Oldfield Brow Primary School
Behaviour Policy
 
"only the very best will do”

We seek to create an environment in the school which encourages and reinforces good behaviour. Furthermore, it is acknowledged that society expects good behaviour as an important outcome of the educational process. 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.

Our school has high expectations of behaviour and our behaviour policy is designed to ensure that everyone, children and adults alike feel safe and happy and have the opportunity to learn, achieve and be successful.

Aims

To create an environment which encourages and reinforces good behaviour.
To define acceptable standards of behaviour.
To encourage consistency of response to both positive and negative behaviour.
To promote self-esteem, self-discipline and positive relationships.
To ensure that the school's expectations and strategies are widely known and understood.
To encourage the involvement of both home and school in the implementation of this policy.
We treat all children fairly and apply this behaviour policy in a consistent way. Parents should ensure that their child has the appropriate behaviours suitable for our school and we expect all parents to support our school standards.

Rights
 
At Oldfield Brow Primary School everybody has the right:

To feel safe, happy and secure in school at all times        
To be able to learn and play without threat or disruption from others
To know that bullying is unacceptable and will be dealt with
To be listened to and treated fairly and sensitively
 

It is the responsibility of everyone at Oldfield Brow to ensure that these rights are upheld in every classroom and around the school. Children and adults should behave appropriately and follow whole school and classroom rules at all times.

We recognise that this behaviour policy and the practice it supports needs to be responsive to individual needs. The school believes that our response to children who have additional needs relating to a disability must take into account the legislation of the Equality Act of 2010. Our school must not discriminate against disabled pupils and consequently may be required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure their educational and social experiences at Oldfield Brow are as positive and inclusive as possible. For children who display inappropriate behaviour for reasons related to a disability, the school’s response may need to be differentiated in recognition of the additional difficulties these children may have in managing their actions.

We firmly believe that it is our responsibility to support and help such pupils to behave in a socially acceptable manner and that effecting positive behavioural change is always possible. However, the methods of achieving this may vary depending on the individual circumstances of the pupil concerned. At Oldfield Brow Primary, we recognise that behavioural difficulties can be as a result of social, emotional and mental health issues and may be supported by strategies relating to our SEND provision.

The school will ensure all staff are aware of individual needs where behaviour and disability is likely to be an issue. Individual guidance will be circulated to every teacher about how they may most effectively manage the behaviour of individual children with these difficulties.

This policy aims to help all children to grow in a safe and secure environment and to become positive, responsible and increasingly independent members of the school community.

The school rewards good behaviour, as it believes that this will develop an ethos of kindness and co-operation and help raise self-esteem. This policy is designed to promote good behaviour, rather than simply deter anti-social behaviour.

Standards of Behaviour

In seeking to achieve standards of morals and behaviours expected within society, it is acknowledged that these are goals to be worked towards rather than expectations which are innate. Therefore, the school has a central role in the children's social and moral development just as it does in their academic development. Just as we measure academic achievement in terms of progress and development over time towards academic goals, so we measure standards of behaviour in terms of the children's developing ability to conform to our behavioural goals.

The children bring to school a wide variety of behaviour patterns based on differences in home values, attitudes and parenting skills. At school we must work towards standards of behaviour based on the basic principles of honesty, respect, consideration and responsibility. It follows that acceptable standards of behaviour are those which reflect these principles.

School Ethos

The adults encountered by the children at school have an important responsibility to model high standards of behaviour, both in their dealings with the children and with each other, as their example has an important influence on the children.

As adults we should aim to:

create a positive climate with realistic expectations;
emphasise the importance of being valued as an individual within the group;
promote, through example, honesty and courtesy;
provide a caring and effective learning environment;
encourage relationships based on kindness, respect and understanding of the needs of others;
ensure fair treatment for all regardless of age, gender, race, ability and disability;
show appreciation of the efforts and contribution of all.
At Oldfield Brow Primary School we have a set of six core rules:

1.      You must do as you are told first time

2.      You must be in the right place at the right time

3.      You must wait your turn to speak

4.      You must speak quietly and politely to everyone

5.      You must keep your hands, feet and objects to yourself

6.      You must show respect to all adults and children

Through following these key rules, a firm platform for effective learning can be built.

