Auckland College Independent School

Secondary School Behaviour Policy

Including Bullying

Introduction

Auckland College believes that in order to enable effective teaching and learning to take place, good behaviour in all aspects of school life is necessary. It seeks to create a caring and learning environment in the school:

  • Encouraging and acknowledging good behaviour and discipline.
  • Promoting self-esteem by encouraging students to value and respect themselves and others;
  • Providing a safe environment free from disruption, violence, bullying and any form of harassment;
  • Promoting early intervention;
  • Ensuring a consistency of response to both positive and negative behaviour;
  • Encouraging a positive relationship with parents and carers to develop a shared approach that involves them in the implementation of the school’s policies and associated procedures;
  • Encouraging children to take responsibility for their behaviour;
  • Explaining unacceptable behaviour.

Roles and responsibilities

The Head Teacher of Auckland College will establish, in consultation with the management, staff and parents, the policy for the promotion of good behaviour and keep it under review. They will ensure that it is communicated to pupils and parents, is non-discriminatory and the expectations are clear.

Parents will support the school in maintaining high standards of behaviour.

The Head Teacher, or designated staff member, will be responsible for the implementation and day-to-day management of the policy and procedures.

Staff, including teachers, support staff and student teachers, will be responsible for ensuring that the policy and procedures are followed, and consistently and fairly applied. Mutual support amongst all staff in the implementation of the policy is essential; so that a high-quality learning environment is created in which students develop self-discipline and personal responsibility.

The proprietors, Head Teacher and staff will ensure there is no differential application of the policy on any grounds, particularly ethnic or national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexuality. They will also ensure that the concerns of pupils are listened to and appropriately addressed.

Parents and carers will take responsibility for the behaviour of their child both inside and outside the school. They will be encouraged to work in partnership with the school in maintaining high standards of behaviour and will have the opportunity to raise with the school any issues arising from the operation of the policy.

Pupils will be expected to take responsibility for their own behaviour and will be made fully aware of the school policy, procedures and expectations. Pupils also have a responsibility to ensure that any incidents of disruption, bullying and any form of harassment are reported.

Equality Impact Statement

We will do all we can to ensure that this policy does not discriminate, directly or indirectly. We shall do this through regular monitoring and evaluation of our policies. On review we shall assess and consult relevant stakeholders on the likely impact of our policies on the promotion of race equality, equality for disabled persons, gender equality and community cohesion using an appropriate Equality Impact Assessment. The policy may be amended as a result of this assessment.

Training

The Head Teacher will ensure that appropriate high-quality training on all aspects of behaviour management is provided to support the implementation of the policy.

Monitoring, evaluation and review

The school will review this policy annually and assess its implementation and effectiveness. The policy will be promoted and implemented throughout the school.

Interrelationship with other school policies

In order for the behaviour policy to be effective a clear relationship with other school policies, particularly equal opportunities, inclusion, and the use of force to control or restrain pupils, has been established.

Involvement of outside agencies

The school works positively with external agencies (e.g. educational welfare, health services etc.). It seeks appropriate support from them to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met by utilising the range of external support available.

Procedures

The Head Teacher, in consultation with staff, will develop the procedures from this policy.

The procedures will make clear to the pupils how acceptable standards of behaviour can be achieved and will have a clear rationale, which is made explicit to staff, pupils and parents.

The procedures will be consistently and fairly applied and will promote the idea of personal responsibility and treat every member of the school equally. Each member of the school has a responsibility towards the whole community in which we live.

Rewards and sanctions

Auckland College’s ethos of encouragement is central to the promotion of good behaviour. Rewards are one means of achieving this. They have a motivational role in helping pupils to realise that good behaviour is valued, and are clearly defined in the procedures. Integral to the system of rewards is an emphasis on praise both informal and formal to individuals and groups.

Sanctions are needed to respond to inappropriate behaviour. A range of sanctions is clearly defined in the procedures, and their use will be characterised by clarity of why the sanction is being applied and what change in behaviour is required. The procedures make a clear distinction between the sanctions applied for minor and major offences.

Bullying

The aim of our anti bullying policy:

  • To assist in creating an ethos in which attending Auckland College is a positive experience for all members of our community;
  • To make it clear that all forms of bullying are unacceptable at Auckland College; To enable everyone to feel safe while at Auckland College and encourage pupils to report incidents of bullying;
  • To deal with each incident of bullying effectively, taking into consideration the needs of all parties and of our community, and, as a result, to reduce the incidents of bullying;
  • To support and protect victims of bullying and ensure they are listened to;
  • To help and support children displaying bullying behaviour to change their attitudes and understand why it needs to change;
  • To liaise with parents and other appropriate members of the school community;
  • To ensure all members of our community feel responsible for helping to reduce bullying.

The objectives of our anti-bullying policy

  • Our whole community can evidence ownership of the school anti-bullying policy;
  • To maintain and develop effective listening systems for children and staff within Auckland College;
  • To involve all staff in dealing with incidents of bullying effectively and promptly;
  • To equip all staff with the skills and information necessary to deal with incidents of bullying;
  • To involve the wider school community (e.g. midday supervisors, part-time staff/volunteers) in dealing effectively with, and if necessary, referring bullying incidents;
  • To communicate with parents and the wider school community effectively on the subject of bullying;
  • To acknowledge the key role of every staff member in dealing with incidents of bullying;
  • To ensure that all incidents of bullying are recorded and appropriate use is made of the information, where appropriate, sharing it with relevant organisations;
  • To promote emotional health and wellbeing across the whole school/setting and for all members of our community to role-model this in all situations;

Bullying is defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves. Bullying can be:

Emotional: Being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding books, threatening gestures)

Physical: pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence

Sexual: unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments

Racist /racial taunts, graffiti, gestures

Homophobic: Because of, or focussing on the issue of sexuality

Verbal: name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing

Cyber: All areas of internet, such as email & internet chat room misuse; Mobile threats by text messaging & calls; Misuse of associated technology, i.e. camera &video facilities

Bullying is not:

It is important to understand that bullying is not odd occasions falling out with friends, name calling, arguments or when the occasional ‘joke’ is played on someone. Children do sometimes fall out or say things because they are upset. When occasional problems of this kind arise it is not classed as bullying. It is an important part of a child’s development to learn how to deal with friendship breakdowns, the odd name calling or childish prank. We all have to learn how to deal with these situations and develop social skills to repair relationships.

Students who are being bullied may show changes in behaviour, such as becoming shy and nervous, feigning illness, taking unusual absences or clinging to adults. There may be evidence of changes in work patterns, lacking concentration or truanting from the school. These behaviours, however, do not by themselves mean that bullying is taking place. Likewise, bullying may occur without these behaviours appearing. Students must be encouraged to report bullying at Auckland College.

The school staff must be alert to the signs of bullying and act promptly and firmly against it in accordance with the school policy.

Statutory duty of schools

The Head Teacher has a legal duty under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to draw up procedures to prevent bullying among students and to bring these procedures to the attention of staff, parents and students. Auckland College will develop bespoke procedures for the reporting of, dealing with and prevention of bullying.

Implementation

The following steps may be taken when dealing with incidents:

  • If bullying is suspected or reported, the incident will be dealt with promptly by the member of staff who has been approached
  • A clear account of the incident will be recorded and given to the Assistant Head.
  • The Key Stage Co-ordinator will interview all concerned and will record the incident
  • The form teacher will be kept informed and if it persists he/she will advise the appropriate subject teachers
  • Parents will be kept informed
  • Punitive measures will be used as appropriate and in consultation will all parties concerned

Students

Students who have been bullied will be supported by:

  • Offering a prompt opportunity to discuss the experience with a member of staff,
  • reassuring the student offering continuous support
  • restoring self-esteem and confidence

Students who have bullied will be helped by:

  • discussing what happened,
  • establishing the wrong doing and need to change (and discussion of consequences if bullying continues)
  • informing parents or guardians to help change the attitude of the student
  • Pastoral interventions as is applicable

Where appropriate, a restorative justice meeting will be held, where the pupils are given the opportunity to restore the positive relationship.

In situations where incidents happen outside of school, including cyber bullying, the school will consider referral to the police.

The following disciplinary steps can be taken:

Detention

Internal exclusion

Loss of break privileges

Minor fixed-term exclusion

Major fixed-term exclusion

Permanent exclusion

Within the curriculum Auckland College will raise the awareness of the nature of bullying through inclusion in PSHE, registration time, assemblies and subject areas, as appropriate, in an attempt to eradicate such behaviour.

Pupil Code of Conduct

In lessons:

I will do whatever it takes to make sure that I:

  • arrive at school by 8.30am,
  • bring the equipment I need and am prepared for my learning,
  • wear the correct uniform smartly throughout the day,
  • enter the school quietly;
  • enter the classroom calmly;
  • avoid all distractions: putting away anything not required for the lesson;
  • only drink water from my water bottle;
  • be an active learner by engaging with the activities set by the teacher, and demonstrating that I am doing this by SLANTing at all times; (Sit up, Lean forward, Ask questions, Nod your head, Track the teacher with your eyes)
  • show respect for my own learning and that of others and being silent when requested;
  • always complete my homework on time and to an excellent standard;
  • make sure that I catch up with my learning if I have been absent from school or have fallen behind for other reasons;
  • help a classmate if they are finding the learning difficult.
  • follow the rule ‘No Physical Contact’
  • behave in a sensible manner during breaks and lunch times

In the school and the local community

I will do whatever it takes to help create a safe school and local community which respects the rights of others by:

  • listening to members of staff and following instructions politely and calmly;
  • walking in single file, not running or shouting, and maintaining silence in corridors;
  • going straight to my lessons and holding doors open for others when the corridors are busy;
  • never damaging school property, defacing the building, dropping litter or spitting;
  • never insulting, undermining or swearing at anyone;
  • remembering I am always an ambassador for Auckland College. Leaving school and making my way home in an orderly, responsible way;
  • when travelling on public transport, I will respect those around me, speaking to classmates, transport staff and members of the public quietly and politely,
  • respecting the local environment by being considerate to our local community, obeying shop rules, and never dropping litter, defacing or trespassing on private property.

I understand that there will be consequences if I do not observe the Code of Conduct.

Rewards for positive behaviour

Praise and reward should be used to motivate pupils much more frequently than negative consequences. This builds up a culture of achievement and success.

Merit system

Merits are awarded to individual pupils by staff members for acts which support a positive community or promote academic achievement.

  • SLANTing in the lesson
  • Dedication in homework or classwork
  • Volunteering to help a student or teacher
  • Volunteering service to the school
  • Taking initiative
  • Showing courtesy
  • Performing acts of kindness
  • Outstanding effort or improvement

One merit is awarded for each positive behaviour. Merits and their accumulation are tracked, contributing to rewards trips.

Head Teacher Merits (HTM)

HTMs (5) are awarded to pupils for exceptional acts worthy of recognition. This might be due to exceptional performance in academia, or dedication to the school. A key principle of the school’s approach is that pupils should personally understand and uphold the values of the school, in particular service and kindness to others. This includes actions at times when a pupil is not aware of being seen by a teacher. By capturing these moments, the school highlights to pupils that it is what they do when people are not watching which defines their character.

Sanctions for unacceptable behaviour

Classroom Behaviour Management Strategies

Stage 1: Verbal warning and reminder of expected behaviour in class

Stage 2: 2nd verbal warning and name placed on the board

Stage 3: 1st tick is added beside name = 5-minute detention at end of lesson or break/lunch

Stage 4: 2nd tick is added = 10-minute detention at break or lunch time

Stage 5: 3rd tick is added = 30-minute detention after school

Stage 6: 4th tick is added = exclusion from lesson and 60-minute detention after school

Detentions

Some more serious behaviours warrant immediate awarding of an “automatic detention”. Detentions are awarded for the following:

  • Possession of iPods, MP3 players, cameras, handheld video consoles or mobile phones. Pupils are strongly encouraged to not bring in distracting electronic property to school. If they choose to do so, they must keep them out of sight. All items should be switched off. They are not allowed to turn on or use these items during the school day. If seen these items will be confiscated and returned to parents at the end of the week. In the case of a second offence in an academic year, they may be confiscated indefinitely irrespective of any costs or fees pupils and/or their families may incur as a result.
  • Uniform not present (including PE uniform)

Uniform will be checked at the start of the day and lesson. Pupils out of uniform will not be allowed to join the school community. Parents will be contacted and asked to bring the missing item to the school, or authorise their child to return home to collect it. If pupils are without their item by 8.30am they will be lent a piece of uniform by the school for the day and awarded a detention. If this is not possible, or it is a repeat offence, they will enter onto internal exclusion directly.

  • lateness to school – if pupils are late more than three or more times in one week
  • Cheating or disruptive behaviour in a formal test/exam
  • Passing notes in class
  • Eating or drinking (other than water)in class

Detentions happen once parents have been contacted. Parents are informed by phone, text message or email. The standard detention will last 30 minutes, but the length of detention may vary depending on the behaviour of the pupil. More than one detention can be served per night. All detentions are served with the agreement of the parents, unless the parent is un-contactable, in which case the staff member must leave a message asking for the parent to ring them back. If this is the case, detentions may be served at lunch and break times. Detentions may also be used on Saturday mornings, where they will be conducted in school uniform.

Report Card

A report card will be issued to any pupil struggling to keep to the code of conduct for a set number of days. Three targets will be set, and teachers will record the pupil’s achievement of these targets on the report.

The report must be presented to the Assistant Head, or in some cases the Head Teacher, at the end of each day. When a pupil has achieved all targets on 3 or 5 consecutive days (depending on reason for report card) they will officially be ‘off report’.

For those pupils unable to achieve all targets in the set number of consecutive days, they and their parents will be required to attend a review meeting to discuss the behaviours and sign a Home-School Agreement. Failure to follow a Home-School Agreement will result other sanctions being put in place and continued disregard will result in their future place at Auckland College being withdrawn.