Huntingtower Community Primary School. Positive Behaviour Policy

Huntingtower Community Primary School Positive Behaviour Policy This document is designed to provide a positive approach to the way staff tackle behav...
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Huntingtower Community Primary School Positive Behaviour Policy This document is designed to provide a positive approach to the way staff tackle behavior. It is underpinned with an understanding that we reward the things we expect but have a clear and joined up system for tackling poor behavior across the school. Mark Anderson Approval date: 01/03/2013 Review date: March 2015

Huntingtower Community Primary School – Positive Behaviour Policy

Huntingtower Community Primary School Positive Behaviour Policy INTRODUCTION There are three types of behaviour:  positive  acceptable  unacceptable and negative behaviour Promoting 'Positive Behaviour' provides the springboard for children to maximise their learning potential and to find purpose and enjoyment at school. At Huntingtower Community Primary School we have many children who treat others with respect and are happy to be in class and at school. Their behaviour can be described as POSITIVE. There are some children whose behaviour can be described as acceptable. They are not aggressive or disruptive but have not yet reached the level of positive. “They behave because they have to rather than they want to”. Children whose behaviour is aggressive and disruptive are exhibiting unacceptable/negative behaviour. All children are helped to behave positively through our whole school approach and range of strategies. All children have the potential to display positive behaviour in the majority of their interactions. The aim of this policy is to raise the level of behaviour beyond acceptable to positive by having a common/shared understanding of what is/is not positive behaviour, to develop strategies to nurture, encourage and reward positive behaviour and develop a common/consistent approach to dealing with unacceptable behaviour. Children’s basic rights at school/in the classroom are:  the right to maximise their learning potential  the right to be safe  the right to be treated with respect Children have the right to play, work and learn in a friendly, helpful and safe school environment. Parents have the right to feel welcome and to know that their children are safe, well taught, cared for and happy. Teachers have the right to teach in a school in which they are supported by colleagues, parents and the wider community.

CLASSROOM ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT Positive behaviour management relies on the prevention of difficulties. This provides maximum opportunities for encouragement, praise and reward. Good behaviour is a direct response to quality first teaching and enables the children to challenged and enjoy their learning. Areas to consider are:  use of furniture - is the classroom free of clutter?  use of space - can children/adults move freely?  use of displays, stimulating and interactive  materials and resources and children’s access to them  time management and the need to prioritise

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Huntingtower Community Primary School – Positive Behaviour Policy         

creativity consistent use of routines high expectation and mutual respect class identity grouping of children health and safety feel good factor lesson planning lesson management.

Key lesson management skills:  planning  punctuality  positive start  involvement of children  pace and flow  groupings  monitoring progress and providing feedback  flexibility  managing time, movement and noise  positive and conclusive plenary  relationships and rapport voice, time, body language THE SCHOOL’S VALUES The school’s values are reflected in the acronym REACH: Respect Expect Aspire Care Honest When children demonstrate these values they have the right to be rewarded and when they find it difficult they are encouraged, through a fair system of rewards and, if necessary, sanctions. These values are displayed throughout the school and are what we refer to when we celebrate success and establish what a child has to do to improve if they have made a bad choice. CONSISTENCY Children need security. This can be provided through consistency of approach to managing behaviour. Through this policy we offer a consistent and cohesive approach to positive behaviour management which is adhered to by all adults working within the school. It provides opportunities to reinforce the expected behaviour of those associated with the school, reward children for doing what is expected and allow children to set high and challenging standards of behaviour for themselves and others. At the beginning of each academic year the school’s values and class rules are re-established. The whole school rules are further discussed and repeated in assemblies at the beginning of the year. REACH is clearly displayed throughout the school to be referred to regularly.

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Huntingtower Community Primary School – Positive Behaviour Policy ROUTINES It is through routines that we teach the rules and consolidate the responsibilities required for children to develop self-discipline and become independent learners. Routines help a class/school to run smoothly and are essential to good classroom management. Key points to consider are:  when children enter and leave a space  signal used by a teacher to gain attention (RWInc non-verbal signals used)  break and lunchtimes  everyday activities such as sharpening pencils, going to the toilet, getting lunch boxes etc.  gaining access to resources  appropriate noise levels at different working times These key points are useful for adults to create successful routines:  be on time and prepared at the beginning of each session  begin each day in the same way  have a positive start/end to the session  end the session in the same way

REWARDS Both informal rewards such as smiling or verbal praise and formal rewards such as tower points, certificates, stickers and “Sparkles” are used at Huntingtower. Each class operates a reward system which celebrates what children contribute to the class. Through this system the children are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and support others when they find this difficult. “Sparklies” are used to encourage good behaviour and guide children to learn to respect our values. They can be awarded for many reasons but are principally given to a class if they have upheld the school’s values for example if a whole class has lined up well or demonstrated particularly good behaviour. These “Sparkles” are put in a pot and when the pot is full the whole class is rewarded. This reward might be a few extra minutes at playtime, playing with the parachute, extra golden time, etc but it for the class and teacher to negoitiate. Furthermore, the school operates a team system. Each child belongs to a “Tower Team”: Galata (blue), Crane (yellow), Eiffel (red) and Dragon (green). The children acquire “Tower Points” for things such as good work, sports events, general attitude at lunchtime, etc. These points are counted up each week and the results announced in our “Shining Light Assembly”. A running total is kept and at the end of the year a house point’s shield is awarded to the best team. “Celebration Assembly” rewards children for good work, positive attitudes, presentation, endeavour, setting a good example and citizenship. These children, generally one per class are called our “Shining Lights”. Their photograph is taken and displayed in the corridors and on our school website. If children keep to the school’s values they have the right to “Golden Time”. It is not a weekly earning strategy – it is a weekly ‘I trust you to keep the rules’ strategy. The children have a half hour of activities which they choose and are very different to the daily routine. However, if children do

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Huntingtower Community Primary School – Positive Behaviour Policy not manage to respect the values they can lose Golden Time.

EXPECTATIONS At Huntingtower we have high expectations of children’s behaviour. The expectation of high standards needs constant scaffolding from all staff by:  pre-empting and preventing poor behaviour by organising and managing children in a way that gives them the chance to demonstrate what they can do  providing the role model children need  reinforcing and encouraging the desired standards  making children feel good about being the way the teacher is encouraging them to be  anticipating or pre-empting potential situations by using a range of de-escalation strategies (Team Teach - see physical restraint policy).

DEVELOPING SELF-ESTEEM Children with high levels of self-esteem are confident learners, enjoy the respect of their peers and attract friends. There is a direct link between children’s self esteem, their behaviour and the extent to which they achieve their academic potential. At Huntingtower Community Primary School we develop children’s self esteem by a range of strategies including:

CIRCLE TIME Circle Time, and other opportunities for speaking and listening, is used at Huntingtower to promote positive behaviour through the use of a range of activities and games. These develop children’s collaborative, personal and social skills, along with their self-esteem and confidence and their ability to communicate effectively with each other. TALKING TO CHILDREN At Huntingtower, we develop self-esteem and promote positive behaviour through our language choice. We respect children by the way in which we communicate with them and with other adults. We always endeavour to point out the positives, challenge the behaviour and support the children in how they can improve. We ensure that all adults at school, supply teachers, parents/community helpers and visitors understand that this is the approach we use including accessing all relevant training. INVOLVING THE CHILDREN At Huntingtower we provide opportunities for children to practise giving and receiving criticism in non-threatening ways to develop their self-esteem. Children are given opportunities to:  be able to see things from other peoples points of view  be able to give reasons for their opinion  learn to use constructive language  experience lots of different kinds of questions to make them think  show them how to question and think for themselves  be able to recognise their own achievement

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Huntingtower Community Primary School – Positive Behaviour Policy 

learn how to evaluate their work

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY Taking responsibility raises self-esteem. It makes children feel secure about themselves. There are two sides to taking responsibility:  having responsibility  being responsible At Huntingtower everyone in a class is given responsibility for something. The level of responsibility is determined by the age of the child and the child’s ability to accept responsibility. As children move up the school greater responsibility is given in the form of:  School Council  Tower Captains  Librarians  Assembly/Hall Monitors  Register Monitors  Fruit Monitors  Playground Leaders/Buddies  EAL Buddies At Huntingtower we provide opportunities to enable children to be responsible. Children are encouraged to make informed choices about their actions and their reactions to people and events. Much of this work occurs within PHSE and SEAL WORKING WITH PARENTS In line with Huntingtower School’s values, contact is kept with parents to develop the partnership. This incorporates many opportunities to keep parents aware of what we wish to achieve for their children:  Parents evenings twice a year with an optional third to discuss the report  written report sheets  target setting  open door policy  parent information evenings relevant to specific aspects of learning or the children’s experience within school such as phonics, maths, 11+ or even residential trips. SANCTIONS Sanctions discourage inappropriate behaviour but they do not teach new, more appropriate behaviours, so they must not be over used or relied upon too heavily. It is very important that children know and actively experience that sometimes an adult may not like aspects of their behaviour but that the child is liked as a person and that all kinds of potential can be seen in them. Individual pupils with challenging behaviour are a whole school issue not just the class teachers. Teachers need support, emotionally from others and from the systems in place. All children are entitled to “Golden Time”. This is a reward for “REACHing.”

