Aims Positive Behaviour & Anti-Bullying Policy 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 behaviour and anti-bullying policy is therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where reasonable efforts are made to ensure everyone feels happy, safe and secure. Our policy aims to help children grow in a secure environment and to become responsible and increasingly independent members of the school community. We will endeavour to support children to understand the differences between right and wrong and the impact of their actions on others We expect every member of the school community to behave in a considerate way towards others. Staff and parents should lead by example and their standards should be consistent. Adults who are organised, interesting and interested, who listen, like and respond to children and who work as a team for the benefit of the school are essential to a well-disciplined environment, enabling children to become responsible independent members of the community. We treat all children with equal respect and concern and apply this behaviour & anti-bullying policy in a way that is fair meaningful and relevant to individuals and has regard for disability, SEN, religion or belief, race, gender and age and will fulfil our legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 We aim to: promote good behaviour, self-discipline and resect; build an ethos where learners feel safe, free from threat and/or intimidation; promote good relationships where all are treated with equally respect and where learners care for each other; act promptly and effectively at the first sign of bullying or inappropriate behaviour; encourage staff, students learners and parents to report any attempted bullying or concerns with behaviour; protect and reassure any victims of bullying and provide the necessary support for all children involved in bullying and effected by bullying; have effective interventions to deter bullying and promote positive behaviour. We do this by providing: A support structure to enable staff development; a dedicated and committed team of staff; a positive and nurturing environment for the development of pupils, staff and parents where everyone is valued and achievements are celebrated; all children with the opportunity to take ownership of their own learning; opportunities to excel in activities beyond the curriculum; a centre of excellence, with a curriculum that provides children with stimulating and challenging experiences, developing their knowledge, understanding, creativity and unique individual skills in response to their present and future needs; 1
equal access to the range of activities offered in school, where necessary finding ways to overcome any barriers; opportunities for children, parents and staff to form beneficial and lasting relationships in a welcoming environment of supportive learning; teaching and learning experiences for children that develop their self-respect, resourcefulness and responsibility where they have an opportunity to raise their self-esteem and develop sensitivity towards the needs of others; robust links with the local community and wider global community in order to enable our pupils to become confident, independent citizens of the future and to have respect for their own and other cultures, beliefs and views; understanding that every child has the right to spend his or her day in a happy and safe environment and it is the responsibility of everyone to contribute to that atmosphere; understanding that where an individual pupil experiences difficulty meeting with the expectations of school, their special educational need will be met, primarily through positive behaviour management, or where necessary, seeking support from outside agencies; supporting every child to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their personal social and emotional development; supporting equality of opportunity for all children, regardless of gender, race or disability and seeking to ensure that all children have the resources they need to learn; applying a clear system of rules with appropriate rewards and sanctions according to the needs of the child; opportunities for children to learn about their rights and responsibilities by directly linking with UNICEF and the Rights Respecting Agenda; time to listening to children and/or parents concerns regarding bullying; effective anti-bullying action, ensuring that every allegation of bullying is investigated and followed up. School Values An important part of our school is the values we all keep in relation to ourselves, others and our environment. By having a set of key values that everyone in the school community believes in it enables us to build a positive learning environment where everyone and everything is valued. Our Key Values are: Respect ourselves You show you are respecting yourself by, making positive choices, being ready to learn, following the behaviour expectations, being honest and speaking to adults when you have a problem. Respect others You show you respect others by, not distracting others from their learning, helping others who are hurt, upset or who are struggling with something and by showing empathy and understanding towards others. Respect our environment You show you are respecting the environment by looking after equipment, keeping the spaces that you work in tidy, putting litter in the bins provided and helping to support our community and the world we live in. Expectations In line with our Values at Werneth Primary School we also have an agreed set of behaviour expectations. These are displayed on stars in every classroom and around school. They are also sent home to parents at the beginning of every school year and form part of our Home-School Agreement. The following positive behaviours have been identified by the children of Werneth Primary School and are now the schools behaviour expectations. 2
