Woodlands Primary Academy. A policy for promoting good relationships and behaviour

Transcription

1 Woodlands Primary Academy A policy for promoting good relationships and behaviour What we mean by good behaviour By behaviour we mean the things we say and we do. We recognise that children learn by example. We aim to provide children with a positive image of harmonious relations and courtesy between all the adults and children who work in and for Woodlands Academy. In our schools we believe in setting good examples and in having high expectations. Our high expectations of behaviour apply to all children when they are in school, on educational visits or visiting places on behalf of the school. All adults working with Woodlands children have a responsibility for behaviour. Children also have a responsibility to behave well and the right to expect others to behave well towards them. Children are expected to respond to whoever is responsible for them. This includes teaching and support staff, volunteers and parent helpers. It is our belief that behaviour is learnt, we aim to teach children how to behave well and how to be considerate and self-disciplined individuals. Our expectations of Woodlands children We expect children to: learn well and to the best of their ability support the learning of other children by behaving well help others to learn use time and resources carefully and wisely talk to everyone in a polite and courteous way listen to everyone carefully and try to see each other s point of view show respect for others and their personal space be tolerant of and respect each other s culture and background and differences be a good role model for others accept responsibility for their own behaviour acknowledge the impact of their action(s) and make an effort to put things right try to resolve disagreements and arguments themselves before referring to an adult for help be patient with others behave in a safe way respect their own and each other s property and personal belongings respond appropriately to teaching and support staff and parents/volunteers working in school and on school visits look after the school building and equipment share resources and responsibilities arrive in school on time each day Our aim is to maintain a school ethos that is based on the principles that all children should: feel safe and valued; have equal opportunities; be treated fairly and consistently; be provided with a positive environment that promotes self-esteem; understand what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour; 1

2 have the right to work without interruption; understand that bullying is not tolerated. Our policy statement rests on four basic principles We have a shared responsibility with parents to prepare our children to be good citizens. We recognise there is a clear connection between behaviour and learning. We have high expectations for behaviour, but recognise the need to identify and reinforce it. We believe that showing children the value of good behaviour in school is likely to lead to increased self-esteem and greater self-discipline in adult life. What we value: respect for others; courtesy; honesty; hard work; reliability; self-discipline; tolerance; respect for the environment. What we reject: Bullying (threatening, picking on, excluding or intimidating another person); Ridicule, name calling or verbal abuse of any kind but especially sexist, racist, homophobic, religious or ability/disability name-calling; cheating; deceit; dishonesty; irresponsibility; rudeness; Swearing or using offensive and insulting language; unauthorised absence; Deliberate acts of aggression; Stealing or destroying property; Leaving the school building, learning area or grounds without permission; Stopping others from learning or interfering with others learning; Refusing to follow a reasonable instruction. Parents as Partners We value the crucial role that parents play in helping their children learn and there is no doubt that children achieve more when school and parents work together. We, therefore, endeavour to work closely in partnership with parents to ensure that all children do their best and behave appropriately as a member of the Woodlands community. Parents of Reception and KS1 children are kept informed by a weekly home/learning sheet. Children are also provided with a reading record, which can be used as a means of parents keeping in contact with the teacher. Most parents however, are able to talk to the teacher at the beginning and end of the day when they drop off or collect their children. KS2 children are given a homework book and homework diary at the beginning of each year. Parents and staff can keep in contact with each other if appropriate. Our School Contract 2

3 Our children have negotiated a Full Value Contract, which is displayed on the walls throughout the school. Show respect for people and property Arrive at the lesson ready to work Be a good listener Be safe and sensible Do your best at all times Our Pastoral System All staff are responsible for maintaining good order and discipline among the children and safeguarding their health and safety both when they are authorised to be on the school premises and when they are engaged in authorised school activities elsewhere. As part of our safeguarding responsibilities we have a clear policy with regards to the use of physical restraint (see separate policy). Class/subject teacher The class/subject teacher is responsible in the first instance for the welfare and behaviour of children in his/her class. Good behaviour and effort are rewarded by positive comments and encouragement; poor behaviour is dealt with as described in the section under Sanctions below. Team Leader If inappropriate behaviour is not resolved then the class teacher will seek advice/support from the appropriate Team Leader and/or Inclusion Coordinator. Parents may be involved at this stage. If inappropriate behaviour continues then the matter will be passed to the Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher. Discussions among Year staff ensure that consistency and fairness of both positive reinforcement of our values and sanctions and behaviour modification are found across each year. Inclusion Coordinator The school Inclusion Coordinator plays an important role within the school. As soon as a behavioural problem is identified, staff will liaise with the Inclusion Coordinator so that known special educational needs can be taken into account or consideration be given to whether the child has unmet special educational needs. Senior Team The Senior team consists of: Team Leaders; Head Teacher; Deputy Headteacher; Assistant Headteacher; Inclusion Coordinator Senior team meetings ensure that the same consistent and fair standards happen across the whole school. Our Reward System We work hard to promote a culture of respect, of valuing each other. This permeates the school through: relationships between all members of the school community; the curriculum, for example, in science, RE, and PSHE lessons; tracking child achievement; assemblies; year/team meetings; School Council and suggestion boxes; extra-curricular activities; 3

