This practical course supports secondary school staff in creating a strong behaviour culture. Learn how to respond consistently, build trust with students, and manage challenging behaviour scenarios with confidence and care.

Every adult in the school community shapes the student experience—not just in the classroom, but across corridors, playgrounds, offices, and shared spaces.

This course includes:

• Interactive discussion
• Scenario-based reflection
• Practical takeaways

From reception staff to site teams, every interaction with students is an opportunity to build trust, model consistency, and guide behaviour positively.

This specialist session equips teaching, support, and pastoral staff with strategies to:

• Respond confidently when challenging or praising behaviour
• Apply consistent approaches that align with whole-school expectations
• Build authentic relationship currency with students, so small interactions reinforce big outcomes

Why This Training Matters

Pupil behaviour ‘getting worse’ at schools, nearly one in five teachers in England has been hit by a pupil this year, a survey commissioned by the BBC says.

Secondary students are navigating adolescence, independence, and increasing academic demands. This can lead to tension—whether over uniform, punctuality, use of social spaces, or behaviour in corridors.

When staff apply consistent, confident, and caring approaches, students receive a unified message:

• The school is fair and dependable
• Boundaries exist to support, not restrict
• Every adult is part of their success journey

This training helps staff respond with clarity and care—reducing friction and reinforcing shared values.

Course Outline

Understanding the Adolescent Mind

• The challenges of autonomy, peer influence, and academic pressure
• Why consistency matters in secondary education

Responding Effectively to Behaviour Challenges

• Calm, clear language with high expectations
• Restorative follow-up: reaffirming boundaries and repairing relationships

The Importance of Consistency

• The risks of mixed messages across staff
• Developing school-wide shared expectations

Building Relationship Currency

• Everyday relational tools: noticing, affirming, greeting
• How ‘small positives’ bank trust for when boundaries are tested
• Maintaining professional warmth

Common School Scenarios

Examples include:

• Students refusing to follow instructions in corridors or communal areas
• Persistent low-level disruption during transitions between lessons
• Confrontations over mobile phone use or uniform non-compliance
• Defiance or withdrawal following a sanction
• Escalating peer conflict during break/lunch times
• Students challenging authority in front of peers

Also covered:

• Balancing authority with care
• Addressing groups, navigating busy spaces, maintaining professional standards

Reflection and Next Steps

• Individual action planning: one consistency move, one relational strategy
• Outcomes for Staff

Course Outcomes

Participants will:

• Feel confident in addressing students calmly and professionally in various contexts
• Apply consistent approaches across different settings
• Use a more relational approach to build positive daily connections with students
• Recognise when to escalate concerns appropriately within school systems

Presenter Profile

David Gacheru
Driven by compassion, integrity and resilience, David is an experienced pastoral specialist and former senior school leader who spent over fifteen years shaping whole-school culture through a range of diverse secondary settings.

His work focuses on helping all school staff understand how behaviour, culture and ethos are created not only through policy but through daily habits, relationships and consistent adult practice. With expertise in organisational change, pastoral leadership and staff development, David has supported schools nationwide to design behaviour systems, embed restorative approaches and build environments where expectations are clear and students feels a sense of belonging.

Cost: £150 per delegate

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