Introduction

Our primary aim is that every member of Shocklach Oviatt Primary 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 behaviour policy is designed to support the way in which all members of the community can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where everyone feels safe and secure.

The primary aim of the behaviour and discipline policy 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.  We believe that a positive school climate will enhance teaching and learning. A positive school climate will foster cooperation, willingness and responsibility thus building a sense of family. The school family is held together through communication skills, which are taught during conflict moments and in the classroom through active learning lessons.

The goal of the school family is to create problem solvers. If the school family fails to promote pro-social behaviour, rules and consequences are implemented to motivate children to use the socially acceptable communication skills being taught, to reduce behaviour issues and increase teaching time.

• Shocklach Oviatt Primary School expects every member of our 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 to grow in a safe and secure environment, and to become positive, responsible and increasingly independent members of their school community;
• Our school recognises good behaviour as we believe that this will help to develop an ethos of kindness and co- operation;
• This policy is designed to promote good behaviour rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour;
• Our approach to behaviour management is designed to offer a structure within which children can develop effective skills of self-discipline.

Purposes

• To build connections. Fostering interdependence and Building caring relationships.
• To improve A two way process where people feel listened to, understood and can state their own feelings safely.
• To develop problem solving The ability to identify problems early, focusing on solutions.
• To be aware of Where openness is the norm. Expression is encouraged and empathetic responses are the usual. Acceptance of difference is fostered.
• To be able to deal with Changes are acknowledged and dealt with openly.
• To have shared Accept the values of others and using positive intent, seeing the best in others.
• To develop autonomy. Taking ownership of your own feelings and

Our Approach – Conscious Discipline

Conscious Discipline empowers teachers with the Seven Powers of Self Control. These powers allow teachers to stay in control of themselves and in charge of the children. Self-control allows teachers to be proactive instead of reactive in conflict moments and embrace conflict as a teaching opportunity rather than a disruption to learning. From The Seven Powers for Self Control emerge the Seven Basic Skills of Discipline. These are the only skills that a teacher needs to constructively respond to any conflict in the classroom. These skills promote a peaceful inner state in children. From this state, children are free to learn, cooperate and help each other to be successful. (Conscious Discipline, 2000, Dr Becky Bailey). The table below shows the link between these powers and skills:

Expected Behaviour

• Each class develops their own Class Contract at the beginning of the This will detail expected behaviour to make our school a physically, mentally and emotionally safe place to be;
• The Class Contract will be displayed prominently in each class;
• The Class Contract will be consulted and amended as appropriate throughout the school year;
• The Home School Agreement requires children and parents sign up to the whole school expectations for

Encouraging Good Behaviour

• Children are reminded about expected behaviour through class discussion, individual conversations and through the PSHCE and RSE curriculum;
• Children are all given a designated role in their classroom to develop their sense of belonging and being a necessarypart of our school These roles are changed regularly although in Year 6 these may be longer term roles;
• Staff will also use other techniques such as ‘we are thinking of you’ board to encourage community and interdependence;
• Often inappropriate behaviour arises when a child feels upset, angry or Children are taught self-calming techniques to help them in situations they find emotionally challenging;

All Shocklach Oviatt classrooms have a Safe This is a small, comfortable area a child can remove themselves to for a short period of time if they feel they need space to deal with their own upset or to use self-calming techniques. Staff will support children as appropriate at these times. This is not a time out punishment, rather an opportunity to calm down and reflect how they can deal appropriately with their upset.

Recognising Good Behaviour

• Each class will have appointed Kindness Monitors whose job it is to record and share with the class kind and helpful acts they have
• Each week we nominate at least two children from each class to receive a special mention during the Friday Special Mention worship.
• As a staff we have made the decision not to give out regular stickers and certificates as a normal everyday strategy to manage Rather children will be encouraged to recognise the positive effect their good behaviour has on themselves and others thus helping them to develop self-motivation. We recognise that on rare occasions children who are struggling to develop good behaviour patterns may need a short-term series of goals and rewards to help them develop their self-discipline skills. These will be developed in consultation with the Senior Leaders and SENDCO.
• Our school acknowledges all the efforts and achievements of children, both in and out of school.

