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21/05/2013

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Parents/Guardians: Behaviour Policy

Behaviour Policy

The Principles

The Governing Body believes that in order to enable effective teaching and learning to take place, good behaviour in all aspects of school life is necessary. It seeks to create a caring, learning environment in the school by:

promoting good behaviour, discipline and basic standards such as uniform;
promoting self-esteem, self-discipline, proper regard for authority and positive relationships based on mutual respect;
ensuring fairness of treatment for all;
encouraging consistency of response to both positive and negative behaviour;
promoting early intervention;
providing a safe environment free from disruption, violence, bullying and any form of harassment;
encouraging a positive relationship with parents and carers to develop a shared approach, involving them in the implementation of the school’s policy and associated procedures.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Governing Body will establish, in consultation with the Headteacher, staff and parents, the policy for the promotion of good behaviour and keep it under review. It will ensure that it is communicated to pupils and parents, is non-discriminatory and the expectations are clear.

Governors will support the school in maintaining high standards of behaviour. The Headteacher will be responsible for the implementation and day-to-day management of the policy and procedures. Support for staff faced with challenging behaviour is also an important responsibility of the Headteacher.

All staff will be responsible for ensuring that policy and procedures are followed, and consistently and fairly applied. Mutual support amongst all staff in the implementation of the policy is essential. Staff have a key role in advising the Headteacher on the effectiveness of the policy and procedures. They also have responsibility, with the support of the Headteacher, for creating a high-quality learning environment, teaching good behaviour and implementing the agreed policy and procedures consistently.

The Governing Body, Headteacher and staff will ensure that there is no differential application of the policy and procedures on any grounds, particularly ethnic or national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexuality. They will also ensure that the concerns of pupils are listened to and appropriately addressed.

Parents and carers will be expected to take responsibility for the behaviour of their child both inside and outside the school. They will be encouraged to work in partnership with the school to assist the school in maintaining high standards of behaviour and will have the opportunity to raise with the school any issues arising from the operation of the policy.

Pupils will be expected to take responsibility for their own behaviour and will be made fully aware of the school policy, procedure and expectations. Pupils also have a responsibility to ensure that incidents of disruption, violence, bullying and any form of harassment are reported.

Procedures

The procedures arising from this policy will be developed by the Headteacher in consultation with the staff. The procedures will make clear to the pupils how acceptable standards of behaviour can be achieved and will have a clear rationale, which is made explicit to staff, pupils and parents. The procedures will be consistently and fairly applied and promote the idea of personal responsibility and that every member of the school has a responsibility towards the whole community.

Rewards

A school ethos of encouragement is central to the promotion of good behaviour. Rewards are one means of achieving this. They have a motivational role in helping pupils to realise that good behaviour is valued, and are clearly defined in the procedures. Integral to the system of rewards is an emphasis on praise both informal and formal to individuals and groups.
Motivation depends on a range of factors, such as a sense of achievement, interest in the task, taking responsibility, making progress and receiving recognition. All these factors must be an integral part of school life; they are as important in the teaching and learning styles used in the classroom as in formal public occasions.

Positive reinforcement of good work and behaviour is a matter for all of us. Every opportunity must be taken to recognise and praise work of high quality or work showing particular effort. We must say thank you for cooperation and involvement. Displays of students’ work are a high-profile way of recognising achievement.

Students are also encouraged to record their many achievements (both in and out of school, through Trident or Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, for their Records of Achievement).

Students will be encouraged to look for opportunities to show responsibility (e.g. in extra-curricular activities, in helping at school events, assisting in the Library). This will also include taking responsibility for care of the school environment.

Public mention and acclaim is vital. The school will use all possible means (assembly, newsletter, magazines, press reports) to give credit to the achievements of students.

Head/Deputy Heads/Heads of House/ Heads of Faculty will take every opportunity to praise individuals. All staff are requested to bring to the attention of senior colleagues particular examples of good work and behaviour. The Head will ask Faculties and Houses every term to identify students for personal congratulation, and a letter will be sent home to parents.

It is particularly important that a student who has been in trouble, but who has taken significant steps to improve, is commended, and if appropriate, a letter sent home (these students should also be rewarded alongside others through the school system).

Students achieving 100% attendance in a term will receive a certificate from the Head. Interim awards from Heads of House and their Deputies will be made for improved spells of attendance.

At the end of each year, Governors’ commendations will be presented to those students who have contributed most to the school community over the previous year. Achievements will be recognised in the half-termly Newsletters.

Sanctions

Sanctions are needed to respond to inappropriate behaviour.

A range of sanctions are clearly defined in the procedures and their use will be characterised by clarity of why the sanction is being applied and what changes in behaviour are required to avoid future sanctions. The procedures make a clear distinction between the sanctions applied for minor and major offences.

Training

The Governing Body will ensure that appropriate high quality training on all aspects of behaviour management is provided to support the implementation of the policy. In order for the behaviour policy to be effective, a clear relationship with other school policies, particularly equal opportunities, race equality, special educational needs and anti-bullying, has been established.

Involvement of outside agencies

The school works positively with external agencies. It seeks appropriate support from them to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met by utilising the range of external support available.

Review

The Head, in consultation with the staff, will undertake systematic monitoring and conduct regular reviews of the behaviour management policy and procedures in order to evaluate them to ensure that the operation is effective, fair and consistent. The Head will keep the Governing Body informed.

The Governing Body will regularly review this policy and associated procedures, to ensure its continuing appropriateness and effectiveness. The review will take place in consultation with the Headteacher, staff and parents.

The outcome of the review will be communicated to all those involved, as appropriate.

Expectations of Students in Years 9 to 11

These guidelines have been agreed with representatives from the School Council, who have consulted their tutor groups. They are intended as a guide for all students so that a happy and harmonious learning and working environment can be maintained in school. All working communities operate with sets of rules, and everyone will make more progress if we agree to follow them.

Please remember that whenever teachers spend time reminding students about school rules they could be teaching others. Teachers will work hard to lead by example where it is sensible for them to follow similar rules.

Please move in an orderly way around the school on the left, without stopping between lessons, and without unnecessary noise (e.g. shouting or loud laughing) so that you can be punctual to all lessons

Full uniform is a requirement for all students in Years 9 to 11

Thank you for not swearing or using obscene language in school (anything not tolerated in an average workplace is not acceptable in school) and for speaking politely and courteously to everyone in our community

Please avoid inappropriate contact between students (anything not acceptable in a workplace)

Please stay outside rooms until a teacher has arrived, unless an arrangement has been made in advance, and avoid eating and drinking in classrooms.

Ensure that you bring the correct equipment to each lesson, including pencil cases, calculators and student diaries. Students are allowed to have a small bottle of water with them in class.

In class we ask for high standards of courtesy, and that reasonable instructions from teachers are followed

If students choose to bring mobile phones or music players to school please ensure that they are not seen or heard during lessons or around the school buildings. Music players and phones can be used to listen to music outside at break and lunch times only. The school can take no responsibility for their loss or theft. If mobile phones or music players are seen in lessons they will be confiscated, held in the appropriate House Office and can be collected by students at the end of the day.

Students are not permitted to leave the school site during the day without permission

Please do not bring any of the following items into school:
1. Cigarettes, lighters or matches
2. Alcohol of any kind
3. Drugs
4. Any inflammable items e.g. lighter fuel, petrol, solvents
5. Tippex
6. Any item which could affect the safety or well-being of others
Good behaviour and smart uniform is expected to and from school, including on the buses. Thank you for conducting yourself in a way that is safe for you and everyone else.

Sanctions

The school endeavours to obtain the cooperation of students by encouragement and praise, and we seek to promote self-discipline. Nevertheless, in order to maintain a disciplined environment for everyone it is recognised that a range of sanctions are employed:

Verbal reprimand by the teacher.
Imposition of additional task (wherever possible, relating to original misbehaviour).
Loss of morning break.
Lunch-time detention.
After-school detentions of varying lengths: Parents will be given 24 hours notice.*
Loss of privilege; for example, withdrawal from a school visit.
Referral to Head of House, who may impose any of the above sanctions.
Special Report.
Withdrawal from lessons (internal exclusion). This includes seclusion in a separate classroom supervised by senior staff.
Exclusion from school. (Only the Headteacher or a Deputy Head in his absence has the authority to exclude students from school: the Deputy and Assistant Headteachers and Heads of House will often manage an exclusion, but will consult the Head before implementation of this sanction).

Sanctions 3-10 should be recorded on the student’s file.
Sanctions 1 to 5 are imposed by subject staff, working with their Heads of Faculty, and should be noted in the student’s diary.
Sanctions 6 to 10 will lead to a letter being sent to the student’s parents/guardians. For serious offences, the school will not hesitate to involve the police.

The school wishes to work with parents to maintain high standards, and asks for their support. In cases of repeated misbehaviour, parents will always be invited in to discuss matters and to seek positive ways forward.

* All parents should note that the legal guidance for schools imposing detentions states that we are required to give at least 24 hours written notice of a detention. We do not have to receive consent for the detention to occur as long as the student is able to travel home afterwards. We are expected to impose detentions that are ‘reasonable and in proportion to the offence’ and parents have the right to raise any problems before the detention takes place. You should do this by contacting your child’s Head of House as soon as possible after receiving the detention letter. Students who are given a ‘School Detention’ must realise that this is a serious matter. If they do not attend parents will be telephoned at the first opportunity and the student will be detained the next day. If there is failure to attend again a 1-day fixed-term exclusion will be imposed which will be recorded on the student’s file (because the student would be openly defying the school).

School Awards

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