This meeting was the second evidence gathering session of the Commission's in-depth review of behaviour management and school inclusion in Hackney. The Commission received evidence from teaching unions and a written submission from the Department for Education. They also reviewed their work programme for the remainder of the year.

Behaviour Management & School Inclusion

This was the second evidence gathering session for the Commission's review of behaviour management and school inclusion.

The Commission's previous work on exclusions, pupil absence, and emotional-based non-attendance suggested a growing problem in Hackney's schools. They therefore decided to undertake a broader review into the impact of school behaviour management policies in Hackney.

Their overall aim was:

‘To assess the policy, practice and impact of approaches to behaviour management (both primary and secondary) in creating a safe, positive and creative environment for children to develop, learn and achieve. To identify good policy and practice in approaches to management of pupil behaviour which are inclusive and respond to the education and welfare needs of children in Hackney.’

The Commission was scheduled to receive evidence from three contributors, Darren Northcott, National Officer of the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), David Davies, Divisional Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) Hackney, and a written submission from the Department for Education (DfE). They were also scheduled to receive a presentation of data on school exclusions.

The Commission previously met on 25 February 2025 and received evidence from Ofsted, the Children & Young People’s Coalition for Mental Health, and the Education Policy Institute. The minutes from this meeting were scheduled to be reviewed and agreed at this meeting.

As well as national evidence, the Commission was also scheduled to undertake more focused work with local stakeholders to assess local policy and practice. This work would include gathering evidence from local schools, teachers, parents, pupils, and other local organisations involved in the education and welfare of children.

The session was scheduled to finish with an update on the Commission's scope and work plan for the review.

The Commission's scoping report for their review of behaviour management and school inclusion was provided to attendees of the meeting. This document set out the background to the review, highlighting the Commission's previous work in this area. The report also described a number of national and local trends in school exclusions, pupil absence and attainment data, and rates of children with special educational needs. The report also set out a proposed plan of work for the Commission for the remainder of the 2024/25 municipal year.

The Commission was also provided with the NASUWT's report Behaviour in Schools. This report was based on a survey of 6,586 NASUWT members across the UK, and highlighted the growing problem of violent and abusive behaviour of pupils in schools.

The report also included commentary from NASUWT members describing their experiences. One member said:

“Implications for family relationships - taking work and distress home to my family.”

The report sets out a number of actions that the NASUWT would take locally and nationally to address this problem. This included putting pressure on governments to address the problem through direct engagement, consultations, working groups, and lobbying activities. The report also described how the NASUWT would work with likeminded stakeholders to encourage them to join calls for action, and continue to represent its members to Ofsted. The report concluded by setting out a series of actions that the NASUWT believe schools and governments should take to address the problem. This included a call for the strengthening of guidance on behaviour management to:

“ensure ‘no exclusion’ policies are not legitimised across the education sector. There should be further clarification of when and when it is not appropriate to suspend or exclude a pupil.”

The report also called on governments to commit to ensuring every school in the UK has access to a school-based counselor.

A written submission was provided to the meeting by the DfE, which covered the legal and policy framework for behaviour management in schools, as well as a summary of national data on school exclusions.

Work Programme

The Commission was scheduled to review and agree their work programme for the remainder of the municipal year. This included plans to receive a presentation on Housing Support for Care Leavers at a joint meeting with the Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission in September, and to review Ofsted's action plan in response to the recent inspection of Children’s Social Care in October.

The Commission's work programme for the remainder of the 2024/25 municipal year included a number of topics that were related to their review of school behaviour management. They planned to review the implementation of the SEND strategy and the support provided by Disabled Children's Services, and to question Mayor Philip Glanville about the commissioning of independent and non-maintained SEND provision in the borough. The Commission also planned to review Hackney's school estate strategy in November, with a particular focus on proposed school closures and mergers.

The Commission's work programme also contained a list of suggestions that had been made during a consultation on their 2024/25 work programme. This included a number of items that were not able to be included in their work plan for this year, but that would be considered for inclusion in 2025/26. The list included proposals to review early help services, school places and admissions, childcare sufficiency, wraparound childcare, school nursing, childhood immunisations, eating disorder services, foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), the outcomes of Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission's area SEND inspection, kinship carers, the integrated commissioning of children's services, speech and language therapy, the youth justice strategy, the childcare commission report, the health of looked after children, access to physical activity and sport, vaping, elective home education, the role of young carers, and safeguarding.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The Commission was scheduled to review the minutes of its meeting on 25 February 2025. The meeting was the first evidence-gathering session of the Commission's in-depth review of behaviour management and school inclusion.

The Commission received evidence from John Kennedy, the Chief Regional Inspector for Ofsted, Charlotte Rainer, Coalition Manager at the Children & Young People’s Coalition for Mental Health, and Whitney Crenna-Jennings, Associate Director for Mental Health, Wellbeing & Inclusion at the Education Policy Institute. They also reviewed a draft scoping report on school behaviour management policies.

The Commission also received updates on the School Estates & Education Sufficiency Strategy, and Unregistered Educational Settings.