Dealing with Inappropriate Behaviour 

• Children are taught and supported to calmly and assertively challenge any behaviour they find makes them uncomfortable from any other This is carefully monitored by staff. We believe it is important for each child to be able to express what they don’t like when a behaviour causes them hurt or upset;
• Children are encouraged to use the self-calming techniques they’ve been taught in confrontational They are encouraged to use the Safe Place for this purpose and to seek staff support as appropriate;
• If a child’s physical, emotional or mental safety has been compromised by themselves or another child all children involved will take part in a This discussion will centre around how best to resolve the situation and how to best prevent it occurring again. The situation may have natural consequences or intentional consequences imposed by staff (E.g. a child may be removed from the playground if their behaviour is deemed by staff to pose a threat to their or other child’s safety);
• Consequences will be appropriate to each situation and will be designed to help children learn from their mistakes;
• We expect children to listen carefully to instructions in If they do not do so, we ask them either to move to aplace nearer the teacher, or to sit on their own;
• We expect children to try their best in all If they do not do so, we may ask them to redo a task.

The safety of the children in our care is paramount in all situations. If a child’s behaviour endangers the safety of others, the class teacher stops the activity and may remove the child from taking part. If a child threatens, hurts or bullies another child, the class teacher records the incident, deals with it as above and the child receives a consequence. If a child repeatedly acts in a way that disrupts or upsets others, the school contacts the child’s parents and seeks an appointment in order to discuss the situation, with a view to improving the behaviour of the child. (Parents are often involved before this stage as staff aim to have an open informal communication with parents about any concerns)

Shocklach Oviatt Primary 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 prevent 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.  Please see the Anti-Bullying Policy for further reference.

All members of staff are aware of the regulations regarding the use of force by teachers, as set out in DfE non-statutory guidance The Use of Force to Control or Restrain Children, 2008. Staff only intervene physically to restrain children 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.

The role of the class teacher

It is the responsibility of the class teacher to ensure that the school’s rules are enforced in their class, and that their class behaves in a responsible manner during lesson time. 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 Class Contract consistently. The teacher treats all children in their class with respect and understanding.

If a child displays inappropriate behaviour repeatedly in class, in the first instance, the class teacher deals with incidents him/herself. However, if inappropriate behaviour continues, the class teacher seeks help and advice from the Senior Leadership Team and/or SENDCO. 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 their 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 has the responsibility for giving fixed-term exclusions to individual children for serious acts of inappropriate behaviour that threaten the safety of themselves and others. For repeated or very serious acts of anti-social behaviour, the Headteacher may permanently exclude a child. Both these actions are only taken after the Chair of Governors has been notified.

The role of parents

Our school works collaboratively with parents, so children receive consistent messages about how to behave at home and at school. We expect parents to support their child’s learning, and to co-operate with the school, to be 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 consequences to enable a child to learn from their mistakes 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 contact the Headteacher. If these discussions cannot resolve the problem, a formal grievance or appeal process can be implemented.

The role of the Governing Body

The Governing Body has the responsibility of setting down these general guidelines on standards of discipline and behaviour, and of reviewing their effectiveness. The Governors support the Headteacher in carrying out these guidelines. The Headteacher has the day-to-day authority to implement the school behaviour and discipline policy, 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

The Headteacher has the power to exclude a child from school. The Headteacher may exclude a child for one or more fixed periods, for up to 45 days in any one school year. The Headteacher may also exclude a child permanently. It   is also possible for the Headteacher to convert a fixed-term exclusion into a permanent exclusion, if the circumstances warrant this.

If the Headteacher excludes a child, parents are informed immediately, giving reasons for the exclusion. The Headteacher makes it clear to the parents in a letter that they can, if they wish, appeal against the decision to the Governing Body immediately by writing to the Chair of Governors. In the letter the school informs the parents how to make any such appeal. The school also informs the parents that if they consider the exclusion has occurred as a result of discrimination then they may make a claim to the First- tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) in the case of disability discrimination, or the County Court, in the case of other forms of discrimination. Such a claim must be lodged within 6 months of the date the child was excluded. The Headteacher informs the LA and consults with the named Governor for exclusions about any permanent exclusion, and about any fixed-term exclusions beyond five days in any one term.

The Governing Body itself cannot either exclude a child or extend the exclusion period made by the Headteacher. If a parent appeals against the exclusion the appeals panel meet to consider the circumstances in which the child was excluded and consider any representation by parents. Whilst the governing body has no power to direct reinstatement, they must consider any representations parents make and may place a copy of their findings on the child’s school record.

Monitoring

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 child who is excluded for a fixed-term, or who is permanently excluded. It is the responsibility of the Governing Body to monitor the rate of exclusions, and to ensure that the policy is administered fairly and consistently.

Review

The Senior Leadership Team reviews and approves this policy annually in the Autumn term. They may, however, review the policy earlier than this, if the government introduces new regulations, or if they receive recommendations on how the policy might be improved.

Agreed: 2021

Signed –

Chair of Governors:

Headteacher: