Five ways to deal with an argumentative pupil

Picture the scene: you’ve asked a Year 9 girl to sit at the front of the class because she was hugely disruptive last lesson. Immediately, her volume is heightened, her girl crew is behind her ready to take you down, and she’s now got the resilience of a protester who “shall not be moved”. What do you do next?

1. Minimise verbal communication

Do not engage with them in front of your class (or any type of an audience). The second that you do this, you really have lost the battle. This is a conversation you need to have in private.

2. Move them to a new location

If you are in a classroom ...