Behaviour Polcy
October 2008
RISELEY C. OF E. LOWER SCHOOL
Behaviour Policy
Our philosophy
At this school we have high expectations of good behaviour from all children, to maintain our safe, calm and friendly learning environment. We believe that every child has the right to learn and no child has the right to disrupt the learning of others.
In our school the aims are:
- To have respect for all adult and children
- To take pride in and have a responsible attitude towards our environment
- To show consideration for others as well as ourselves
- To promote self control, self-motivation and self-confidence
By example and practice the staff of our school work hard to promote the above philosophy and aims and expect each child to:-
ü Be well mannered, considerate and courteous, saying please, thank you and excuse me
ü Listen attentively to whoever is speaking to them as set out in the school rules (see appendix)
ü Share and help each other
ü Walk sensibly at all times around the school
ü Solve problems peacefully, using an adult’s help when necessary
ü Understand that he/she must not fight verbally or physically
ü Be in the correct place at the correct time
ü Treat their own and other people’s property with respect
These are summed up in our ‘Five Golden Rules’.
1. Follow adult instructions first time.
2. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
3. Be polite and kind.
4. Look after property.
5. Walk around the school calmly.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Review
Behaviour is monitored constantly by all staff. The Headteacher and staff use feedback from monitoring to review strategies both for the whole school and for the individual child.
Training and meetings on behaviour for all the staff take place regularly.
Rewards
Praise (lots of it!)
Encouraging smiles
Smiley faces/stars/stickers on work or clothes
Share good news with parents
Send a child to the Headteacher for praise/sticker
Writing in reading record book
Special people during Special Assembly
Consequences
Whilst staff take every opportunity to praise responsible, sensible and caring behaviour, consequences or sanctions appropriate to the circumstances will be used when children fail to reach our expectations of behaviour, for example:-
Ø Drawing the child’s attention to their inappropriate behaviour.
Ø Move a child to another place e.g. another table, quiet mat, next door classroom or, at playtime, sitting at the edge of the playground or in the school hall.
Ø The child will miss part of a playtime, either by sitting quietly or through completing a task relevant to the behaviour.
Ø Persistent or extreme bad behaviour will be reported to the headteacher and reported to the parents/carers. The child’s behaviour will then be monitored and recorded according to the age of the child. This will be shared with the parents, seeking advice from external agencies if required.
Ø Behaviour which intimidates others or prevents others from learning despite the above strategies will result in temporary exclusion from the school, in accordance with LA guidelines.
Ø Persistent unacceptable behaviour or incidents which are deemed to threaten the safety of others will result in permanent exclusion, in accordance with LA guidelines.
Anti-Bullying Policy
In this school, bullying is defined as ‘the persistent targeting of a single child or a group of children by one particular child or a particular group of children’.
Bullying can take the forms of:
· physical harm
· persistent name calling
· persistent irritation
· trying to get another child into trouble
· any form of racist behaviour is to be regarded as bullying
In a Lower School, some instances of bullying may be unintentional, in that the perpetrator does not realise the effect of the behaviour. Nevertheless, such incidents should be treated seriously, so that there is less likelihood of the behaviour becoming worse.
All children must be encouraged to tell an adult if they feel that they are being bullied. The children in the school must know that we treat such matters seriously and that immediate action will be taken. The parents must also be aware of this.
If any staff, teaching or non-teaching, have any evidence of concern that a child is either bullying or being bullied, they must tell the Head Teacher or Senior Teacher, who will pass this information on to other staff. Observation (with written notes where possible) to confirm what is happening will help to clarify the situation.
A child who says (s)he is being bullied should be encouraged to keep a record of each occurrence, if possible. If the child can write, a dated note in a book (which the Head Teacher will provide) of what happened and who was involved.
If there is evidence that a child is bullying, the matter will be dealt with by the Head Teacher. The Head will make a judgment as to whether the offence warrants the bully’s parents being informed, or whether the offence can be dealt with internally. However, if the same child is involved in other offences, the Head Teacher will write a formal letter to the parents, inviting them to come into school to confront the problem together with the child, and to decide on the appropriate way forward. In such a case, the victim’s parents will also be informed of the school’s action by letter. Copies of the letters will be placed in the child’s yellow file.
In the vast majority of cases we expect that parents will be supportive of our actions. In the rare event of a parent or parents not accepting our actions, the parent(s) will be invited to discuss their concerns with some members of the school’s governing body. Should that not produce a solution, the Local Education Authority will be informed that the exclusion of the child concerned is a serious possibility. Should the child have to be excluded, the parents have the right of appeal to an independent panel.