St John’s RC Primary Burnley
BEHAVIOUR POLICY
October 2021
ALSO SEE COVID-19 BEHAVIOUR POLICY ADDENDUM BELOW:
This policy aims to:
- Promote good behaviour, self-discipline and respect
- Prevent bullying
- Ensure that pupils complete assigned work
- Regulate the conduct of pupils
Contents
- Statement of Principles pg 2
- Context pg 3
- Our School Expectations pg 4
- Roles and Responsibilities pg 4
- Classroom Management pg 5
- School Support Systems pg 6
- Rewards pg 6
- Sanctions pg 6
- Preventing Bullying pg 8
- Power to use Reasonable Force pg 9
- Conduct Outside the School Gates pg 10
- Confiscation of Inappropriate Items pg 11
- Drug and Alcohol Related Incidents pg 11
- Complaints Procedure pg 12
- Consultation, monitoring and review pg 12
- Appendix 1 pg 13
- Statement of Principles
1.1:We aim to encourage a calm, purposeful and happy atmosphere within St John’s RC Primary School, where Gospel Values are promoted at every opportunity. We envisage St John’s to be a safe, dynamic, supportive and exciting environment where everyone feels motivated to give their best, where people are not afraid to take risks and where we are empowered to achieve greatness.
1.2: It is a primary aim of our school that every member of the school community feels valued and respected, and that each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring community, whose values are built on mutual trust and respect for all. The school’s behaviour policy is therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. Our policy aims to promote an environment in which everyone feels happy, safe and secure.
1.3: The school expects everyone to be responsible for their own actions and to respect others within the school community.
1.4: We treat all children fairly and apply this behaviour policy in a consistent way.
1.5: This policy aims to help children grow in a safe and secure environment, and to become positive, and increasingly independent, members of our school community, taking responsibility for their own actions and learning to show empathy towards others.
1.6: The school rewards good behaviour, as it believes that this will help develop an ethos of kindness and co-operation. This policy is designed to promote good behaviour, rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour.
- Context
2.1: Our policy is a tool used to promote good relationships, so that people can work together with the common purpose of helping everyone learn. In addition, where relationships break down, Restorative Approaches are used to repair the harm caused and to restore harmony within the school community.
2.2 Three Principles of the Restorative Approaches
1. Those who have done harm face up to those who they have harmed.
2. Those who have been harmed have a say in how that harm is repaired
3. To enable those who have done harm to make amends and ultimately to recognise the feeling of others.
- 2.3.We Operate Restoratively by;
1.Having high expectations and insisting on high standards of behaviour.
2.Providing high levels of support and care for individuals
3.Being firm, but fair
4.Focussing on restoring any harm done, and using an incident primarily as a ‘teachable moment’
2.4This Involves
1.Clearly articulating and reinforcing expectations
2.Adhering to fair process in all cases of conflict and wrongdoing
3.Recognising that wrongdoing causes harm to relationships, and that this harm must be repaired in order to move forward
2.5 This will ensure that we:
1. Respond to fear and hurt
2. Treat everyone with dignity and respect
3. Develop their understanding of others and reflect upon themselves
4. Are involved in resolving problems
5. Listen with empathy and without judgement
6. Deal with challenging situations one to one
7. Mediate others’ conflicts
8. Facilitate restorative conversations and problem-solving discussions
3 Our School Expectations
- Be gentle.
- Be kind and helpful.
- Be honest.
- Work hard.
- Listen to people.
- Look after property.
4 Roles and Responsibilities
4.1 The governing body is responsible for setting general principles that inform the behaviour policy. They consult the Headteacher, school staff, parents and pupils when developing these principles.
4.2 The governing body are aware of its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to promote equality of opportunity and to reduce discrimination.
4.3 The Headteacher is responsible for developing the behaviour policy and will decide the standard of behaviour expected of pupils at the school and how that standard will be achieved, the school rules, any disciplinary penalties for breaking the rules and rewards for good behaviour.
4.4 Teachers, teaching assistants and other paid staff with responsibility for pupils have the power to discipline pupils whose behaviour is unacceptable, who break the school expectations or who fail to follow a reasonable instruction.
4.5 Teachers, teaching assistants and other paid staff with responsibility for pupils can impose any reasonable disciplinary penalty in response to poor behaviour.
4.6 Parents/carers are under a legal duty to ensure that their child (aged 5-16) receives a suitable full-time education either at a school or by making other suitable arrangements. For school-registered pupils or those attending Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), parents/carers must ensure that their child attends punctually and regularly.
4.7 Parents/carers have a clear role in making sure their child is well behaved at school. We encourage parents to support their child’s learning, and where necessary to cooperate with the school, as set out in the Home-School agreement. We try to build a supportive dialogue between the home and the school, and we inform parents/carers immediately if we have concerns about their child’s welfare or behaviour.
4.8 If, as a result of constant misbehaviour or breaking the class or school expectations, the school has to use reasonable sanctions to resolve the issue, we expect parents/carers to support the actions of the school. If parents/carers have any concerns about the way that their child has been treated, they should initially contact the Headteacher. If the concern remains, they should follow the school’s Complaints Policy.
4.9 Parents/carers must take responsibility for their child, if excluded.
4.9.1 Parents/carers must ensure that they are not in a public place without good reason during school hours within the first five school days of any exclusion. If they do not, the school or local authority may issue a penalty sanction.
4.9.2 Parents/carers must also ensure that their child attends the suitable full-time education provided by the school governing body or the local authority from the sixth day of any exclusion.
4.9.3 Parents/carers are expected to attend a reintegration interview following any fixed period exclusion from primary school and any fixed period exclusion of more than five days from secondary school. Failure to attend may make it more likely that the local authority will apply for a Parenting Order.
- Classroom management
5.1 The class teachers in our school have high expectations of the children with regard to behaviour, and they strive to ensure that all children work to the best of their ability.
5.2 The class teacher treats each child fairly and ensures the classroom agreement is adhered to. The teachers treat all children in their classes with respect and understanding.
5.3 It is the responsibility of class teachers to ensure that school expectations and classroom agreements are complied with in their classes, and that their classes behave in a responsible manner during lesson time.
5.4 It is the responsibility of class teachers to encourage children in their class to behave in a responsible manner outside of the classroom.
5.5 Any incidents occurring outside of the classroom are to be overseen by class teachers.
5.6 If a child misbehaves repeatedly in class, the class teacher keeps a record of all such incidents. In the first instance, the class teacher deals with incidents her/himself using restorative language. However, if misbehaviour continues, the class teacher seeks help and advice from the Learning Mentor, Pupil Mentors, SENCO, or member of the SLT. Also, see Sanctions section.
5.7 The class teacher liaises with external agencies, as necessary, to support and guide the progress of each child.
5.8 The class teacher reports to parents about the progress of each child in their class, in line with the whole-school policy. The class teacher should contact a parent or carer if there are concerns about the behaviour or welfare of a child.
6 School support systems
6.1 At St John’s, we put systems in place for supporting pupils and their families who show consistently disruptive behaviour and do not respond to the usual range of rewards and sanctions in place.
6.2 This could include support from our Pupil Mentors, Learning Mentor, Pupil and Family Support Manager, SENDCo, Educational Psychologist.
6.3 Support will be tailored to meet the individual needs of the child wherever possible, taking into account any diagnosed conditions which may affect behaviour.
6.4 We may make referrals to the Local Authority for support, for example via Alternative Provision or the Pupil Access Team.
6.5 We may also make referrals to other external agencies.
7 Rewards
7.1: We praise and reward children for good behaviour in a variety of ways:
- staff congratulate children and use positive, encouraging language
- staff give children house points
- each week, we nominate a child from each class to be the Class Winners. Each Class Winner receives recognition in Collective Worship and is mentioned in the newsletter and it is recorded in our Class Winners book for permanent display in the Entrance Hall.
- We distribute Head teacher’s awards cards to children, either for consistent good work or behaviour, or to acknowledge outstanding effort or acts of kindness in school. Each week a winner is chosen at random and receives a prize. At the end of each term, pupils with the most cards in each class are rewarded.
- All pupils have an opportunity to be in the celebration assembly where they are able to show examples of their best work or achievements out of school.
- Each class also has their own reward system. These include: daily and weekly raffles; Lovely Lottery; Golden Book; stickers and stamps.
8 Sanctions
8.1 The school employs a number of sanctions to enforce the school rules, and to ensure a safe and positive learning environment. We employ each sanction appropriately to each individual situation using our ‘Stages’ approach – See Appendix 1.
- We expect children to listen carefully to instructions in lessons. If they do not do so, we may ask them to move to a place nearer the teacher, or to sit on their own.
- We expect children to try their best in all activities. If they do not do so, we may ask them to redo a task.
- If a child is disruptive in class, the teacher speaks to him or her using restorative language to ascertain what has happened, who is being affected by their actions and what could they do differently to repair the harm being caused to others and to improve the situation opportunity to think about their actions and complete a Restorative Sheet.
- The safety of all children is paramount in all situations. If during an activity, a child’s actions endanger the safety of others, the class teacher stops the activity and prevents the child from taking part until a restorative discussion has taken place.
