Episode 13: Managing difficult students and difficult parents

A 2024 ERO report put the spotlight on rising levels of violence and disruption in schools. It’s a trend being seen around the world, and it’s become worse in New Zealand in the last couple of years. Most people stepping into the tumuaki role will have seen poor behaviour in their own classrooms, but what powers do tumuaki have that teachers don’t, and what can tumuaki do to try to mitigate bad behaviour in their schools?

My guests this week are:

• Vaughan Couillault, President NZ Secondary Principals Assn, Papatoetoe High School
• Leanne Otene, President New Zealand Principals Federation, Manaia View School
• Gretchen Stone, education lawyer

This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education as part of Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals.

You can learn more about this topic by accessing Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals e-learning modules on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz

Show notes

Episode themes:

• Increasing acuteness of behaviour, especially in very young children; increasing levels of defiance in older children that is reflected in some parents.
• Building a good relationship with parents as a preventative measure to deal with possible future issues.
• Gretchen has traditionally run sessions on things like managing difficult students and difficult teachers, and has now added sessions on dealing with difficult parents because this has become an issue for principals.
• The impact of covid lockdowns on student behaviour.
• What tumuaki can do when it comes to managing student behaviour.
• Stand-down and suspension guidelines.
• Difficult parents vs very difficult parents, and the different ways you can deal with them.

Additional information

New Zealand Principals Federation https://nzpf.ac.nz

Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand https://www.spanz.school.nz

ERO report – Time to Focus: Behaviour in our Classrooms https://evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/time-to-focus-behaviour-in-our-classrooms-summary

Stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions and expulsions guidelines https://www.education.govt.nz/school/managing-and-supporting-students/student-behaviour-help-and-guidance/stand-downs-suspensions-exclusions-and-expulsions-guidelines/

Questions

Eleisha 1:42 [Vaughan and Leanne] Were either of you surprised by the findings of that report earlier this year around behaviour in schools?

Eleisha 4:33 [Vaughan and Leanne] What kinds of behaviour have you each seen in your kura that has surprised you in the last few years? 

Eleisha 7:35 [All] Do you think parent disengagement is contributing to that behaviour, or do you think there are other reasons why it's become increasingly bad over the last few years?

Eleisha 9:43 [Vaughan and Leanne] Do you think Covid has contributed to it in a big way? Or do you think that it's been snowballing over the last few years?

Eleisha 12:00 [Gretchen] People stepping into the tumuaki role have been teachers themselves so they will have seen poor behaviour in their own classrooms. But what powers do tumuaki have that teachers don't?

Eleisha 13:06 [All] What’s the best way for new tumuaki to get their heads around rules around stand down, suspension, exclusion and expulsion rules and regulations?

Eleisha 17:32 [Gretchen] What advice do you give in your