Western Church of England Primary School

Positive Behaviour Management Policy

 

At Western Primary School we encourage a caring, co-operative approach within a community which values and respects each individual. We believe in building positive relationships which raise self esteem. We have high but realistic expectations of children and take every opportunity to promote and reinforce good behaviour. We believe that promoting a positive ethos within the school is the shared responsibility of all staff.

 

Aims

We aim to support and encourage children to:

·         develop self-esteem

·         have confidence in themselves and their abilities

·         become self-motivated

·         develop self-control and self discipline

·         select behaviour that is appropriate to the situation, based on mutual respect and trust

·         have consideration for others

·         behave courteously to other children and adults

 

Principles

Our approach is based on the following principles:

1. Creating the right learning environment promotes positive attitudes to learning.
2. Children with good self esteem are more likely to experience success academically and personally.
3. Children respond well to clear boundaries and high expectations.
4. Children are motivated when they are involved in the learning process.

 

1. The Learning Environment

It is essential to develop a climate of positive interaction between the adults and children in the school. This is characterised by:

·         a shared sense of purpose in the classroom

·         mutual respect between adults and children

·         calm, polite and friendly dialogue leading to constructive relationships

·         a shared understanding of expectations regarding behaviour and work (clear routines and procedures)

·         ways of dealing with inappropriate behaviour quickly and effectively (e.g. through corrective feedback, consistency in applying expectations and sanctions).

 

2. Self-esteem: the key to a child’s success.

Self-esteem is how a person feels about him/herself and his/her abilities. It is an expression of approval or disapproval. Self-esteem is a personal judgement of one’s own self-worth.

 

A child’s self-esteem can be increased through the use of positive, encouraging statements. It can be enhanced by the school’s ethos, aims and curriculum.

 

 

 

A child with low self-esteem is likely to experience negative feelings which may lead to a negative cycle:

 

 

Children experiencing such difficulties will require additional, intensive support. Individual Education Plans and /or Individual Behaviour Plans may need to be written for children experiencing interpersonal and peer relationship problems.

 

We believe that it is important to enhance each child’s self-esteem by ensuring that:

·         all children are spoken to respectfully

·         all children are noticed and valued

·         all children have access to rewards and privileges

·         effort and achievement are recognised and celebrated

 

Children respond to positive suggestions and encouragement more readily than to negative statements. Using positive statements, even when children are being problematic, will help build self-esteem and increase the chances for future improvements. It is important to break the negative cycle.

 

3. Code of Conduct

At school, children are offered opportunities to develop self-discipline, co-operation, respect and tolerance. Codes of Conduct are based on Christian values. These values are promoted through all areas of the curriculum: kindness and generosity, hard work, honesty, courage, perseverance, openness, friendliness, forgiveness, respect and consideration of others.

 

The pupils at Western Primary are encouraged to work and play within the school’s Golden Rules. The Golden Rules were drawn up and agreed at the School Council in September 2005. The children decided to base the rules on the acronym RESPECT.

 

 

Respect other people and our school environment.

Encourage others.

Speak politely to everyone.

Play happily together.

Excel through our attitude to learning and work.

Care for others and be considerate.

Take responsibility for our actions.

 

These golden rules mean we should:

Respect other people and our school environment by

-          treating other people as we would like to be treated

-          looking after our own belongings and other people’s

-          taking care of our school buildings and grounds.

 

Encourage others by

-          supporting friends and peers

-          saying ‘Well done’

-          being positive and smiley.

 

Speak politely to everyone by

-          remembering STEP and say:

-          Sorry

-          Thank you

-          Excuse me

-          Please

 

Play happily together by

-          playing sensibly; no rough games

-          including everyone.

 

Excel through our attitude to learning and work by

-          trying hard

-          never giving up

-          looking smart and being alert, ready to learn.

 

Care for others and be considerate by

-          being kind and never hurting anyone by what we say or do

-          looking after people when they are sad

-          thinking about other people first, before we think about ourselves

-          not fighting

-          not calling people names.

 

Take responsibility for our actions by

-     acting responsibly

-     owning up when we have made a mistake

-     learning from our mistakes.

