Southfields Primary School. Behaviour and Discipline Policy

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1 Southfields Primary School Behaviour and Discipline Policy Believe in yourself, Value others. Be proud of your achievement, Smile, shine, be happy. Date agreed: January 2015 Date for review: January 2017 This policy, having been presented to, and agreed upon by the whole staff and Governors, will be distributed to: All teaching staff School governors A copy of the policy will also be available in: The staffroom The Head s office School web site This will ensure that the policy is readily available to visiting teachers, support staff and parents. Southfields Primary is totally committed to social justice and improving life chances for potentially vulnerable children. It is dedicated to sharing its work and findings beyond the school to improve outcomes for as many children as it can reach and has a particular specialism in Speech and Language development. 1. Introduction and subject definition At Southfields we believe our school is a community and that it is vitally important that everyone is safe and happy within it. We aim to provide an environment in which our children are secure and confident, irrespective of race, gender and religion, with Equal Opportunities for all.

2 How did we arrive at this policy? We consulted with staff, parents and the children. Governors were informed of developments through reports of the Curriculum and Staffing Sub-Committee. Links with other Policies Our Behaviour Policy underpins the working of the school. There are however, specific links with other important school policies Equal Opportunities, Racial Equality, Health and Safety, Attendance, Bullying Policy and Special Educational Needs. It will be updated as necessary to include any new Government initiative or policy. Key Principles The following, taken from DfEE Circular 10/99, Social Inclusion: Pupil Support, outline our principles of good practice: Setting good habits early We strive to help our children establish regular punctual attendance and good behaviour from the start, involving parents in the process. Early intervention We believe in early intervention where there is poor behaviour or unexplained absence, in order to help our children adapt to the rules and routines of school life. Rewarding achievements The majority of our children follow the school rules. Rewarding them for their good behaviour and attendance is important in maintaining their motivation and sense of self worth. Supporting behaviour management We work as a team, in close liaison with outside agencies in dealing with children with behaviour problems. Staff support each other, through offering advice on strategies and through support programmes which are provided by the welfare TA. Working with parents If we are to be successful in supporting a child to improve his/her behaviour, we have to work in partnership with parents. We have a Home/School Agreement signed by all parents/guardians. This is only effective if both parties communicate on a regular basis, keeping each other informed of any issues. Involving pupils We encourage our children to be responsible for their actions and this forms part of setting themselves targets for improving their behaviour. Commitment to equal opportunities We are committed to equality of opportunity for all our children, irrespective of race, gender, religion or disability. The effectiveness of our policy is monitored and any issues dealt with immediately.

3 Identifying underlying causes We work closely with parents and outside agencies in identifying any underlying causes for a child s behaviour difficulties. Through the success of our Behaviour and Discipline policy we aim to: Create a calm, purposeful, safe and happy learning environment. Foster positive, caring attitudes towards everyone, where achievements at all levels are acknowledged and valued. Encourage each child to take responsibility for his/her own behaviour, leading to increasing independence and self-discipline. Create a consistent approach to behaviour management throughout the school, celebrating and praising acceptable behaviour and enforcing firm boundaries for unacceptable behaviour. Work in partnership with parents in dealing with any behavioural issues. Encourage respect for individuals. Lead by example in the way that we treat each other and the children in our care. In order to achieve these aims: All staff should: Act as a role model for desired behaviour, treating all adults and children with respect. Follow the guidance on rewards and sanctions. Make children aware of appropriate behaviour in all situations. Use adherence to the rules as a measure of good behaviour. Be aware of all children s behaviour in class and around school, dealing with every incident appropriately, giving mutual support to colleagues with a whole school ownership and strategy. Work in partnership with parents in dealing with any behavioural issue. Inform parents of an incident as soon as possible and explain how it has been dealt with. Focus on good behaviour and positive reinforcement to raise self esteem, giving praise for good behaviour and achievements, actively trying to catch the children being good. Display the rules clearly and mention them frequently. Explain how our mission statement and aims underpin our rules. Be punctual in collecting classes. TA s/teachers will escort classes and children around school, ensuring all children are monitored stop the children at regular intervals, walking towards the middle of the line of children. Ensure children are never left unattended. Create a calm working atmosphere in the classroom, with access to resources and with well-established routines for clearing up, collecting equipment, changing activities etc. Ensure that each child has work appropriate to his/her level of ability. Deal with problems calmly. Be as consistent and fair as possible in the use of rules and sanctions, taking into account each individual child's needs.

4 Work closely with senior managers and outside agencies, implementing advice and strategies in dealing with a child with behavioural difficulties. Remind children that they are representatives of the school when they are on their way to and from school and on school trips. Feedback to parents following educational visits as necessary. Keep organised behaviour records. Pupils should: Follow the rules. Undertake training/programmes where needed. Co-operate readily with all school staff. Take responsibility for their actions. Parents should: Support the school s behaviour policy with its rewards and sanctions. Help the children understand the rules and the need for them in an ordered society/institution. Work in partnership with the school to promote high standards of behaviour at all times. Ensure their child attends school regularly/punctually and notify the school of reasons for absence. Rewards for Appropriate Behaviour The majority of our children behave well and are a credit to themselves, their parents and the school. We believe in rewarding them for following the rules: The following rewards are available to the children for following the rules: verbal praise; body language (smile, thumbs-up, nod) specific to the child and directed to a rule; Remember overt praise can embarrass some children. mixed ability team points; stickers; star of the day; stamps; certificates; whole class awards e.g. marble in the jar; choosing time. celebrations assembly; Book of Achievement; star of the week; midday supervisor award certificates; class of the week; Deputy head and Head teacher stickers. Head teacher awards; praise postcards; attendance awards, punctuality pencils. parent/teacher consultation positive comments and report card target sheet; end of year reports and awards assembly - recognising good behaviour and attitude to school Purple Light awarded for outstanding good behaviour followed by a treat. At the end of the year children noted for good behaviour receive a medal. Ultimately, those children with impeccable behaviour will be selected to take part in the Cares initiative in school. Sanctions for Inappropriate Behaviour Sanctions will be specific to the individual child and children will take part in this process. Lights :

