St Thomas Community Primary School

St Thomas Community Primary School

Behaviour Policy

Background

We believe that good behaviour is considered necessary to provide the most effective learning environment for our children. It is only when children feel safe, respected and supported that they can learn and progress effectively.

While the head teacher has a statutory duty to decide how acceptable standards for behaviour are going to be achieved within school, it is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that a consistent, positive approach to behaviour is maintained. A truly positive ethos can only be established when:

·  everyone is clear as to the expectations for behaviour, and

·  everyone is treated fairly when those expectations are not met.

In order to achieve a safe, happy, learning environment, based on mutual trust and respect, the following principles should be adhered to:

·  Staff should always try to separate the child from the behaviour. There is usually a reason why a child misbehaves and staff should be mindful of any events or experiences in and outside school which may have a negative impact on a child’s behaviour in school. Such events or experiences could include: relationship breakdowns; absent parents; poor living conditions; being looked after; concern for or loss of a loved one; suffering abuse; being bullied; witnessing domestic violence; coping with parents addicted to drugs etc. This is not an exhaustive list but it does illustrate the difficult situations some of our pupils find themselves dealing with. For children in these situations, it is hardly surprising if school is not their main priority. There could also be a medical issue such as ADHD or Autism which affects a child’s ability to cope in different situations. In all cases of poor behaviour, teachers and staff should use professional judgment when considering how to deal with a specific child or issue and ensure that any sanctions given are fair and commensurate.

·  Any relevant background information which may explain a child’s poor behaviour should always be shared with people who may be affected, for example, supply teachers or dinner supervisors;

·  Innocent children should never find themselves bearing the consequences of other children's misdemeanors. For this reason, whole class sanctions should not be carried out;

·  Children should be praised for positive behaviour just as much as they are criticised for negative behaviour. Parents should be made aware of continually unacceptable behaviour, however it is important that parents are informed of positive behaviour too;

·  The use of humour and sarcasm should be used carefully with pupils, as the intended meaning can often be lost on the child. Sarcasm or humour should never be used to belittle a pupil in front of their peers;

·  Staff should recognise that standards of discipline for the child may be different outside school and that some children will need explicit information to know what is acceptable in the school setting;

·  Once an incident has been dealt with and a sanction carried out, the matter should be dropped so that the pupil has the opportunity to move on and

·  Prevention is always better than reaction and staff should be actively promoting positive behaviour at all times.

Prevention

We believe that preventative, rather than reactive measures are vital to ensuring positive behaviour is maintained. What follows are a list of preventative measures used in St Thomas Community Primary School:

·  There should be consistent, clear messages for good behaviour throughout the school. These messages are:

o  Always be polite and well mannered to those around you;

o  Always try and consider other people’s views;

o  Move sensibly around the school, keeping to the left on the stairs;

o  Try and remain calm and talk through any issues you have with someone you trust - physical violence or verbal abuse towards anyone will not be tolerated;

o  Listen whenever someone is speaking to you or the class as a whole;

o  Show respect for other people’s property, our school and community as a whole;

o  Respect each other’s background and culture;

o  Follow instructions when told to do so;

o  Try your best in whatever you do;

o  Behave appropriately when out of school, as part of a visit and be respectful to others at all times, in order to maintain the school’s good reputation.

·  In order to instill these messages to the pupils, teachers and other staff must:

o  aim for acceptable standards of behaviour, work and respect at all times. Good behaviour has to be worked for, it does not simply happen;

o  set high standards and apply any rules and expectations fairly, clearly and consistently;

o  give and acknowledge respect – good relationships between pupils and staff, based on trust and respect are conducive to a positive learning environment;

o  provide positive recognition for those who behave positively.

o  use incentive schemes within class to promote good behaviour. In the Foundation Phase, teachers operate their own incentive scheme, while in KS2 the incentive of ‘red spots’ operate. ‘Red spots’ are given for positive behaviour and good work and these spots equate to vouchers which the children can spend in the Red Spot Shop;

o  choose a Seren yr Wythnos each week for our celebration assembly (Reception – Year 6) where positive behaviour and hard work are rewarded in a whole school setting;

o  treat everyone equally and respond to each incident individually;

o  take the initiative to develop positive relationships at every level, e.g. positive greetings, manners etc;

o  whenever possible, address problems by avoiding confrontations. Staff are encouraged to listen to everyone involved, in order to establish the facts and judge only when certain;

o  issue warnings clearly and follow them through if necessary;

o  create and sustain a positive, supportive and secure environment through interesting and motivating lessons. It is widely accepted that well-prepared, stimulating lessons generate good behaviour and earn respect;

o  extend and motivate all pupils with suitably differentiated lessons so that everyone has the opportunity to achieve;

o  mark all work promptly and constructively;

o  keep an attractive, tidy room, maintaining interesting displays and

o  remain calm but firm in any negative situation.

Many other systems are in place, within St Thomas Community Primary School, to prevent negative behaviour and to promote the smooth running of the school. These include things such as:

o  not leaving pupils unattended;

o  adequately supervised duties, before the school day, during playtimes (including wet plays) and dinnertimes;

o  escorting classes around the school;

o  giving Year 6 prefect responsibilities, such as stair monitors, to promote safe movement around the school;

o  a playground friend system to ensure children feel safer in the yard;

o  clear playtime rules;

o  a School Council where pupils’ views can be heard and valued and

o  well resourced classrooms so children are stimulated.

