BEHAVIOUR and PUPIL DISCIPLINE POLICY

This Document includes additional information and guidance for supporting a positive approach to behaviour within the Cleveland Unit.

INTRODUCTION

All children within the Cleveland Unit are entitled to a caring and supportive learning environment.

In all aspects of the Cleveland Unit’s provision (and in line with the principles of the EYFS) all pupils are treated equally irrespective of race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

No child will be left unattended in any area at any time.

It is recognised that all of the children in the CAU have difficulties with their learning, making it harder for them to understand requests, instructions, verbal praise etc. Any strategies for managing and modifying children’s behaviour in the Cleveland Unit (and any advice offered to parents) takes account of a child’s individual difficulties and be appropriate to that child’s level of understanding and maturity.

We have enhanced adult/child ratios.

We aim to prevent behavioural incidents wherever possible

High expectations of behaviour need to be established for all children.

Children need to be taught how to behave appropriately and how to learn successfully through play or work.

It is recognized that for some children this may take a long time and may involve very small steps of progress.

Within our Vision Statement we define our goal as to “Develop a positive self image in each of our children” as we strive to promote personal growth, acknowledging individual strength and needs.

We aim therefore to:-

  • Help our children to develop the ability and skills to behave in ways which are appropriate to their age and stage of development as well as acceptable to the Unit’s population.
  • Enable our children to acquire the necessary interests, attitudes, values and personal resources that they may have a good start on the journey to become responsible citizens in a rapidly changing world.

APPROACH

  • The foundation for our behaviour policy is to plan all environments to include resources and strategies which can support children in order to prevent behavioural incidents.
  • All adults provide positive role models for the children with regard to friendliness, behaviour, care and courtesy.
  • All adults are aware that

a)behaviour is a language communicating need, fear, frustration, anger, joy, pain, discomfort, pleasure, rejection, etc.

b)some children may display behavioural difficulties because of the frustrations or complications arising from their special needs

c)When children are experiencing behavioural difficulties they are unlikely to be responsive to complex communication. They need to have their own and others safety ensured until they are calm enough to be comforted, distracted or spoken to regarding their behavior.

  • We believe that following the principles outlined below helps build a happy and relaxed atmosphere where children are able to develop self esteem and self discipline.
  • Staff work as a team to record and analyse behavioural incidents in order to recognise possible triggers which may be avoided by providing appropriate support at the right time.
  • In the Cleveland Unit positive reinforcement is used to promote desirable behaviour in children. Adults more frequently tell children what TO do rather than what NOT to do eg: “put the sand in the bucket” more often than “don’t drop the sand on the floor”.
  • Staff know that children need to feel recognised and have the attention of adults. If they gain this attention for positive behaviour, they will be more likely to repeat it. Therefore, rewards for positive behaviour are used frequently throughout the day. Rewards for the most part are adult attention in terms of praise, smiles, high-fives, notes home etc. However, where appropriate, rewards such as stickers or certificates are also used.
  • Children who have experienced physical and/or emotional trauma may be overly or under sensitive to sensory input and may benefit from planned sessions in the unit’s sensory rooms as well as responsive access when dealing with potential or actual behavioural incidents.
  • Targets and outcomes for behaviour are discussed and agreed between the members of each staff team and any other involved adults. Some children will have specific targets for behaviour which may be part of their Individual Education/Therapy Plan, manual handling risk assessment and care plan or a specific behavior plan. These arediscussed with parents and other agencies as appropriate.
  • Adults make sure that children understand what they can and cannot do – adult expectations of behaviour are appropriate to the age, and the stage of development of each child. Adults understand a child’s need to be secure in knowing that adults will not let a child’s feelings or behaviour get out of control. Adults always intervene where children are at risk of hurting others,being hurt by others or deliberately hurting themselves.
  • All adults ensure that targets and boundaries for behaviour are applied consistently so that children have the security of knowing what to expect, and can build up useful habits of behaviour. The same reaction to the same situation each time helps children feel secure and builds up trust. Where adults state a consequence to an action, it is always followed through.
  • Some children may show unacceptable or undesirable behaviour to gain adult attention. In these instances attention would reinforce the inappropriate behaviour and encourage its repetition. For some children negative attention is better than no attention at all. All adults give as little attention as possible to such behaviour, using ‘planned ignoring’ (unless it is unsafe to do so,) so that the child does not gain the reward of adult attention. Planned ignoring is always used in conjunction with appropriate distraction in order to move the behaviour on. We aim to give attention to positive behaviour as frequently as possible.
  • Adults intervene to manage unacceptable behaviour by using a range of strategies:-
  • using ‘planned ignoring’ of undesirable behaviour where possible;
  • distraction;
  • appropriate facial expression/eye contact;
  • removing equipment being used inappropriately;
  • taking the child to a supportive environment (eg sensory lightroom) or a quiet area of the room until s/he is calm again;
  • where appropriate(and always AFTER the behaviour has ceased) discussing children’s actions with them – helping them to be aware that other people have feelings – pointing out the physical signs, such as tears, and reminding them how they felt when they cried;
  • offering the child simple alternatives/choices;
  • encouraging children to participate by using verbal prompts and/or co-active support.