The Curriculum and Learning

We believe that an appropriately structured curriculum and effective learning contribute to good behaviour. Our curriculum involves PSHE and can be used as a powerful tool to influence children’s beliefs and behaviour. Thorough planning for the needs of individual pupils, the active involvement of pupils in their own learning and structured feed- back all help to avoid the alienation and disaffection which can lie at the root of poor behaviour.

It follows that lessons should have clear objectives, understood by the children, and differentiated to meet the needs of children of different abilities. Marking and record keeping can be used both as a supportive activity, providing feed-back to the children on their progress and achievements and as a signal that the children's efforts are valued and that progress matters.

Classroom Management

Classroom management and teaching methods have an important influence on children's behaviour. The classroom environment gives clear messages to the children about the extent to which they and their efforts are valued. Relationships between teacher and children, strategies for encouraging good behaviour, arrangements of furniture, access to resources and classroom displays all have a bearing on the way children behave.

Classrooms should be organised to develop independence and personal initiative. Furniture should be arranged to provide a environment conducive to on-task behaviour. Materials and resources should be arranged to aid accessibility and reduce uncertainty and disruption. Displays should help develop self-esteem through demonstrating the value of every individual's contribution and overall the classroom should provide a welcoming environment.

Teaching methods and curriculum organisation should encourage enthusiasm and active participation for all. Lessons should aim to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding which will enable the children to work and play in co-operation with others. Praise should be used to encourage good behaviour as well as good work.

Rules and Procedures

Rules and procedures should be designed to make clear to the children how they can achieve acceptable standards of behaviour.

Rules and procedures should:

be kept to a necessary minimum;
be positively stated, telling the children what to do rather than what not to do;
actively encourage everyone involved to take part in their development;
have a clear rationale, made explicit to all;
be consistently applied and enforced;
promote the idea that every member of the school has responsibilities towards the whole.
Rewards

Our emphasis is on rewards to reinforce good behaviour, rather than on failures. We believe that rewards have a motivational role, helping children to see that good behaviour is valued. The commonest reward is praise, informal and formal, public and private, to individuals and groups. It is earned by the maintenance of good standards as well as by particularly noteworthy achievements. This is as true for adults as for children. Rates of praise for behaviour should be as high as for work. Teachers are encouraged to develop their own reward systems that are both class and age appropriate which adhere to the guiding principles outlined above.

The school uses the concept of house colours and children's hard work, good choices, behaviour and attendance are rewarded with tokens which result in rewards.

Recognition of the following rewards are presented publicly during Friday’s ‘Good Work Assembly’ :-

Well Done Certificate
Citizen Award
Headteacher’s Award
Sanctions

Although rewards are central to the encouragement of good behaviour, realistically there is a need for sanctions to register the disapproval of unacceptable behaviour and to protect the security and stability of the school community. In an environment where respect is central, loss of respect, or disapproval, is a powerful punishment.
The use of punishment should be characterised by certain features:-

It must be clear why the sanction is being applied.
It must be made clear what changes in behaviour are required to avoid future punishment.
There should be a clear distinction between minor and major offences.
It should be the behaviour rather than the person that is punished.
Sanctions range from expressions of disapproval, through withdrawal of privileges, missed lunch time play to referral to the Headteacher, letters to parents and, ultimately and in the last resort, exclusion (following the LA guidelines). Most instances of poor behaviour are relatively minor and can be adequately dealt with through minor sanctions. It is important that the sanction is not out of proportion to the offence.

Children should never be humiliated by adults in the school community and should always be reassured that in rejecting aspects of their behaviour, we are not rejecting them as individuals.

Where anti-social, disruptive or aggressive behaviour is frequent, sanctions alone are ineffective. In such cases careful evaluation of the curriculum on offer, classroom organisation/management and whole school procedures should take place to eliminate these as contributory factors. Additional specialist help and advice from the Educational Psychologist or SENCO may be necessary. This possibility should be discussed with the Headteacher as well as with other colleagues.