4 Merit certificates; House points; Pupil of the Week/ Super Stars; Pupil of the month PE We try to ensure that achievement is recognised and acknowledged, not only within the curriculum but also in other aspects of school life. Our reward system is well established and successful. Praise Our approach to good behaviour at Woodlands Academy is based upon the understanding that positive actions are more effective than negative ones. Therefore in our school we use the following methods of helping children to learn, recognise and adopt behaviour that is positive and rewarding. Frequent use of praise All teaching and support staff are committed to recognising and promoting good behaviour. This involves noticing it, commenting upon it, sharing it with others. For example: Look how well (name of child) is putting the things away. Well done (name of child) for lining up so quietly and sensibly. Thank you (name of child) for saying excuse me and for not pushing past. Well done year 3 you are all listening so carefully today. Staff will refer children who are behaving or learning well to other adults in school for them to reinforce the praise that is being given. Some children are highlighted during our celebration assemblies - and the individuals receive the praise and applause of the school. Sometimes staff send messages home to a child s family to let them know how pleased they are or publish good news about a child or group of children for example in our newsletters or Heads Highlights. Teaching children about good behaviour Through our Health and well-being curriculum children are frequently involved in stories, assemblies, planned activities, learning opportunities and games which teach them about good and appropriate ways of behaving. We support children to become caring, contributing and conscientious members of our local community. We teach children about independence and about our dependence upon each other and how important it is to recognise their rights, their responsibilities and their relationships with the wider world. We help children to: recognise right and wrong follow good examples share and take turns learn and play co-operatively use resources wisely and carefully help others know when to report problems to adults who can help All teaching and support staff are committed to recognising and promoting good behaviour. House System Each child is a member of one of four houses: Rowan, Poplar, Maple and Willow. The House System is a very important part of school life and children are encouraged to support their house. Inter-house 4

5 competitions are held throughout the year. House Points House points are rewarded for learning, behaviour and for setting a good example as a Woodlands pupil. House points are awarded in the form of counters which are collected in a central, visible place for all to see and are collated each half term The team with the highest number of points at the end of each term wins the House Cup. At the end of the year the house with the highest number of points is presented with the Douglas Scott Shield. Children are able to earn house points every week. These are awarded using the following criteria: being helpful; displaying kindness or consideration towards others; being reliable; taking responsibility for aspects of school life; looking after the environment; organising activities; taking part in assembly; contributing to collections; extra work done voluntarily. Merit Certificates For all children there is also a system of merits. Each child is given a card, the colour depending on his/her house. As children complete these cards, they are rewarded with certificates plain, bronze, silver and gold. Those who complete all the levels in a year receive a book token. Merits are rewarded for: Good behaviour given out at the end of each week to children who have behaved consistently well. An exceptionally good piece of work. Consistently good work over a unit or topic. Personal achievement for example, involvement in a play or team where much time and effort have been given voluntarily. Regular year team meetings also track children s progress and team leaders keep a central record of certificates. Children receive praise from Team Leaders and/or Head Teacher and examples of outstanding work or achievement are celebrated at the weekly Achievement Assembly. Work is also regularly displayed on the classroom walls. Attendance Certificates These are presented for full attendance at the end of each term. Special certificates are presented for a year's full attendance. Attendance is monitored and tracked each week and the winning classes announed in each week in the celebration assembly. KS1 are awarded ready teddy to look after for the following week. KS2 are awarded an attendance trophy. Absence First day absences are followed up in order to ensure that our children are safe. We ask parents to ring before 9.30 a.m. if their child is unable to attend school that day. If we do not hear from parents we will contact home. This system also makes it clear to parents and children that both child safety and absence without explanations are taken very seriously by the school. It also means that any unauthorised absence is addressed very early. 5

