Policies
Behaviour Policy
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to set out a policy to help us create a caring, stimulating and secure environment in which staff can teach and students can learn effectively. We encourage the involvement of parents in supporting students’ behaviour.
Rationale
The growth and development of all young people in our school is one of our primary concerns. Part of this development is ensuring that students know how to live in an appropriate and positive way both in and out of the school environment. We encourage students to take responsibility for their own behaviour and to avoid choosing to behave in a negative way.
Scope of the Policy
This policy applies to behaviour:
on the school premises;
on school trips;
when students are travelling to and from school;
when students are wearing school uniform, or are in any way identifiable as students of the school;
at any time and place where the behaviour poses a threat to another member of the school (for example cyberbullying taking place outside of school hours) or calls the good reputation of the school into question.
Aims
To encourage high standards of behaviour all staff will:
be calm, considered and controlled at all times and never shout at a student or class;
focus on the positive by giving first attention to those who are behaving appropriately;
promote trusting and caring relationships by greeting students every day and by dealing with behaviour issues in a respectful way.
We promote positive behaviour throughout the school by:
ensuring that all students clearly understand the behaviour expected from them;
praising and rewarding positive behaviour;
encouraging students to be responsible for their own behaviour;
encouraging and helping students to respond and interact in a positive manner with peers and adults alike;
providing positive role models for students;
issuing clear sanctions if students do not abide by expected behaviour;
ensuring that consequences for poor behaviour are fair, consistent and appropriate for all students;
avoiding confrontation by adopting a calm and rational approach to behaviour problems.
Principles of Behaviour
Everyone at Sunny View School has a right to learn and to teach in a peaceful and safe environment, to expect that they and their belongings will be treated with respect, to be treated with consideration, courtesy and respect and to be treated without discrimination.
Everyone at Sunny View School has a responsibility to ensure they do not disturb the learning and teaching of others, to be honest and to respect others and their belongings, to treat everyone with consideration, courtesy and respect and to protect others from discrimination.
Expectations of Behaviour
To promote a culture of positive behaviours, Sunny View School staff and students are expected to follow our three school rules:
Ready
Respectful
Responsible
In the classroom: Students must arrive at lessons punctually and enter the classroom in an orderly manner. They must be wearing correct school uniform and have all the equipment needed for that lesson. On entering the classroom students must organise themselves promptly, and engage immediately with the lesson once the teacher is ready to begin. During lessons the minimum expectation is that students show respect for the teacher and others in the classroom and that they always behave safely. Over and above this we expect our students to take an active part in lessons through thoughtful questioning and enquiry, support of others’ learning through group work, and consistently demonstrating a positive attitude to learning.
On the school premises: Students are expected to wear correct school uniform and to behave in a calm and sensible manner as they move around school. Respect should be shown to others at all times. Students must avoid delay when moving between lessons. They must follow any instructions from members of staff promptly and without argument.
Beyond the school premises: Students are expected to observe the same standards of behaviour on their way to and from school as they are as they move around school. Members of the public must be treated with courtesy and respect. Behaviour on and around roads must be sensible and safe. Homework must be completed fully, to the best of the student’s ability, and handed in on time. The same behaviour standards are expected on school trips. Any additional rules outlined by the trip organisers must be strictly adhered to for the duration of the trip. Students, teachers and parents must consider differences in the law when visiting foreign countries.
Online: Students must not engage in any online activity (including postings on social networking sites, image or video sharing, personal email, text or picture messaging, chat room conversations, or communication in any other way) that may be construed as bullying, being defamatory to staff, students, the school or members of the community. Students must not act in any way that negatively impacts on the good name and reputation of the school. This applies within school and from any location outside school. We reserve the right to involve the police in cases of cyberbullying.
