Government behaviour adviser Tom Bennett has played down the role of restorative practices in the hubs scheme he helped to develop, after an evaluation report found around half of participating schools had shifted towards the approach. Bennett, who led the development of the behaviour hubs programme under the last Conservative government, is critical of relying on restorative practices to manage pupils’ behaviour and has publicly defended strict approaches to discipline. But, at the end of last month, a government-commissioned evaluation of the original hubs scheme found that an “increased focus on positive behaviour was often accompanied by a shift to restorative rather than zero tolerance behaviour management”. The evaluation’s survey of participating schools found 52 per cent of those that responded had shifted towards restorative behaviour management while on the programme. Rewarding good behaviour Schools also adopted clear behaviour standards and increased their focus on preventing misbehaviour and rewarding good behaviour, the evaluation found. But, speaking to Schools Week, Bennett denied that the hubs programme leaned towards restorative practice. “The evaluation does not conclude that …