Research School Network: Ready to learn? Implementation of a school-wide approach to embedding routines and developing pupils’ learning behaviours

What is the problem we are trying to solve?

Our school is an inclusive school. We pride ourselves on this.

Situated in Blackpool, an area of significant disadvantage but rich opportunity, we take our responsibility to children and their families very seriously. We do what is right, not what is easy.

Since the pandemic, we became more aware than ever that many of our learners didn’t ​“speak the language” of school. We could speculate about the reasons for this – which are sure to be numerous – but rather than attempt to solve the issues of the world outside of school, we decided to focus on what was within our gift – what happens inside our school and inside our classrooms.

With this in mind, we aimed to develop a series of clear expectations and routines that would define the rhythm of the school day, and to teach, develop and strengthen pupils’ learning behaviours: the behaviours necessary to learn effectively in the group setting of a school (Ellis and Todd, 2018). By clarifying expectations and explicitly teaching these learning behaviours, we aimed to support all pupils in becoming fluent in the language of school once again – saving time and reducing uncertainty and anxiety for staff and pupils alike.

What challenges did you anticipate?

The EEF implementation guidance report tells us that in order to enact change across a complex organisation like a large school, we need to adopt the behaviours that drive effective implementation (EEF, 2024).

Mindful of the fact that the topic of behaviour can be an emotive one, and nationally can be ​“major cause of stress for teachers” (EEF, 2021), in the academic year prior to launching our changes we facilitated a series of opportunities for colleagues to share their views about what would most benefit our young people. These opportunities ranged from structured, whole-staff round table discussions, to anonymous online forms to gather views, and were all designed to engage people so they could shape the direction of travel and provide the opportunity to influence change. These ideas were worked into our plans, and a ​‘frequently asked questions’ document regularly updated to feed back on suggestions and update staff on our progress.

We were also deliberate when considering the contextual factors which impact on change. We know that time is always tight in school calendars, so we ringfenced a training day at the start of the academic year during which we could fully explore our plans with teaching and support staff, and a staggered start to the academic year giving pupils the time to engage with the new routines, and to rehearse them in their form groups. This would also include video exemplification, to ensure key messages were received consistently across the school. To help in sustaining the changes beyond the first few weeks of term, we built in sessions to revisit core ideas with both teachers and pupils, and deliberately staggered the changes across the school year to ensure initial momentum was not lost. We were mindful of making our changes evidence-informed, so spent time as teachers and leaders exploring the evidence base, including use of EEF guidance reports, and Tom Bennett’s independent review of behaviour in schools (Bennett, 2018).

What did you do?

Following these consultations, we developed our ​‘Ready to Learn’ programme. This included considering the areas in which pupils would benefit from clarity of expectation and explicit communication, alongside support for managing their learning both inside and outside of school. One of the core components of the programme was the development of routines for key times during the school day when lack of clarity might lead to confusion, including (but not limited to):

• arriving at school
• lining up at the start of the day
• the start of a lesson

One of our initial tasks was to unite colleagues, pupils, and parents around what was being implemented, how it was being implemented, and why it mattered. Due to our work on engaging colleagues in the development of the programme, the ​‘why’ was very much understood, allowing a focus on the logistics of implementation and how we could pull together as a group of staff to make the changes effective. This included a detailed communication plan for parents and carers, which was rolled out in the summer term prior to the programme launched in order to give plenty of advance warning about changes and expectations.

For example, we produced a clear set of guidelines for each of the times during the day where we wanted to make our expectations clear, using simple and defined language which could be taught to pupils and used consistently by adults across the school.

The expectations for arriving at a classroom for a lesson can be seen below:

We then ensured the systems and structures for enabling change were in place. This included:

• utilising meeting time for teachers and support staff at the start of the school year to ensure everyone was on the same page and understood what was being implemented
• a clear and rigorous communication plan, highlighting key messages that would be shared with teachers, support staff, pupils, and parents, alongside a timeline for delivery of these
• the design of a logo which would indicate to pupils when our ​‘Ready to Learn’ programme was being used, alongside clear and consistent messaging to be broadcast via TV screens around the corridors and during daily form time notices
• working with staff to ensure the language used in the ​‘Ready to Learn’ documents would be reflected in the conversations they have with pupils during the school day (some of this key language is seen highlighted in the document above, and key definitions can be seen in the document below)

How are you monitoring the success of the implementation?

During regular scheduled meetings, staff share observations about how use of the ​‘Ready to Learn’ approaches are impacting on pupils in the classroom and around school. We are also carefully monitoring attendance data and behavioural data, which are discussed daily at our pastoral briefings to ensure we remain focused on up-to-date information and are responsive to the needs of the individuals we work with.

To date, we have focused mainly on routines for effective learning and on being clear about our expectations and why they matter. As part of our staggered delivery model, we will soon change focus to supporting pupils to organise their learning and on developing independent learners both inside and outside of the classroom.

Bennett, T. (2018) Creating a Culture: How school leaders can optimise behaviour. DfE: London. Accessible from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7506e4ed915d3c7d529cec/Tom_Bennett_Independent_Review_of_Behaviour_in_Schools.pdf

Education Endowment Foundation (2021) Improving behaviour in schools (Guidance Report). EEF: London. Accessible from: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/behaviour

Education Endowment Foundation (2024) A school’s guide to implementation (Guidance Report). EEF: London. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/implementation

Ellis, S. and Todd, J. (2018) Behaviour for Learning: Promoting Positive Relationships in the Classroom. London: Routledge.