Reacting to Unacceptable Behaviour

While at St Thomas Community Primary, we follow a pro-active approach to promoting positive behaviour, in reality there are times when a pupil may behave in an unacceptable way, for whatever reason.

Despite all the preventative measures in place, once there has been an instance of negative behaviour it is necessary to react to it. Negative behaviour can range from talking in class to physical attacks on pupils or adults and wilful damage to personal or school property. Our aim, however, always remains to promote good behaviour through positive relationships, mutual trust and respect and by helping pupils to understand the impact of their behaviour.

Outlined below are our procedures for dealing with various forms of negative behaviour:

·  At the first sign of negative behaviour a number of options can be taken:

o  Minor issues such as, drawing when they should be listening, could be avoided at the time to prevent disruption to the class. This matter should be discussed with the pupil though at a later point;

o  Distraction techniques could be used, by giving the pupil a job etc or ‘special task’.

o  If there is an offending article, such as a pen or toy, this could be removed without breaking the flow of the lesson;

o  A glance is sometimes enough for a child to realise that you have spotted what they are doing and that you expect them to stop;

o  The use of praise towards pupils demonstrating good behaviour often encourages others to do the same.

·  If a child persists in behaving in a negative way:

o  Give the child a clear warning. Make explicit your expectations so that there can be no doubt in what the problem is and what you expect the child to do about it;

o  Give the child a choice within that warning e.g. “If you continue to talk when I am talking, you are choosing to miss some of your playtime. It is up to you.” This leaves the child with some control over the situation and sometimes avoids a confrontation.

·  If a pupil has already had a warning and continues to misbehave:

o  The earlier warning must be followed through. The moment a member of staff doesn’t carry out what they said they would, the child will lose any respect they had for you and continue to try and push the boundaries even further;

o  A child could be moved to sit on their own or they could be sent to another member of staff. Never send a child to just stand outside the classroom or to go to another room independently as there is a possibility that they could run off;

o  The deputy or head could be asked to come and speak to the child, to show that they are aware of the negative behaviour;

o  A playtime or lunchtime reflection session could be given. Reflection is usually only carried out in KS2 and is supervised by different teachers throughout the week. Reflection takes place in the room of the person whose reflection duty it is that day. The purpose of this is to give the child a clear signal that their behaviour is not acceptable, while at the same time giving them time to reflect on their behaviour in school;

o  If KS2 children are given a reflection session, the member of staff issuing that reflection should complete a reflection slip, stating the reason why that child has been placed in reflection;

o  When a KS2 child attends a reflection session, the slip must be given to the person on duty;

o  The KS2 child completes a form, stating why they are there, who they have affected with their negative behaviour and how it has affected them and also what they intend to do in order to improve their behaviour in the future;

o  The teacher on reflection duty must attach the reflection slip to the KS2 child’s form and record the KS2 child’s attendance on the Reflection Register.

o  When a KS2 child reaches five reflections within a term, they are placed on the ‘red list’ and their parents are informed via a phone call/letter from the class teacher or deputy head. Each subsequent reflection that term will be accompanied with a phone call home.

o  If reflection sessions are not perceived to be working, then a teacher can request that a parent comes in to speak about their KS2 child’s behaviour and that regular updates are made thereafter, until the pupil’s behaviour improves;

o  If lunchtimes are an issue, the school can request that the child eats food in a different room or is sent home for dinner.

There may be times when the nature of a pupil’s behaviour dictates that a warning is not given and that a sanction is administered immediately. In any such situation the decision will be clearly explained to the pupil involved and their parents.

Teachers should avoid over use of sanctions though, such as reflection, in order to maintain the kudos which such sanctions carry.

Extreme Negative Behaviour

Unfortunately, there are sometimes a minority of children who have severe behavioural issues and require special attention.

o  Severe behavioural issues can include frequent loss of

temper, wilful damage to school property, failure to follow instructions on a regular basis, leaving the classroom without permission, absconding and general lack of respect to both adults and peers.

o  In such extreme cases, where poor behaviour is persistent, a Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) may be drawn up so that procedures can be agreed and followed in order to manage such instances. Procedures may include the child having the opportunity to sit on the red chairs in order to calm down following an incident before being allowed to return to the class.

o  Children who refuse to follow agreed procedures, as outlined within a PSP, will have issues discussed with them during their free time (i.e. playtimes) so that minimal disruption is caused to the rest of the class. Children who misbehave are often behaving in that way for some form of attention, albeit negative and it is important we don’t encourage this by talking issues through with the disruptive child when we should actually be teaching the class.

o  A referral may be made to the Local Authority’s Behavioural Support

team and if successful the pupil may receive support from a member of

this external agency.

o  If an incident is severe enough then an exclusion may be requested by the head. This can either be temporary or permanent and notification needs to be given to both Governors and the Local Authority in such an instance;

o  A referral can also be made to the Pupil Education Centre if a child is deemed to be too disruptive in a mainstream school.

Absconders

o If a child absconds from school the agreed procedure is that

we will not chase after that child. We will follow them if possible, but we feel that chasing pupils will encourage them to run and that could lead to an accident which we do not wish to be responsible for.

o  When a child leaves the building, the adult witness should calmly but

firmly tell the child that the consequences will be that if they leave and