📚 Rethinking the ‘Zero Tolerance’ Culture in MATs: When Standardisation Becomes Exclusion

How blanket behaviour policies across multi-academy trusts conflict with government guidance on inclusion, attendance, and SEND, and what school leaders can do instead

👋 Welcome to SEMH Education

I post weekly strategies and insights for professionals supporting children with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs.

I’m Kieran, a former teacher and current Education Officer. Each week, I share evidence-informed tools, practical advice, and real-world reflections to help you create safer, more inclusive learning environments.

📌 In this post: Why standardised ‘zero tolerance’ behaviour policies across MATs can breach government guidance, damage inclusion, and what contextually-responsive alternatives look like in practice.

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The Email That Made Me Stop

Last month, a SENCO sent me an email that stopped me in my tracks.

“Our MAT rolled out a new behaviour policy in September. It’s the same across all 14 schools. A child in Year 5, previously well-supported, had a regulated space to co-regulate when dysregulated, is now being sanctioned for ‘internal truancy’ when she leaves class. She’s been suspended twice this term. Her mum has stopped answering our calls.”

This wasn’t an isolated case. Since then, I’ve heard versions of this story from SENCOs, pastoral leads, and heads across the country. The common thread? Multi-academy trusts (MATs) implementing identical, rigid behaviour policies across all their schools, often without considering the profound differences in context, culture, or community.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: these policies often directly contradict government guidance on inclusion, attendance, and SEND support.

In this post, I’m going to unpack why blanket ‘zero tolerance’ approaches across MATs are not just ineffective, they’re potentially unlawful. We’ll look at what the DfE actually says, explore a detailed case study, and I’ll help you audit your own school or MAT’s approach and advocate for change.