This policy is presently being reviewed due to the addition of the 'Good To Be Green' behaviour scheme
BEHAVIOUR POLICY
RATIONALE
As a small community,
Young children are still developing the knowledge or experience to make their own decisions about what is right or wrong. They should therefore grow in a framework that provides them with the knowledge of what is acceptable, within clear boundaries
AIMS
The aims of our Behaviour Policy and Code of Behaviour are:
· To ensure a consistent approach by all children and adults, encouraging personal responsibility for one’s actions, thus leading to self-discipline.
· To instil in our pupils a sense of self-esteem and pride in their environment and their community as a whole.
· To encourage children to reflect on and evaluate their behaviour in order to help them make the right choices in the future.
· To develop a sense of respect for the role and feelings of others.
· To raise awareness of the need for a safe school environment for all, respecting and listening to each other as individuals.
· To set high expectations of behaviour.
All school routines and policies reflect these aims, from the way we expect children to function in their classrooms to the way they should move about the building. These expectations are best implemented by example and require that staff treat the pupils with the same respect that they require themselves. Once implemented they are best maintained by all adults in school taking full responsibility for all pupils both in their class and throughout school, never condoning breaches by failing to challenge them.
The following Code of Behaviour is applicable to events and visits away from the school as well as during the usual school day. The school’s reputation depends to a large extent upon how our children behave.
CODE OF BEHAVIOUR
Our school’s Code of Behaviour is short and to the point. Some principles of behaviour are also contained in the Home School Agreement that the school, parents and child sign when the child is first admitted to our school. In this agreement the children agree to:
1. Attend school regularly and on time
2. Bring all the equipment they need every day
3. Wear the school uniform and be tidy in their appearance
4. Always try your best with homework and classwork
5. Be polite and helpful to others
6. Take good care of the equipment and the school building
7. Walk when inside the school building
8. Keep hands, feet and unkind words to themselves
The Code of Behaviour detailed below guides staff and children as to what is expected by all in school on a day to day basis:
ü I will be well mannered, speak politely and be considerate to others at all times.
ü I will listen and try to understand how other people feel.
ü I will make it as easy as possible for other children to learn and for the teacher to teach.
ü I will move sensibly and quietly around the school.
ü I will look after the school and equipment and help to keep it clean and tidy.
ü I will do as an adult in school asks me straight away.
ü I will not hurt anybody with my words or actions.
ADHERENCE TO THE CODE OF BEHAVIOUR
All staff will take responsibility for the acknowledgement and praise of positive behaviour, in line with our ‘Code of Behaviour’ outlined above. This will be largely instigated by a child’s class teacher who will initially use a range of strategies within the class.
Further positive reinforcement will be given by various means, depending upon the age of the child. Within Reception, the two classes operate a system within which stamps, smiley faces and certificates are used, where a combination of good work and behaviour can lead to these being awarded. In addition, a whole school team system operates where team points are awarded to children for good behaviour, helpfulness, politeness, general attitude, etc. These count towards a weekly winner of the team point challenge, which then build up over the course of a term to a termly overall winner.
In addition to the above, every class in the school operates a ‘Golden Time’ system where individuals and classes are rewarded each Friday afternoon by up to twenty-five minutes of their chosen activity. This is based on the class collectively earning time for good behaviour and attitudes over the course of each week, with the intention that all children have to consider their own behaviour and that of their peers in order to be rewarded on a Friday. The ‘Golden Time’ is not used as a reward for the quality of the work that is produced by a class, but the way the children work and behave co-operatively.
NON-ADHERENCE TO THE CODE OF BEHAVIOUR
The ethos of our school and the approach of the staff is one that is designed to highlight and promote good behaviour and positive attitudes. However, we accept that there will be occasions when children do not adhere to the school’s Code and that there needs to be a structure of sanctions that are applied consistently by the staff.
In Reception a system of sad faces is used for children who display poor behaviour and any child that receives three sad faces will be referred initially to the Key Stage Leader. In Key Stage Two the Golden Time system is used as a deterrent, on a sliding scale basis. In any given half termly period if a child’s behaviour and/or attitude dose not meet the required level then whole portions of the weekly Golden Time may be withdrawn, each occasion being logged. There are a maximum of four possible occasions within the given period, prior to the child’s parents being required to attend a meeting with the Headteacher in order to discuss the child’s future behaviour and any further sanctions to be used. (It would be normal to expect that such contact with a child’s parents would have taken place prior to this point).
In addition to the specific sanctions above, each teacher has the facility to deduct time from the children’s ‘Golden Time’ that takes place each Friday. This sanction may be used for repeated lower level problems that may occur but where the staff feel that the incidents cannot be allowed to pass unnoticed. This withdrawal of Golden Time would take place within the year group and would not register on the sliding scale as described in the above paragraph.
THE USE OF EXCLUSION FROM SCHOOL AS A SANCTION
Although it is anticipated that the sanctions outlined above would be used in a certain order there may be occasions when this order needs to be surpassed. This would occur when a child has breached the Code of Behaviour to such an extent that a child’s parents need contacting automatically. If such an incident were to occur the Headteacher would need to consider the recent behaviour of the child concerned and the most appropriate sanction. If it were decided that the most appropriate sanction should be exclusion from school, this would be in the following circumstances:
· A serious breach of our school’s Behaviour Policy.
· If allowing the child to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the child or others in the school.
