Markyate Village School and Nursery

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR POLICY

OUR VALUES

We believe in working together for excellence for all. Our school motto is:-

Dream…Believe…Succeed

To achieve this, we all – school staff, children, governors and parents – need to be working together towards the same goals. Children have a right to learn and the teachers have a right to teach.

We believe it is vitally important to reward positive behaviour, encouraging all our pupils to behave well. Where pupils do not respond to positive rewards, there will be sanctions.

Everyone at Markyate Village School has a part to play in the promotion of high standards of behaviour. It is important that there is a clear code of conduct reinforced by a balanced combination of rewards and consequences within a secure and positive environment.

We follow the principles of Restorative Practice - the sole aim is to address harm and repair harm. This happens through an active dialogue between all parties involved where an adult will act as a facilitator (see Appendix 7). Conflicts are discussed once all parties are calm and ready to take part in a meaningful conversation with the desired outcome of a resolution. The harm is put right.

As part of this, we actively:

  • Foster a sense of community and belonging for all members of the school
  • Develop an understanding and appreciation of differences and difficulties
  • Promote mutual respect and social responsibility

AIMS AND EXPECTATIONS

At Markyate Village School, we strive to provide a caring ethos where everyone in the school community feels safe, confident, valued and respected. By promoting an environment where everyone can live and work together in a supportive way, pupils are able to reach their full potential, emotionally, socially, spiritually and intellectually.

The primary aim of our behaviour policy is to promote good behaviour.We also aim to ensure that pupils are responsible for their own behaviour. We have school and golden rules and staff do not ignore unacceptable behaviour. Having high expectations, being good role models and rewarding pupils enables us to promote positive behaviour (see Appendix 1).

This policy is designed to promote good behaviour rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour. When sanctions are needed, this policy outlines the expected outcomes for all pupils.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBLITIES IN PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR

The Head Teacher will:

  • Implement the school behaviour policy consistently throughout the school by setting the standards of behaviour and supporting staff in the implementation of the policy
  • Keep records of all reported serious incidents of misbehaviour
  • Report to Governors, when requested, on the effectiveness of the policy
  • Report the number of level 3, 4 and 5 sanctions to Governors each term
  • Ensure the health, safety and welfare of all children in the school
  • Report to/meet with parents/carers when necessary
  • Be aware of and understand his/her rights and responsibilities (see Appendix 3)
  • Support teachers and SENCO with behaviour management strategies and outside agencies
  • Support SENCO and teachers in creating individual behaviour plans
  • Discuss strategies with parents whose children are at risk of exclusion, this may include temporarily putting a child on a reduced timetable

The Head Teacher or a member of the SLT will be on duty during lunch break.

The Head Teacher has the responsibility for giving fixed-term exclusions to individual children for serious acts of misbehaviour (level 5) or persistent level 4 behaviours. The Head Teacher may permanently exclude a child for repeated, or very serious, acts of anti-social behaviour. This action is only taken after the school governors have been notified.

The SENCO will:

  • Support teachers with behaviour management strategies
  • Liaise with local agencies, such as DESC
  • Support teachers inliaising with parents/carers when necessary
  • Support teachers in writing learning plans, RAMPs or individual behaviour plans
  • Be aware of and understand their rights and responsibilities (see Appendix 3)

All Staff will:

