Behaviour, Discipline & Exclusion Policy

At Woods Loke Primary School the staff, governors and parents/carers consider the encouragement of good behaviour to be an important part of the ethos and culture of the school. We are a caring community, whose values are built on mutual trust and respect for all. The purpose of this policy is to provide the necessary guidance to provide a safe and structured environment in which teachers can teach and children can learn. The policy sets out a clear set of expectations and processes for creating an ethos that is conducive for learning and respect for all members of the school community. This policy acknowledges the school’s legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and in respect of pupils with SEN.

Aims

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for our school community to be one in which each member treats each other with care, consideration and respect. At WoodsLokePrimary School we believe it is the right of children to learn in a safe, secure environment, with equality of opportunity for all.

Principles

  • All members of the community should respect the rights and feelings of everyone.
  • It is both the right and responsibility of all to contribute towards a safe and secure environment.
  • Expectations of each other should be consistent within the context of age and individual circumstances.
  • Staff will treat all children with respect and understanding. In applying the behaviour and discipline policy all staff are sensitive to the needs of the individual child, taking in to account special educational needs, disabilities or cultural issues where appropriate.
  • All staff are responsible for a consistent approach in promoting positive behaviour.
  • All staff share a collective responsibility for acting as positive role models.
  • Suspected bullying is taken very seriously at WoodsLokePrimary School. We have a separate Anti-Bullying Policy that should be considered alongside this policy.
  • Children are actively encouraged to take responsibility for their own behaviour, and to understand and accept the consequences of their actions.

Code of Conduct for Pupils

Children at Woods Loke are expected and encouraged to do the following:

  • Act with consideration and courtesy.
  • Always try to understand the other person’s point of view.
  • Be polite.
  • Help to keep the school safe by walking inside the buildings, unless the teacher asks you to do something different as part of a lesson.
  • Help to keep the school quiet by talking quietly inside the buildings, unless the teacher asks you to do something different as part of a lesson.
  • Keep the school clean and tidy.
  • Behave in ways that respect the rights of others to teach, to be taught and to learn.
  • Wear the appropriate uniform and not to come to school wearing jewellery or with inappropriate haircut or tattoos, including temporary tattoos. See School Uniform policy.

The school rewards good behaviour and it believes this will develop the above aims as well as an ethos of kindness and co-operation. The school uses Circle Time and the SEAL programisto develop children’s understanding of their emotions and enable them to deal with emotional issues with confidence.

School Rules and Procedures

Rules and procedures are designed to make clear to pupils how they can achieve acceptable standards of behaviour. At The Woods Loke Primary School rules and procedures help make our school a safe learning environment. Such rules, consistently applied, enable pupils and staff to work in a safe, secure and positive learning environment, thus enabling learning to proceed uninterrupted.

Golden Rules

The school has as few rules as possible with them being consistent across the school. They are displayed throughout the school and give guidance to acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

Our Golden Rules are:

  • We are gentle,
  • We are kind to others,
  • We listen,
  • We are honest,
  • We work hard,
  • We look after property.

The class teacher discusses the school’s Golden Rules with his/her class at the start of each term and throughout the academic year. Every child then knows the standard of behaviour that we expect in our school.

Classroom Management

Classroom management and teaching methods have an important influenceon children's behaviour. The classroom environment gives clear messages tothe pupil about the extent to which they and their efforts are valued.Relationships between teachers, teaching assistants and pupils, strategies forencouraging good behaviour, arrangements of furniture, access to resources, appropriate seating arrangements and classroom displays all have a bearing on the way pupils behave.

Rewards

The school ethos encourages pupils to be rewarded for good behaviour. Rewards have a motivational role, enabling pupils to see that good behaviour is valued. The commonest reward is verbal praise, informal and formal, public and private, to individuals and groups. It is earned by the maintenance of good standards as well as by particularly noteworthy achievements. Rates of praise for behaviour and effort should be as high as for work in order to encourage a growth mindset amongst all pupils. In addition to praise, pupils are rewarded in the following ways:

  • Stickers,
  • Positive comments in books/ communication books,
  • Golden Time,
  • Celebration Assembly ‘Super Star of the Week’ certificate,
  • ‘Do-Jo points’to recognise pupil’s effort to ensure that others learn and thrive in an atmosphere of respect and dignity’,
  • Deputy Headteacher certificate,
  • Headteacher’s award.

Once given, rewards must not be taken away as a consequence for poor behaviour.

In addition class teachers may employ other reward systems within their classes.

For children with more complex behavioural needs, individual plans including IBPs (Individual Behaviour Plans) and PSPs (PastoralSupport Plan) may be followed in order to promote good behaviour e.g. through the use of target charts. For children who require such support on an ongoing basis, Individual Behaviour Plans should be developed and shared with staff. A copy should be given to the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator so that the child’s name can be added to the SEN Register. Rewards and Sanctions should be set out in such plans and should be designed so that they are relevant and motivating for the pupil and will assist the pupil to achieve success independently within the whole school behaviour system.