Communication and Partnership

We give high priority to clear communication within the school and to a positive partnership with parents since these are crucial in promoting and maintaining high standards of behaviour. Where the behaviour of a child is giving cause for concern it is important that all those working with the child in school are aware of those concerns and of the steps which are being taken in response. The key professional in this process of communication is the class teacher who has the initial responsibility for the child's welfare. Early warning of concerns should be communicated to the Headteacher or member of the SMT so that strategies can be discussed and agreed before more formal steps are required.

A positive partnership with parents is crucial to building trust and developing a common approach to behaviour expectations and strategies for dealing with problems. Parental participation in many aspects of school life is encouraged. This participation assists the development of positive relationships in which parents are more likely to be responsive if the school requires their support in dealing with difficult issues of unacceptable behaviour.

The school will communicate policy and expectations to parents. Where behaviour is causing concern parents will be informed at an early stage, and given an opportunity to discuss the situation. Parental support will be sought in devising a plan of action within this policy, and further disciplinary action will be discussed with the parents.

The role of the Classteacher

It is the responsibility of the Class teacher to ensure that the school rules are followed in their class and that their class behaves in a responsible manner during lesson time. Children at Oldfield Brow should know both their rights and responsibilities and all agree on a set of classrooms rules to promote positive behaviour at the beginning of each academic year. Rules are displayed clearly in classrooms and are regularly referred to. Time is also spent discussing a variety of inappropriate and unacceptable behaviours and children are asked to consider the effect that these behaviours may have on others. Consequences for different behaviours are discussed and agreed as a class, taking into consideration how extreme the behaviour is or how frequently the behaviour occurs. This ensures a consistent approach and that everyone is clear about behaviour expectations.

The class teachers in our 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.

The class teacher treats each child fairly and enforces the classroom code consistently. The teacher treats all children in their class with respect and understanding.

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 them self in the normal manner. If this does not rectify the situation, the classteacher may call on additional support/advice from relevant parties. This might show itself as an IBP (Individual Behaviour Plan) which shows targets and strategies in relation to an individuals behaviour.

The class teacher liaises with external agencies, as necessary, to support and guide the progress of each child. The class teacher may, for example, discuss the needs of a child with the SENCO or LA behaviour support service based at Longford Park.

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 may also contact a parent if there are concerns about the behaviour or welfare of a child.

The role of the Headteacher

It is the responsibility of the Headteacher, under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, to implement the school behaviour policy consistently throughout the school, and to report to governors, when requested, on the effectiveness of the policy. It is also the responsibility of the Headteacher to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all children in the school.

The Headteacher supports the staff by implementing the policy, by setting the standards of behaviour and by supporting staff in the implementation of the policy.

The Headteacher keeps records of all reported serious incidents of misbehaviour.

The Headteacher has the responsibility for giving fixed-term suspensions to individual children for serious acts of misbehaviour. For repeated or very serious acts of anti-social behaviour, the Headteacher may permanently exclude a child. The Headteacher will then inform the Governing Body.

The role of Parents

Parents should ensure that their child has the appropriate behaviours suitable for our school and we expect all parents to support our school standards.

The school works collaboratively with parents, so children receive consistent messages about how to behave at home and at school.

We explain the school rules in the school prospectus and display them around school. We expect parents to read these and support them.

We expect parents to support their child’s learning and to co-operate with the school to achieve the best possible education for their child. We try to build a supportive dialogue between the home and the school, and we inform parents as soon as possible if we have concerns about their child’s welfare or behaviour.

If the school has to use reasonable sanctions to punish 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 class teacher. If the concern remains, they should make an appointment to speak with the Headteacher and at this point the problem is usually resolved. However, if these discussions cannot resolve the problem, they should contact the school governors and a formal grievance or appeal process can be implemented. See Complaints Policy for more information.