  • Have high expectations of pupil behaviour
  • Ensure the pupils in their class/care know the class, school and golden rules (see Appendix 5)
  • Use the class behaviour chart consistently and praise or sanction consistently
  • Provide an area for children to complete thinking sheets in a calm manner (see Appendix 6)
  • Give opportunities to pupils to develop interpersonal and social skills
  • Offer a curriculum that enables pupils to engage
  • Give the opportunity to pupils to work in groups, pairs or individually
  • Make sure that pupils listen and value others
  • Help pupils to gain the ability to make choices about their behaviour
  • Help pupils to be confident about their learning and enjoy it
  • Help pupils understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens in our society
  • Be a positive role model
  • Reward/praise positive behaviour
  • Use the behaviour log to record incidents for levels (see Appendix 8)
  • Inform parents about their child’s welfare or behaviour and, where necessary, work alongside parents
  • Be aware of and understand their rights and responsibilities (see Appendix 3)
  • Be aware of pupils who require additional support
  • Use ‘Step-On’ training to promote positive behaviour and deescalate negative behaviour (see Appendix 4)
  • Use a walkie talkie to communicate with SLT when vulnerable children/cohorts are being taught
  • Treat all children as equals, irrespective of gender, race or religion. It is important that the pupils see and feel that the actions of staff are fair
  • Closely supervise pupils -
    a) Staff on duty to arrive on the playground punctually
    b) Staff not on duty to be in the teaching/cloakroom areas to see the pupils leave

c) Be on the playground promptly at the end of break to ensure that children enter thebuilding in an orderly manner

  • Support each other in maintaining consistent behaviour throughout the school
  • Expect politeness (‘please’, ‘thank you’, ‘excuse me’ etc.)
  • Be alert to signs of bullying and racial harassment and encourage pupils to be the same
  • Deal sensitively with pupils in distress
  • Listen to accounts of incidents given by the pupils
  • Deal with discipline problems immediately wherever possible, especially minor misdemeanours
  • Reinforce ‘YOYOB’(You own your own behaviour)
  • Resolve minor conflicts using principles of Restorative Practice

Pupils will:

  • Follow all instructions given by adults immediately
  • Respect and care for others
  • Listen to others
  • Learn/work/play co-operatively
  • Obey the class, school and golden rules (see Appendix 5)
  • Contribute to the writing of their own class rules/charter
  • Resolve disputes positively by talking them through and considering all points of view (see Appendix 7)
  • Consider how their actions affect others
  • Know ways to put things right when it goes wrong
  • Value and take responsibility of the environment
  • Be aware of and understand their rights and responsibilities (see Appendix 3)
  • Be aware of their own emotions and actions and take responsibility for these
  • Inform an adult if they witness or experience undesirable behaviour
  • Ensure that they are always in the supervision of adults

Parents, Carers and Families will:

  • Support the school, following the behaviour policy
  • Promote positive behaviour at home in order to have continuity between home/school
  • Initially contact the class teacher if they have concerns about the way their child has been treated. If concerns remain, contact the Phase Leader. If issues continue then contact the Head Teacher. The school governors are the final point of contact
  • Initially contact the class teacher if they feel their child’s behaviour, in or out of school, is impacting on the child’s emotional well-being
  • Be aware of and understand their rights and responsibilities (see Appendix 3)
  • Respect the school and golden rules (see Appendix 5)
  • Let the school deal with any issues with other children/parents regarding incidents within the school

The Governing Body will:

  • Support the school in the implementation of the behaviour policy
  • Give advice, when necessary, to the Head Teacher about disciplinary issues so that he/she can take the advice into account when making decisions about behaviour issues
  • Review the effectiveness of the policy
  • Be notified of fixed term exclusions and support the Head Teacher with permanent exclusions

SEND

Some children, including those with SEND who have specific needs relating to behaviour, may find it continually difficult to follow the class, school or golden rules. Individual strategies will therefore need to be implemented to support them. Parents will be continually involved in supporting the school in managing their child’s behaviour issues. It may also be appropriate to complete a Families FirstAssessment (FFA) or Early Help Module (EHM) if multi-agencies are involved with the child or an individual support plan if the child is at risk of exclusion.

MONITORING AND EVALUATING

The effectiveness of this policy will be regularly monitored by the Head Teacher, SLT and Governors. Monitoring takes place in a number of ways, including short questionnaires by pupils, staff and parents/carers, school council feedback, statistical data or classroom observation. The school keeps a variety of records of incidents of misbehaviour - Headteacher’s records, class behaviour log, CPOMs, home/school link cards/books etc. Phase Leaders will monitor behaviour logs on a half termly basis or more frequently if necessary. They will collate data (percentages of children at each level) for each class and report this to the Head Teacher so data can be included in the full report to governors.

