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RETHINKING BEHAVIOUR: THE TWO MISSING PIECES
Implementation science, the psychology of mattering – and why behaviour is so hard to get right
A free 15-minute read for teachers and school leaders, by Tara Elie & James Mannion
"Why does behaviour feel so hard to shift?"
Few issues shape school life as powerfully as behaviour. It influences classroom culture, learning time, pupil safety, staff workload and morale, parental relationships, mental health and wellbeing, and the day-to-day experience of school life.
In recent years, many schools have tightened behaviour systems in response to these pressures. In some cases, this has brought visible order and calm. In others, progress has proved fragile, inconsistent, or hard to sustain.
This short guide explores why.
Rather than offering another behaviour set or set of scripts, it looks beneath the surface to examine two factors that are often overlooked – but which are central to whether behaviour change holds in practice.
What this guide is really about
At heart, this guide is about why good intentions so often fail to translate into consistent, routine practice – and what helps close that gap.
It brings together two powerful but rarely connected bodies of thinking:
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The psychology of mattering – how pupils and staff experience being noticed, valued and able to contribute meaningfully, and why this shapes behaviour, boundaries and repair
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Implementation and improvement science – how change becomes embedded in routine practice over time, rather than remaining a policy, a launch, or a leadership aspiration
Taken together, these lenses offer a different way of understanding behaviour – one that helps explain why some approaches look effective on paper but struggle under pressure, and why apparent calm can sometimes mask deeper fragility.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for:
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System leaders with responsibility for behaviour across schools or trusts who want more than quick fixes
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Headteachers and senior leaders responsible for designing or implementing behaviour systems
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Middle leaders, pastoral leads and SEND / ALN colleagues involved in implementation
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Teachers and support staff looking for a more grounded, humane and workable way to improve behaviour in schools
The ideas are relevant across phases and contexts – including primary, secondary, special schools and alternative provision.
In this short guide, you’ll explore:
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Why behaviour improvement often stalls at the point of implementation
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What ‘mattering’ really means – and how it shapes boundaries, compliance and repair
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How behaviour systems can become technically strong but psychologically brittle
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Why consistency depends on routines, habits and shared understanding, not just clarity
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How implementation approaches such as slice teams, flexible consistency and pre-mortems support behaviour change that lasts
Want to go further?
If the ideas in this guide resonate, we’re currently recruiting for a six-part professional learning programme called Rebooting Behaviour 2026.
The programme supports schools to design and embed behaviour systems that hold in practice, combining the psychology of mattering with the tools of implementation and improvement science. It includes a mix of online learning and face-to-face sessions (in central London), and is designed for leaders who want behaviour change that is both humane and sustainable.
Click below for details.
About the authors
Tara Elie is an educator, researcher and consultant specialising in the psychology of mattering and its implications for education. Her work focuses on how pupils and staff experience being valued and able to contribute meaningfully within schools, and how this shapes behaviour, wellbeing and engagement.
Dr James Mannion is a teacher trainer, author and government advisor specialising in implementation science and sustainable school improvement. He works with schools, trusts and governments to help good ideas move from policy into practice.
Both work extensively with schools across the UK and internationally, supporting teachers and leaders to embed meaningful, sustainable change.
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