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Altofts Junior School Behaviour Policy, September 2017

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Altofts Junior School

Behaviour Policy


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PRINCIPLES The governors, after consultation with staff, parents and pupils wish the following principles to be promoted within Altofts Junior School:

The school community promotes values including honesty, fairness and respect for truth and justice, within a caring and nurturing environment

All members of the school community have a right to feel safe

All members of the school community have a right to respect

All members of the school community have a right to be listened to

All members of the school community have a right to learn The aim of this policy is to assist pupils in becoming successful learners, confident individuals, and responsible members of the community by developing and making clear the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. This policy aims to be as proactive as possible rather than reactive. We believe first and foremost in the principle of actively teaching and rewarding good behaviour rather than simply punishing negative behaviour. Children need to know what is expected of them in terms of positive behaviour. This will be achieved through strong leadership, shared responsibility, and the application of a clear and consistent system of rules, routines, rewards and consequences underpinned by positive relationships. We have a zero tolerance policy at Altofts Junior School which means that poor behaviour is unacceptable and will always be challenged. We are an inclusive school and are firmly committed to working with children and their families to improve behaviour. However, should such interventions fail to have a positive impact, parents will be asked to consider whether the school is best placed to meet the needs of their child.


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OBJECTIVES To ensure that everyone connected with the well-being of the school is familiar

with this policy (i.e. pupils, staff, parents, governors, L.A.) and thus prevent unacceptable behaviour in school

To develop trusting relationships at every level throughout the school, thus encouraging a safe, calm, purposeful and happy atmosphere within the school

To set a good example at adult level and raise awareness about appropriate behaviour

To foster a wide partnership between parents, governors, community and other agencies, e.g. police

To develop and encourage mutual respect throughout the school and foster positive caring attitudes towards everyone, where achievements at all levels are acknowledged and valued

To encourage increasing independence and self-discipline so that each child learns to accept responsibility for his/her behaviour and the impact of that behaviour on others

To have a consistent approach to behaviour throughout the school with parental co-operation and involvement

To make boundaries of acceptable behaviour clear and to ensure safety of all children and adults

To help pupils, staff and parents have a sense of direction and feeling of common purpose

To ensure fairness of treatment for all

To promote early intervention Note: The Governing Body, Headteacher and staff will ensure there is no differential application of the policy and procedures on any grounds, particularly ethnic or national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexuality. They will also ensure that the concerns of pupils are listened to and appropriately addressed.


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Aims of our Behaviour Policy

At Altofts Junior School, our aim is that every member of our school community should feel valued and respected and that children should be able to behave in socially acceptable ways.

We are a caring community whose values are built upon mutual trust and respect for all.

Our school’s behaviour policy is designed to support the way in which all members of our school community live and work together. It aims to promote an environment in which everyone feels happy, safe and secure.

To be socially acceptable, we believe that children should be able to:

treat other children and adults with respect speak politely to other people have self confidence and high self-esteem.

To encourage this, staff will:

treat all children and adults with respect speak politely to all other people praise children’s efforts and achievements as often as they can using a range of

possible rewards explain to children what they should have done or said when they get it wrong tell parents about their child’s efforts and achievements avoid using critical or sarcastic language avoid shouting at children and use a calm voice when reprimanding children.

School rules are kept to a minimum and we expect all adults and children to follow them.

Our School Rules Ready Respect Responsible READY Children should be ready to learn. This includes:

Adopting a positive attitude to learning and the lesson.

Being on time for the start of school


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Having the necessary equipment, books and materials for each lesson.

Participate in all activities

Be willing to try new learning experiences

Make sure homework and assignments are completed and submitted on time

Always do the best job they can.

Dressing appropriately for school and PE.

RESPECT Children should be respectful to each other and other adults. This includes: Treating all people with respect

Treating all property and surroundings with care

Act appropriately in all situations

Choose appropriate language

Follow classroom expectations

Allow others to learn without disruption

Listen when others speak

Speak quietly when it is appropriate

Allow others personal space

If you aren’t sure what to do, ask politely

Respect the school and its facilities

Walk quietly around school

Talk and interact respectfully with all other people

Not causing or encouraging problems between others

Good sportsmanship

RESPONSIBLE Children should behave responsibly in and around school. This includes:

Following instructions

Accepting responsibility for your mistakes, words and actions.

Using equipment and materials responsibly and appropriately

Following safety rules

Keeping to playing areas around school

Using the playground, field and tennis courts for appropriate games and sports

Playing safely - No inappropriate contact sport or games

Looking after equipment

Placing all rubbish in bins

Behaving appropriately – no fighting, name calling or throwing objects


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Positive Behaviour in the Classroom: Positive praise Children are given positive praise when they demonstrate good behaviour. Praise should be precise to encourage children to repeat this behaviour. e.g. “Thank you for being courteous and opening the door for me. “ Or, “Well done for showing common sense and walking through school.” Housepoints Housepoints should only be given for good work and good effort in relation to work and must never be given in relation to behaviour. Housepoints are not generally given for homework as this is an expectation for all children to complete. One housepoint should be given when a child has read 3 times on 3 separate days and been signed by an adult. Postcards Home All teachers and support staff have a selection of postcard notes that can be given to children throughout the week for good behaviour and hard work. Star of the Week Each teacher selects a ‘Star of the Week’ and badges are presented during Friday’s mentions assembly. A text message is also sent home to parents before 3pm on Fridays if their child is star of the week.


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Negative behaviour in the classroom

We will not accept the following behaviour from children or adults:

use of rude or unkind language disruptive behaviour hitting, kicking, biting or other such physical responses racist, sexist or homophobic remarks Wasting learning time.

