ABSTRACT
Consequences, or 'sanctions' as they are otherwise known, may be familiar to students, but may often have little or no effect. Merely used as a threat but without any associated action only teaches the student that the teacher is as ineffective as the sanctions themselves. The effectiveness lies in the inevitability of their use and, indeed, in the non-confrontational manner in which they are used. Consequences should be something that students do not like, that do not infringe legal, national, county or school guidelines, and that are effective. They may be used on a school-wide or class-only basis and can also be designed and used within Individual Education Plans. Remember that consequences should be the strongest link between behaviour and change. Ideally, teachers should have as many sanctions within their armoury as they have rewards. Sanctions should be used systematically within a graded and gradual approach.
