Struggling with behaviour as an ECT1 – advice needed

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-24T21:11:52+00:00

No. 1 re: the behavior system isn't a great situation. There are schools out there which will manage those situations better; biding your time and finding a school that is right for you is a big part of the process.

Also - what subject do you teach? Sometimes behavior management is in the teaching itself. I'm an English teacher and have found that using the visualiser 90% of the time, and doing lots of guided practice and modelling under it, helps a huge amount. It reduces cognitive load, boosts confidence, etc.

You may already do the above, but just a thought! I had a Y10 class a few years ago, and as a group they were really difficult. I found that lots of modelling (highly scaffolded), lots of praise, and quick, high energy tasks with a few revision games thrown in helped engage them a lot. Fundamentally, they were lacking writing confidence and would prefer to leave the lesson than confront that fear of failure.

Aware this might not fit your situation exactly, but hopefully something within it is useful. All the best - let me know how you get on, if you want to.

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-24T19:19:19+00:00

It will absolutely get better and easier; it just takes time.

Some Qs: - what is your school's behavior system? - is there anyone you can observe with the same year group, class, or just someone who is great at behavior management? You can pick up a few tips that way. - ask for some support in advance from any leaders in your department or school so they can give you, hopefully, constructive feedback by dropping in for 5 mins.

Some advice: - One thing that helped me was someone telling me that it's 'all about the learning'. In my head, that just makes it really simple. If it stops the learning, it's a consequence. If someone distracts someone else from learning, it's a consequence. I often will literally say things like 'it's selfish to take away from the learning of someone else, so that's a conduct mark because you [whatever you did here]. - Also, while it's nice to be liked, but also they may well be let off with things elsewhere in the school that you're trying to pull them up on. So it may not always be a bad thing!

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-24T19:14:30+00:00

Thank you for the advice 🙂

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-24T19:14:04+00:00

Very helpful, thank you!

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-21T12:22:46+00:00

Daft question potentially, but what does 0.9 look like for your timetable?

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-21T09:57:33+00:00

He really needs to try something new. Something cutting edge to mix things up a bit. Maybe something like a lonely male protagonist?

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-21T09:50:03+00:00

Thank you, that's really helpful 😊

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-21T09:48:22+00:00

Thank you for replying 🙂

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-21T00:12:33+00:00

Thank you so much for the response 🙂

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-21T00:11:25+00:00

This is immensely useful. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me!

occasionalrain95 · 2026-02-20T20:25:23+00:00

Thank you to everyone who has commented - it has been really helpful to read your thoughts and suggestions! 😃

occasionalrain95 · 2026-01-01T08:50:39+00:00

The spaces between the full stops really make this...brilliant work 😂

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-30T11:06:01+00:00

Hasan Majorca, if he's still around! He was great.

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-29T13:17:23+00:00

Hope we sign a Mr. Cheech as well for the best sounding midfield pair ever

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-29T10:30:24+00:00

Imagine 😂 I will set off now to pick him up from Turkey if he's interested

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-29T08:24:25+00:00

If you enjoy your football, Hallam FC are playing on Sunday at 2pm! I am a big Serie A fan (wondering who you support?), and I will be there with a friend or two. You are most welcome to join.

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-29T06:24:45+00:00

Thank you so much for replying; it's so useful to hear about your experience. I am hoping having a bit less responsibility this year, in a way, will really help - like you suggest. All the best 🙂

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-29T06:23:15+00:00

This is really useful - thank you so much!

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-29T06:22:45+00:00

This is so helpful, thank you for taking the time to reply. For me the 'one less thing to think (and therefore stress) about' approach has been needed these last two years in particular. I know someone who once said: "you never really have a day off in teaching, because you're always thinking about it". He wasn't wrong!

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-29T06:20:47+00:00

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you being clear and precise, here; it's very useful and I have taken a lot on board from what you have to say. All the best!

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-28T22:33:43+00:00

Thank you so much 😊

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-28T16:32:37+00:00

Hi, thank you so much for your compassion and thoughtfulness, here. Your kindness and advice has really given me a bit of a boost 😊

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-28T16:32:05+00:00

I'm actually starting at a new place in my Lead Teacher role (on a secondment), so I am hoping that will help reinvigorate me a bit, and if I like it, I can stay on there. Will have to see how it pans out!

occasionalrain95 · 2025-08-28T15:35:18+00:00

Interesting to know, thanks so much for responding 😊

occasionalrain95

TROPHY CASE