TRIPS

Attendance on school tripsis a privilege and not an automatic right. If a pupil’s behaviour before a tripis consistently unacceptable and they have moved to level 4 of the sanctions procedures, they will not be accepted on a trip. Furthermore, if pupils are deemed to put themselves in danger during a trip, appropriate risk assessments will be undertaken which could involve asking a parent/carer to accompany them.

The school reserves the right at any time to withdraw any pupil from a trip if they are involved in any behaviour which we deem does not live up to our school code of conduct.

The above also applies to any school sporting events or after school clubs.

REVIEW

The policy will be reviewed in line with the school’s yearly review cycle. However, the governors may review the policy earlier if the governing body receives recommendations on how the policy might be improved. This could be for varying reasons, e.g. government directive, review of school behaviour or stakeholder feedback.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies:

  • Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy - updated September 2017
  • Anti-Bullying Policy – updated November 2017
  • Equality Policy – updated December 2017
  • SEND Policy – updated October 2017
  • Complaints Policy – updated November 2017
  • Home School Agreement – updated October 2017

APPENDIX 1 - Rewards

To reinforce good work/learning, behaviour and attitude we use:

  • Moving up the behaviour chart to gain Golden time
  • Verbal praise
  • Team Points
  • Stickers
  • Showing good work to the SLT or Headteacher
  • Showing good work in assemblies
  • Display of pupils’ work throughout the school
  • Parent email / text
  • Responsibilities
  • Earning class pin
  • Earning school gold pin

APPENDIX 2 - Sanctions

Examples of Behaviour / Possible Sanctions / Comments
Level 1 / Interrupting/calling out
Losing concentration
Running inside the school building
Ignoring instructions
Silly noises
Pushing in line
Not completing sufficient work in lessons
Talking in assembly
Not completing homework to the expected standard, including reading regularly at home as outlined by the class teacher / Quiet reminder
Non-verbal signals (e.g. Eye contact, pointing)
One move down on the behaviour chart
Some incidents in this stage may result in immediate loss of activity e.g. 5 minutes of lost playtime time / Often praising good behaviour (e.g. ‘Thank you to all of you who are walking along the corridor sensibly.’) has a positive effect on those not behaving
Level 2 / Persistent level 1 behaviour,or:
Rudeness
Affecting other pupil’s learning
Inappropriate remark or behaviour to other pupils
Minor challenge to authority
Damaging school’s/pupil’s property
Leaving class without permission
Harmful/offensive name calling / Complete thinking sheet
Miss playtime with class teacher
Change of seating
Working in another classroom
Further movement down the behaviour chart / Behaviour log to be filled in.
Register half-termly and speak to persistent offenders
Parents informed if children in the behaviour log 3 times per half term
Level 3 / Persistent level 2 behaviour,or:
Swearing
Throwing objects with intent to damage / harm
Intentionally damaging school’s/pupil’s property
Intentionally causing harm to another child
Continued or more serious challenge to authority
Stealing
Repeated refusal to do set task or comply with a reasonable request
Highly offensive remarks to children / Complete thinking sheet
Sent to a member of the SLT
Telephone call to inform parents/carers by class teacher
Loss of playtimes /lunchtimes
Head Teacher informed / Behaviour log to be filled in.
Level 4 / Persistent level 3 behaviour,or:
Bullying
Fighting
Racism
Violence (towards another pupil)
Very serious challenge to authority
Trying to leaveschool without permission / Sent to the Head Teacher
Meeting with parents/carers and a letter home
Loss of playtimes/ lunchtimes
Ban on representing the school and/or trips outside school – fixed period.
Internal exclusion for a fixed period / Behaviour log to be filled in.
Situation to be monitored by teachers and Head Teacher
Level 5 / Persistent level 4 behaviour,or:
Persistent verbal abuse to a member of staff
Physical abuse to any member of staff/adult
Malicious physical assault on another pupil
Leaving school without permission
Any behaviour that puts the pupil or other pupils in danger (including repeated refusal to comply with school rules/instructions)
Seriously harming the education or welfare of the pupil or other pupils in the school
/ Meeting with parents/carers and a letter home
Exclusion for a fixed term / Behaviour log to be filled in.
Level 6 / Repeated level 5 behaviour / Governor disciplinary sub-committee convened
Permanent exclusion from school

