WIREDGOV

More than nine in ten young people say positive communication from teachers makes them more motivated to come to school (93%) and helps them learn (94%).

The UK-wide study, conducted by the UCL Institute of Education and Words Matter, surveyed more than 1,000 young people and 600 secondary school teachers. Dr Rhea Dosi and Dr Eva Yi Man Chow (both UCL Institute of Education) facilitated follow-up discussions with over 100 secondary school students and teachers.  

The findings suggest that strengthening teacher-student communication could be one of the most practical ways to improve attendance, engagement and belonging in schools. 

Young people identified patience, fairness and understanding (42%), being treated with respect (38%), and being listened to (38%) as the actions most likely to make them feel confident and encouraged at school. 

However, one in four young people (25%) said they had experienced harsh words from teachers, while more than a third (34%) said their experiences with teachers had contributed to them not wanting to attend school. This rose to more than half (54%) among young people with SEND. 16% reported being called “stupid” by a teacher. 

The research also found that teachers overwhelmingly value positive relationships with their pupils. One of the teacher participants said: “I think [positive teacher-student interaction] makes you feel competent, hopeful …and it’s a very rewarding thing.”  

Three quarters of teachers (76%) said building positive relationships is central to their role, while 93% agreed these relationships are key to student success. Yet many said workload (70%), pupil behaviour (67%) and curriculum pressures (61%) made it harder to consistently build those relationships. 

The findings come as the Government seeks new ways to improve attendance, strengthen pupil engagement and create schools where every child feels they belong.  

Words Matter, a charity aiming to improve children’s mental and physical health by ending verbal abuse by adults, is calling on ministers to make the prevention of verbal abuse and the promotion of positive communication a central part of teacher training and education policy. 

Click here for the full press release