Behaviour Policy
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
This document provides a framework for the creation of a happy, secure and orderly environment in which children can learn and develop as caring and responsible people. It is written for all members of the school community to allow each one to understand the policy of the school and to apply it consistently and fairly.
• To promote self discipline and consideration of others
• To ensure appropriate behaviour and language throughout the school
• To encourage and praise greater effort in both work and behaviour
• To ensure a whole school approach to discipline which is used and approved by all the staff in the school – teaching and non-teaching staff
• To ensure that parents are informed and are aware of the disciplinary procedures
• To provide a system of rewards to encourage good behaviour
• To try and reverse continuous and habitual offenders by using assertive discipline techniques
• To ensure a safe, caring and happy school
• To promote good citizenship
• To prevent bullying.
PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Principles
At Platt Church of England Primary Schoolour Behaviour code is based on Christian values. We expect children to be polite, cooperative and considerate of others. Members of staff are committed to creating a school environment where these qualities are seen to be important and are positively encouraged.
Every child has the right to learn but no child has the right to disrupt the learning of others.
The establishment of a sound, positive and caring ethos is an essential prerequisite for learning. It depends upon trusting relationships and a process of co-operative team work and the school welcomes and encourages the involvement of the LEA, governors, parents and carers and others in the community.
Responsibilities
All members of the school community – teaching and non teaching staff, parents, pupils and governors, work towards the school aims by:
• working as a team, supporting and encouraging each other
• providing a well ordered environment in which all are fully aware of behavioral expectations
• treating all children and adults as individuals and respecting their rights, values and beliefs,
• fostering and promoting good relationships and a sense of belonging to the school community
• offering equal opportunities in all aspects of school life and recognising the importance of different cultures
• encouraging, praising and positively reinforcing good relationships, behaviours and work,
• rejecting all bullying or harassment in any form
• helping to develop strategies to eliminate undesirable behaviour both within and outside the classroom, and applying these consistently
• caring for, and taking pride in, the physical environment of the school
RULES
All the rules are devised through discussions with the children, to hear their opinions. All rules are displayed in the appropriate place.
School Code
• Treat each other with kindness and respect
• Everyone to walk in school
• Always be polite and helpful
• Maintain the cleanliness and tidiness of our school
In September Class Codes are devised each year by the classes.
Routines and Codes
• End of playtime
Bell to distinguish playtime from learning –time- pause to quieten,
walk to line when asked: avoid chatter while lining up and
entering. Staff should be prompt in fetching children. Lunchtime
supervisors should report any significant incidents to class
teachers or headteacher
• Assembly
to encourage a sense of expectation/reflection, arrive, sit and wait without talk; if applicable, listen to music, or look at visual aid.
• Beginning of lessons/registration periods
Children should settle straight to work, or to listening
• End of lessons
Children should leave in an orderly way. There should be a quiet time
to say Grace before lunchtime, and an afternoon prayer before going
home
• End of day
Children’s departure should be orderly and supervised, with younger
children being handed directly into the care of recognised adults.
• Class codes
Class teachers should discuss with children appropriate conduct for
their classroom. This may be set out as a code and displayed, this is annual event each September, with revisits throughout the year. The class code is discussed and negotiated with the children.
Rewarding helpful behaviour
Praise is a great motivator and should be given freely in whatever way is most appropriate for the children concerned – orally, with stars/smiley faces/stickers, by employing positive comments first when marking work, etc. Praising the first child ready is often more effective than nagging the last, as it reinforces positive expectations.
Each class follows the traffic light system – see appendix
Stickers Children can earn stickers in addition to green cards.
Going for Gold Each week a child is chosen for the ‘Going for Gold’ award.
A letter is sent home to parents and the award displayed in school.
Golden Time At times during the year children can earn Golden Time. This is time when children can choose their activity.
Other awards at discretion of teachers. Lunchtime table for excellent behaviour.