AT THE CLEVELAND UNIT WE DO NOT USE OR THREATEN

PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT OR ANY PUNISHMENT WHICH

COULD CAUSE PAIN OR HUMILIATION.

  • Adults understand the importance of not undermining a child’s self confidence and always make it clear that it is the behaviour that is unacceptable not the child. Children are never labelled as ‘naughty’ or ‘bad’ – either to themselves or to someone else in their hearing.
  • When children display unusually challenging, different, or disturbed behaviour at the Cleveland Unit, the staff team meet to discuss it and inform the manager of unit before contacting parents/carers for discussion. Where parents/carers or staff in another setting are experiencing difficulties with a child’s behaviour, staff may, where appropriate, work with them to draw up a programme for managing and modifying the behaviour consistently in all settings.
  • Parents may wish to be referred to other agencies for additional support and advice. Such agencies include the Educational Psychologists, 0-19 service and CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service). Parenting classes such as Parenting Puzzle or Triple P may be appropriate via 0-19 service and/or the Cleveland Unit.
  • Staff attend relevant training, when available, to ensure they keep up to date with best practice in behaviour management and modification.
  • We believe that the most effective way of encouraging good behaviour is by providing the right emotional and physical environment for learning.
  • All members of staff are expected to develop strong, supportive relationships with the children, and set good examples at all times.
  • By providing a high quality environment for learning, we aim to give the message ‘You are worth it’ to the children in our care.
  • We maintain high expectations of behaviour, and wework to modify or change behaviours that are not acceptable.
  • We use positive approaches to help build self-esteem, make for effective communication, praise, encouragement
  • We work to establish strong links with the family to share best practice and offer support/advice.
  • We take opportunities to draw attention to children doing well, comment positively and reward appropriately.
  • We work with parents/carers, other settings, agencies and the LA to support positive behaviours.
  • We provide opportunities for children to learn how to play appropriately by providing a range of opportunities and choices for play activities. We follow their interests and extend their experience.
  • Various behaviour management and modification approaches are used within the unit including physical restraint, using appropriate force, where necessary to maintain safety. Strategies are established to respond to individual needs, group needs and whole unit needs. It is accepted that individual or group needs may differ and so approaches may be different for individuals.

THE CLEVELAND UNIT ENVIRONMENT

The Cleveland Unit has been designed to be as safe as is practically possible. Additional features to support children and promote good behaviour include:

  • Stimulating play areas, inside and outside, for children appropriate for their developmental age
  • Calming spaces including gardens and two sensory rooms; a ‘sensory movement room’ with space and padded mats where children can explore physical movement safely and respond to music as well as equipment and a‘sensory light room’ with a large range of equipment to calm, stimulate, focus upon one or more senses
  • Comfortable, appropriate seating for children and adults
  • A high regard for health and safety in all aspects. For example secure access/exit to unit, gated corridors, risk assessments for educational visits, telephone and other communication links to each classroom, choke testing of toys etc
  • Uni-sex toilets (adult and child height) throughout, encouraging a family atmosphere.
  • Staff/Parents/ room where visitors are encouraged to become part of the family community.
  • A high quality Early Years Foundation Curriculum with a bias towards sensory experiences and exploration providing for a wide range of learning styles, predominantly kinaesthetic.
Policy on Supporting Children in the Sensory Rooms.

To complement the other Cleveland Unit resources and facilities, we have designed a sensory light room and sensory movement room to support children’s development. These environments can be used to support children whose behaviour may be chaotic due to emotional or physical discomfort. They can provide a place where children may take their minds off what is worrying them, and where staff can utilise the different stimuli available to try and help the child return to a rational and calm state of mind.

As part of their individual programme, staff support children to begin to recognize the feelings that precede behavioural incidents and to help them to choose an alternative response such as requesting time in the sensory room to remove themselves from the sensory impact of a busy classroom.

The use of the Sensory Light & Movement Rooms.

  1. A range of stimuli are available in the rooms – staff ensure that they know how to operate them safely and complete dynamic risk assessments in addition to routine assessments.
  2. Staff using the rooms on their own with a child consider their own protection and ensure that their support is appropriate at all times. In these circumstances staff ensure that someone else knows where they are and roughly when to expect them back.
  3. Staff are aware that if the rooms are only used at times of crisis, this could lead pupils to behave in particularways to gain access to the sensory rooms. Staff use the rooms regularly and provide an appropriate way for children to request the rooms in a positive way.
  4. For further information and advice on using the sensory light room environment, staff may approach the manager or HLTA with responsibility for IT.