- If a child threatens, hurts or bullies another child, the class teacher speaks to the child to try to resolve the situation and our Stages approach is used.
8.2 The class teacher explains the school expectations with each class and ensures there is a clear understanding of them. In addition to the school expectations, each class also has its own class expectations, which are set through discussion by the children and the teacher which is then displayed on the wall of the classroom. In this way, every child in the school knows the standard of behaviour that is expected in the school. If any of the school expectations or agreements are broken, the class teacher discusses these with the whole class during circle time in order to resolve and repair the issue.
8.3 The school recognises that on occasions children fall out with each other and conflict may occur. However, when we discover that an act of bullying or intimidation has taken place, we act immediately to stop any further occurrences of such conflict by using Restorative Approaches. While it is very difficult to eradicate all conflicts, we do everything we can to ensure that all children who attend our school feel safe and are free from fear.
8.4 Exclusion:
6.4.1 We do not wish to exclude any child from school and will wherever possible use Restorative Approaches to resolve issues, repair harm caused to others in order to keep the child at school. However sometimes an exclusion may be necessary.
8.4.2 The Headteacher decides whether to exclude a pupil, for a fixed term or permanently, in line with the school’s behaviour policy, taking into account all the circumstances, the evidence available and the need to balance the interests of the pupil against those of the whole school community.
8.4.3 Only the Headteacher has the authority to exclude a child from school. The Headteacher may exclude a child for one or more fixed periods, for up to 45 days in any one school year. In extreme and exceptional circumstances, the head teacher may exclude a child permanently. It is also possible for the Headteacher to convert fixed-term exclusions into a permanent exclusion, if the circumstances warrant this.
8.4.4 Parents have the right to make representations to the governing body (or discipline committee) about an exclusion and the governing body must review the exclusion decision in certain circumstances, which include all permanent exclusions. Where a governing body upholds a permanent exclusion, parents have the right to appeal the decision to an independent review panel.
8.4.5 Schools are under a duty to provide suitable full-time education for an excluded pupil from the sixth school day of any fixed period exclusion of more than five consecutive school days.
Local authorities are under a duty to provide suitable full-time education from the sixth school day of a permanent exclusion. It is reasonable to expect that schools will endeavour to set and mark work for all excluded pupils during the first five days of any exclusion (although there is no legal duty to do so).
8.4.6 If the Headteacher excludes a child, s/he informs the parents immediately, giving reasons for the exclusion. At the same time, the Headteacher makes it clear to the parents that they can, if they wish, appeal against the decision to the governing body. The school informs the parents how to make any such appeal. In addition, on completion of the exclusion the child will be re-integrated back into the school in a restorative manner accompanied by the parent or carer.
8.4.7 The Headteacher informs the LA and the governing body about any permanent exclusion, and about any fixed-term exclusions beyond 5 days in any one term.
9 Preventing bullying
9.1 At St John’s, we do all we can to prevent bullying.
9.2 Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Bullying can take many forms (for instance, cyber-bullying via text messages or the internet), and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or because a child is adopted or has caring responsibilities. It might be motivated by actual differences between children, or perceived differences. Stopping violence and ensuring immediate physical safety is our school’s first priority but emotional bullying is also very damaging so it is equally important that we do all we can to prevent this too.
9.3.1 In order to prevent bullying school staff proactively gather intelligence about issues between pupils which might provoke conflict and develop strategies to prevent bullying occurring in the first place. This might involve talking to pupils about issues of difference, perhaps in lessons, through dedicated events or projects, or through assemblies. We will determine what will work best for our pupils, depending on the particular issues we need to address.
9.3.2 By creating an ethos of good behaviour where pupils treat one another and the school staff with respect because they know that this is the right way to behave, we aim to prevent bullying.
9.3.3 We aim to permeate the whole school environment with values of respect for staff and other pupils, an understanding of the value of education, and a clear understanding of how our actions affect others . This is reinforced by staff and older pupils who set a good example to the rest.
9.3.4 The Equality Act 2010 requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act;
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
9.3.5 The Act also makes it unlawful for the responsible body of a school to discriminate
against, harass or victimise a pupil or potential pupil in relation to admissions, the way it provides education for pupils, provision of pupil access to any benefit, facility or service, or by excluding a pupil or subjecting them to any other detriment.
9.4 Safeguarding children and young people
Under the Children Act 1989 a bullying incident should be addressed as a child protection concern when there is ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm’. Where this is the case, we will report our concerns to their local authority children’s social care. Even where safeguarding is not considered to be an issue, we may draw on a range of external services to support the pupil who is experiencing bullying, or to tackle any underlying issue which has contributed to a child doing the bullying.