6 Our system of sanctions Although we aim to build a positive reward system there are times when sanctions are necessary. The class teacher is responsible for the good behaviour of his/her children. For sanctions please see Appendix 1 to this policy. Monitoring of Children In order to support children with challenging behaviour the school may employ daily monitoring sheets. These will be completed by the staff and regularly monitored by the appropriate team leader or in very serious cases the Head Teacher. This enables a child s behaviour to be monitored over a period of time, and improvements noted. Where appropriate parents will be informed. Monitoring of behaviour can lead to a positive behaviour plan being put into place, in consultation with parents and carers, to help. This is usually in place for a defined period and is used to remind and encourage children of the behaviour that is expected of all pupils at Woodlands. Withdrawal from class/time out On the very rare occasions when a child s behaviour is of very real concern and the class is unable to work effectively, a class withdrawal system is put into operation. The teacher notifies either the Head Teacher or Team Leader, and the child works outside the head s office for a stated amount of time away from his/her peers. At the stage when the Head Teacher feels it necessary to discuss with parents their child s persistently poor behaviour, the Head Teacher may consider a school action plan, which may involve outside agencies, including the school behaviour support team. Lunchtime Supervision At lunchtime the midday supervisors are responsible for good behaviour. Any child who does not behave in the manner expected will be reported to the class teacher or team leader so that the incident can be followed up. Any serious problems are reported to the Head or Deputy for immediate action. At lunchtime children are provided with equipment to play with and there is a room available for those children who feel fragile and do not want to go outside. Computer club and a variety of activities are also on offer each day. Bullying We, at Woodlands, do not tolerate bullying of any kind. This includes racial or sexual harassment. It is abuse of power by a child or a group of children, who deliberately hurt, threaten or frighten somebody else. The range of bullying is from verbal abuse, ostracism, calling names and making fun of, to physical abuse, blackmail or coercion and the destruction of property. We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our children and adults so that they can learn, play and communicate in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable in our school. If bullying behaviour does occur all children and adults should be able to tell and know that all incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. We believe that ignoring bullying is wrong. As part of our rights and responsibilities in Woodlands Academy everyone who witnesses or knows about a bullying incident has a duty to intervene, to get help and to report it. At Woodlands we define bullying as any or all of the following: a repetitive series of actions by an individual or group which causes long lasting fear, anxiety or harm to another person or group of people; verbal or physical actions which are designed to intentionally hurt and intimidate or to make the person who is at the receiving end feel unhappy, embarrassed or insecure about themselves; 6

7 What kind of behaviour constitutes bullying behaviour? hitting, kicking, pushing, threatening; nudging, whispering, sniggering, facial expressions, gestures; making someone do something they don t want to do; preventing someone from doing something they do want to do; putting someone down (belittling or embarrassing or humiliating)being domineering or controlling (bossy); forcing someone to be your friend making it uncomfortable or risky for them if they are not; making fun of someone s race, ethnic origin, faith, culture, religion, name, appearance, accent or family; making sexist or sexually abusive comments; using homophobic language as insults, putting people down on the basis of sexuality or the sexuality of family members; online or cyberbullying e.g. posting offensive messages on websites or chat rooms, sending offensive text messages or s or bullying the victims via their mobile phones; any unfavourable or negative comments, gestures or actions made to someone relating to their disability or special educational needs. What kind of behaviour is not bullying? occasional loss of temper hurting by accident teasing or having a joke which is received in good spirit falling in and out with friends minor disagreements not being friends with someone, not inviting someone to your party a disagreement or fight between two people of equal strength or qualities Symptoms of bullying may include one or more of the following: A child starts arriving or getting home from school without any apparent reason; becomes reluctant to go to school, but is unable to explain why or indeed makes excuses to miss school, for example, headaches or tummy aches; becomes depressed or unhappy. Concentration, behaviour and/or standards of work deteriorate or there are changes in mood or behaviour. He/she may, for example, become withdrawn or angry; comes home with dirty, damaged clothes or property; has unexplained bruises or scratches. Recognising We recognise that when bullying takes place some or all of the following features may be present: it is constant, frequent or repetitive it is deliberate it is often accompanied by a threat not to tell it is not always obvious who the bully is or might be it can be a group of people, sometimes led by a bully it is often focused on individual differences (colour, size, ability, home circumstances) it can be emotional or psychological (for example whispering about someone, excluding them from a group, staring and laughing) it is often subtle and not easily detected by adults who could respond 7