Persistent behaviour is considered to be behaviour which does not stop after a consequence.
APPENDIX 3 - Rights and Responsibilities

Staff Rights / Responsibilities
To be supported by all colleagues /
  • To ask for support when needed
  • To offer support to colleagues and managers

To be listened to
To share opinions /
  • To listen to others
  • To give opinions in a constructive manner

To be treated courteously by all others in the school community /
  • To model courteous behaviour
  • To recognise and acknowledge positive behaviour in others

To be made fully aware of the school’s system/policies/expectations /
  • To seek information and use lines of communication

To receive appropriate training to increase skills in behaviour management /
  • To support others in developing their skills in promoting positive behaviour
  • To acknowledge areas of own behaviour management skills that could be developed
  • To try/use and to evaluate new approaches

Pupils Rights / Responsibilities
To be treated with respect /
  • To behave respectfully to others

To be safe /
  • To behave in a way that keeps others and yourself safe
  • To inform a member of staff of any problems

To learn /
  • To be willing to learn
  • To allow others to learn
  • To attend school regularly

To make mistakes /
  • To own mistakes and learn from them
  • To allow others to make mistakes

To be listened to /
  • To give opinions in a constructive manner
  • To listen to others

Parents/Carers Rights / Responsibilities
To be treated with respect /
  • To behave respectfully towards others

To be kept informed about their child’s progress /
  • To talk to teachers if they have any concerns about their child’s learning and wellbeing
  • To talk to their child about what he/she does in school
  • To ensure their child attends school regularly

To be listened to /
  • To listen to others

To have access to information on the school’s procedures for positive behaviour /
  • To acknowledge/respond to information and share concerns

To have concerns taken seriously /
  • To share concerns constructively

APPENDIX 4– Key Points for positive behaviour and de-escalation from Step-On Training:

  • Be pro-active with behavioural issues- understand the children and the factors which could cause unwanted behaviour. Be empathetic
  • Carry out an inclusion model for each class
  • Find opportunities to praise – remind children of success
  • Take ‘do not’ out of your vocabulary
  • Teach behaviour: relationships, role modelling, consistency, scripts and routines, positive phrasing, planning, reward and reinforcement, comfort and forgiveness
  • Build connections, be positive, caring and trustworthy
  • Do not raise a child’s anxiety. Think about situations that could heighten this such as immediate questioning – children may need time to calm down before discussion
  • Complete anxiety mapping for any children with consistently negative behaviour
  • If necessary, say – ‘don’t talk to anybody like that,’ instead of ‘don’t talk to me like that.’
  • Use positive phrasing by saying thank you and give clear instructions
  • When giving limited choice, offer equal value choices
  • Disempower poor behaviour – hold your nerve!
  • Use de-escalation script
  • Give a child time to calm down after a crisis
  • If a child apologies by saying sorry, explore what it means so that it is not a token gesture
  • In a difficult situation:

Positive Phrasing – Come sit next to me for a story

Limited choice – Would you like to sit on the chair or the beanbag?

Disempowering the behaviour – You can listen to the story from there

Consequence – We will check you understand the story before going out for break time

  • Ensure that all adults deal with particular behaviour issues and children consistently. An individual management plan should be made for certain children

APPENDIX 5 – Golden Rules

We have a set of Golden Rules which help us to work together for excellence to ensure we are successful school.