CARE PLANS/RISK ASSESSMENT.

All children in the CUCDC have an Individual Education & Therapy Plan as well as a Manual Handling Care Plan which detail any individual programmes of support and routine intervention.

Where children behave in ways that might put themselves, other pupils or staff at risk, or where their behaviours may be unacceptable within a social community, staff make an individual risk assessment followed by an update/amendment to their Individual Education & Therapy Plan. The notes in the Area/s of Concern, Strengths/Interests, Level of Support, and General Strategies sections of this plan

contain as much information as possible so that staff can understand what might be the antecedents (triggers) to the different behaviours. This can be one of the most valuable tools available and is regularly up-dated and shared with any staff coming into regular contact with the child. By knowing what a child’s special educational needs are, what interests or upsets them and what has prompted such behaviours previously, staff can learn to steer the situation towards rewarding good behaviours rather than responding to undesirable behaviours. Some children also benefit from a specific Behavior Management & Modification Plan to ensure consistent and appropriate support is available at all times.

Early Years Children’s Participation

Giving children a ‘voice’

We have a dedicated teacher (the manager) who has undertaken national training in promoting the rights of the child. All staff are part of one of our learning and pastoral care working groups, which meet weekly to identify needs choices and areas that can be further developed or enhanced.

The use of a ‘communication passport’ is embedded in our practice. This consultation exercise enables us to identify the child’s needs, likes and dislikes and how these are communicated.

The unit uses meetingsat the end of day to share knowledge and understanding about individual pupils. In this way we can all support where a particular approach is working, or not, by maintaining consistency.

LUNCHTIMES

Lunch time assistants support the classroom staff who take it in turns to go for their lunch. At least one staff member who knows the children best is always present over the lunch break period – this may be a teacher, HLTA, or teaching assistant. Lunch time assistants are never left alone with a whole group of children though they will take individual children to be changed as necessary and may be left with small groups where appropriate. Classroom staff advise lunch time staff on diets and behaviour management of children in their group as appropriate. Lunch time assistants are encouraged to share their observations, changes in behaviour or concerns about children with class staff.

SERIOUS BEHAVIOUR INCIDENT RECORD

A serious behaviour incident is one where a child has needed a physical response by a member of staff as a last resort after every other approach was used, and where the child was in danger of hurting someone (including themselves) or significantly damaging property. Where a serious behaviour incident occurs, a record is entered into the Behaviour Incident Record file; completed by the supporting adult.

This report must be completed within 24hours by supporting adults.

Parents are kept informed of actions taken in response to a serious behaviour incident above and beyond that already agreed.

The Serious Behaviour Incident File (sectioned in classes) is kept in the first filing cabinet in the teachers’ office

PHYSICAL INTERVENTION

See physical contact policy

EMERGENCY CLASSROOM SUPPORT

Due to the challenging behaviour of some of our children we have established routines to support each other where necessary.

Where a situation has escalated to the extent that further support is required, the options are:

  1. to send for a supportive adult in the unit who may have a particular relationship or understanding with the child(ren) needing help.
  2. to send for any supportive adult from a nearby classroom.
  3. to move the rest of the class or group out and into another area.

Every classroom has an in-house telephone to communicate across the Unit.

EXCLUSIONS vs. ENLISTING FAMILY SUPPORT

In the Cleveland Unit we do not normally consider exclusion as an appropriate tool for supporting children, their families and the local authority. We believe that the combined knowledge, understanding and skills of the staff can ensure that this should not be necessary.

However, where the Health and Safety of pupils or staff is at risk, then the headteacher may decide to use exclusion when all other avenues have been explored.

Where behaviour has reached beyond acceptable and operable levels we would rather enlist the help and support of the family or Child and Mental Health Services team so that we can work together to support the child towards learning more acceptable behaviours.

As a last resort (such as a Health and Safety risk due to staff absence) this may be managed as follows:

  1. The child concerned will be sent or taken home as soon as is practically possible after the incident. This can only be agreed by the headteacher, or in her absence, the next most senior teacher.
  2. A fixed-term exclusion must be reported in writing by the Head of Unit, or in her absence, the next most senior teacher. The child will be invited back into nursery the following morning with his/her parents.
  3. A meeting will take place with the family, teacher and head teacher if a child’s behaviour has a serious impact on other children in the Unit.
Checklist for supporting behaviours
Start date /

APPROACHES

/

EVIDENCE

/ Ass. date

GENERAL

Identify style of learning / observation or assessment and discussion with parents/carers
Consult with last class teacher/key person / class notes
Classroom Management / class notes re behaviour strategies agreed after discussion and planning
Scrutiniseprofessional and medical records / identify specific information for IEP
Safeguarding / completed and reviewed with nominated teacher with responsibility for safeguarding/headteacher

INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES