Heathlands Primary School
Rewards and Behaviour Policy (incl. Anti-Bullying)
Date / Review Date / Coordinator / Nominated Governor20.10.15 / October 2018 / Rick Cranfield / Alyson Ripley
We have a duty under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to have in place a Rewards and Behaviour policy that is consistent throughout the school. We believe that we promote good behaviour by creating a happy, caring school environment where everyone feels valued, respected, secure and free from all forms of anti-social behaviour. We encourage pupils to achieve in a learning environment where self-discipline is promoted and good behaviour is the norm. We believe pupils will achieve their full potential in a happy, stimulating and ordered school environment.
We work very closely with the members of our School Council in order to hear their views and opinions as we acknowledge and support Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that children should be encouraged to form and to express their views.
This policy has been produced by our ‘Rewards and Behaviour Working Party’ following a year-long consultation process. The working party included representatives from all parts of the school community including pupils, parents, staff (teaching and non-teaching) and governors.
AIMS OF THIS POLICY
· To create a culture that makes everyone in the school community feel valued and respected
· To maintain high expectations of behaviour through a clear and consistent approach to rewarding the positive and addressing the negative
· To promote self-discipline and proper regard for authority among pupils
· To prevent all forms of bullying among pupils by encouraging good behaviour and respect for others
DEFINITION OF BULLYING
At Heathlands, bullying is defined as persistent, targeted anti-social behaviour aimed at causing upset/hurt over a sustained period of time.
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Our school ethos is strongly based on the principle that we all have three key rights and responsibilities as follows :-
We all have the right to be safe and the responsibility to keep everybody safe
We all have the right to learn and the responsibility to let others learn
We all have the right to be treated with respect and the responsibility to treat others with respect
WHAT IS POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR?
Positive behaviour means that everyone in school takes responsibility for themselves and the effect of their actions on others within the school community by being:
· careful and kind
· polite and friendly
· helpful to each other
· hard-working
· respectful of other people’s needs, feelings and opinions
· safe and sensible in how we move in and around the school
· proud of our appearance ie. wearing appropriate school uniform
OUR BEHAVIOUR CODE
Our Behaviour Code clearly outlines our high expectations of behaviour within our school community. The code has been produced by the members of our School Council and is regularly reviewed. The code is displayed in classrooms and around the school and is shared with parents within newsletters etc.
HOW IS POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR PROMOTED AND REWARDED?
Pupils who follow ‘Our Behaviour Code’ and act in a respectful and responsible manner are praised and rewarded in a variety of ways. These vary according to the age of the pupils and can include:
· being congratulated (verbal praise)
· being given stickers, stamps and stars
· being given house points (see ‘House System’ section)
· being awarded certificates eg. ‘Writer of the Week’
· being ‘Star of the Day/Week’
· Golden Time
· Headteacher Awards/Stickers
· Postcards/letters home
Positive behaviour is promoted throughout the school in a clear and consistent way. This ensures that all pupils fully understand our expectations as they move from class to class. Through the use of a common approach, it also enables part-time staff, supply teachers and visiting teachers to be consistent.
OUR HOUSE SYSTEM
The House system at Heathlands:
· provides a clear and consistent system for rewarding all pupils throughout the school
· gives all pupils a sense of belonging to a team within school
· enables pupils to socialise and work alongside pupils and staff from other year-groups
· encourages friendly competition in Sports Days etc.
· enables pupils to be rewarded for their behaviour, attitude and work on both an individual and team level
House points are awarded to pupils for:
· consistently following ‘Our Behaviour Code’, ‘Playleader Code’ etc.
· undertaking a position of responsibility
· representing the school eg. sports fixture
· outstanding effort/work
· maintaining a positive attitude
· remaining at the ‘green’ stage of the traffic light at the end of each week (see ‘Traffic-light’ section) [I house point to each pupil at the end of every week]
· going ‘above and beyond’ i.e. homework etc.
· reaching personal targets within their learning
How does our House System work?
· All pupils are allocated to a house upon their entry to school
· Pupils are allocated at random with the exception of keeping siblings in the same house
· There are 6 houses in total each with a local name and colour
· All staff in school are able to award house points including LSAs, Office staff and MDAs
· House points are recorded by the class teacher on a visual display in class or in a record book
· Staff have house point tickets/tokens which are given to pupils – these are then handed to the class teacher by the pupil to be recorded
· House point totals are collected at the end of each week by ‘House Captains’ – totals are displayed in the school hall
· Year 6 pupils are elected as ‘House Captains’ at the beginning of each year - 1 boy and 1 girl with vice-captains – photographs displayed in hall
· Class teachers are also allocated as House Leaders and parents will be informed about these roles
· House assemblies take place on a weekly basis – whilst the majority of these assemblies will be as Infants or Juniors, there will also be whole-school house assemblies on a rota basis
· Individual pupils are presented with a certificate/award upon achieving 10,25,50,75 house points – these are presented in an assembly and a letter/postcard is sent home to parents
· At the end of each term, the house that has gained the most house points will receive a prize eg. non-uniform day – a house cup will also be awarded
· It is essential that house points are awarded in a fair and equitable way – this will be monitored by Department Leaders
· It should be stressed that house points are not taken away from pupils
TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM
Feedback from pupils gathered by the ‘Working Party’ makes it clear that a simple, common approach to promoting positive behaviour is necessary. All classrooms display a traffic light symbol which is used to promote and monitor behaviour in class. All pupils begin the morning/afternoon at the green stage of the traffic light.
Where a pupil chooses to behave in an inappropriate way which does not follow ‘Our Behaviour Code’, they will be given a verbal reminder by the teacher/adult. For continued inappropriate behaviour, the pupil will move up the traffic-light symbol as in the diagram.
