Primary School Behaviour Policy

Aims

The following policy is intended to guide all personnel within school as to the types of behaviour which we expect to see from our children, the ways in which we will encourage and reward good behaviour and sanction misbehaviour. It is important that children are treated consistently, with all adults in school having the same understanding of acceptable behaviours, following the same reward system and exercising the same sanctions for misbehaviour.

As well as keeping in mind our vision statement we should at all times, in relation to behaviour, be aware of the paragraph in our school philosophy statement that reads: ' We will promote a caring ethos throughout the school (between children, staff and parents) so there is an atmosphere of mutual respect and co-operation.'

Good behaviour follows naturally when children see the need for it, when they are treated with respect themselves and when they see good role models in the behaviour of the adults round about them. We need to be aware, as adults that we are powerful influences (for good and bad) upon the children in our care and this influence can be experienced by the children even when we are not conscious or aware of it.

Objectives

Behaviour

1. We aim to uphold the important rights of everyone at IBSB. These rights include:

the right to communicate ideas, feelings and needs;
the right to move safely around the school;
the right to work and learn;
the right to feel secure at all times and, if disputes occur, to have them settled positively, fairly and non-aggressively.

2. The implications of these rights and the “Golden Rules” will be discussed with classes.

3. Rules will be displayed prominently in classrooms, and referred to regularly, so that children will be quite clear as to the expectations of them and their behaviour.

These will need to be different for children of different age groups so that the rules are clear and in appropriate language for the children concerned.

4. It must be made clear to children that the expectations are the same whether they are in the classroom or out, whether it is their teacher or any other adult within school - acceptable behaviour is expected in all aspects of school life.

5. Each teacher should make concerted efforts to catch students being good. We believe we can shape the behaviour of students by rewarding and praising good behaviour when it is observed.

Rewards and Sanctions

Rewards

Praise the good behaviour of others or find a way to praise the individual’s good behaviour if possible.

A merit system will be used to award good behaviour and academic effort and achievement in classes.

The students will collect merits throughout the year and bronze, silver, gold and platinum certificates will be awarded by the Head of Primary School (225 merits = bronze, 450 = silver, 675 = gold, 900 = platinum) In addition a diamond certificate will awarded for the student with the most merits at the end of the year. Merits will be awarded taking into account the following criteria: classroom contribution (1 to 3 merits), homework (1 to 3 merits) and test results (1 to 3 merits).

In the Primary School, merits are regularly recorded in each class and are displayed in the classroom.

A house points system will also be used to reward students involvement in extra curricular activities and school life (see house points system policy).

Sanctions

In the case where students do not demonstrate good behaviour in the school a hierarchy of sanctions (detailed below) will be followed. This is necessary in order to promote a good educational environment where the highest standards of teaching and learning can be achieved.

Procedures in the Primary and Secondary Schools differ to reflect the ages of the children.

Primary School Procedures

Misbehaviour includes(N.B. This is not an exhaustive list but does cover the types of behaviour which are considered to be inappropriate):

Physical abuse of others.
Not completing homework.
Verbal abuse of others (including persistently calling names)
Theft or destruction of other people’s property (including the school’s)
Lying or cheating
Not following other reasonable classroom rules set by individual teachers.
Breaking the golden rules of the school

Children who misbehaviour will be given a warning (KS2) or sad face (PreSchool & KS1). This will be recorded and their parents will be told also, with the reason for receiving the warning. Children who receive a warning/sad face will loose a breaktime with the teacher who gave the warning supervising. If it persists they will be sent to the Head of Primary School.

If a child’s poor behaviour persists the teacher will place them on a behaviour contract after discussing the child’s behaviour with both the parents and the Head of the Primary School. These will last for a week initially and will be reviewed on a weekly basis.

Failure to improve behaviour sufficiently will lead to the child receiving an IEP with clear targets set to improve behaviour.

Further disruptive behaviour will lead to internal exclusion, where, after consultation with the parents, the child will be given work to be completed whilst being supervised the Head of Primary School rather than his/her class for a set period.

Finally, if behaviour does not improve or it is deemed to be detrimental to the welfare or learning of other pupils in the school, the child will be suspended for a fixed period after consultation with the parents.

Ultimately, the school reserves the right to permanently exclude a child.

Parental Contact:

Parents will be contacted first through the school database. If there is no response parents will then be contacted by phone and then by letter.
All parental meetings will be recorded on a parental meeting form and all in attendance (including the parents) will be asked to sign this form. This form should be kept by a relevant member of staff and copies given to the parents and to all other relevant members of staff.