The Brookhurst Out of School Club

Ullswater Avenue, Leamington Spa, CV32 6NH.

Phone: 01926 426284

Mobile: 07505200238

E-mail:

Ambition Statement

“A place to think and grow”

Brookhurst aims to be a caring, welcoming, stable and friendly school community. We will provide the best possible environment for children to learn and develop, as well as to cultivate a sense of wonder, empathy and understanding of the world around them. Together, we will strive to bring the best out of our children, ensuring that they maximise their potential and are prepared as fully as possible for the next stage of their lives.

Governors and Staff of Brookhurst Primary School, 2012

Introduction

The aim of this policy is to promote good relationships so that all of the community can work together with the common aim of helping everyone to learn.

It is a primary aim of our school that every member of our school community feels included and supported and that each person is valued, respected and treated well.

Brookhurst is a caring community whose values are built on mutual trust and respect for all. Our Behaviour Policy is designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure to enable learning to take place.

We understand that we have a legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that everyone is treated in the same way. We must be aware of safeguarding procedures and how this could affect a child’s behaviour and in respect of children with Special Educational Needs that their individual needs are taken into account when dealing with behaviour.

At Brookhurst Primary School, we aim to encourage children and teachers to:

  • create and maintain a positive, safe and orderly school climate where effective learning can take place where all children can be prepared as fully as possible for the next stage of their lives
  • actively promote a high standard of behaviour
  • learn, play and co-operate in an atmosphere of mutual respect and courtesy
  • have a high level of personal self esteem
  • show respect for other people’s property and the school learning environment
  • have respect for other races, cultures, religions, abilities and gender
  • be aware of their responsibilities as members of our school community
  • be able to understand and accept the consequences of their actions
  • reinforce positive behaviour
  • encourage all members of the community to take a pride in themselves, others and their school.

Our aims, we believe, are achieved when:

  • clear expectations are established, understood and accepted throughout the school by all members of the learning community
  • encouragement and reward – both formal and informal are key elements in managing behaviour
  • a school atmosphere is maintained which is consistent and caring
  • the choice to behave responsibly is placed on the pupil, and pupils are taught how to make responsible behaviour choices
  • pupils are provided with good role models
  • children are experiencing a curriculum that is varied and stimulating and where teachers are aware and respond to children’s varying interests and skills
  • parents and school are in partnership to help children who need support to manage their own behaviour
  • sanctions are directed at the action and not the child
  • all are aware and understand the hierarchy of consequences and which are applied consistently and fairly with the school in a calm and considerate manner

School Code of Conduct

We have a Code of Conduct which is displayed in all learning spaces including the hall and corridors. All members of the school are expected to follow this.

  • we are ready to learn
  • we listen to each other
  • we look after our school and the things in it
  • we walk when inside school
  • we treat everyone as we would like them to treat us

As a school we recognise that positive reinforcement, encouragement and praise are the most effective means of promoting good behaviour to enable learning to be effective.

It can be used to recognise and reinforce good behaviour and to prompt pupils who are choosing not to follow our Code of Conduct to think about their actions and to modify their behaviour.

We have a reward sticker chart at club where children get stickers for good behaviour and once the chart is full the children get to choose something to buy for club.

We also have a separate code of conduct for staff at club, all staff members are asked to read and sign this code of conduct during their induction. (Please ask to see a copy).

Sanctions

Any punishment for inappropriate behaviour must be reasonable and proportionate. We understand that corporal punishment is illegal. When children choose not to follow our Code of Conduct, all staff are expected to deal with them in a calm and consistent manner and adhering to the flowchart of consequences used within in school.

Stage 1:Verbal warning

Stage 2:Remove the child from the situation and not allow them to return unless their behaviour improves

Stage 3:Situation to be discussed with the child’s parents/carers

The children are reminded of the system periodically throughout the year and it is to be used consistently across the school.

Children should always be positively acknowledged – it is the child’s behaviour choices that are inappropriate not the child.

It is expected that everyone in school – adults and children – begin each day with the highest of expectations. Behaviour from previous days does not roll over to the next day – each pupil will begin each day afresh.

Where there is no improvement in behaviour, the co-ordinator (Laura) may feel that it is necessary to stop the child from attending club. This will be discussed with the head teacher and the parents to ensure the best outcome for the child.

Poor behaviour witnessed or reported outside of the school premises will not be tolerated in any way. Any behaviour which could lead to negative repercussions for the school or community will be dealt with by the Head Teacher.

If any poor behaviour includes racist comments or abuse then it must be reported to the Head Teacher / Deputy Head Teacher immediately as this must be recorded and dealt with in line with our School Race Relations policy.

In situations where a pupil has made malicious accusations about a member of staff, there will be serious consequences for the pupil. The Co-ordinator will report any allegations to the Head Teacher and together with parents they will put appropriate sanctions in place, (as outline in the Dealing with Allegations against Staff procedure).

Inclusion

At Brookhurst we have a strong commitment to inclusion. However, it is important that all understand the consequences of consistently poor behaviour, including how it can affect a child’s learning, the learning of their peers and the health and safety of all.

Role of Parents

Parents have a vital role to play in the education of their child and it is very important that parents support their child’s learning and co-operate with the club to promote good behaviour. At Brookhurst we strive to have strong links with parents and good communication with home and school.

We will ensure that parents are kept informed as to their child’s behaviour at club so that there can be a consistent approach about how to behave both at club and home.

If the club has to impose any sanctions against a child, it is hoped that parents would support the actions of the school. If parents do have any concern about the way their child has been treated, they should initially contact the co-ordinator (Laura) or deputy co-ordinator (Sue) in the absence of the co-ordinator.

We expect all members of our community to adhere to the principles as set out in our Behaviour policy and therefore all to behave in an appropriate manner within school.