We expect everybody to: Cooperate Handle their emotions positively Choose safe behaviour Be in the right place at the right time Respect everyone and everything Use friendly language Do their best These expectations are regularly referred to in assemblies and PSHE lessons. Consequences of not meeting the behaviour expectations should be appropriate to the behaviour and the needs of the child. Roles and Responsibilities in Relation to Behaviour It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that the behaviour of children in their care is appropriate, respectful and considerate of others. The staff in school have high expectations of the children in terms of behaviour, and they strive to ensure that all children work to the best of their ability. Staff treat each child fairly, with respect and understanding, enforcing the behaviour expectations consistently and taking account of differing needs. Children should always be spoken to in a calm but firm manner when dealing with behaviour and discipline. The Role of the Head Teacher It is the responsibility of the Head Teacher, under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, to implement the school behaviour & anti-bullying policy consistently throughout the school, and to report to governors on the effectiveness of the policy. It is also the responsibility of the Head Teacher to keep children as safe as possible. The Head Teacher supports the staff by implementing the policy, by setting the standards of behaviour, and by supporting staff in the implementation of the policy. The Head Teacher will ensure all serious incidents of poor behaviour are recorded on the school s electronic system and that class teachers are reporting incidents of consistent poor behaviour to the Pastoral Manager again for recording on the school s electronic system. The Head Teacher has the responsibility for giving fixed-term and permanent exclusions and will follow the DFE Guidance on Exclusions from Maintained Schools, Academies and Pupil Referral Units in England 2012. The Role of Governors The Governing Body will work in partnership with the Head Teacher to ensure the effective implementation of the behaviour & anti-bullying policy. The Head Teacher has the day-to-day authority to implement the school behaviour & anti-bullying policy, but governors may give advice to the Head Teacher about particular disciplinary issues. The Head Teacher must take this into account when making decisions on matters of behaviour. The Role of Class Teachers The class teacher will continuously monitor the behaviour of all children in the class both positive and negative and will analyse the circumstances in which poor and/or unwanted behaviour occurs to ascertain any triggers. If a child misbehaves repeatedly in class, the class teacher will record the circumstances in which the behaviour occurred and the interventions put in place using incident slips. 3
In the first instance, the class teacher deals with incidents taking into account any reasons for the behaviour, i.e. school environment and learning demands, changes in home circumstances due to a family split, bereavement, new baby, etc. However, if the misbehaviour continues, the class teacher seeks help and advice from the SLT. The class teacher liaises with the Pastoral Manager, Inclusion Manager and external agencies, as necessary, to support and guide the progress of each child. The class teacher will report to parents about the progress of each child in their class. The class teacher may also contact a parent if they are concerned about the behaviour or welfare of a child. The class teacher should make sure that an appropriate member of the SLT knows that contact is being made with parents/guardians beforehand. The Role of the Pastoral Manager It is the role of the Pastoral Manager to work alongside class teachers and to ensure the behaviour policy and appropriate intervention plan is consistently applied throughout. The Pastoral Manager will support individual children when appropriate to improve their standard of behaviour. The Pastoral Manager may also when appropriate support class teachers with behaviour management in the classroom. The Pastoral Manager will monitor the reporting of behaviour incidents both negative and positive and ensure the accurate recording of such incidents on the schools electronic system. The Role of Parents and Carers The school works collaboratively with parents, so children receive consistent messages about how to behave at home and at school. We expect parents to support their child s learning, and to co-operate with the school, as set out in the home school agreement. We try to build a supportive dialogue between home. We inform parents as soon as possible if we have concerns about their child s welfare or behaviour. School encourages parents to inform us of any changes to their child s life that could affect their wellbeing. If the school has to use reasonable sanctions or agree a behaviour support plan for a child, parents should support the actions of the school. If parents have any concern about the way that their child has been treated, they should initially contact the Head Teacher. If the concern remains, they should contact the school governors. If these discussions cannot resolve the problem, a formal grievance or appeal process can be implemented. Roles and Responsibilities in Relation to Bullying It is everybody s responsibility to deal with bullying effectively. All staff and volunteers in school will know and follow this behaviour & anti-bullying policy, keep clear records and report incidents using the incident report slips, be observant and talk to pupils, never let any incident of bullying pass by unreported and take action to reduce the risk of bullying at all times. Head Teacher As mentioned above the Head Teacher will ensure the consistent implementation of the behaviour & antibullying policy and enable staff to have the opportunity to discuss strategies and speak with SLT should they have any concerns. It is the Head Teacher s responsibility to ensure all staff receive appropriate training. The Head Teacher may delegate the responsibility of dealing with an allegation of bullying should he/she feel it appropriate to do so. The Head Teacher will report to both the SLT and Governing body on incidents of bullying. Class Teacher It is the Class Teachers responsibility to inform the Head Teacher of all bullying incidents. If the Head Teacher is unavailable at the time then the incident must to be reported to the Deputy Head Teacher, Assistant Head Teacher or Pastoral Manager. The Class Teacher is expected to have made reasonable efforts to resolve the 4
bullying incidents by speaking with pupils involved, liaising with parents/ other members of staff and making a record of the incident and how it was dealt with in the first instance. Class Teachers will ensure the delivery of the PSHE curriculum by themselves or other appropriate members of staff/ agencies such as the KS1/KS2 HLTA s. Pastoral Manager The Pastoral Manager will record incidents of bullying and how staff have dealt with such incidents on to the school s electronic system and will ensure the Head Teacher is kept up to date with all reported incidents. Class Teachers can seek support and advice from the Pastoral Manager who will support staff in dealing with allegations of bullying and provide appropriate training when necessary. Parents/ Carers School requests that if parents suspect bullying is taking place that they inform the Class Teacher or Head Teacher immediately and allow school to investigate the matter. We ask that parents do not try to solve the issue on their own but instead work in partnership with the school. Recognition of Positive Behaviour The recognition of positive and appropriate behaviour is extremely important when promoting positive behaviour and good choices. Therefore, school will recognise such appropriate behaviour in the following ways; With a smile With verbal praise With stickers when appropriate With certificates- Star of the Week With Happy Grams over lunch time On a Friday the whole school comes together in a celebratory assembly. During which, each class teacher is asked to name a Star of the Week who for example may be chosen for excellent behaviour, making positive choices or following the behaviour expectations and is therefore setting a good example to others. Giving Children Greater Responsibility Friends of Werneth Selected children from KS2 are chosen to be Friends of Werneth. These children support the expected behaviour in school and also act as friends for those children feeling isolated or lonely at lunchtimes. These children receive training to enable them to support their peers and act as peer mentors. The Friends of Werneth are supported by the Pastoral Manager and the Senior Midday. School Ambassadors Two children from each class from Years 2-6 represent our school as Ambassadors. Just like the Friends of Werneth, Ambassadors are expected to set a good example to the rest of the school and to support the expected behaviour in and around school. Managing Incidents of Inappropriate Behaviour Occasionally, children make the wrong choice. This is part of a learning process and every member of the school staff understands that given the opportunity, children can learn from their mistakes. All children are different and this has to be taken into account. Inappropriate behaviour has to be dealt with in a manner which is appropriate for each individual child. 5
In most circumstances using positive language and discussion will often prevent things from getting any worse. However, to ensure there is a consistent approach used by all staff we use the 3 step approach 3 Step Approach: 1. Stop- staff to ask the child to stop; 2. State the obvious- staff to explain to the child which behaviour expectation they are not complying with and why; 3. Help- staff to help the child rectify their behaviour by giving them a choice. Staff to give the child an alternative to their current behaviour and clearly state a consequence if the child does not chose to behave appropriately. Appropriate consequences for not doing the right thing may be for example; Re-doing a task- we expect children to try their best in all activities. If they do not do so, we may ask them to redo a task; Moving place - if a child is not listening when instructions are being given by the class teacher they may be asked to move to a place nearer the teacher, or to sit on their own; Time out - if a child is disruptive in class, staff will respond using strategies that have been designed to take into account individual needs. If a child misbehaves repeatedly, the child is isolated from the rest of class by being moved to an area of the classroom for time out. Whilst in timeout children are asked to think about their behaviour and given time to calm down; Time in partner class - if a child continues to misbehave after timeout they are sent to their partner class to think about their behaviour for 5 minutes. If a child is sent to another member of staff then an incident slip is completed and passed to the Pastoral Manager; Head Teacher/ SLT intervention - once the child has come back to class, if their misbehaving continues the child is escorted to either the Head Teacher or a member of SLT. Choices Chart- if a child is continually struggling to make the right choices they may be given a choices chart with individualised behaviour targets to work towards. Choices charts can relate to behaviour for learning and/or social behaviour. Children on choices charts will work closely with the Pastoral Manager. Serious Misbehaviour Very serious misbehaviour will be dealt with by the Head Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher or other members of SLT where appropriate; Bullying / Harassment Racist behaviour Physical assault Verbal assault on a member of staff Serious wilful damage to property Malicious accusations against school staff- dealt with by the Head Teacher In these circumstances, the pupil is escorted to either the Head Teacher or Deputy Headteacher immediately. If for some reason the Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher is unavailable then the pupil should be escorted to either the Assistant Head Teacher or the Pastoral Manager. The incident is recorded on the schools electronic system with the actions taken. Serious misbehaviour at this level may result in an internal or external exclusion from school. If the behaviour is at lunchtimes, lunchtime exclusion may occur. Exclusion provision is in line with The School Discipline Regulations 2012. In cases where a child is deemed to be in crisis and may be in a position whereby he/she may cause physical harm to themselves or others, the following procedure should be followed; 1. Clear the area / room of all children. 6
2. Send immediately for a member of SLT 3. Clear dangerous furniture or obstacles from within the child s reach (where possible) 4. Speak calmly to the child and attempt to calm them using your voice. 5. If the child continues to put themselves or others in physical danger, consideration should be made as to whether or not physical intervention is needed Physical Intervention and Protective Handling The general principle is that the use of physical intervention should, wherever possible, be avoided and only used as a last resort. Before using physical intervention staff should always attempt to use diversion or diffusion to manage the situation. However, all members of school staff have a legal power to use reasonable force as stated in Section 93 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Examples of when physical intervention may be used: removal of a disruptive pupil from the classroom if they have refused to follow an instruction to do so; preventing a pupil behaving in a way that disrupts a school event or a school trip or visit; preventing 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; preventing a pupil from attacking a member of staff or another pupil, or to stop a fight in the playground; restraining a pupil at risk of harming themselves through physical outbursts; a safe holding tactic by which a pupil is restrained until he/she calms down; and removing a weapon or dangerous object from a pupil If physical intervention is deemed to be necessary then: It should be an exceptional circumstance It must be used in ways that maintain the safety and dignity of all concerned It should be both reasonable and proportional to the circumstances and be the minimum necessary to avert injury or damage to property. In all cases there should be the minimum use of physical restraint. There should be no unnecessarily rough handling or shaking of the pupil. It should be sensitive to the cultural expectations of pupils and their attitude towards physical contact It should avoid any contact that might be misinterpreted as sexual It should be applied for the shortest period of time Please see school guidance on physical intervention for further information. Searching Pupils Without Consent In addition to the legal power to use reasonable force as described above, the Head Teacher and SLT can use such force as is reasonable given the circumstances to conduct a search for the following prohibited items : knives and weapons alcohol illegal drugs stolen items tobacco and cigarette papers fireworks pornographic images any article that has been or is likely to be used to commit an offence, cause personal injury or damage to property. 7
Disparaging Language As well as monitoring incidents of poor behaviour and bullying, school also monitors the use of disparaging language. In line with the school values, we teach the children how damaging the use of disparaging language can be and how the use of disparaging language contradicts our school ethos. If children are heard using disparaging language such as homophobic language, appropriate sanctions will be put in place, however first and foremost staff will work with the children around their understanding and try to ascertain if there are any underlying issues which may be present in order for them to be using such vocabulary. By monitoring and tracking the use of disparaging language school can highlight issues as they appear to be arising and target support for individual children. Bullying What is Bullying? Several Times On Purpose A person is bullied when he or she is exposed regularly and overtime to negative actions on the part of one or more persons Olweus 1987. Where the balance of power is equal this can be defined as conflict rather than bullying. Bullying can be: Emotional Physical Racial Sexual Homophobic Gender Verbal Cyber Indirect being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting e.g. hiding books or using threatening gestures pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence racial taunts, graffiti or using gestures aimed at an individual s race or religion unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments focusing on the issue of sexuality, ridiculing or making hurtful comments Focusing on the issue of gender such as transgender by ridiculing or making hurtful comments name calling, sarcasm, teasing inappropriate use of the internet, e-mail, chat room misuse, instant messaging, texting, phone calls and the misuse of associated technology i.e. camera and video facilities and uploading data to websites this is done by excluding others from a group, spreading lies, secrets, rumors or exaggerated stories about someone. Signs and Symptoms of Bullying Bullying makes victims feel isolated and afraid, and damages self-esteem. It can result in physical injury or damage to property. A child who is bullied may be unwilling to attend school, or unable to concentrate on lessons. A child may indicate by signs or behaviour that he or she is being bullied. Adults should be aware of these possible signs and that they should investigate if a child: is frightened of walking to or from school comes home with clothes torn or books damaged 8
does not want to go on the school / public bus begs to be driven to school changes their usual routine is unwilling to go to school (school phobic) begins to truant becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence starts stammering attempts or threatens suicide or runs away cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares feels ill in the morning school work starts to deteriorate changes their attitude to people at home has possessions which are damaged or "go missing" asks for money or starts stealing money has dinner or other monies continually "lost" has unexplained cuts or bruises comes home hungry through not having their dinner becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable is bullying other children or siblings stops eating is frightened to say what is wrong gives improbable excuses for any of the above is afraid to use the internet or mobile phone is nervous or jumpy when a cyber-message is received These signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated Bullying in school School understands that education around anti-bullying is important and we will at intervals throughout the school year take feedback from both parents and children in order to assess current needs. Bullying behaviour is most prevalent amongst children between the ages of 9 to 13 therefore years 5 and 6 are the most vulnerable year groups. Many victims of serious, persistent bullying do not report it either at home or at school out of fear that it will get worse after the perpetrators are punished. School has a duty to make every effort to stop bullying by supporting both the victims and the perpetrators and help them understand the effect of their actions. Preventative Steps At Werneth Primary School we use a variety of activities to develop our pupils ability to form positive relationships with their peers, discourage bullying behaviour and offer pupils strategies for dealing with bullying and behave appropriately. Strategies PSHE/ Rights Respecting School Assemblies and Star of the Week Circle time, discussing and exploring different types of bullying and behaviour Philosophy for Children Restorative Thinking Drama e.g. acting out scenarios An Active Curriculum, providing opportunities for discussion and initiatives such as friendship week PSHE / Rights Respecting School/ SEAL - Children can be taught to be assertive and to resolve conflict creatively and constructively Praise and reward for cooperative behaviour e.g. stickers, certificates and trophies Friends of Werneth- peer supporters Effective supervision at playtimes Training for midday supervisors The provision of play equipment to reduce boredom and encourage positive play. Development of the school grounds to provide a safe and stimulating environment for all pupils Indoor games club at lunchtime developing cooperative play Extra-curricular activities Appropriate and informative ICT lessons 9
Development of school ethos to enable an open and mutually supportive environment Parent workshops and drop-ins Procedures when bullying takes place Immediately Pupils should feel able to tell staff when they are bullied. All pupils will be listened to, including those who have bullied others. Responses should be prompt and consistent. Reporting of Incidents All staff complete incident slips for any type of bullying and these are logged on the school s electronic system. The Head Teacher must be made aware of any incidents of bullying. Interventions and restorative action Strategies used to resolve incidents of bullying will vary according to the severity of the incident. Counselling, Restorative Thinking, The Support Group Method or a Solution Focused Approach may also be useful and parents will be informed and involved. Monitoring of Behaviour and Bullying The school keeps an electronic record of incidents of misbehaviour, bullying and disparaging language. The school does not tolerate bullying of any kind. If we discover that an act of bullying or intimidation has taken place, we act immediately to support all children involved. We do everything in our power to ensure that all children feel happy and safe in school. Children whose behaviour has been consistently poor may have a behaviour support plan or choices chart which is reviewed at least once each term by the child, parents, class teacher, Inclusion Manager, Pastoral Manager and/or any other external agencies who are involved with the child. The Head Teacher keeps a record of any pupil who receives fixed-term exclusion or who is permanently excluded. It is the responsibility of the governing body to monitor the rate of exclusions, and to ensure that the school policy is administered fairly and consistently. Evaluation and Review The Head Teacher monitors the effectiveness of this policy on a regular basis. Behaviour reports are presented to the governing body and if necessary, recommendations for further improvements are made. The Governing Body along with the Head Teacher will annually review this policy or earlier if necessary and any issues arising from the review will be reported to the Senior Leadership Team. Useful Documents DfE Guidance on Exclusion from maintained schools, Academies and pupil referral units in England 2012 DfE Guidance on Behaviour and Discipline In Schools 2013 School s policies on PSHE, Protective Handling, SEN, Safeguarding, Learning and Teaching and Complaints 10
Useful Contacts ChildLine 0800 500 / -www.childline.org.uk Anti-Bullying Alliance -www.antibullyingalliance.org Restorative Justice Council- www.restorativejustice.org.uk NSPCC Helpline -0808 800 5000 Kidscape -www.kidscape.org.uk Think You Know -www.thinkuknow.co.uk Signed Date (Chair of Governing Body) 11