Managing Behaviour Tracking With Effective Parent Teacher Collaboration

Great classroom management involves creating an environment where positive behaviours are the norm and children learn without disruption.

But we all know that student behaviour can be a challenge at times and problem behaviour presents real risks to learning outcomes. As teachers, there are plenty of behaviour management strategies we can deploy (a great many of which are discussed on this website) but inconsistency between expectations at home and in the classroom can make it harder to prevent negative behaviours.

That's why coming up with ways to collaborate effectively with parents is essential. Family life is of course different to school life and to advocate for school-like behaviour from children at home and in the classroom would be wrong, but we can look to consistently tracking behaviour across settings to help us identify certain triggers and implement effective behaviour management strategies.

In this article we'll discuss ways to make parents feel involved in managing the way their child behaves for positive learning outcomes.

Environments Change but Triggers are Often the Same

A child's teacher's role is to take care of the child in school, to teach and to support their learning. At home, parents have a very different role as the primary care giver and family member. And of course, home is not school and school is not home. The two environments are, and should be, quite different and call for different behaviour expectations.

However, behaviours of concern can happen anywhere at any time and are often preceded by the same triggers. If a child's behaviour is concerning at school, it's likely that the same behaviours of concern are happening at home for related reasons.

What Are Common Triggers for Behaviours of Concern?

When we look more closely at behaviours of concern, we often find they are not random but connected to certain triggers. Fatigue is one of the most common, with many children showing heightened frustration or emotional responses when they are simply tired. Hunger can have a similar impact, leading to irritability and difficulty concentrating.

Transitions are another frequent trigger, whether it is moving from playtime to the classroom, shifting between lessons, or preparing to leave school at the end of the day. These moments of change can be unsettling and provoke resistance.

Social factors also play a significant role. Conflict with peers, feeling excluded, or experiencing difficulties in group work can all spark challenging behaviours. Sensory overload is another area to be aware of, especially for children who find busy classrooms, loud noises, or bright lights overwhelming. Finally, underlying emotional states such as anxiety or worry about issues outside of school can influence how a child responds in the classroom.

Children with behavioural conditions such as Autism or ADHD are likely to experience more triggers than their neurotypical peers.

Addressing Behaviours of Concern - First Steps

Behaviours of concern are natural consequences of the aforementioned triggers. We also call these 'antecedents' in the A-B-C model which stands for 'Antecedent - Behaviour - Consequence'.

There is a need (the antecedent), a behaviour and then a consequence of that behaviour. The most effective strategies for addressing negative behaviours begin with behaviour tracking and a collaboration between the school and parents.

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What is Behaviour Tracking?

Behaviour tracking involves recording incidents of specific behaviours. Every time we spend time with the child with the identified behaviour of concern, we keep a record of when the behaviour happened, what preceded it and what the consequences were.

At the end of the reporting period (typically over the course of a few weeks) we amass behaviour data which we can assess. This process is more formally known as a Functional Behaviour Assessment.

Here are some simple behaviour tracking examples for specific incidents:

Anna became upset and shouted at her classmates during group work when she felt her ideas were being ignored. The incident was noted along with the fact that the antecedent was a disagreement about roles, and the consequence was her being removed from the group activity for a short period.

Dylan refused to begin his maths task after lunchtime, instead putting his head down on the desk and becoming unresponsive to prompts. This behaviour is symptomatic of Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Pathological Demand Avoidance. The antecedent was identified as returning from a noisy lunch break, and the consequence was missing part of the lesson before eventually rejoining with support.

Mary threw her pencil across the room when asked to correct a piece of work. The antecedent was the teacher’s request for her to redo her writing, and the consequence was a time-out followed by a conversation about her feelings.

In each example we can clearly identify the negative behaviour, the antecedent and the consequence. As role models, it is important to stay calm and manage the behaviour in the moment but soon after record the event on a behaviour tracking form.

See below example behaviour data for one month, plotted into a graph:

Behaviour Tracking with Parents

For behaviour tracking to truly work, parents need to feel involved in the process. The Behaviour Help App provides an effective way for parents and teachers to collaborate on functional behaviour assessments. By allowing both parties to record incidents at their fingertips, the app makes it easy to share information consistently. For school leaders, this technology is straightforward to distribute and ensures that parents can play an active role in supporting their child’s progress.

Parents can sometimes feel anxious or even defensive when asked to take part in behaviour tracking. They may worry that their parenting is being judged, or feel overwhelmed by the idea of recording every challenging moment at home. Some may also feel that they already give enough effort and that adding another responsibility could be too much, particularly if they are navigating difficult situations in family life.

