Behaviour Policy
St. Michael's CE (Aided) Primary School,
POLICY AND PROCEDURE FOR MANAGING BEHAVIOUR
This is a "whole school" policy, which has been developed after consultation with teachers, support staff, lunchtime staff, parents and carers, and governors. It should be read and applied in conjunction with our policy on inclusion and procedures for the acknowledgement of achievement.
SCHOOL VISION
Our main aim is to
· educate children in a positive and stimulating environment.
· help them become confident but self disciplined
· have clear understanding of the place of justice, fairness, love, understanding, the need for law, rules and order in their lives within the context of a Christian, democratic, multicultural society.
PHILOSOPHY OF THE BEHAVIOUR POLICY
The keys to successful behaviour management are the relationships and values, which are shared at St. Michael's School. All members of staff (teaching and non-teaching), parents and carers and governors must work together to establish a community where the highest possible degree of consensus exists about the kind of behaviour, values and attitudes we would like to promote to the children in our care and to which they can aspire.
All children are expected to behave in a responsible manner showing consideration, courtesy and respect for other people at all times. We believe in positive reinforcement, rewards and praise rather than relying solely on sanctions and punishments. The distinction between minor and serious misbehaviour will also be made clear. We believe the stereotyping of certain kinds of children as troublemakers is counter-productive, as is the reinforcement of attention seeking and aggressive behaviour.
A child’s behaviour and attitude at school is not only influenced by the school’s expectations. External factors, especially those at home will have a positive and negative effect on a child’s attitudes and behaviour. We expect parents and carers to inform us of anything that could affect their child’s behaviour.
· to realise the value of positive relationships and friendships
· to empathise with and care for others
· to forgive and show tolerance and understanding
· to enjoy success and learn from failure in a positive way
· to aspire to fairness and to be able to win and lose in competition with others in good spirit
· to be able to share and compromise
· to respect the needs of others, their individuality and differences
· to respect and understand the need for rules and law in our community and society in general
· to respect and enjoy times of peace and calmness as part of their spiritual development and reflection
· to be interested and enthusiastic learners and contributors at school
Children are taught that their personal behaviour affects others and that they are responsible for their actions
CONSISTENCY
We believe consistency is essential if the management of behaviour at school is to be successful. All members of staff (teaching and non-teaching), parents and carers and governors must support and follow this policy.
We have developed clear guidelines and boundaries to help everyone in our community understand the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
These are:
· Children must not physically or verbally hurt others.
· All forms of overt or covert intimidation are unacceptable.
· Children must always talk to a member of staff if they are unhappy or worried about how someone has treated them.
· When there is a conflict of personalities or attitudes, children should be encouraged to tolerate or, if necessary, avoid each other.
· Children must do what any member of staff or parent helper says without questioning their judgement.
· Children are expected and encouraged to take care of their belongings and those of other children.
· Foul language is not acceptable. Children should communicate politely.
· Children are expected to tell the truth.
· Children must always follow school and class rules.
COMMUNICATION
Communication between all members of the school community is vital in the implementation of this policy.
Communication with Parents and carers
We welcome the parents and carers of children into our school and we consider them partners in the education of their children. We encourage and rely on the sharing of information about children and their ever-changing situations, relationships and home life. Without this kind of exchange of information we are unable to help the children, by compensating for, or anticipating conditions/situations, which affect their behaviour and their education.
Communication between staff
The staff at St. Michael's School work as a team, supporting and advising each other in the management of behaviour. In public areas of the school, corridors, hall, playground, and when moving around the school we take shared responsibility for all children. As concerns arise about children, they are shared between relevant members of staff.
MANAGING BEHAVIOUR
When managing behaviour, staff will follow the agreed procedure as specified in the staff handbook.
Rewards
Positive behaviour will be rewarded and the following may apply:
· Praise for appropriate behaviour as it occurs
· Sticker/Points for class chart
· Collect trophy/ ‘Doodles’ in assembly for their class
· Children given responsibility within class/school
· Priority in receiving benefits (e.g. going out to play first)
· Represent the school in special events (e.g. sports tournaments/maths challenges)
· Rewards from the headteacher
· Showing their work to other teachers or children in a different class
· Praise in assembly
· Inclusion in offsite activities
We ensure that all children receive rewards for positive behaviour.
Misbehaviour
It may be necessary to communicate with colleagues or parents and carers. A written report of the incident/situation may be kept where the teacher considers it to be of an appropriate level of seriousness. If behaviour or deterioration in attitude or performance continues
parents and carers of the children involved will be informed, explaining actions taken. If necessary staff can make an appointment with parents and carers to review the situation and share the monitoring of progress.
We overwhelmingly use more praise for good behaviour than impose sanctions for unacceptable behaviour.
We remind children who misbehave that we like them but we do not like their behaviour.
Sanctions
The sanctions chosen will reflect the seriousness of the behaviour and the following may apply:
· quiet warning
· removing points from class award chart
· working in isolation/time out.
· staying in the hall at playtime
· sending to the headteacher
· close monitoring and supervision at lunchtimes and playtimes.
exclusion at lunchtime
· exclusion from parties/treats
· exclusion from off-site activities/after school clubs
exclusions from extra curricular activities e.g. football or netball tournaments.
exclusion from residential visits.
· fixed term exclusion
· permanent exclusion
BULLYING
“Bullying is the repeated abuse of a child by one or several people.” (
The school will not tolerate bullying and all alleged incidents will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
· The alleged victim and the alleged bully will be interviewed separately.
· Information will be obtained from witnesses.
· There will be written records of the incidents, investigations and outcomes.
· When allegations of bullying are sustained, staff and parents and carers will be informed of the incidents and the actions to be taken.
We expect everyone on the school premises, staff, parents, carers, governors and visitors to behave in a way consistent with this policy.
USE OF PHYSICAL RESTRAINT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 550A OF THE EDUCATION ACT 1996
The use of physical restraint should never be used as a substitute for good behaviour management procedures, as outlined in this policy. However, it is recognised that situations may occur, particularly where there is imminent danger of a pupil injuring himself or herself, a staff member, or a fellow pupil, where it is necessary to restrain a pupil. In such circumstances, staff (Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Lunchtime Controllers) should ensure that any application of physical restraint falls within the BFLEA Guidelines for the Physical Restraint of pupils. It should be noted, where there is no immediate risk of injury to an adult or child, or significant damage to property, only the Headteacher or Deputy (or their designate) may use physical restraint.
The use of physical restraint should be notified to the Headteacher as soon as possible. Parents and carers will be informed, and a detailed copy of the ‘incident log’ (used to record incidents of and involving bad allegations of bad behaviour, including formal discussions with parents and carers) will be completed and retained in a separate file by the Headteacher. It will be the responsibility of the Headteacher to advise the Governing Body and the Children & Families Officer of any incidents of physical restraint.
The BFLEA guidelines, referred to above, make reference to the use of physical contact not associated with inappropriate behaviour, and the possibility of innocent and well-intentioned physical contact being misconstrued. Staff should use their own judgement as to the appropriateness of physical contact with children. Should an incident occur that might be misconstrued, the procedure for reporting the incident will be the same as for the use of physical restraint.
POLICY REVIEW
This policy will be reviewed by the staff, in consultation with the governors, every two years