9.5 Criminal Law:
It is important to bear in mind that some types of harassing or threatening behaviour – or communications – could be a criminal offence, for example under the 9 Protection from Harassment Act 1997, the Malicious Communications Act 1988, the Communications Act 2003, and the Public Order Act 1986. For example, under the Malicious Communication Act 1988, it is an offence for a person to send an electronic communication to another person with the intent to cause distress or anxiety or to send an electronic communication which conveys a message which is indecent or grossly offensive, a threat, or information which is false and known or believed to be false by the sender. If school staff feel that an offence may have been committed, they may elect to seek assistance from the Police, but any reference to the Police should only be undertaken with the agreement of the Headteacher.
10 Power to use reasonable force (non-statutory advice)
10.1 Staff only intervene physically to restrain children to prevent injury to a child, or if a child is in danger of hurting him/herself. The actions that we take are in line with government guidelines on the restraint of children. Whenever a child has been restrained, it is recorded. Force is usually used either to control or restrain. It must never be used as a punishment; this is always unlawful.
10.2 What is reasonable force?
1) The term ‘reasonable force’ covers the broad range of actions used by most teachers at some point in their career that involve a degree of physical contact with pupils.
2) Force is usually used either to control or restrain. This can range from guiding a pupil to safety by the arm through to more extreme circumstances such as breaking up a fight or where a pupil needs to be restrained to prevent violence or injury.
3) ‘Reasonable in the circumstances’ means using no more force than is needed.
4) If force is used, it will be to control pupils and to restrain them.
– ‘Control’ means either passive physical contact, such as standing between pupils or blocking a pupil’s path, or active physical contact such as leading a pupil by the arm out of a classroom.
– ‘Restraint’ means to hold back physically or to bring a pupil under control. It is typically used in more extreme circumstances, for example when two pupils are fighting and refuse to separate without physical intervention.
5) We will always try to avoid acting in a way that might cause injury, but in extreme cases it may not always be possible to avoid injuring the pupil.
10.3 Who can use reasonable force?
1) All members of school staff have a legal power to use reasonable force.
2) This power applies to any member of staff at the school. It can also apply to people whom the Headteacher has temporarily put in charge of pupils such as unpaid volunteers or parents accompanying pupils on a school organised visit.
3) At St John’s, if a situation requires the use of reasonable force it will usually be the Headteacher, SLT member, or pastoral team member (eg Pupil Mentor, Learning Mentor, Pupil and Family Support Manager).
10.4 When can reasonable force be used?
1) Reasonable force can be used to prevent pupils from hurting themselves or others, from damaging property or from causing disorder.
2) The decision on whether or not to physically intervene is down to the professional judgement of the staff member concerned and will always depend on the individual circumstances.
4) The following list is not exhaustive but provides some examples of situations where reasonable force may be used:
to remove disruptive pupils from the classroom where they have refused to follow an instruction to do so;
to prevent a pupil behaving in a way that disrupts a school event or a school trip or visit;
to prevent a pupil leaving the classroom where allowing the pupil to leave would risk their safety or lead to behaviour that disrupts the behaviour of others;
to prevent a pupil from attacking a member of staff or another pupil, or to stop a fight in the playground
to restrain a pupil at risk of harming themselves through physical outbursts.
10.5 As a school, we do not require parental consent to use reasonable force on a pupil.
11 Conduct outside the school gates
11.1 Teachers have a statutory power to discipline pupils for misbehaving outside of school premises.
11.2 Headteachers have a specific statutory power to regulate pupils’ behaviour in these circumstances ‘to such an extent as is reasonable.’
11.3 In light of the above, all non-criminal bad behaviour and bullying which occurs anywhere off the school premises and is witnessed by a staff member or reported to the school, will be dealt with by the Headteacher. The Headteacher will meet with the parents or carers and sanctions will be imposed in line with our policy and restorative approach.
11.4 Teachers may also discipline for misbehaviour at any time where behaviour could have repercussions for the orderly running of the school or poses a threat to another pupil or member of the public or could adversely affect the reputation of the school.