Promoting Positive Behaviour
Sunny View School values positive behaviour as this develops an ethos of kindness and cooperation. We praise and reward students throughout the school by using:
Verbal praise
Class reward systems (such as Class Dojo, Star of the Week and Golden Time)
Merit awards
House points (in Primary and Secondary)
Positive postcards, notes or emails home
Celebration meetings with the Head or Deputy Head
End of year awards and prizes
Monthly/termly/quarterly reporting to parents
Dealing with Inappropriate Behaviour
Throughout Sunny View School we follow stepped actions, use scripted interventions and have restorative conversations with students as part of our approach to dealing with inappropriate behaviour (see Appendix: Behaviour Blueprint for Preschool, Primary and Secondary).
The intention is to minimise the disruption caused by students who are not behaving appropriately and to handle incidents in a way that leaves the dignity of both the student and the teacher intact.
In Preschool, the stepped actions for promoting appropriate behaviour are:
Verbal, ‘Stop’ supported with hand gesture and required positive action
Verbal, ‘Stop’ supported with hand gesture and told there will be a consequence
Stop and age in minutes reflection time in class with timer on thinking chair
Send to a partner class for reflection time
Send to Head of Deputy Head
At Step 4 onwards, parents informed, and incident recorded.
In Primary, the stepped actions for promoting appropriate behaviour are:
Verbal reminder
Verbal warning and reminder
Scripted intervention with follow up meeting after class
Send to a partner class (students are never sent to stand outside the classroom as a sanction)
Send to Head or Deputy Head of Department
Send to Headteacher
At Step 4 onwards, parents informed, and incident recorded.
In Secondary, the stepped actions for promoting appropriate behaviour are:
Verbal reminder
Verbal warning and reminder
Scripted intervention with follow up meeting after class
Send to a partner class with work (students are never sent to stand outside the classroom as a sanction)
Send to Head or Deputy Head of Department
Send to Headteacher
At Step 3 onwards, an e-mail will be sent via iSAMS to parents, tutor and Head and Deputy Head.
From Step 4, student will be given an after-school detention.
Examples of the kind of behaviour which may result in a teacher following applying stepped actions are if a student:
arrives late;
disrupts/disturbs the class;
refuses to follow instructions;
uses unacceptable or abusive language;
persists in calling out;
makes noises;
damages work or resources;
fails to treat others with respect.
Where inappropriate behaviour is serious, staff have the right to move directly to step 2, 3 or beyond.
Examples of behaviour that would be considered serious are:
persistent verbal abuse to staff or students;
physical abuse to/attack on staff;
physical abuse to/attack on students;
indecent behaviour;
bullying;
theft;
using a mobile phone;
bringing prohibited items to school;
arson;
any action that brings the school into disrepute, on-site or off-site.
Detention
In Secondary, students will be given an after-school detention if:
steps 4, 5 or 6 have been applied because of a student’s behaviour;
five e-mails have been sent home to parents in a month regarding inappropriate behaviour;
a student arrives late to registration three times in a week;
a student attempts to cheat in a test/exam (this will also result in disqualification from the test/exam);
a student uses a mobile phone at any time on school premises.
Support and Management of Vulnerable Students
On occasions, students may require extra support in managing their behaviour. If this is the case, the behaviour strategy may need to be adapted to support the student’s needs. Parents will be informed that the school has concerns about their child’s behaviour. The school will discuss with parents the strategies in place to further support their child’s behaviour, which may include a behaviour support plan with specific targets to be monitored over a fixed period.
Internal, External and Permanent Exclusion
For serious incidents, the school may decide to exclude a child internally or externally for a fixed period. For internal exclusions, work will be provided by the teachers for the student to complete in another room; the student will have no contact with his/her classmates at this time and may be supervised at break and lunchtimes too. Depending on the gravity of an incident, a student may be excluded from coming to school for a period of up to three days. Students who have been externally excluded may not be allowed to take part in school trips or outings, and will usually not be allowed to take part in the residential trip. If a student is excluded after a trip has been organised, the same rule applies. Any payments made towards a trip, whether residential or an outing, will not be refunded.
If there is a pattern of unacceptable behaviour over time or in extreme cases of inappropriate behaviour, this may lead to a student being permanently excluded from the school.
