Building Confidence in Newly Qualified Teachers to Manage Difficult Behaviour

Managing difficult behaviour is often one of the main challenges that newly qualified teachers face in schools. Dr Kulvarn Atwal is the Headteacher of Highlands Primary School in Ilford, East London. His doctoral research focused on factors that impact teacher engagement in professional learning, viewing this as the greatest lever of change available in schools.

In this video, Dr Atwal explores the power of collaborative professional learning, discussing the importance of honesty, consistency, and behaviour modelling. He outlines the significance of empowering pupils through positive reinforcement with a long-term aim of emotional self-regulation for children in schools. Advocating for empathy and understanding, he endorses a ‘whole school’ culture for inclusion that does not limit the learning or improvement of any pupil.

Dr Atwal follows his research with a case study, focusing on a previously Ofsted graded ‘requires improvement’ school in the most disadvantaged ward within the local authority. He outlines the impact of his work within this school, introducing a shared pedagogy for teaching including dialogic teaching and a no-blame culture.

Managing difficult behaviour is often one of the main challenges that newly qualified teachers face in schools. In this video, Dr Kulvarn Atwal, Headteacher of Highlands Primary School in East London, discusses how early career teachers can build their confidence through a whole school approach to behaviour, ensuring both excellence and consistency of practice in their classrooms.