Study of Authoritative School Climate policies to reduce absenteeism and exclusion
About the study
This study aims to explore the content of school behaviour policies and the effect that they have on attendance and exclusions among secondary school students.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) have funded the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to work collaboratively with a small team from University College London on a study evaluating how school behavioural management policies impact non-attendance and exclusion rates on a sample of Year 9 students.
Schools in the UK must have a behaviour policy in place to outline their approach to addressing and responding to student behaviour. There is currently limited research in the UK exploring what school behaviour policies look like, and their impact on student attendance and exclusions.
The overall aim of the study is to explore whether there is evidence that school behaviour policies help reduce exclusions and improve attendance of secondary school students in England.
What is the study looking at?
We are currently in the scoping phase of the study. This phase of the study aims to identify a framework for distinguishing and classifying behaviour policy types, understand how such policies are implemented in practice and and how the policies are experienced by students and staff.
We have already completed a number of research activities such as carrying out a qualitative analysis of school behaviour policies, and interviewing staff and students. We are now conducting a school survey with headteachers and behavioural leads.
What does taking part involve?
For the scoping phase, we are inviting headteachers to complete a short survey (15-20 minutes) which will ask questions about the content of your school’s behaviour policy and your school’s characteristics.
From March 2024, NatCen telephone interviewers will be making calls to a selected sample of schools to ask if the headteacher would be willing to take part in this important research. An email will then be sent to the headteacher containing a link to the survey. The survey will be running until May 2024.
If the scoping phase of the study is successful and the study progresses to an impact evaluation, the NatCen research team will access pupil-level National Pupil Database (NPD) data on attendance, exclusions and school/pupil characteristics. We may also get back in touch with you to collect further survey data from teachers at your school.
Why take part?
Your involvement in the study is an opportunity to help us better understand what works in managing school attendance and exclusion and help shape future policy in this area.
As a thank you for completing the survey, we will send you a £10 shopping voucher.
Participation is voluntary
Participation in each element of the study is entirely voluntary. You can opt out of the study at any time by contacting a member of the research team via asce@natcen.ac.uk.
Who are NatCen?
The National Centre for Social Research have been carrying out social research for over 50 years. We are a non-profit organisation, independent of all government departments and political parties.
Privacy notice
We take great care to protect the confidentiality of the information people give us. To find out more about how your personal information will be used in this study, please see the full privacy notice here: ASCE Privacy notice | National Centre for Social Research (natcen.ac.uk)
Contact us
We are happy to answer any questions you have about the study which are not covered here. Please contact us at ASCE@natcen.ac.uk or by calling 0808 168 2790.