Use of Reasonable Force

In certain circumstances it may be necessary for members of staff to use force on a child, for example, if two children are fighting and refuse to stop or if a child needs to be removed from a situation to prevent them harming themselves or others. Members of staff are permitted to do this as long as the force used is reasonable in that no more force is used than is required to get the desired outcome. All incidents will be reported to the head teacher, if the incident is serious, it will be recorded and parents informed. Senior staff members will use their professional judgement to decide whether the incident it serious. If a staff member needs to use force on a child they must ensure that a witness is present where possible. No force will ever be used as a punishment.If there is a complaint about a staff member using force on a child it will be dealt with following our Dealing with Allegations against Staff Members procedure.

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Anti-Bullying

At Brookhurst we deplore bullying and are aware of the consequences in adult life of bullying in childhood.

Bullying is against the ethos of our school.

This part of the Behaviour policy outlines what we at Brookhurst will do to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying. We are committed to developing an anti-bullying culture where no form of bullying, will be tolerated.

Definition of Bullying

As a school we have chosen to adopt Warwickshire Anti-bullying Partnership’s definition of bullying:

“If a person’s or group of people’s behaviour, over a period of time, leaves someone feeling one or more of the following:

  • physically and/or mentally hurt or worried
  • unsafe and/or frightened
  • unable to do well and achieve
  • ‘badly different’, alone, unimportant and/or unvalued
  • unable to see a happy and exciting future for yourself

...... it COULD be bullying. When a person, or group of people, has been made aware of the effects of their behaviour on another person, and they continue to behave in the same manner, this IS bullying.

Bullying is any behaviour by an individual or group that:

  • is meant to hurt – the person or people doing the bullying know what they are doing and mean to do it
  • happens more than once – there will be a pattern of behaviour – not just a “one-off” incident
  • may involve an imbalance of power with the person being bullied usually finding it hard to defend themselves

Forms of bullying

Bullying can be:

  • physical : kicking, hitting, taking and damaging belongings, appearance or health conditions, learning difficulties and disability
  • verbal: name calling, taunting, threats, offensive remarks
  • relational: spreading nasty stories, gossiping, excluding from social groups
  • cyber: related to texts, emails, picture/video clip bullying, Instant Messaging
  • racial: related to race, religion or culture
  • sexual: related to sexual orientation (homophobic bullying), sexist remarks

Rationale

Everyone at Brookhurst Primary School has the right to feel welcome, secure and happy. Only if this is the case will all members of our school be able to “maximise their potential”.

Bullying of any sort prevents this happening and also prevents equality of opportunity.

It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent this being able to happen and this policy contains guidelines to support this ethos.

Our school community

  • discusses, monitors and reviews our Behaviour and Anti-bullying policy on a regular basis
  • supports all staff to promote positive relationships and identify and tackle bullying appropriately
  • ensures that all of our pupils are aware that any bullying concerns are dealt with sensitively and effectively. Our children need to feel safe to ensure that their learning is not interrupted.
  • reports back to all parents/carers regarding any concerns about bullying promptly.

Preventing, identifying and responding to bullying

At Brookhurst we are vigilant for signs of bullying and always take reports of any incidents seriously.

We regularly discuss bullying with the children and ensure that we have activities throughout the year to keep this at the forefront of everyones mind.

Pupils are told that they must report any incidents of bullying to an adult and that when another pupil tells them that they are being bullied or if they see bullying taking place it is their responsibility to report this to a member of staff.

All reported incidents of bullying will be investigated and taken seriously by all staff. A record will be kept of any incidents by the co-ordinator or deputy co-ordinator, in consultation with the staff member.

If any bullying includes racist comments or abuse then it must be reported to the Co-ordinator / Deputy co-ordinator immediately on an incident sheet.

Upon the reporting of an incident of bullying, we will discuss with the children involved what has happened. The adult involved will remain neutral and deliberately avoid using direct, closed questioning which could be interpreted as being accusatory or interrogational in style. Each pupil will be given the opportunity to talk and the discussion should remain focussed on finding a solution to the problem and stopping the bullying recurring.

The parents of all the children involved in the incident will be informed and we will discuss, in a meeting with the staff member concerned, the co-ordinator and the head teacher, the action that has taken place and they will be asked to support any strategies proposed to tackle the problem.

The child who has been bullying will be reminded of the possible consequences of bullying and the sanctions for repeated incidents will be explained.

A behaviour monitoring sheet will be used if deemed appropriate.

Parent are reminded periodically to inform their children that they must tell someone if they are being bullied at school as keeping information from their parents and school will never help a problem to be solved.

If necessary we will ask for support and advice from the Behaviour Support Service of the Local Authority.

Parents have an important role to play in helping us as a school to achieve a calm, safe learning environment by:

  • supporting our Behaviour and Anti-bullying policies
  • reinforcing our School Code of Conduct with their children
  • reporting to us any cases of bullying and/or other problems when they first occur
  • discourage any aggressive behaviour or retaliation in children
  • reinforce any correction/sanction which the school needs to give.

To recap, when a case of bullying has been identified to staff, the following procedures will be put in effect:

  • talk to the victim to ascertain their feelings and fears as a result of any form of bullying they have received
  • inform the victim of the intention to talk to the bully/ies
  • talking to the bully/ies to inform them that they know they have done something wrong and why it is not acceptable.
  • Record everything on an incident sheet.
  • Discuss the events with parents which may include the use of a behaviour monitoring chart

This policy is linked with our Safeguarding policies. We understand that the experiences a child has can directly affect their behaviour and if we think that a behaviour is a sign that a child is suffering significant harm we must follow safeguarding policies and procedures immediately.

Policy Adopted: July 2015Review Due: July 2016