SANCTIONS
The School Approach – the traffic light system
Steps
1. Verbal warning
2. Amber light =Official warning = time off playtime
3. Red light = sent to Headteacher
4. Phonecall to parents
Within classroom
• As above
• Children may be moved to another desk/area
• Detention time at playtime
• Withdrawal of playtime priveledges
In the case of recurring problems, other strategies can be used, there are a few:
- a pattern of rewards and sanctions which suit the child and the problem
- discussing with parents the nature of the problem and how to manage it
- involving the headteacher in highlighting the seriousness of the problem and monitoring progress
Immediate response to a problem may sometimes include short ‘time out’ periods away from a working group. Such periods should be purposeful, not time-wasting, and brief. A similar approach may apply at playtime. the ;time out’ should make a break in the unhelpful behaviour pattern, and lead back to involvement in a helpful pattern as quickly as possible.
RACIAL HARASSMENT
Any incident of bullying or of racial harassment should always be reported to the headteacher straight away, racial incident procedures would be followed. In dealing with it, staff will be guided be the procedures for dealing with such incidents in the Appendix.
EXCLUSIONS
Parents will be notified of the reason for the exclusion. Before the child is re-admitted to school, a meeting between the parents and the school will be arranged. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss strategies and a way forward to ensure that the risk of a repetition of the offending behaviour patterns is not repeated.
A written record of the discussion, and commitments to the agreed plan, by both the parents and the school, will be made. One copy will be kept in the school’s record and one sent to the parent.
Procedures For Providing Children With Opportunities To Discuss Appropriate Behaviour
• a programme of personal social and health education set in a moral framework designed to promote mutual respect, self discipline and social responsibility (see PSHE policy)
• a clear focus for work on relationships and feelings as part of the PSHE work throughout school
• a programme of religious education which includes ethical issues (see RE policy)
• circle time – an opportunity for open discussion held in class groups at regular intervals
• the agreement of a set of rules by each class at the beginning of the autumn term.
Liaison With Parents
Parents will be kept informed about their child’s behaviour. If it appears that this has to be monitored on a regular basis a ‘home/school contact’ book may be started. The book is written in by the teacher or learning support assistant at the end of each day and sent home.
The parent writes in it each evening and returns the book to school. This can be an onerous task for the class teacher and it may be that when the behaviour improves the contact book can be reduced to a weekly contribution.
Outside
Any worries about any pupil should be discussed with the special needs co-ordinator (SENCO) Agencies. There are times when the advice of outside agencies will be required. This will be the result of discussion between the class teacher, SENCO and head teacher, or as the result of discussion at an school review, which takes place termly. Any outside agency will need information. Therefore teachers need to document evidence of behaviour carefully so that it can be collated when required. Outside agencies include:
• Cognition and Learning Service
• Educational Psychologist
• Behaviour Support Service
• Teacher for Hearing Impaired
• Teacher for Visually Impaired
• Speech Therapist
• Physiotherapist
• Pre-School Advisor
• School Doctor
• Social Services
• School Nurse
Monitoring
In light of this policy the senior leadership team will continually monitor the behaviour throughout the school.
A record is kept of red, yellow and green card distribution, and action is taken when necessary
Agreed changes to this policy will then be incorporated as necessary.
ANTI-BULLYING POLICY
Our Approach To Bullying
Bullying both verbal and physical will not be tolerated in this school. It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent it happening and this policy contains guidelines for all members of the school community.
In our school children have a right to feel welcome, safe and happy. In our school we will not tolerate any unkind actions or remarks even if these were not intended to hurt.
Bullying is deliberately hurtful behaviour that is repeated often over a period of time, making it difficult for the person concerned to defend themselves. Bullying can take many forms. The 3 main types are:-
• physical – hitting, kicking, taking belongings
• verbal – name calling, insulting or racist remarks
• indirect – spreading unpleasant stories about someone, excluding someone from social groups
Although resolving conflict by resorting to fighting is not acceptable, it is not bullying if two pupils of equal power and strength fight or quarrel.