12 Confiscation of inappropriate items (includes statutory guidance)
12.1 There are two sets of legal provisions which enable school staff to confiscate items from pupils:
i. The general power to discipline enables a member of staff to confiscate, retain or dispose of a pupils’ property as a punishment. Staff are protected against liability for damage to, or loss of, any confiscated items provided they have acted lawfully and reasonably.
ii. Power to search without consent for ‘prohibited items’ including:
a. Knives and weapons
b. Alcohol
c. Illegal drugs
d. Stolen items
e. Tobacco and cigarette papers
f. Pornographic images
g. Any article that has been or is likely to be used to commit an offence, cause personal injury or damage to property
h. Any item banned by the school rules which has been identified in the rules as an item which may be searched for
12.2 Weapons and knives and extreme or child pornography must be handed to the Police. Any other items will be held by the Headteacher until collected by a parent/carer.
13 Drug and Alcohol Related Incidents
13.1 It is the policy of this school that no child should bring any drug, legal or illegal, to school.
13.2 If a child needs medication during the school day, the parent or carer should notify the school and ask for permission for the medication to be brought.
13.3 Permission for medicine to be administered in school will only be given if prescribed by a doctor to be taken 4 times daily. The Medicine Approval form is them completed by the parent/carer and any medicine is given in and signed for.
13.4 Any medication taken by a child while in school will be done so under supervision.
14 Complaints Procedure
14.1 Complaints will be handled in line with our Complaints Policy. This can be found on our website and is available for our School Office.
14.2 Complaints or allegations made again staff members will be dealt with in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021.
14.3 All complaints about the use of force will be thoroughly, speedily and appropriately investigated.
15 Consultation, monitoring and evaluation
15.1 All staff (teaching staff and support staff) have been consulted and have contributed to the writing of this policy.
15.2 Consultation has been sought from the Governing Body.
15.3 This policy will be monitored and evaluated by the Headteacher and SLT. Feedback will be given to the Governing Body.
15.4 This policy will be conveyed annually to parents and all stakeholders.
15.5 This policy will be reviewed annually – the next date will be Oct 2022.
Appendix 1
RESTORATIVE STAGES
CIRCLE TIME
First of all, use Circle Time in class at any and every opportunity.
STAGE ONE
(Calling out , pushing in line, saving a place, running after the first whistle, play fighting, one tick on the board)
An adult talks with child at end of session and goes through the questions. Outcomes based on answers.
STAGE TWO
(Refusing to work or follow instructions, creating a disturbance, disrespect/rudeness, swearing, homophobic or racist comments heard by a child, name calling)
An adult should take the child out of the class with a Restorative Sheet and the relevant work for that lesson. Find somewhere quiet to allow the child to calm down. Where appropriate, a restorative discussion should take place to ascertain what happened in order to prevent a reoccurrence and where necessary, find ways to repair the harm that may have been caused. Once done, the child should get on with his/her work for a short while before returning to the classroom quietly and unobtrusively.
If you do not have a TA, ring your nominated teacher to ask for their TA to come to collect your child. If you suspect that the child will not comply, or if you have asked the child to move and they have not, you should ring the main Office. Office staff will arrange for two members of staff to come to class to assist. The child should be removed for no longer than 10 minutes “time out.” They should be sent with a Restorative Sheet which will be completed before returning to class quietly and unobtrusively. The nominated teacher should remind them of this before they return.
Nominated staff are;
Class 1 Mrs Hogg Class 6 Mrs Puttock
Class 2 Mrs Wilkinson Class 7 Mrs Stannard
Class 3 Mrs Hoggatt
Class 4 Miss Dunderdale
Class 5 Mrs Stannard
At the end of the session, the class teacher will review the answers on the Restorative Sheet with the child and those affected by poor behaviour.
The completed Restorative Sheets should be kept on file by the class teacher and reviewed at a weekly staff meeting. The class teacher will ring and speak to the parents/carers of the child, or send details in an email.
STAGE THREE
(Repeated disruptions or 3 Stage 2 incidents; using violence; fighting; swearing, homophobic or racist comments heard by an adult; bullying; spitting; stealing ; deliberate damage; phones in school)
A Restorative Sheet to be completed and Mrs Price informed. Parents/carers informed as soon as possible, and a parental conference arranged as soon as possible. In order to enable restorative reflection, a playground exclusion is put in place, usually one day only. Completed Stage 3 Restorative Sheets are kept on file by Mrs Price.
STAGE FOUR
A Behaviour Record Book will be used with any child who is frequently involved in Stage Three incidences. This involves the book being completed by the class teacher each day and then taken home to be completed by the parents/carers each night. The child stays on report for two weeks at a time.
Also, Joint Parental Conferences will be held involving both families where there are repeated incidences between the same children.
STAGE FIVE
If all of the above fails to work, then exclusion from school (fixed-term or permanent) will be considered.
GOLDEN TIME
All children will take part in Golden Time. Some children may be taken out of Golden Time to discuss their behaviour. It is the class teacher’s responsibility to arrange this.