Our behaviour impacts everything and everyone

Improving the behaviour of Carmarthenshire Secondary School pupils

 

It’s almost uncool to want to learn as vaping and bad language is like the new thing”

It’s very, very, heart-breaking to see a child vaping at age 11”

I’m genuinely really scared for the generation coming through”

 

These are some of the comments Carmarthenshire pupils and teachers voice in a campaign which aims to improve behaviour in the authority's Secondary Schools.

The campaign is a joint effort between the County Council and C.A.S.H – Carmarthenshire Association of Secondary Headteachers.

Across Wales, many teachers have shared experiences of witnessing a deterioration in some pupils’ behaviour since returning to formal education after COVID lockdowns. Examples of such behaviour include using offensive language with classmates and teachers, being rude in lessons and vaping in toilets during lessons.

For the benefit of pupils and teachers, Carmarthenshire Council supports their Headteachers in their attempt to act to remedy the situation.

Pupils and teachers from ALL the County's schools attended an experience-sharing session at the County Hall in July. A cross-section of comments was recorded and used to create a video that is part of the campaign. The video will be shown in all Carmarthenshire Secondary Schools in September and will be shared through social media. Information on the campaign posters and banners will direct pupils to sources where they can get further advice about the importance of improving behaviour.

Schools need to manage behaviour well so they can provide calm, orderly, safe and supportive environments in which children and young people want to attend and can learn and thrive. Being taught how to behave well is vital for children to succeed personally and for them to successfully navigate the communities they inhabit.

Parents, pupils, and staff need to know how they can help each other. If parents, pupils and staff work together, good behaviour is more likely to happen.

We’ve included resources below that offer advice and guidance to support positive behaviour.