What's an effective discipline policy?

Unrealistic expectations

What is a school? School is a place for holistic development. It's not just about maths or science or language. It's a preparation for life.

It's a place where children are moulded to become high-functioning, responsible and educated individuals and members of the society.

A strong, well-founded and informed discipline and behaviour policy is, then, a quintessential element of an effective schooling.

By strong and well-founded, I mean a consistently implemented and functionally effective policy, which primary aim is to teach children how they are supposed to conduct themselves in various situations. By informed, I mean a structure that is based on empirically tested theories and practices in educating children about socially-accepted behaviour and appreciation of such.

Expectations become realistic with appropriate support. 

An effective discipline policy, therefore, is more than just a list of consequences for specific non-compliant behaviours. It should be a comprehensive policy that allows children to reflect on their socially-unacceptable behaviour, rectify themselves in succeeding opportunities, and appreciate and strengthen their positive and beneficial acts.

Sometimes, adults like us tend to set a lot of expectations to children. When we start talking in our terms, we fail to realize that children are in a different developmental stage with a unique language, a unique congition, a unique morality and a unique psychosocial experience. When we start talking in our terms, we set expectations without providing infrastructures for them to achieve these expectations. We fail to recognize that children require developmentally-appropriate support from us.

An adult may be able to comprehend and comply with rules without having to be explained why they have to follow such rules and guidelines. Children would ask the question "Why". They require explanation. They require details. As adults, we might be offended. We might see this as questioning our authority. But then again, would it be possible that children are, without any malice whatsoever, just authentically waiting for our explanation?

Having this in mind, an effective discipline and behaviour policy must allow opportunities to learn behaviour in a developmentally-appropriate manner.

An effective discipline & behaviour policy

An effective discipline and behaviour policy must set up children for success in achieving the behavioural expectations.

It must put in place a series of strong infrastructures that prevents noncompliance and strengthens positive behaviour. This I like to call preventive policy.


For example, if we want children to be inside their classrooms, perhaps, we can assign people to make sure no child loiters in the corridor. If we want children to be in school with their uniform, perhaps, some school transport people to check uniform even before children are allowed to board the bus.

This way we are lessening the probability of noncompliance and hence focusing more on strengthening positive behaviour.

However, there might be a chance that some children will drown down the pitfall of noncompliance. They may forcefully cross the walls of our preventive policy. Then, at this time, a remediation policy should be in place. Sanctions, counselling support and other post-noncompliance measures should be available.

If a discipline and behaviour policy is planned out and implemented with both preventive and remediation measures, the probability of us educating children good and acceptable behaviours are higher compared to having just only one of them.