St Joseph’s Infant School

Behaviour Policy
Policy

St. Joseph’s CatholicInfantPrimary School

Behaviour Policy

MISSION STATEMENT

"Love one another as I have loved you"

We will try to follow

this teaching of Christ

within our school community

by addressing these aims

To co-operate with parents and families in their role as primary educators of their children.

To provide a welcoming and caring Christian community where there is trust and co-operation.

To ensure a happy, stimulating atmosphere where the children, through a well structured curriculum, are helped to achieve and celebrate their full potential.

To nurture each member of our community within the Catholic faith.

To maintain and develop links within the wider community

Principles: Why we need good behaviour

  • To enable effective teaching and learning.
  • To keep the school community (children, staff, parents and visitors) safe and secure.
  • To develop increased self esteem.
  • To promote emotional well being.
  • To give consistency and structure.
  • To foster mutual respect and understanding.
  • To develop good social skills.
  • To create a relaxed and enjoyable climate.
  • To develop a positive reputation in the community.
  • To encourage personal responsibility.

Rationale

The behaviour in our school should reflect its Christian character and values. It should also reflectthe value we place on encouraging learning and co-operation in a civilised society. As a school we are committed to equal opportunities including race equality.

Our School Rules

There is little value in listing endless rules but it must be expected that rules are there for the protection of children and adults that work together in school.

  • Showing respect, friendliness and good manners towards other children, parents, visitors and school staff is expected.
  • The use of please, thank you and excuse me should be normal practise and reinforced by example.
  • It is important that we get on well together and that no one is unkind. Children and adults must be able to apologise and forgive.
  • Running and jumping down steps is not permitted around school. Everybody must move about the building quietly and sensibly.
  • Playground rules and safety are of the utmost importance. Copies of agreed rules are displayed clearly in school.
  • Each class should have an agreed set of classroom rules which have been agreed with the children. These need to be on display and children consistently reminded of them.
  • Items of value including toys and sweets should not be brought to school.
  • The wearing of jewellery other than watches is prohibited.
  • The proper use of toilet facilities must be encouraged. There should be no need for most children to leave classrooms during lesson time.
  • Children should not be left in classrooms at break times unless under the direct supervision of a member of staff. Any child kept in at playtimes should be appropriately supervised.
  • All children should be collected from school by a known adult. No child is to leave the school premises without permission. Parents must collect their child if they wish them to leave school during the school day.

Good Behaviour

The first focus is on good behaviour with positive comments for those behaving well being common place i.e. rewarding good behaviour.

Each class will negotiate together their own class rules in language appropriate to the age of the children in that class and worded positively. These rules will be reinforced regularly by the school staff through praise and rewards and through the use of sanctions, if necessary. These rules are displayed in each class.

Some children may need a personalised approach to their specific behaviour needs and other programmes of intervention and support may be used in conjunction with external agencies.

Rewards

It is essential that staff refer to rules frequently and reinforce them through praise and rewards. We aim to develop a positive praise attitude. There are many ways that staff can achieve this on a day to day basis. Ultimately we want children to be satisfied with the inner sense of well being that comes from presenting good behaviour. However, many children need interim steps towards this in the form of tangible rewards to recognise all forms of social and academic achievement.

Rewards used include:

  • verbal praise
  • non-verbal praise e.g. thumbs up, smile
  • stickers/stars/stamps
  • class rewards/tokens
  • certificates
  • sent to another teacher or Head Teacher with work for praise
  • dinner staff awards/stickers
  • written comments on work
  • extra privileges
  • displays in class
  • opportunities to praise in assemblies

Family Group sessions are used throughout the school to raise self esteem and to reflect on attitudes and behaviour. They are also used to communicate and co-operate as a group to help learning and relationships.

Unacceptable Behaviour

Examples of behaviour which is unacceptable in school and which will lead to sanctions being taken include:

  • Bullying; physical, verbal, cyber (refer to anti bullying policy)
  • Violence of any kind ; hitting, kicking, shoving, biting, spitting etc.
  • Racial or verbal abuse; isolating, name calling, winding up, teasing, threatening, cheekiness, swearing etc.
  • Absconding, running out of school
  • Repeated non-compliance with school rules
  • Destruction of property/equipment
  • Stealing
  • Telling lies, blaming others
  • Persistent disruption of lessons
  • Refusal / non-compliance
  • Defiance

Sanctions

No matter how positive and imaginative we are, we cannot eliminate bad behaviour entirely. At times here is a need for some form of sanction so that disapproval can be registered.

Teachers are reminded that the children within their class are their responsibility and should be dealt with appropriately. Each class has a system in place to manage behaviour understood by the children eg Superstar/Rainbow/Tick cards.