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Should they find this difficult the children will be given a warning using a 2 step warning system. This is dependent upon the phase and may include strategies of sunsine and rainy cloud or yellow card/red. The first step is a reminder of expectation and the opportunity for pupils to improve their behaviour. If the behaviour persists they get are given a sanction such as 5 minutes being taken off their golden time or even a playtime, if appropriate. This. The child is given the opportunity to earn some of this time back if they can rectify the behaviour associated with that specific value. The emphasis is always on rewarding good behaviour but should unacceptable behaviour continue the following sanctions will take place.  Look at children who are doing everything correctly and reward them (see previous sections for examples of rewards) For those that are not:  Time Out - Move to a different part of the classroom. - Move to another class (timed)  Miss Playtime or part of playtime  Visit to a phase/senior leader At any point the children could lose their Golden Time if the incident was deemed bad enough. However, staff will always discuss with the children how they can change the situation for the better and give the children choices to earn it back. If an incident occurs on the playground then the same procedures are followed. Parents are informed of sanctions if it is deemed to be the most appropriate course in order to support the needs of the child. PROCEDURES FOR RECORDING AND DEALING WITH PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOUR Children displaying persistent challenging and disruptive behaviour will be referred to the school’s behaviour specialist who will become involved with the child, the class teacher and the family. An individual pupil event log will be introduced to enable all staff involved in the child’s day to day learning to keep a daily record of behaviour and will record communication with the family. Behaviour will be monitored and intervention put in place to support the child and family. In class support may be implemented along with:     

A behaviour contract agreed and signed by child, class teacher, head teacher and parents (Appendix 4) A temporary internal exclusion of the child to another part of the school Temporary exclusion from the school at certain times e.g. lunchtime. Temporary exclusion from the school for a fixed period Permanent exclusion from school.

If behaviour is deemed to be inappropriate it may be apparent that there are significant Emotional and behavioural issues. The child will then be referred by the SENCo to the Educational Psychologist, Pupil Referral Unit and school doctor to provide support. This may be done, with parental consent, at any point within the above hierarchy.

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Huntingtower Community Primary School – Positive Behaviour Policy An Individual Behaviour Plan will be set up if a child is felt to be in danger of exclusion. This will include relevant staff members and the parents of the child, plus any outside agencies already involved. A TAC meeting may also be called. Only in extreme circumstances, such as endangering other pupils and staff would exclusion proceedings be invoked without the above process being followed.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION This policy takes into account the guidance from the Local Education Authority dated April 2005. REVIEW OF POLICY This policy will be the subject of review by the Governing Body every 2 years in line with the school's policy review programme, or in the light of new legislation. Meetings will be arranged for all staff, at which the Positive Behaviour Policy will be discussed and reviewed.

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Appendix 4 Huntingtower Community Primary School

Behaviour Contract between Huntingtower Community Primary School, Child and Parents Due to the continuous, and prolonged, period of Child’s poor behaviour it is felt necessary that this contract be drawn up between the school, (child) and (parent), Name. The school feel that, due to the number of incidents involving child, whether s/he was responsible or involved, the situation has got to a stage where it is unacceptable. It is clear that child finds it hard to comply with the school’s usual behaviour policy despite considerable efforts by child’s teacher, teaching assistant, lunchtime supervisors, head teacher and all associated with the school. We have felt that child is unwilling to accept the standards by which this school operates, or work within the policy therefore he has forced us into this situation. This contract sets out the expected behaviour for the period that child remains at Huntingtower Community Primary School. It aims to establish the way in which child shall be rewarded for his good behaviour and the sanctions that will be in place for not complying with the school’s agreed policy. As well as agreeing to the school’s “Positive Behaviour Policy” (a copy enclosed), child is also aware of the following procedures which will be undertaken in the event of him not complying with the school’s “Policy”. The school’s policy will be applied to the letter but, should there be an incident of (description oif the behaviour) defiance, bad language, physical abuse or general poor behaviour, the first phase of the new procedure shall be activated. At all times we shall ensure there is a direct dialogue between school and family. Should any further incident occur the family will be informed as to what the consequence is likely to be. At each stage expectations shall be discussed along with future consequences. Phase 1: Exclusion from lunchtimes for a designated period of time – no less than 3 days. Child will still be expected to attend school. Phase 2: Internal exclusion where child receives his education away from his class – no less than 3 days. Child will still be expected to attend school. Phase 3: Lunchtime being spent off the premises on the request of the parent / carer where s/he shall be supervised by his family. Phase 4: Lunchtime being spent off the premises, at the request of the school, where s/he shall be supervised by his family. (Each lunchtime is the equivalent to ½ day exclusion. Period shall be no longer than 10 days) Phase 4: Restricted timetable where (child) shall come to school later in the morning or go home earlier in the afternoon. Phase 5: Education sought at The Isaac Newton School in Grantham for a fixed period to be determined through negotiation with the Head Teacher. Phase 6: Temporary exclusion from school where work shall be provided for (child) to learn off-site.

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The circumstances shall comply with the school’s and parents’ statutory obligations. Phase 7: Permanent exclusion where education shall be sought within another establishment or learning materials provided from the school. The circumstances shall comply with the school’s and parents’ statutory obligations.

I, (child), agree to comply with the contract set out overleaf. Signed: …………………………………………………………

Date: …………………………..

I/we, (parents), agree to ensure that Child will comply with the contract as stated overleaf. Signed: …………………………………………………………

Date: …………………………..

I, (class teacher), agree to help Child abide by the contract and remain at Huntingtower Community Primary School. Signed: …………………………………………………………

Date: …………………………..

I, Mark Anderson (head teacher), agree to help Child abide by the contract and remain at Huntingtower Community Primary School. Signed: …………………………………………………………

1.

Positive Behaviour Policy March 2013

Date: …………………………..