Heads and teachers have reported their schools are less calm and orderly, while parents are now less likely to support school behaviour policies, according to a government survey. The Department for Education’s also reveals pupils feel less safe in school and are more likely to report bullying based on how they look, their race or ethnicity. It comes after ministers announced the names of the first 21 of 90 new integrated behaviour and attendance hubs. Tom Bennett, the last government’s behaviour tsar, and former head Jayne Lowe have also been appointed ambassadors for the scheme. Here’s what we learned… 1. Schools less calm and orderly The report records a 鈥渟tatistically significant鈥 decrease in the proportion of teachers reporting their school was calm and orderly 鈥渆very day鈥 or 鈥渕ost days鈥 in the week before the survey was conducted, from 59 per cent in May 2023 to 53 per cent last year. There were also decreases in staff reporting that pupils are respectful to each other. The proportion of leaders and teachers reporting that pupil behaviour was either 鈥渧ery good鈥 or 鈥済ood鈥 in the past week also dropped significantly, from 82 to 72 per cent among leaders and 55 to 46 per cent among teachers. 2. Fewer teachers 鈥榲ery confident鈥 tackling behaviour The survey in May 2024 found the proportion of teachers reporting being 鈥渧ery confident鈥 in managing misbehaviour had fallen to 31 per cent, from 35 per cent in May 2023, and 41 per cent in March 2024. However, there was a corresponding increase in teachers feeling 鈥渇airly confident鈥, and overall, the proportion of teachers feeling 鈥渧ery鈥 or 鈥渇airly confident鈥 combined was 91 per cent, down on March 2024 and December 2023, but the same as in May 2023. School leaders were 鈥渟tatistically more likely鈥 than teachers to report being confident (98 per cent vs 91 per cent) or very confident (66 per cent vs 31 per cent) in managing misbehaviour. 3. Parents less supportive of rules The proportion of parents who said they were supportive of their school鈥檚 behaviour rules has 鈥渟tatistically significantly decreased鈥 from 87 per cent in June 2023, to 83 per cent in May 2024. Parents of primary school pupils (88 per cent) were 鈥渟tatistically significantly鈥 more likely than parents of secondary school pupils (77 per cent) and parents of special school pupils (80 per cent) to say they were supportive. However, the proportion of pupils who said they were supportive remained 鈥渃onsistent鈥 at 49 per cent. 4. Bullying over race and appearance increases Pupils are now more likely to report being bullied because of they way they looked or because of their race or ethnicity. Forty-six per cent of pupils last year reported being bullied in-person because of the way they looked, up from 40 per cent in 2023. The proportion of pupils reporting being bullied because of their race or ethnicity doubled from 5 to 10 per cent. Online bullying for the same reasons also increased. Thirty-nine per cent reported being bullied online because of how they looked, up from 32 per cent. And the proportion reporting online bullying due to race or ethnicity more than tripled from 2 to 7 per cent. However, there was a 鈥渟tatistically significant鈥 decrease in pupils reporting being bullied online because of their sexual orientation, from 14 to 6 per cent. 5. Pupils feel less safe, but more motivated There has been a decrease in the proportion of pupils reporting they felt safe at school every day, from 39 to 32 per cent. The report described this decrease as 鈥渟tatistically significant鈥. But there was an uptick in the proportion of pupils reporting they felt motivated to learn, from 71 to 75 per cent. 6. But leaders more visible, and pupils report more incentives But the report suggests leaders in schools are becoming more visible to pupils. In May 2024, 77 per cent of pupils reported seeing members of the school leadership team around the school every day or most days, up from 70 per cent the year before. There has also been an increase in the proportion of pupils who said their school used a behavioural points system, from 72 per cent in May 2023, to 77 per cent in April 2024. There were also increases in pupils reporting their school used certificates, prize ceremonies or special assemblies (56 to 64 per cent), verbal praise (54 to 61 per cent) and whole-class or year group rewards (23 to 28 per cent). Pupils were also more likely to report that their school asked for feedback about behaviour (27 to 30 per cent), and more likely to be confident they鈥檇 be listened-to (40 to 44 per cent). 7. Leaders still have rosier picture of behaviour The report shows there is a continuing divide between school leaders and teachers and pupils on how behaviour is perceived in their schools. Fifty-six per cent of leaders said the behaviour of pupils had been 鈥渧ery good鈥 or 鈥済ood鈥 in the past week, compared to 40 per cent of teachers and pupils. Thirty-nine per cent of teachers said behaviour had been 鈥減oor鈥 or 鈥渧ery poor鈥, compared to 18 per cent of leaders and 22 per cent of pupils.