· A persistent breach of the Code of Behaviour
Although it would be unlikely that an exclusion from school would be used for a ‘first’ or ‘one-off’ offence, it is possible. At
· Serious actual or threatened violence against another pupil or member of staff
· Sexual abuse or assault
· Supplying an illegal drug
· Carrying or use of an offensive weapon
In circumstances where there is a persistent breach of school policy, it may be deemed appropriate by the Headteacher for one or more fixed term exclusions to be used to impress upon the child and his/her parents the severity of the repeated breaches. The school staff would have worked closely with a child’s parents during the period of such behaviour and, other than for one-off incidents referred to above, would have in place the systems of support and supervision to ensure that exclusion was only used as a last resort.
September 2007
To be read in conjunction with the Anti-Bullying policy and Attendance policy.
(This policy will be reviewed by the staff and the Governing Body)
ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR STAFF RE – BEHAVIOUR POLICY
BREAKTIMES AND LUNCHTIMES:
Breaktimes and lunchtimes are more unstructured times of the school day for the children and, as such, some children find it more difficult to apply the school’s Code of Behaviour at those times. In order to clarify the accepted behaviour that is specific to breaktimes and lunchtimes the following additional Playground Rules are used:
ü Play only in the playground you are supposed to be in
ü Play only on the tarmac area unless told otherwise
ü Use the litter bins provided for any rubbish you may have
ü Do not playfight as this leads to children getting hurt
ü Play sensibly with any playground equipment
ü Always follow the instructions of grown ups straight away
The Lunchtime Supervisors have initial responsibility to ensure that the Code of Behaviour and playground rules are followed by all children at lunchtimes. At lunchtimes children who do not stay within the behaviour guidelines set out in this policy are normally dealt with by verbal correction by the Supervisors. Depending upon the seriousness of the poor behaviour and whether it is repeated will determine whether or not the incident is referred to the child’s class teacher or a senior teacher. From a behaviour point of view, breaktimes and lunchtimes are as important as other times of the day. To this end, where Supervisors deem that an incident at a lunchtime warrants reporting to a teacher, it is very likely that the child concerned would lose ‘Golden Time’ and/or be given a sad face, dependant upon which year group the child is in. Such action would be in addition to other sanctions that the Supervisors use, including time out, removal to another part of the playground or walking around with the Supervisor.
GENERAL:
Star of the Week:
One child per week from each class chosen by teacher and support staff for whatever reason they wish; e.g. effort, behaviour, progress, quality or quantity of work. This would be represented by a rosette (or similar) and a stamp in the child’s Homework diary (for KS 2) or a slip in the book bag (for KS 1). [Teachers can continue with their existing systems if they currently have a ‘star of the week’].
Achievement Assembly:
A whole school assembly to be held every Monday, led by Adrian or Fiona. Star of the Week certificates (pre-written by class teachers) awarded, along with the previous week’s team points (see below) any other certificates, trophies, presentations, etc.
A number of teams (6) to be established across the school, with children in each class divided into six roughly equal groups for behaviour, ability, etc. Children awarded team points for good work for them, behaviour, helpfulness, politeness, general attitude, etc. and these points entered onto the team points chart that is displayed in each classroom. All staff able to allocate team points to any child in the school (Reception to Year 6) and the child puts the point on the tally chart in his/her classroom. Year 6 monitors collect team points totals from each classroom every Friday and add up the team totals from across the school. The team totals are announced the following Monday in the Achievement Assembly and a visual aid (coloured balls in tubes) to encourage the children. The team that has most points over each term wins a whole team reward, chosen by staff or School Council. These may be such as bowling, cinema visit, picnic and team games on the field, party/disco, activities in the park, etc.
Praise Postcards:
These will be issued on a ‘one-off’ basis rather than cumulatively over a number of weeks. They will be available for children throughout the school, will be pre-printed other than the child’s name and reason for giving and
Golden Time:
Continue to be used across the whole school as a reward, as it is currently. Teachers would be able to withdraw portions of golden time from children as a punishment. These withdrawals of golden time would be for serious misdemeanours. A withdrawal of golden time would be seen as a serious step and not as a first line of punishment or one to be issued lightly – which is often the case currently. Teachers’ methods of dealing with children who step out of line during session times would be the same as have always been used, with the issue being dealt with ‘at source’ and not being solved by an immediate loss of some golden time. The sliding scale outlined below necessitates that reasons for the loss of golden time is more consistent across the school; i.e. loss of golden time should be ‘saved’ for the more serious offences or repeated incidents of medium level offences that have already been dealt with in class. It is impossible to give a definitive indication of what deserves a loss of golden time and what doesn’t. Remember that there are no longer behaviour crosses or sad faces so we must really try to get it at the right level.
Where portions of golden time are lost, the steps are as follows:
1. On the first occasion in any half termly period, the teacher would record the loss of time in the child’s Homework diary (or on a slip in the reading record for KS1 children and KS2 children who have not got their Homework diary with them), along with the reason.
2. On the second occasion in any half termly period, the teacher would make contact with the child’s parent, either by phone or in person. Teacher and parent to discuss any steps that could be taken to adjust the child’s behaviour/attitude, and agree whether and how to monitor. Teachers to keep accurate records of any parents contacted for this reason.
3. On the third occasion in any half termly period, the child is sent to Fiona, Kath or Claire who will make contact with the child’s parent, by phone or in person, and reinforce the severity of the situation. A personalised punishment (e.g. missing one or more clubs, missing lunchtimes, missing a visit, behaviour report card, etc.) would be discussed with the parent and all parent contacts of this nature would be recorded in a file.
4. On the fourth occasion in any half termly period, the child is sent to
With respect to breaktimes and lunchtimes, balls or playground equipment will be able to be used as described in the rota agreed by the School Council (and by staff) and displayed in classrooms adjoining the playground.
September 2007