 

 

 

 

4. Motivating Children

Staff encourage children to become self-motivated by:

·         giving lots of positive feedback about their competence

·         giving feedback which increases the child’s perception of their future competence (feedback needs to genuinely provide information on how improvements can be made)

·         providing them with challenges at just the right level so that they can exercise some autonomy in their learning

·         offering them choices within their work at the right level so that it does not cause anxiety or boredom

·         giving children opportunities to actively participate in setting their own goals and in evaluating their own and other people's work/responses

·         providing a curriculum that inspires children to develop academically, personally and socially

·         providing opportunities to work and play together collaboratively and co-operatively

 

Roles

All members of staff are expected to:

·         set a good example to children by speaking politely, dealing calmly with situations and listening to all sides of the story

·         implement an agreed approach to the rewarding of good behaviour

·         employ strategies that promote good behaviour

·         maintain good discipline within the classroom

·         motivate all children to become independent, effective learners

·         provide stimulating and appropriately challenging tasks in the classroom

·         negotiate class rules with the children

·         take responsibility and ensure that inappropriate behaviour is dealt with effectively

·         counsel children who misbehave

·         apply appropriate sanctions in response to unacceptable behaviour, explaining them to the children calmly

·         inform parents of any changes in their child’s behaviour at an early stage

 

Parents will:

·         support the school’s policy on Positive Behaviour Management

·         ensure that their child(ren) attend school regularly and are punctual

·         inform the school when children show differences in behaviour, or behave unusually at home

·         talk regularly to the classteacher about their child

·         encourage their child and take an interest in their efforts, behaviour and achievement at school

 

Children should:

·         be familiar with the school's Golden Rules

·         discuss and agree Class Rules

Class Rules are negotiated with the children at the start of each year and are set within the context of the school's Golden Rules e.g. We listen carefully to adults and to each other. We are always polite. We take care of our own property and that of other people. We ask before leaving the classroom etc.

 

Rewards

 

Staff use a range of rewards to promote good behaviour by finding the right reward that encourages a particular individual.

Rewards include:

·         praise, smiles and expressions like ‘good’, ‘well done’ made specific to the behaviour being rewarded, name on board, table points

·         being sent to another adult for additional praise and recognition

·         stars, stickers, ‘smiley’ faces on work, chart, clothes

·         class or individual certificates

·         note to parents e.g. in Reading Diary

·         recognition at Celebration Assemblies

·         letter home to parents

 

Golden Time

 

Golden Time is part of the school’s programme of positive reinforcement. Golden Time is a class reward. Specific types of behaviour are identified by the teacher e.g. lining up quietly, changing quickly in PE, sitting quietly in assembly etc. If the class meet the goal, then a point/marble/flag is given. Once all the flags are on the castle or when the marble jar is full the whole class has approx 15-20 minutes of Golden Time at an agreed time in the week. Children can participate in a variety of enjoyable activities of their choice from a selected range during Golden Time e.g. extending/additional playtime, visiting drama studio/ICT suite, rounders/football/games activities outside, time to bring in games from home etc.

 

A Hierarchy of Actions to maintain good order when teaching

Positive reinforcement and praising good role models should be used whenever possible. When children do not follow the ‘Golden Rules’, staff will choose from a range of strategies when responding to individual instances of inappropriate or disruptive behaviour, dependent on the child and circumstances. Children should always be given the opportunity to improve their behaviour and the steps re-start at the beginning of each session during the day.

A reminder about appropriate behaviour or a warning may be all that is needed to get a child back on track. A discussion about an incident in private can avoid confrontation and de-escalate a situation. For example: Please come and speak to me at the end of the lesson…

 

·         Tactical ignoring of low level or attention seeking behaviour – This can be done if the behaviour is not putting people or property at risk and should be accompanied by positive reinforcement as soon as the child behaves appropriately.

·         A non-verbal reminder – The ‘look’, raised eyebrow, a shake of the head or other non-verbal cues to show that you have noticed what is going on, disapprove and want it to stop.

·         Simple directions – A simple direction which expresses the teacher’s intent clearly and simply, without the need for long discussions. It often takes the form of: pupil’s name, identification of desired behaviour (i.e. positive not negative) and eye contact with the pupil. (Take care to keep the tone of voice assertive and not aggressive and maintain a relaxed body language.)

·         Rule or routine restatement or reminder – Remind/redirect the child to the task or remind them of the rule/routine.

·         Question feedback – Ask the child what the task is that he/she is supposed to be doing. Or ask “What is happening here?” If the pupil says “Nothing”, remind the child about the task but do not engage in further conversation. Or ask the pupil what rule is being broken. The teacher states how the behaviour breaks the rule.

·         Limited Choices – You can either do this or you can do this…

·         Verbal warning – A clear verbal warning of the consequences of continuing with the inappropriate behaviour is given. “If you do that again…  you will have to work by yourself as you are disturbing the rest of us.” Use inclusive language about 'our class’. The child’s name can be written on the board at this stage.

