Bridging the behaviour gap: are leaders and staff seeing the same picture?

Behaviour can look very different depending on where you’re standing. 

Schools may have clear systems in place and a good sense of what’s happening overall, while classroom-based staff may be dealing with repeated disruption, difficult moments and the day-to-day impact of behaviour. 

Both views can be valid. But if they’re not properly understood, staff can feel unheard, leaders can feel frustrated, and the gap between policy and classroom practice can grow. 

National data shows that learning time is still being lost to behaviour, while staff are also spending a lot of time following up incidents. That raises an important question: are behaviour systems working as intended day to day? 

In this webinar, we’ll introduce Thrive’s Bridging the Gap approach: understanding and validating both perspectives, then looking at practical ways to bring them closer together. 

Rather than treating behaviour as an SLT-versus-staff issue, we’ll look at what sits between policy and practice, and where routines, communication or support may need attention. 

We’ll explore areas including removal and return-to-class processes, sanctions and support, communication after incidents, the support adults need to stay calm and regulated, and what repeated behaviour patterns, and the way schools respond to them, may tell us about pupil need and wider barriers to learning. 

Attendees will leave with:

• a clearer understanding of why leadership and classroom experiences of behaviour can differ  

• useful questions to help identify where communication, routines or staff support may need strengthening  

• practical tips to help bridge the gap between policy and day-to-day practice