8 the bully is usually seen to be more powerful or empowered than the receiver (either by being stronger or bigger or older or cleverer or by belonging to a majority group) Above all, at Woodlands we define bullying by how a person who is bullied feels, rather than what a bully does. Taking action We will ensure that all incidents are dealt with fairly and consistently. In all incidents of bullying we will: gather as much information as possible straight away from the receiver and any possible witnesses report the incident to the class teacher(s), and/or senior leader ensure that an investigation begins promptly record exactly what has happened and make careful notes on each stage of the investigation use a proforma for recording incidents make sure that all teaching and support staff know about the incident in order for them to be vigilant and responsive contact parents of the bully and the receiver in order to enlist their support enlist peer support by explaining to the whole class what has happened and what they can do to help explain the consequences of the incident(s) to all parties concerned Responding In all cases of bullying behaviour we will: show that there is a united response, this is one of strong disapproval reinforce our belief that behaviour is learned and can be changed and help the bully to change their behaviour implement strategies to help this change involve the bully in the solution, using the principles of restorative justice (how can they help/what can they do?) register the bully on the school s learning support register for emotional and behavioural difficulty and being in need of support; if this is deemed to be appropriate When we know a child in school has been bullied we will: respond quickly and praise the reporter listen to and reassure the receiver reaffirm, boost or repair their self-esteem demonstrate our support by taking the matter seriously negate what has been said or threatened report the incident to a senior leader create a network of support by informing friends of the receiver, child s parents/carers and class teacher(s) teach or suggest ways the receiver might assert themselves or respond to future incidents consider training or activities for the class/school (e.g. class discussion, drama, literature, assemblies) and buddies report to the child s parents/carers and ask them to monitor and report Monitoring It is well recognised that bullying often happens in secret and is accompanied by threats not to tell. In 8

9 order for us to be able to find out about bullying we will: train a team of older children to act as mediators and supporters to children in the playground. Children willing to take on this role will be Caring Crusaders and will be easily identified ensure that the Associate Head and/or senior leader(s) always respond to phone calls or letters from parents concerning bullying behaviour ensure that all staff are vigilant and investigate concerns and contribute to any log or record being maintained so that we have a full picture ensure that all staff are kept informed about reported incidents and appropriate follow up procedures give the governing body a termly report on the nature, scope and frequency of bullying incidents at Woodlands in order to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of this policy. We are totally committed to the prevention of bullying. Exclusion The exclusion of a child is considered for very serious incidents and/or repeated serious bad behaviour. Exclusion is the last resort and at the head s discretion. Before excluding a child in most cases a range of alternative strategies to support children in managing their behaviour/self discipline listed in the school s system of sanctions are tried. A decision to exclude a child is taken only in response to serious breaches of the school s discipline policy. Exclusion is not appropriate with regard to: minor incidents such as failure to do homework or to bring dinner money; poor academic performance; lateness or truancy; breaching school uniform policy; punishing children for the behaviour of the parents, for example, by extending a fixed period of exclusion until the parents agree to attend a meeting. Before reaching a decision to exclude, the Head Teacher will: consider and record all the relevant facts and firm evidence to support the allegations made, and take into account the school s policy on equal opportunities; allow the child to give his/her version of events; check whether the incident appeared to be provoked by racial or sexual harassment; if necessary consult others, being careful not to involve anyone who may later take part in the statutory review of their decision e.g. a member of the Discipline Committee. If the Head Teacher decides to proceed with exclusion, the Chair of Governors will be notified as soon as possible. Length of fixed period exclusions The Head Teacher may exclude up to 45 days in a school year. In all cases of more than a day s exclusion, work should be set and marked. Permanent exclusion This is a very last resort after all other strategies have been tried and have failed. It is not expected that a child will normally be excluded permanently for a one-off offence. 9

10 See Appendix for procedures for exclusion. See also Circular 10/99 Social Inclusion Child Support. Monitoring and Evaluation of our Behaviour Policy We need to ensure that our behaviour policy is consistent and fair with regards to: positive reinforcement of our values; sanctions and behaviour modification. Our Pastoral Care Structure and Procedures will be the means by which we effectively monitor and evaluate our school behaviour policy. This policy has been agreed by the Governing Body Signed: Chair of Governors Date: Review Date: 10