Consequences & Sanctions

Most instances of poor behaviour are relatively minor and can be adequately dealt with through an expression of disapproval or a minor sanction. It is important that a sanction is reasonable and is not out of proportion to the behaviour. To be lawful, the sanction must satisfy the following three

conditions:

  • The decision to discipline a pupil must be made by a paid member of school staff or a member of staff authorised by the headteacher;
  • The decision to discipline the pupil and the sanction itself must be made on the school premises or while the pupil is under the charge of the member of staff; and
  • It must not breach any other legislation (for example in respect of disability, Special Educational Needs, race and other equalities and human rights) and it must be reasonable in all the circumstances.

It is expected that teachers will apply a range of behaviour management techniques as part of their everyday practice, prior to administering sanctions. Proximal praise, ‘moving in’, lowering tone of voice, pausing etc… are among a range of methods teachers would be expected to use in maintaining discipline in their class. All staff are encouraged to refer frequently to the school Golden Rules and expectations in their dialogue with pupils. Once a sanction is given, it cannot be removed until the end of the session. All children start back on the sun at the start of eachsession.

While utilising positive methods is the main approach taken to manage behaviour, at times it is necessary to use sanctions. A staged approach is utilised throughout the school and the stages are set out below (See Appendix 1 for further details on some of the stages):-

Pupil Sanctions:

All children start each lesson on the sun.

  1. Reminder of how to behave appropriately,
  1. Verbal Warning. Pupil moved to grey cloud,
  1. Loss of 5 minutes Golden Time. The child is instructed to move to another part of the room/ another classroom/ oranother part in schoolif children aggressive e.g. Exit Room. Pupil moved to rainy cloud,
  1. Sent to Phase Leader or Senior Teacher in another Key Stage – see ‘Leadership Team on Call’ chart at school office to see who is available.(Notify parents/carersof behavioural problems).A Behaviour Referral Proforma would be filled in.
  1. Sent to Headteacher (or Deputy Headteacher in Headteacher’sabsence)
  1. Internal Exclusion
  1. Fixed Term Exclusion
  1. Permanent Exclusion

Once a natural break has been reached, e.g. end of the lesson, the child would generally revert to having their name put back on the sun.

It is has been agreed that common language will be used to deal with inappropriate behaviour throughout the school (See Appendix 2).

Generally the stages will be passed through in a step by step manner, with stages 5 onwards being required increasingly rarely. However, occasionally it may be appropriate to bypass a stage and for instances of severely physical behaviour, stage 4 should be employed immediately.

For any incidents of serious behaviour e.g. involving violence, aggression or behaviour that causes a major disruption a Behaviour Referral Proforma (see Appendix 3 ) should be completed detailing the incident and any further action taken. This will usually be stored in the Phase Leaders Behaviour Folder. A copy should also be given to the Pastoral Support Worker who will store it securely in the child’s file in the SENCo’s office so that this can be monitored and evaluated and any further action planned.

Detention

Children who are asked to stay within school during playtimes or lunchtime to finish work remain the responsibility of the class teacher unless they are given into the care of another teacher by agreement or for detention. Detentions are issued on the day the misbehaviour has occurred. We do not hold detentions after school.

Playground Sanctions

Playtimes:

  1. A reminder will be given of how to behave appropriately.
  1. After two warnings, the child stays either with the teacher on duty or sits on the playground time-out bench for a cooling off period of five minutes.
  1. If the poor behaviour continues, or the child refuses a 5 minute time-out, the Phase Leader will be called for and the child will spend, up to, the remaining playtime with them.

Dinnertimes:

  1. A reminder will be given of how to behave appropriately.
  1. After two warnings thepupil will be sent to the time out-bench for 5 minutes.The pupils name will also be logged in MDSA behaviour book.
  1. If the poor behaviour continues or the child refuses a 5 minute time-out the duty teacher to will be called for and the child will spend, up to, the remaining lunchtime with the duty teacher in the dinner hall.The duty-teacher informs the class teacher.
  1. If a name begins to occur frequently then the class teacher will hold a behaviour meeting with that child, possibly involving the pupil’s parents/carers/Phase Leader/ Pastoral Worker/SENCo.
  1. In extreme cases, or where there are repeated incidents, a child is sent to the Headteacher.

Occasionally however for children who have significant difficulties with coping at playtimes and dinnertimes, individual arrangements will be put in place to enable them to succeed e.g. attending a lunchtime club; having 1:1/group support.

Dealing with Extreme Behaviour

There are rare occasions when a teacher, HLTA or teaching assistant needs immediate support when dealing with a child. In these cases this may mean the removal of a child from the class room or the situation to ensure the safety of the pupils, staff and the child. In these situations de-escalation of the situation is the most important factor. Staff are non-confrontational but proactive. The rest of the class may need to be removed from a situation in extreme cases where a child is being violent and refusing to leave the room.

To avoid further confrontation this is always managed in a very calm but assertive manner. The main objective is to get the troubled individual out of the room and away from the other children.