·         Consequences – One cross: If the child chooses to continue with the inappropriate behaviour then the consequence follows e.g. the child misses part of playtime under the teacher’s supervision. If they behave well and make amends the name can come off the board.

Two crosses: ‘Time Out’ within the classroom – The pupil sits apart from the rest of the class/group for a short period of time, but within sight of an adult, or ‘Time Out’ with another teacher – The pupil is sent to another teacher’s class to work eg YR Team Leader, Key Stage Manager, Deputy Headteacher.

Three crosses – child sent to Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher to discuss their behaviour.

 

The Red Card System– If a pupil’s behaviour is very challenging, the teacher can send a ‘red card’ to the headteacher’s office. The headteacher (or deputy headteacher in her absence) will immediately go to the class to offer assistance.

 

Sanctions

 

We believe that children feel more secure if they know where the boundaries of acceptable behaviour lie and what sanctions will be used if they overstep the mark. Any sanctions used should be fair, proportionate and appropriate to the age and understanding of the child.

 

It is our policy to listen carefully to all the children involved in a situation and, where appropriate, record the incident. It is important to deal with the situation as soon as possible, remaining calm and objective throughout. Children are counselled carefully and where necessary, are helped to understand the potential consequences of their actions. It is our aim to make it clear to the child(ren) who misbehave, which part of the behaviour is unacceptable and stress that it is the behaviour and not the child that is causing displeasure. The child(ren) need to be given the opportunity to make amends.

 

Efforts should be made to establish whether there is any underlying reason for the inappropriate behaviour and any concerns raised with the Key Stage Manager, Learning Support Co-ordinator, Deputy Headteacher and/or Headteacher. All staff need to be aware of children with particular emotional or behavioural difficulties and be clear about how to deal with potential problems. The use of behaviour charts or a report card will be considered. With agreement from parents, and where appropriate, external agencies e.g. Health Authority, Educational Psychologist, Child and Family Guidance, Education Welfare, Behaviour Support Team etc. will become involved in offering support to the child.

 

Hierarchy of Sanctions

The following sanctions are to be used if the child does not respond to the actions for maintaining good

order or the misbehaviour is more serious eg swearing, fighting (dispute over rules), persistently going

out of bounds within school, or where the child has been particularly disruptive in class.

·         Directed to eat lunch with the headteacher or deputy headteacher, away from peers.

·         Spoken communication with the parent about their child’s behaviour.

·         Lunchtime Detention - The child will miss part of lunchtime under the supervision of a member of staff.

 

Exclusions

We follow the Exclusions Guidance for Hampshire Schools when considering exclusion. A decision to exclude a pupil will be taken for serious breaches of school policy such as fighting, deliberate damage to school or other people’s property, theft, intimidation, bullying, truancy, deliberate and persistent flouting of school rules etc.

·         Internal Exclusion – the child is removed from class to a designated area within the school for a fixed period of time and is supervised by the headteacher, deputy headteacher or nominated member of staff.  

·         Lunchtime Exclusion – persistent disruptive or aggressive behaviour at lunchtime may result in a formal Lunchtime Exclusion. Parents will be asked to take their child home for the lunchtime period only. This is counted as a fixed period exclusion (equivalent to one half school day). 

·         Fixed-term Exclusions can only be actioned by the Headteacher (or in her absence the deputy headteacher) and will be used for serious incidents such as bullying, threatened or actual violence against another pupil or member of staff.

·         Permanent Exclusion would only be considered as a last resort, after all else had failed.

 

 

 

Making Amends

·         The child may be asked to write an apology.

·         The child may be asked to carry out ‘community service’ in another phase of the school. This should be distinguished from positive involvement with younger children, which is a privilege and is designed to develop responsibility and citizenship).

 

This policy should be read in conjunction with the school’s policies on Anti-bullying Guidelines, Teaching and Learning, PSHE, RE and Collective Worship, Special Educational Needs, The Learning Environment and Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Development.

Its principles form part of an overall policy and strategy for promoting effective teaching and learning.

 

Reviewed Autumn 2005

 

Appendices for staff

1.        Additional Guidance on Maintaining Good Order in the Classroom

2.       Playground Rules

3.       How to Mediate: Behaviour Report

4.       Non-teaching staff: Strategies to promote good behaviour

5.       Guidance for staff working with children who have emotional or behavioural difficulties

6.       Serious Incident Report

7.       Anti-Bullying Guidelines