Where a pupil’s behaviour results in them taking ‘time out’ in another class on more than one occasion in a week, their class teacher will:
· keep a record of this
· inform their Department Leader
· contact the parents of the pupil to discuss their child’s behaviour, possible consequences should the behaviour continue and how home and school can work together to support the pupil
A number of classes have also integrated a ‘Gold Star’ in a position above the Green traffic light. This is to recognise pupils who are continually displaying outstanding behaviour.
CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES
At Heathlands, we believe that pupils always have a choice in how they behave. Pupils are always given the opportunity to address their behaviour through reminders and support from their peers and/or adults in school. However, for persistent negative behaviour or incidents of a serious nature, a range of consequences are employed which depend on the circumstances and severity of the incident. In incidents of negative behaviour we:
· encourage pupils to take responsibility for their actions
· discuss the incident with the pupil(s) involved
· encourage pupils to resolve disagreements themselves
· work with pupil(s) involved to make amends and work on strategies to avoid any repeat of the incident
· give pupil(s) involved the opportunity to identify an appropriate consequence (should this be necessary)
What are the consequences of unacceptable behaviour?
Where a pupil’s behaviour affects the rights of others to be safe, to learn¸ and to be treated with respect, a range of consequences are employed. These include:
On occasions where a pupil fails to complete their work as a result of their behaviour, they will be expected to complete this in their free-time in school or at home.
PLAYGROUND BEHAVIOUR
Our high expectations and standards of behaviour in school are continued outside on the playground. Whilst pupils continue to follow ‘Our Behaviour Code’ on the playground, we also have our ‘Play Leader’s Code’ focusing specifically on playground behaviour.
Pupils are rewarded with housepoints by MDAs for following ‘Our Behaviour Code’ and the ‘Play Leader’s Code’. House points may be awarded at lunchtime for:-
· being helpful and taking on responsibility
· looking after other pupils
· helping to organise games etc.
In consultation with the School Council a lunchtime reward system has been established:
* Pupils in the infant department are rewarded with a sticker for positive behaviour. Each week one pupil is awarded a certificate, badge and trophy for outstanding behaviour.
* Pupils in the junior department are awarded a raffle ticket for positive behaviour. Raffle tickets are placed in a box at reception with one ticket being drawn each half term with the winner being rewarded with a book voucher.
Consequences for pupils not following these codes are as follows:-
MDAs are now allocated to each class in order to develop their relationship with the pupils from whom they are responsible. Where possible, MDAs will be invited to join their class for a ‘Circle Time’ activity to share ideas and views.
Where there are accidents or incidents of anti-social behaviour on the playground, MDAs will complete a ‘pink slip’ which will be handed to the class teacher upon return to the classroom. The class teacher will then follow this up and contact parents as necessary.
HOW DO WE SUPPORT PUPILS
RESTORATIVE PRACTICE
Within our PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health & Citizenship Education) curriculum, we aim to give pupils the skills and confidence to:
· understand ‘right’ from ‘wrong’
· take responsibility for their actions
· understand that sometimes things do go wrong and that in such instances, there is an obligation to put things right or to make amends
· be assertive, express their feelings and resolve conflict without resorting to being aggressive or rude
· tell someone (verbally or via the ‘Worry Box’) if there is a problem that needs to be resolved
‘Circle Time’ is a regular feature of our PSHCE curriculum. During this time, all children have a ‘voice’ and all contributions are valued by the class.
Every class at Heathlands has a ‘worry box’. This enables those pupils who find it difficult to share their worries verbally, to write a note which is promptly followed-up by the class teacher.
Staff at Heathlands use a variety of strategies and resources to support a pupil behaving in an unacceptable manner. These include:
· having clear targets for behaviour (identified within Individual Education Plan or Individual Behaviour Plan as appropriate)
· analysing the ‘triggers’ for behaviour (through ABC analysis)
· identifying a ‘key’ member of staff for the pupil to talk to
· working very closely with parents to give clear and consistent support to the pupil
· linking the pupil with a ‘Learning Mentor’ (LSAs to receive training in Summer 2011)
· identifying a peer or ‘Circle of Friends’ to support the pupil
· gaining support from external agencies ie. Behaviour Support, Educational Psychology Service etc.
PUPILS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Whilst our systems for rewarding positive behaviour and addressing negative behaviour are clear and consistent, it is important to recognise that individual pupils require specific strategies to support their behaviour and learning. It is vital that the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs are taken into account in determining the nature of rewards and consequences. In all aspects of Rewards and Behaviour, it is essential that pupils develop the skills to understand the consequences of their behaviour and the impact that this can have on other members of the school community.
Please refer to Inclusion Policy for further information.
THE USE OF PHYSICAL INTERVENTION
The Education Act 1996 sets out what physical interventions staff in school may legally use. Physical Intervention is only ever used as a very last resort at Heathlands Primary School to ensure the continued safety of both pupils and staff. Proactive and preventative measures play a significant role in minimising the necessity to use ‘force’ to control or restrain a pupil, and this includes ensuring that high quality teaching and learning is taking place and that the provision is ‘needs led’ and responds to the complexity of need. On the very rare occasions where physical intervention is required at Heathlands Primary School, we ensure that:
· it is a last resort
· a second member of staff is in attendance wherever possible
· a senior member of staff is informed immediately and an ABC form is completed
· the member of staff intervening attempts to continue to communicate with the pupil throughout the incident
· physical intervention stops as soon as it ceases to be necessary
· parents are contacted following the incident
ROLES
THE ROLE OF PUPILS
Pupils are responsible for:
ü following our codes of behaviour
ü respecting themselves, each other and the environment in and out of school