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07 SEP 2026
New evidence finds that Australian teachers estimate almost one-third of lesson time is lost to student behaviour, underscoring the case for better measurement and more consistent approaches to behaviour.
A new report from the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), supported by McKinnon, provides new evidence on the scale and impact of classroom disruption and student behaviour in Australian schools.
Based on a broadly representative national survey of 377 primary and secondary school teachers across Australia, the report examines how frequently student behaviour disrupts teaching, how much lesson time teachers estimate is lost, and its impact on teacher wellbeing.
Published 03/09/2026
Teachers estimate losing approximately nine minutes in every 30 minutes of teaching time to student behaviour - almost one-third of lesson time, equivalent to roughly 12 weeks of instructional time over a school year.
More than half of teachers (54%) estimated losing at least one-fifth of teaching time, while 40% said behaviour interrupted teaching or learning in most or all lessons during the previous week.
The report also identifies an important insight in teachers’ experiences of behaviour: even though teachers reported losing a substantial amount of teaching time to disruptive behaviour, the vast majority (82%) say they were confident managing it.
The report's authors suggest one possible explanation is that low-level classroom disruption has become normalised: teachers may be confident and experienced in managing behaviour while still losing significant instructional time responding to it.
The impact also extends to teacher wellbeing: 75% of teachers reported that student behaviour had negatively affected their health and wellbeing to at least some extent during the previous week, including 10% who said the impact was “to a great extent”.
The report recommends that reducing classroom disruption should be a system priority.
It recommends a regular national teacher behaviour survey and suggests that state and territory school systems could incorporate similar questions into existing staff surveys. It also calls on Australian governments and school systems to support explicit behaviour curricula in schools with a focus on clear expectations and routines, explicitly teaching expected behaviour, consistent reinforcement and early intervention.
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