£10m to train teachers in tackling poor behaviour

The Education Secretary Damian Hinds has announced £10m to reform training so every teacher is equipped to manage challenging behaviour.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on 2 October, Hinds said the reforms to training will mean that all teachers will be shown how to effectively manage behaviour in their first two years in the profession.

Most schools already have a policy in place restricting pupils’ use of mobile phones in schools, and the government has said that it will back heads who take these decisions as this can reduce bullying and improve attainment.

Research from the London School of Economics in 2015, found that after schools banned unrestricted access to mobile phones, the test scores of students aged 16 improved on average by 6.4%, and time lost in classes that permitted free access to smartphones was equivalent to around five days of schooling per year.

Ministers will also update government guidance on behaviour, which was last reviewed in 2015.