Author: Stephen Baker

Publisher: Crown House Publishing

Book Overview

In That Behaviour Book, Stephen Baker offers a compassionate and practical guide to managing behaviour in schools, written with humour and honesty and drawn from decades of classroom teaching and leadership. Rather than offering silver bullets, Baker builds his approach on four cornerstones: values, calm responses, consistent routines and authentic relationships.

Relevance and Audience

The book speaks directly to teachers in challenging classrooms, and to school leaders who want to shape culture and support staff. Early-career teachers will find reassurance and practical strategies; experienced colleagues will be reminded of the principles underneath their practice. For senior leaders, it offers a whole-school view of building consistency without losing humanity, at a time when behaviour is often politicised and exclusions remain high on the agenda.

Structure and Key Themes

Baker organises the book into ten short chapters, each ending with Takeaways and Now Try This tasks, so it works for CPD discussions as well as individual reading.

Values as the foundation. Behaviour, Baker argues, is communication. Teachers must lead with empathy, consistency and professional love: “We don’t have to like our pupils; we just need to love them.”

Responding with calm authority. Chapter 2 is about de-escalation. Baker shows how anger undermines authority and gives simple scripts to keep interventions calm and respectful. Teachers are encouraged to use precise language, avoid broadcasting frustration and model dignity, even when faced with verbal abuse. We cannot control children, but we can control our responses.

Routines that create predictability. From entering the room to taking the register, predictable routines free pupils from uncertainty and teachers from constant firefighting. Baker cautions against routines becoming lifeless or punitive: consistency, not rigidity, is the goal.

Relationships as the long game. Baker uses the metaphor of the “emotional bank account”: every act of care, curiosity or respect is a deposit that builds trust, and over time that trust makes learning and behaviour change possible. His stories, from teachers winning over sceptical Year 9s to handling sensitive boundaries, show behaviour management as relational, not transactional.

Strengths and Distinctive Features

Baker is candid about his own mistakes and treats behaviour as a craft to hone rather than a battle to win. The anecdotes of chaotic classrooms, perceptive pupils and wry staffroom moments make the principles stick. The Takeaways and Now Try This activities suit mentoring conversations, departmental discussion and whole-school CPD, where staff can try the tasks and share what happened.

Limitations

Because the book is short, it does not fully explore specialist areas such as trauma-informed practice or SEND-related behaviour. Leaders looking for detailed policy frameworks will need other texts.

Verdict

That Behaviour Book is wise, humane and useful. Stephen Baker strips away myths and panic around behaviour, reminding teachers that values, calmness, routines and relationships are the real levers of change.

Recommendation: Read it first if you are a new teacher; useful for middle leaders and experienced staff. School leaders should consider making this a shared CPD text.

About the book

  • Author: Steve (Stephen) Baker. His publisher says he is semi-retired after a long career in education, and that the book won book of the year in the Teach Secondary awards in 2023.
  • Full title: That Behaviour Book: The simple truth about teaching children.
  • Publisher: Crown House Publishing. Paperback, 192 pages, published March 2023 (ISBN 9781785836688); also available as an ebook.

Source: Crown House Publishing, checked 13 October 2026.