Unacceptable behaviours include:

·                     Any intimidation, physical or verbal aggressive or threatening behaviour by a group or an individual towards others

·                     Bullying - a repeated and unprovoked behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically

·                     Racist homophobic/sexist or any other discriminatory behaviour

·                     Any form of fighting.  Children should be helped to appreciate that “play-fighting” invariably turns nasty, whether intentionally or not, and someone is likely to get hurt

·                     Swearing

·                     Rudeness to any adult working in school, including refusing to do what an adult has asked them to do

·                     Disrupting other children’s learning

·                     Any damage or theft to property, whether classroom or school equipment or the property of others

·                     Any dangerous behaviour which puts children’s health and safety at risk

·                     Lying to get oneself out of a potentially difficult situation.  Children can be helped to see that truthfulness is invariably the better option so that the problem is sorted out quickly, impact on others is reduced and consequences don’t escalate.

Consequences include:

·                     Adult disapproval or verbal reminders

·                     Discussion with an adult about the behaviour

·                     Removing a child from a situation (asking them to move)

·                     Withdrawal of privileges/freedoms, such as a play-time or participation in extra-curricular activities, the reasons for the deprivation being clearly explained

·                     Redress for any mess/damage incurred can be insisted upon and children enlisted to help, even if they are unable to make the damage good themselves

·                     Referral to the Senior Management Team

·                     Informing parents and/or involving parents in discussion

Strategies for Dealing with Persistent Unacceptable Behaviour
 
No school will ever be free of children who from time to time have problems with unacceptable behaviour.  It is school policy to manage such behaviour in a positive and supportive way, involving parents and, where necessary, the educational psychologist and other support agencies.

Reasonable adjustments may be made for children with SEN or disabilities when applying the behaviour policy.

If behaviour which is not acceptable is seen outside of school, the school has the right to share this information with the police and to see what appropriate steps should then be made. In this and other contexts, we will work with the police and other outside agencies.

Strategies for dealing with persistent unacceptable behaviour may include:

·                     Regular discussion with children and parents

·                     Home/school message books, so that children showing persistently unacceptable behaviours are made aware of the importance of liaison between school and parents

·                     Individual Behaviour Plans or behaviour targets on an Individual Education Plan (children involved in setting targets where appropriate)

·                     Tracking the progress of a child’s behaviour in class (target tracking sheets/personalised reward charts/observations in class)

·                     Structured lunchtimes (lunchtimes are carefully planned with some outside and some inside time with adult support where necessary)

·                     Lunchtimes away from school

·                     Structured learning time (the day is broken down into small manageable tasks)

·                     Internal seclusions (learning away from other children, on school premises but not in class)

·                     Knowing individual children well, to understand possible triggers for their behaviour and avoid or manage those triggers

·                     Personalised consequences to deal with an individual’s very specific behaviour

·                     Referral to outside agencies (e.g. Behaviour Team outreach support from Longford Park)

·                     Pastoral Support Programmes (PSP)

·                     De escalation is the first strategy and handling children is a last resort. Restraint of children is only used when: a child is at risk of hurting themselves or others; is damaging property or is seriously disrupting the learning of others.

·                     Fixed term exclusion

·                     Permanent exclusion

Exclusion:
 
Very serious incidents including violence or verbal abuse or behaviour threatening the health and safety of others or damage to property are likely to result in a fixed term exclusion. In severe cases if fixed term exclusions do not help the pupil a permanent exclusion can be enforced.

The Headteacher informs the LEA and the governing body about any permanent exclusion, and about any fixed-term exclusions beyond five days in any one term.

The governing body has a discipline committee which is made up of between three and five members. This committee considers any exclusion appeals on behalf of the governors.

When an appeals panel meets to consider an exclusion, they consider the circumstances in which the pupil was excluded, consider any representation by parents and the LA and then consider whether the pupil should be reinstated.

If the governors’ appeals panel decides that a pupil should be reinstated, the Headteacher must comply with this ruling.

Monitoring and Review

The Headteacher monitors the effectiveness of this policy on a regular basis. They also report to the governing body on the effectiveness of the policy and, if necessary, makes recommendations for further improvements.

The Headteacher keeps a record of any pupil who is suspended for a fixed-term, or who is permanently excluded.

It is the responsibility of the governing body to monitor the rate of suspensions and exclusions and to ensure that the school policy is administered fairly and consistently.

The governing body reviews this policy every three years. The governors may, however, review the policy earlier than this, if the government introduces new regulations, or if the governing body receives recommendations on how the policy might be improved.

Amended and approved by Governing December 2019