If the child refuses, the Paired Support can make an immediate assessment of the situation and

can remove the child, conforming to LA guidelines and School Safe procedures. The child may have an Internal exclusion if it is felt it is unsafe for them to return to class.

Parents/carers are informed of the situation and could be asked to come into school straight away.

The creation of an Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP) enables us to support the child in the management of their behaviour. If a child’s behaviour does not improve through the IBP provision, then the child will be considered for a PSP (Pastoral Support Plan). This process can involve the Headteacher, Phase Leader, SENCo, Class Teacher, Teaching Assistant, Parents/carers/Carers, The Local AuthorityInclusion Support Co-ordinator and importantly the child.

Internal exclusion

In the event of stage 5, the Headteacher may choose to exclude the pupil internally within the school. In this instance, the pupil wouldbe re-deployed to a class/area with work to complete set by the child’s classteacher. The child will be deprived of playtimes and this sanction will continue throughout the time period of the internal exclusion. Children will be supervised at playtimes/dinnertimes by the class teacher or Phase Leader/ Headteacher. These measures will be adopted according to the individual circumstances of each case.

Parents/carers should always be informed in the event of an internalexclusion and a meeting convened at the end of the school day with the pupil, parent, PhaseLeader, Headteacher, SENCO and additional member of staff present for recordingpurposes.

Fixed Term or Permanent Exclusions

In the first instance a short, fixed term exclusion will apply. This form of exclusion may be used to deal with for example, an act of physical violence on a child or adult. The time for the fixed term exclusion will be decided by the Headteacher after consultation with staff/childreninvolved in the incident. After the second fixed term exclusion and third incident of an equally serious nature a permanent exclusion could apply. All such procedures will follow county guidelines.

The governors and Headteacher and LA reserve the right to apply a permanent exclusion immediately in exceptional circumstances. It is our duty to keep our pupils and staff safe at all times.

Such a volatile situation is very rare, as we would always hope to resolve a situation by working co-operatively with the child and family. Appropriate supervised time is given to a child to calm down after an outburst. When appropriate the event is then discussed, the inappropriate behaviour examined and a way forward agreed.

A child who regularly reaches Stage 5 for disruptive behaviour or triggers a ‘severe clause’ may be subject to fixed-term or permanent exclusion. Only the headteacher (or the acting headteacher) has the power to exclude a pupil from school. The headteacher may exclude a pupil for one or more fixed periods, for up to 45 days in any one school year. The headteacher may also exclude a pupil permanently. It is also possible for the headteacher to convert a fixed-term exclusion into a permanent exclusion, if the circumstances warrant this. The Headteacher informs the Local Authority and the governing body about any permanent exclusion, and about any fixed-term exclusions beyond five days in any one term.

Exclusion will be considered if the behaviour would lead to harm of the child concerned or of others. The length of exclusion will be decided by the headteacher after an appropriate investigation.Pupils subject to a fixed-term exclusion should have schoolwork set for them by the class teacher sufficient for the period of time stated in the exclusion.

The expectations of children's behaviour are made clear within both classroom and school life, and the Behaviour/Discipline Policy is inherent in everything we do. However, any of the following offences would, at the discretion of the Headteacher, trigger the start of the Exclusion process:

  • Striking a child,teacher or other adult,
  • Foul or offensive language towards a child, teacher or other adult,
  • Deliberate destruction of property,
  • Behaviour that intentionally endangers others,
  • Behaviour that prevents the teacher from teaching or the pupils from learning,
  • Any other offence which the Headteacher considers sufficiently serious.

Exclusion Procedure

Only the Headteacher or Acting Headteacher can authorise exclusions.

  1. Either the child will have an internal exclusion within the school, or parents/carers will be invited, in the best interests of the child to remove him/her from the school for the rest of the day. This will be deemed to be an exclusion.
  1. In either case, parents/carers will be officially notified in writing, by means of a standard SuffolkCounty Council Exclusion letter, as soon as possible. (See appendix 4-7).
  1. The Phase Leader/Headteacher will arrange a meeting with the child's parent/carers, and with other appropriate people (e.g. Education Welfare Officer), to give support to the child and his/her family. A Behaviour Plan and/or Record of Support will be established (if not already in place). This will form the basis of the Pastoral Support Plan.
  1. If subsequently the child again commits one of the above-mentioned offences, a fixed-term exclusion of up to five days will be implemented. Work will be provided for the pupil (5 hours per day) by the class teacher/Phase Leader.
  1. If unacceptable behaviour persists, this could result in a permanent exclusion. Again, parents/carers will be informed in writing, and told of their right to make representation to the Governors’ Discipline Committee.
  1. If an exclusion lasts longer than five days, on the sixth day, the school/Local Authority will ensure that off site education is provided for the child.
  1. Parents/carers will be informed in writing, and told of their right to make representation to the Governors' Discipline Committee.

The decision to exclude would only be taken after an appropriate investigation had taken place and the child given the opportunity to give his/her version of the events unless the child was in immediate danger.