The following course of action will be followed:

  1. Reprimand
  2. Strong reprimand
  3. Warning
  4. Action
  1. Time Out
  2. Loss of playtime
  3. Withdrawal from lesson/activity for short period
  1. Informal contact with parent (class teacher)
  2. Refer to Head Teacher – incident logged
  3. Behaviour Action Plan implemented
  4. Refer to Head Teacher – parents informed

It is recognised that teachers and support staff will, at times, use their voices for effect but will always treat each child with respect.

Special Educational Needs

A child who regularly misbehaves and who does not respond to reasonable measures will be referred to the SENCO and placed on the SEN register. In certain cases we will seek advice from other agencies e.g. Educational Psychologist, EWO, Behaviour Support etc. and additional support and mentoring offered.

Parental Involvement

It is crucial parents are fully aware of the school policy on behaviour and a copy will be published in the school prospectus. We expect that early intervention and discussions with parents at an early stage will nip any issue in the bud. Early involvement will also make it easier to offer advice about how parents can support the school strategies.

Exclusion

At St Joseph’s Infants, exclusion is seen as a last resort, after all other attempts to modify behaviour have failed. Exclusion serves several purposes, including:

  • To act as a punishment and reinforce, in the mind of the child, the seriousness of the behaviour.
  • To maintain high standards of behaviour in school.
  • To secure the well being and entitlement of other children and staff in school.

Exclusions guidance is based upon the Educational Inspections Act 2006, GMBC and DCSF guidance and current legislation, which sets out the responsibility of the Head teacher, Governing Body and the Local Authority.

Exclusion will not be used if there are alternative solutions available (e.g. reparation which enables a pupil to redress the harm that has been done, internal exclusion, managed move)

Only the Head Teacher has the authority to exclude and will notify parents/carers within one school day by phone and letter.

Detailed records of incidents are kept and exclusions reviewed by the Governing Body.

Exclusion will only be used for serious breaches of school policy e.g.

  • Verbal abuse
  • Violent or threatening behaviour
  • Persistent, defiant, disruptive behaviour
  • Racist or homophobic abuse
  • Serious or persistent bullying (see anti-bullying policy)

Parents will be required to attend a re-integration interview regarding a pupil’s fixed period exclusion.

Permanent Exclusion

Permanent exclusion is an extremely serious step. This can arise from an accumulation of fixed-term exclusions or as a result of a very serious one-off offence.

Serious one-off offences may include:

  • Serious actual or threatened violence
  • Sexual abuse or assault
  • Supplying an illegal drug
  • Carrying an offensive weapon

School Policies

This Behaviour Policy should operate in conjunction with policies for:

  • Equal opportunities
  • Anti-bullying
  • Child protection
  • Drugs
  • Attendance
  • Racial harassment
  • SEN
  • Complaints procedure
  • Home-school agreement
  • Disability Equality Scheme

Example format

Behaviour Action Plan for ……insert name of child…..

Date: ……………………………………

Sticker / Smiley face chart

  • Daily, broken down into small achievable sections (eg 1st session; play time; second session; dinner hall; lunch time playground etc… appropriate to individual)
  • Show AHT at end of each session (begin …insert date…)
  • If achieve (eg) 4 out of 6? Get treat for last 10 minutes of day (agree treat)(begin …insert date…)
  • Feedback to parent / HT weekly. (dates to be recorded on action plan)

Identify ‘danger times’ and plan actions accordingly. Some common example are shown below:

Lining up at end of playground sessions

  • (… insert child’s name…) given a responsibility eg take fruit tray into school; he / she and another child asked to take item to office etc before whistle blows (begin …insert date…)
  • Adult locate child and hold hand ready before whistle blows
  • Use of older child buddy system to line up

Assemblies and special teaching times

  • (… insert child’s name…) works with adult 1:1 during Assembly, Spanish, music, phonics etc, introduced into session for last 5 minutes increasing to 10 minutes. (begin …insert date…)

Time Out

  • Chair (or other appropriate) – introduced to (… insert child’s name…) by (…insert date…)
  • All staff to be aware and use same system by (…insert date…)
  • Chair to be used with visual timer for 1/2 mins/3mins (as appropriate) When time out finished – new beginning / fresh start.

Workstation

  • (… insert child’s name…) to be involved in setting up of work station
  • Set up by (…insert date…)
  • Tasks in place and routinely accessed by (…insert date…)
  • All staff to be made aware by (…insert date…)and operate same system

These are just some examples of strategies that can be used. Class teachers can research and try many others. There must be consistency in application.

Remember: we are not rewarding bad behaviour. We are recognising and rewarding the good behaviour in an attempt to encourage more of it.

We are aiming to be pro active as opposed to reactive.

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