This is where framing is crucial. Instead of presenting the app as another task, schools can highlight that it provides extra support for parents as much as it does for teachers. By tracking behaviours together, patterns become easier to spot, and parents are reassured that they are not handling challenges in isolation. Showing parents that other parents are using the app successfully can also encourage buy-in, as it demonstrates that the approach is normal, manageable, and beneficial.

The key message should be that this is not about fault-finding, but about creating a shared picture of a child’s experiences across home and school. When parents see that behaviour tracking helps to identify triggers and celebrate improvements, they are more likely to give their full attention and engage wholeheartedly. With time, this collaborative process strengthens trust between school and home, ensuring that both parents and teachers are united in supporting the child’s development.

The Ultimate Goal - Self Regulation

The aim of behaviour tracking and collaboration with parents is not simply to record incidents, but to guide the child toward self regulation. Self regulation is part of the normal development of learning behaviours, yet some children may have a difficult time achieving it without targeted support. For those who are struggling, schools and families can step in with new strategies that help the child recognise when they are feeling upset and learn how to manage their big emotions more effectively.

The Behaviour Help App is built around the assess – manage – prevent toolkit. The “assess” stage involves behaviour tracking, which helps us gather clear data about triggers and responses. This evidence then informs the “manage” stage, where teachers and parents introduce strategies such as positive reinforcement, calming routines, and adjustments to the environment. Finally, the “prevent” stage focuses on anticipating difficult moments and reducing the likelihood of challenging behaviour before it arises.

By working through this cycle, children gradually internalise the skills they need to regulate their own behaviour. For younger children, this might mean simple prompts, praise, and support when they show self-control. For older children, the focus may be more on reflection, choice-making, and building self esteem through responsibility. While most children will develop these abilities over time, those with additional needs may require consistent collaboration between home and school to help them reach the same milestones.

Ultimately, self regulation is not just about avoiding negative incidents, but about giving every child the tools to thrive, to feel confident, and to build a sense of independence in managing their own behaviour.

Getting Started with Tracking Behaviour on the Behaviour Help App

Find out more about the Behaviour Help App here.

1. Create your account and allocate licences – Go to the Behaviour Help App website and select a subscription based on the number of individuals you support. When registering, enter your details and purchase the appropriate licence. If you work within a school or organisation, use the dashboard to allocate the licences to staff members by entering their email addresses. They will receive a temporary password via email and can log in to start creating Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBAs) and Positive Behaviour Support plans.

2. Gather background information (Assess stage – “Information sources”) – The first step once logged in is to compile relevant data about the child. Upload interviews, questionnaires, assessments or diagnostic letters under “Information Sources”; the app will automatically analyse these documents and populate fields within the child’s individual profile.

3. Create a person‑centred profile – Next, complete the “Individual Profile” questionnaire, which collects detailed information about the child’s skills, preferences and background. You can edit or delete questions that do not apply, use drop‑down suggestions or enter custom responses, and save your changes.

4. Design a Behaviour Data Collection form – Within the “Behaviour Data Collection” section, select the behaviours of concern and customise definitions to reflect the child’s presentation. Then click “Create New Form +” to generate a personalised data‑collection form. The app lets you send a web link or QR code to parents, other teachers and support staff, enabling them to log daily behaviour metrics (frequency, intensity, duration) and ABC incident details from any device. Data collectors do not need to sign up; they simply follow the link they receive.

5. Track ABC incidents – Team members can log antecedents (triggers), behaviours and consequences for each incident. These entries automatically populate an incident register that can be downloaded as a PDF for review. The app’s AI can also generate clinical analyses to help interpret the data.

6. Analyse and hypothesise – The app converts submitted data into interactive charts and graphs, making it easy to identify triggers, patterns and reinforcement cycles. It then generates a hypothesis about the likely function of the behaviour (e.g. escape, attention, sensory needs) and allows you to refine or edit this analysis.

7. Move into the Manage stage – Once you understand the behaviour’s function, use the “Manage” templates to define escalation stages (mild, moderate, extreme, recovery) and list early warning signs. The app suggests stage‑specific de‑escalation strategies; these can be adjusted to suit the child and then shared with parents and staff.

8. Develop prevention strategies – In the “Prevent” stage, the app recommends proactive changes to environments, interactions and activities to minimise triggers.. You can also build goal‑tracking forms for teaching replacement skills (SMART goals) and share them with parents via web link or QR code. Progress towards these goals is recorded and summarised automatically.

9. Review and monitor continuously – At each stage, save your work and download summaries (functional behaviour assessments, management plans and prevention plans) to share with the support team. Continue uploading new data and reviewing patterns over time; the app’s charts and summaries will highlight what’s working and where adjustments are needed.

This process takes behaviour tracking from concept to practice. By collecting consistent data across settings, sharing forms with parents and teachers, and using the app’s analysis tools, you not only understand why a child behaves the way they do but also collaborate effectively to support self‑regulation and positive change.