ABSTRACT
In the early 1980s Galloway, Ball, Bloomfield and Seyd (1982), Tattum (1982) and Grunsell (1980) pointed out how easy it was for the general behaviour of staff and existing procedures to encourage anti-authority identities amongst young people, and indicated the type of across-school policies and procedures which would reduce this effect. Schostak (1982) came to very similar conclusions when considering the issue of absenteeism from school, identifying truancy as a pupil response to the poor general quality of experience of their school life. Specifically he noted poor relationships with staff, few chances to take initiatives and actively participate in school, and little personal autonomy in the activities which typically took place. Gilham (1984) advocated an organisational approach when dealing with disruption in school, and provided several useful examples of how changes in school practices could contribute to increased effectiveness of management strategies. Mortimore (1980), one of the coauthors of the 15,000 hours study, suggested having a common staff policy on pupil behaviour to encourage consistency, use of effective rewards across the school, and creating a pleasant working environment where pupils are encouraged to participate in school activities.