Aims
• we aim to prevent bullying at Platt Primary School
• we aim to raise pupils awareness of bullying behaviour and the school’s anti-bullying policy
• we aim to challenge attitudes about bullying behaviour, increase understanding for bullied pupils and help build an anti-bullying ethos in the school
• we aim to improve the play facilities so that we provide an interesting and stimulating environment for pupils alongside quiet seating areas that can be easily supervised
Reasons For Being A Victim May Include
• race/sex/background
• new child in school
• child with family crisis
• disability
• timid children who may be on the edge or outside a group
Bullies make life miserable for many children.
DfEE Definition of Bullying
• it is deliberately hurtful behavior
• it is repeated often over a period time
• it is difficult for those who are being bullied to defend themselves
Reasons For Being a Bully May Include
• victim of violence
• bullied at home
• enjoyment of power/creating fear
• not allowed to show feelings
• copying behaviour at home or on TV
• unhappy
• insecure (coward at heart)
• self hating.
It occurs in children from all backgrounds, cultures, races, sexes, from Nursery to 6th Form and adults.
General Statements
• boys often bully younger children of both sexes
• girls often use verbal abuse and ostracise from peer group – usually to other girls
• some victims are also bullies
• some victims are treated as culprits
• onlookers are condoning bullying and becoming part of bullying.
Early Signs of Distress
• withdrawn
• deterioration of work
• spurious illness
• isolation
• desire to remain with adults
• erratic attendance
• general unhappiness/anxiety/fear
• late arrivals
• bed wetting
• cry themselves to sleep
• unexplained cuts, scratches, bruises
• unexplained missing possessions.
Framework For Anti-Bullying Campaign
Prevention is better than cure so at Platt Primary School we will:
• is vigilant for signs of bullying
• always take reports of bullying seriously and investigate them thoroughly.
Children will be encouraged to report all incidents of bullying to an adult. These will then be referred to the class teacher.
Each Class
Use the curriculum to increase children’s awareness of bullying and to help them to develop strategies to combat it. Use discussion and role play to explore issues related to bullying and to give individual children confidence to deal with ‘bullying’.
If the incident is not too serious, a ‘problem solving’ approach may help. The adult tries to remain neutral and deliberately avoids direct, closed questions which might be perceived as accusatory or interrogational in style. He or she makes sure each pupil has an opportunity to talk and keeps the discussion focused on finding a solution and stopping the bullying from recurring. The teacher can aim to help the pupils find their own solution to the personal disagreement, and also discuss with them how their proposals will be put into action. A follow-up meeting with the pupils can find out whether their solution has been effective or not.
A record must be kept of the incident – date – time – place – names of children involved and their accounts of what happened. Older pupils may be able to write these themselves.
Serious incidents must be reported to the headteacher or a member of the senior management team. – These are reported in the ‘incident folder’
Persistent bullies will have a fixed term exclusion imposed and, in very serious cases, will be expelled.
Duty Staff Should Always
• Ensure pupils are supervised at playtimes and lunchtimes.
• Patrol secluded areas such as toilets, corridors, playsheds and doorways.
• Observe pupils’ play patterns and relationships – note children who appear isolated or unhappy and inform the class teacher.
• Investigate every allegation of bullying.
• Encourage children to use the play equipment and quiet areas around the school.
• Use playground pals as ‘buddies’
• Developing the Listening Ear – a Listening Service for children
Parents
Parents of both victim and bully will be informed and staff will undertake to give feedback to parents on the steps taken.
Involvement of parents at an early stage is essential.
If things have not gone well, the problems will be further analysed with the possibility of outside agency involvement – e.g. behaviour support service. Parents will be kept informed at all stages.
This policy is part of the school behaviour policy.
It will be reviewed at least annually and in the light of any changing circumstances.