5 1. For minor incidents (time wasting, swinging on a chair, talking out of turn): warning (what behaviour needs to stop and why) 2. For continued 1 incidents or more serious incidents (calling out, walking around, rude noises, constant talking, arguing) move child s place; short loss of playtime/lunchtime, supervised by an adult) a light may be sanctioned. 3. For continued 1 and 2 incidents or more serious incidents (refusing to comply; swearing or other verbal abuse towards children or adults; damaging property, preventing Teaching and Learning), a light will be issued 4. For continued 1,2,3 incidents or more serious incidents (stealing, vandalism, racism, homophobic comments, violence, running around the school and refusing to comply, bullying) a light will be issued. (The lights issued are monitored monthly so that appropriate actions can be taken to ensure the children understand our behaviour expectations. Homophobic, Racial and Bullying incidents are logged and recorded with termly reports being sent with any such incidents to the LEA). The child may be sent home and daily progress monitoring charts put in place. These will be monitored daily by the class teacher and weekly by the Head/Deputy; the Head/Deputy and class teacher will meet with parents and child (if appropriate) and keep the behaviour under review. At this stage it may be appropriate to implement an individual behaviour plan which must be discussed with Head/Deputy/Welfare Officer/SENco before sharing at a meeting with parents/carers and will then be reviewed termly with parents during parent evenings. More frequent monitoring will take place by the class teacher and other relevant members of staff to ensure targets are smart and relevant to the child s needs. If lunchtime behaviour is a concern the child may be excluded during this part of the day or be offered a place in the lunchtime nurture club whichever is deemed to be the most suitable. 5. If there is no improvement in the child s behaviour or for a serious, one-off incident of violence: Fixed term exclusion. 6. If the child has a series of exclusions: Pastoral Support Plan meeting - multi agency meeting. 7. If there are no improvements in 3 and 4 incidents and other children are being put at risk on a daily basis: Permanent Exclusion (Follow LA guidelines). Strategies to Support Inclusion Observing pupils and advising on new teaching strategies Supporting IEP s or IBP s if not SEND or without EHCP Play therapy Circle time Anger management strategies Class profiles - looking at a child's behaviour in relation to the rest of the class Team building Drop-in advice sessions with staff SEN referral IEP formulated and strategies to support Educational Psychologist referral Pastoral Support Plan an improvement plan to support children at risk of exclusion Regular meetings with parents Referral to Educational Psychologist Referral to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)

6 Referral to PASP Individual Behaviour Contracts Circle of Friends LA problem solving forum What is Bullying? (See separate bullying policy) There are many definitions of bullying, but we consider it to be: Deliberately hurtful (including aggression) Repeated often over a period of time Difficult for victims to defend themselves against The three main types of bullying are: Physical - hitting, kicking, taking belongings Verbal - name-calling, insulting, making offensive remarks Indirect - spreading nasty stories about someone, exclusion from social groups, being made the subject of malicious rumours, being a bystander Bullying will not be tolerated at Southfields Primary School Any suggestion that bullying is taking place will be investigated. Whole School Strategies In order to prevent bullying and deal with any incidents of bullying, we employ a range of strategies: A worries box Circle time Assemblies Monitoring of toilets at playtimes and start/end of the school day Monitoring of cloakrooms at start/end of the school day Monitoring of playground by staff on duty - walk around, keeping 'an eye' on certain areas, especially those out of sight Observing bullies/victims at playtime, around school and in class What staff should do. Listen to the victim, bully and any other pupils with information log facts, not opinion Meet with the Deputy Head to discuss next steps. Other staff may also be involved, depending on their knowledge of the children The next steps will usually be to: Meet separately with the victim and bully Reassure the victim that s/he is safe; explain that bullying will not be tolerated. Explain that all relevant staff will be made aware of the situation and will be monitoring it. Meet with the parents of the victim/bully and explain all your actions. Arrange another meeting to review the situation Check regularly with the victim Meet with a group of friends of the victim and encourage them to report any incident.

7 Meet with the peer group of the victim and bully. This should be led by a senior member of staff and the class teacher What parents should do.. Listen to your child and try to remain calm. An emotional reaction can worry the child so that they will not tell you of their concerns Make an appointment to see the class teacher to share your concerns Give the classteacher the facts Reassure your child that the school will deal with the bullying and encourage him/her not to fight back What children should do. Tell the class teacher if s/he feels threatened and unsafe Stay with a group of friends Talk to their parents Tell the class teacher when anything else happens or when it has improved Inclusion Statement We ensure access to the curriculum at an individual level through appropriate differentiated materials to support ability level. Further support is available from trained support staff and the SEN coordinator. See Health and Safety Policy and pupil s individual risk assessments for further information.

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