Behaviour and Discipline Policy
Aims and expectations
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’s behaviour 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 everyone feels happy, safe and
secure.
The school has a number of rules, but our behaviour policy is not primarily
concerned with rule enforcement. It is a means of promoting good relationships,
so that people can work together with the common purpose of helping everyone
to learn. This policy supports the school community in aiming to allow everyone
to work together in an effective and considerate way.
The school expects every member of the school community to behave in a
considerate way towards others.
We treat all children fairly and apply this behaviour policy in a consistent way.
This policy aims to help children 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 cooperation. This policy is designed to promote good
behaviour, rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour.
Rewards and punishments
We praise and reward children for good behaviour in a variety of ways:
• Staff praise children.
• Staff give children stickers and primary pounds
• We distribute stickers and primary pounds to children for good work and good
behaviour and to acknowledge outstanding effort or acts of kindness in
school.
We present a ‘Star of the Week’ award to celebrate the successes of a child in each class, whether academic or behavioural.
Children can earn primary pounds which can be banked and then spent on treat items or a treat afternoon run by the staff at the end of a term.
• All classes have an opportunity to lead a class assembly where they are
able to show examples of their best work.
The school acknowledges all the efforts and achievements of children, both in
and out of school. Friday assembly celebrates children’s achievement out
of school, for example, music, swimming, dancing trophies and certificates.
The school employs a number of sanctions to enforce the school rules, and to
ensure a safe and positive learning environment. We employ each sanction
appropriately to each individual situation.
• We expect children to listen carefully to instructions in lessons. If they do not
do so we may ask them to move nearer the teacher or sit on their own.
• We expect children to try their best in all activities. If they do not do so, we
may ask them to redo a task.
If a child is disruptive in class, the teacher issues a warning.
If a child misbehaves a second time they are given a yellow card and lose their primary pound for that day.
Further disruption or negative behaviour results in a red card. This results in a suitable sanction, such as missing playtime or an extra curricular club and a fine of five primary pounds.
Serious behavioural issues including, violence, spitting,or swearing result in a letter home or a meeting with parents.
Repeated breaches of the code of conduct will result in the parents meeting with the Head teacher and the child being taken home for the rest of the day.
Further repeated behaviour issues will lead to formal suspension but this is seen as a last resort.
With all serious behaviour issues common sense must be used and each situation needs to be investigated fully before decisions are made.
The class teacher discusses the school rules with each class. In addition to the school rules, each class also has its own classroom code, which is agreed by
the children and displayed on the wall of the classroom. In this way, every child in the school knows the standard of behaviour that we expect in our school. If
there are incidents of anti-social behaviour, the class teacher discusses these with the whole class during circle time.
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 stop any further
occurrences of such behaviour. While it is very difficult to eradicate bullying, we do everything in our power to ensure that all children attend school free from
fear (see anti bullying policy).
Teachers in our school do not hit, push or slap children. Staff only intervene physically to restrain children or to prevent injury to a child, or if a child is in
danger of hurting him/herself. The actions that we take are in line with government guidelines on the restraint of children.
Punishment / sanctions are carried out at the time of the incident by the relevant adult. Once dealt with there is no further requirement for intervention by another member of staff.
The role of the class teacher
It is the responsibility of class teachers to ensure that the school rules are enforced in their classes, and that their classes behave in a responsible manner
during lesson time.
The class teachers in our school have high expectations of the children with regard to 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 teachers treat all children in their classes with respect and
understanding.
If a child misbehaves repeatedly in class, a behaviour concern note is issued by the class teacher to the headteacher. In the first instance, the class teacher deals with incidents him/herself in the normal manner. However, if misbehaviour continues, the class teacher seeks help and advice from the headteacher and SENCO. The parents will also be notified at this time.
The class teacher liaises with external agencies, as necessary, to support and guide the progress of each child.
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, in collaboration with the headteacher, 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 their 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. These actions are taken only after the Isle of Man Department of Education and school governors have been notified.
The role of parents
The school collaborates actively with parents, so that children receive consistent messages about how to behave at home and at school.
We explain our expectations for behaviour in the school prospectus, and we expect parents to read them and support them.
We expect parents to support their child’s learning, and to cooperate with the school, as set out in the home-school agreement. We try to build a supportive
dialogue between the home and the school, and we inform parents immediately. if we have concerns about their child’s welfare or behaviour.
If the school has to use reasonable sanctions to punish a child, we expect parents to support the actions of the school. If parents have any concerns about
the way that their child has been treated, they should initially contact the class teacher. If the concern remains, they should contact the Headteacher. If these
discussions cannot resolve the problem a formal grievance or appeal process can be implemented.
The role of governors
The headteacher has the day-to-day authority to implement the school’s policy on behaviour and discipline, but governors may give advice to the headteacher
about particular disciplinary issues. The headteacher must take this into account when making decisions about matters of behaviour.
Fixed-term and permanent exclusions
See Suspension of Pupils : Policy and Procedures (IOM Dept. of Education Sept 07 )
Drug- and alcohol-related incidents
It is the policy of this school that no child should bring any drug, legal or illegal, to school. If a child needs medication during the school day the parent or
guardian is asked to administer the medicine if necessary at school.
The school will take very seriously misuse of any substances such as glue, other solvents, or alcohol. The parents or guardians of any child involved will
always be notified. Any child who deliberately brings substances into school for the purpose of misuse will be punished by a fixed-term exclusion. If the offence
occurs repeatedly it will be recommended that the child should be permanently excluded, and the police and social services will be informed.
If any child is found to be suffering from the effects of alcohol or other substances, arrangements will be made for that child to be taken home.
It is forbidden for anyone, adult or child, to bring onto the school premises illegal drugs. Any child who is found to have brought to school any type of illegal
substance will be punished by a temporary exclusion. The child will not be readmitted to the school until a parent or guardian of the child has visited the
school and discussed the seriousness of the incident with the headteacher.
If the offence occurs repeatedly it will be recommended that the child should be permanently excluded, and the police and social services will be informed.
If a child is found to have deliberately brought illegal substances into school, and is found to be distributing these to other pupils for money, the child will be
permanently excluded from the school. The police and social services will also be informed.
Monitoring and review
The headteacher monitors the effectiveness of this policy on a regular basis. S/he also reports to the governing body on the effectiveness of the policy and, if
necessary, makes recommendations for further improvements.
The school keeps a variety of records concerning incidents of misbehaviour. The class teacher records minor classroom incidents. The headteacher records
those incidents where a child is sent to him/her on account of bad behaviour. We also keep a record of any incidents that occur at break or lunchtimes
(red book /blue book system). Praiseworthy behaviour is recorded in the blue book and celebrated in the Friday assembly. Poor behaviour is recorded in the red book and either dealt with by the class teacher or brought to the attention of the headteacher if deemed serious enough.
The headteacher keeps a record of any child 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 will pay particular attention to matters of racial equality; it will seeks to ensure that the school abides by the non-statutory
guidance The Duty to Promote Race Equality: A Guide For Schools, and that no child is treated unfairly because of race or ethnic background.
The headteacher and governing body reviews this policy every two 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.
Reviewed: February 2016
Next review: July 2017