Zero-tolerance Behaviour Policies and School Bullying

Personal Experience of Zero-tolerance Policies

I have experience of having to follow a zero-tolerance policy in most of the schools I have taught in and I have felt obliged and pressured to reinforce these. I have also noticed zero tolerance policies in most of the schools I have conducted research in. As a teacher I have been expected to follow and instill a hierarchy of punishments to children who I notice are misbehaving e.g. of giving a child a first warning, second warning and then detention. After these detentions if children do not improve their behaviour they can be put in isolation.

Children’s Experiences of Zero-tolerance Policies

From speaking to children about whether these punishments are effective in improving behaviour most of them say they are not. In fact, they cause more anger in children who feel unfairly ‘picked on’. Zero tolerance does not encourage children to reflect upon their behaviour and learn how to improve. One child I interviewed for my doctoral research reflected on his experience, ‘all the detentions I had; they were all piss taking bastards’. The victimisation that these children feel can lead them to becoming increasingly resentful and hostile towards their teachers and other pupils which can marginalise them and cause bullying to escalate.

Zero-tolerance can lead to certain individuals and groups being targeted. My research has shown that children who are particularly subject to zero-tolerance behaviour policies are working-class males from particularly deprived backgrounds who have learning difficulties. Meanwhile, other forms of unacceptable behaviour can be respected and approved of in school such as the ostracism of those who are struggling academically or who are not performing well in sport. I have spoken to children who have been placed in isolation booths and it can cause harmful psychological and physiological side-effects. Here is what one pupil has said about it:

‘Can’t do isolation me, never done it, never can, I’ve always walked out of it, I can’t just sit there and look at a board, you always sit there… you don’t do shit, sit there for six hours, what’s point? I get migraines me; big migraines.’

Effectiveness of Zero-Tolerance Practices?

It is astounding that zero-tolerance is being used to much in schools, where are the statistics that children who are isolated from their peers go on to achieve highly and improve their behavior? What really happens is that children subject to these measures can become permanently excluded from school and feel like they have ruined their chances in life. We need to break the vicious cycle of punishment and examine how we can effectively teach children how they can reform their behavior.

Dialogue and Mentoring: An Alternative Approach

A Mentoring Programme for the child who is misbehaving provided by an educational professional is a better alternative to zero tolerance. I have provided mentoring for pupils who frequently misbehave to take them out of isolation and detention and talk to them regularly about their behaviour. This is a proactive approach which focuses on finding out the underlying reasons behind the behaviour and addressing these. Mentoring also involves helping children learn the consequences of their behaviour and teach children how to behave more respectfully. It is also important for schools to review with pupils and staff their systems for managing unacceptable behaviour and reflect on how they can improve these. This process can help improve how behaviour is managed in school. It is also worthwhile for schools to work with parents/guardians and families to help understand what is contributing to the behaviour and draw upon their input to improve school systems for managing behaviour.