour in the classroom/learning space, playground and wider community is essential for creating a learning and teaching environment, where all children feel secure, valued, and supported in their development. Helping children understand boundaries and consequences supports the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence – enabling them to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens, and effective contributors.

Schools have a range of consequences available to them. Section 5 of this document provides guidance around identifying appropriate consequences. Appendix 1 sets out illustrative examples of consequences and Appendix 2 provides reflective questions to support decision making around consequences. In line with the national policy on exclusion, ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2’, this includes up to and including exclusion as a last resort, where this approach is proportionate and there is no appropriate alternative.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

All members of a school community have rights that intersect and interact in different ways at different times. This is particularly pronounced in situations where a child or young person’s behaviour is impacting negatively upon the rights, safety or wellbeing of others and an intervention is required to address this behaviour. In such circumstances, determining what response is appropriate may require consideration of the rights of all children and young people who may be having their learning disrupted, the needs and rights of the child or young person who is displaying the behaviour and the rights of staff, who have the right to work safely, in an environment free from violence and aggression.

Section 5 of the guidance highlights how the application of these different rights should inform decision making. However, an important principle is that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) does not preclude the use of consequences. Article 28, read with article 29,^[4] highlights that in the context of a child’s right to education, approaches to discipline must respect a child’s human dignity and promote non-violence. A school must respond to behaviour in a way that respects a child’s dignity.^[5]

Child-centred approach

Every child or young person is unique, and they will not all respond to the same consequence in the same way. In determining the appropriate response to a child or young person’s behaviour, schools should adopt a child-centred approach specific to the individual child or young person in line with the school’s relationships and behaviour policy.

However, taking a child-centred approach does not mean that for some children or young people’s behaviour should go unchallenged or unaddressed. As set out in section 4, it is important for schools to develop consistent expectations and boundaries for behaviour, and that these expectations apply to all children and young people. However, the way in which a school might respond to and support a young person who is struggling to meet these expectations, may be different depending on a child or young person’s specific needs and circumstances.

In particular, there are legal frameworks around care-experienced young people and children and young people with additional support needs that will need to be taken into consideration when determining the appropriate intervention to be put in place.