Award of DLEARN-Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2026

The Scottish Government Education Analytical Services Division is commissioning this work on behalf of the Learning Directorate Health and Wellbeing Policy Unit, which is seeking to appoint a suitable research contractor to undertake the 2026 Behaviour in Scottish Schools research.The 2023 study is the latest in the series of Behaviour in Scottish Schools research projects. The Scottish Government policy focus on positive relationships and behaviour builds on previous guidance on promoting positive behaviour, which was first set out in the 2001 report ‘Better Behaviour – Better Learning, the 2009 leaflet ‘Building Curriculum for Excellence through positive relationships and behaviour and the 2013 leaflet ‘Better Relationships, Better Learning, Better Behaviour’. The 2012 Behaviour in Scottish Schools research found that the ‘promotion of positive behaviour through whole school ethos and values’ was the most helpful approach to improving behaviour. The 2016 Behaviour in Scottish Schools research identified low-level disruptive behaviours, rather than more serious disruptive behaviours as having the greatest impact on the support staff and teachers’ experience. The 2023 Behaviour in Scottish Schools research found that there had been a general deterioration in the behaviour of pupils in primary and secondary schools in Scotland since 2016, with school staff groups reporting an increase in low level to more serious disruptive behaviours among pupils. The 2023 research also identified a number of emerging themes relating to misogyny, use of mobile phones, vaping and ‘in-school truancy.’Arrangements are in place to undertake a further sweep of BISSR in 2026, with contractors appointed in late 2025 to undertake this work in 2026. It is anticipated that the research will be completed in late 2026 with publication of the findings scheduled for January 2027.The focus on improving positive relationships and behaviour is central to the successful delivery of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and the implementation of Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). Evidence consistently shows that a positive school ethos and culture is essential to developing positive behaviour in the classroom, playground and wider community. The current national guidance on relationships and behaviour in schools has at its foundation a whole school ethos of prevention, early intervention and support against a background which promotes positive relationships, learning and behaviour.The overall aim of the research is to provide a clear and robust picture of behaviour in publicly-funded mainstream schools and of current policy and practice in relation to promoting positive relationships and behaviour.