If such behaviour occurs in class, the consequences of the child’s behaviour will be moving down the traffic lights.

Each child has a lollipop stick with their name on it. This is kept either on their desk or somewhere easily accessible by the teacher, in the classroom. Choice Children are given a choice and have their lollipop stick removed from the pot and placed on the teacher’s desk. Language of choice should be used by the teacher- “If you choose to continue… then you will be given a warning. However, if you do what is expected and … you will have made a good choice and I will return your stick to the pot.” Warning Children are again given a choice, but this time, the lollipop stick is moved into the amber area/pot on the teacher’s desk. Again a reminder from the teacher about positive choices will see their stick being moved out of amber and back into green. Red Again, another choice reminder is given. The child’s lollipop stick is moved into the red area/pot on the teacher’s desk and the child loses 5 minutes of their next break time. During their missed break time the child sits next to a red spot and is supervised by a member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team. All missed break time is recorded in the class behaviour book and collated by the Deputy Head Teacher, weekly. Class teachers must record this missed break time in the text record book and pass it to the office the same day to send a text home about the child’s behaviour choices. Again a reminder from the teacher that positive choices and attitude will see their name being moved in to amber. Thinking Area If the child’s behaviour still doesn’t improve, they will be asked to go to the Thinking Area, outside Mrs Peacock’s office and report to Mrs Peacock, Mrs Crossley, Miss Blackstone or Mrs Foreman. Two Way Process At all stages, children are reminded of the choices that they have and the choices they can make in terms of their behaviour. By doing this, children are given the responsibility for their own behaviour; it ensures there is no conflict between adult and child and creates an important link between choice and consequence (positive or negative). In addition, if children show a positive and responsible attitude after being moved into any


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of the areas/pots, they can be moved back out and eventually have their lollipop stick returned to their pot. However, if children are regularly moved into red or amber, their parents or carers will be contacted to discuss their behaviour. Class teachers may want to discuss this during parents’ evening meetings. The Traffic Light areas will be on the teacher’s desk and no names visible to anyone other than the teacher. This moves away from what is becoming an outdated, ‘shame-based’ punishment system

Lunchtimes and Break times – Red and Yellow Cards During lunchtimes and break times, the school operates a red and yellow card system for playtime rules. A minor incident will result in a child being shown a yellow card. If a child is given a yellow card twice in one week they are then shown a red card. More serious incidents result in a child being immediately shown a red card. This is then recorded in the weekly log and the child has to miss lunchtime play. The same 3 rules will be applied as in the classroom. The previous Yellow/Red card rules will be used a guide to the severity of punishment, but the adult must always refer to one or more of the 3Rs

If a child is given a yellow card, they are given a 5 minutes time out at the yellow spot (next to the Year 4 classroom door).

If a child is given a red card at morning break, they miss the same day’s lunchtime play and sits by a red spot.

If a child is given a red card at lunchtime, they miss the remainder of the lunch break and may have to miss subsequent lunchtimes, depending on the severity of the behaviour.

Green tickets Lunchtime supervisors, school cooks and office staff have green tickets that will be awarded for good behaviour and playing well at lunchtime and when children visit the school office. All green tickets are put into a hat and a selection are picked to choose a prize each week.

Golden Tickets Lunchtime supervisors, school cooks and teaching staff have golden tickets that will be awarded to children in the dining hall for using good manners whilst they eat their dinner. Golden tickets for each year group are put into a weekly draw and one child from each year group will be picked to eat their dinner on Monday at the Golden Table. Each child chosen will be allowed to take one friend with them.

10 Metre rule If a child is repeatedly being given red cards at playtime, they may be put on the 10 metre rule for a fixed period of time or until their behaviour improves. This starts with the child having to stand next to a designated adult during break times for the first week, standing 5 metres away from the adult then staying within 10 metres of the adult. They must have their behaviour book signed by that adult each break time. If their behaviour has been good during this time, they will have then earned freedom of the playground


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again. They will have regular meetings with the Pupil Welfare Manager to discuss their progress. Bullying We do not tolerate bullying of any kind, including Cyber-bullying. If we discover that an act of bullying or intimidation has taken place, we act immediately to stop any further occurrences of such behaviour. We will involve parents where appropriate and ensure all incidents are recorded. Whilst it is difficult to eradicate bullying, we do everything in our power to ensure that all children feel safe attending school. If a teacher has been informed of alleged bullying by a parent, they should record it on a white Bullying Incident form (kept in the blue folder in the staff room) and pass it to the head teacher. Homophobic or race-related incidents All homophobic or race related incidents are referred to Mrs Peacock and are recorded in a centralised book. In the first instance, warning are given, parents are informed and sanctions/punishments given. A repeat offence by the same child will result in the necessary reporting to the LA. Use of Force All members of staff are aware of the regulations regarding Use of reasonable force in schools. Staff will only intervene when necessary. Procedures on the use of reasonable force are detailed in the Child Protection Policy. The role of the class teacher It is the responsibility of the class teacher to:

ensure the school rules are enforced

use the Consequence Ladder to reward and punish behaviour fairly and consistently

have high expectations of all children

treat all children with respect and understanding

record incidents of unacceptable behaviour and repeated low level disruption

keep parents and carers informed

with support from the Inclusion Coordinator (Miss Beedle), liaise with external agencies, as necessary, to support and guide individual children.

The role of support staff It is the role of support staff to:

ensure the school rules are enforced

use the Consequence Ladder to reward and punish behaviour fairly and consistently

have high expectations of all children

treat all children with respect and understanding

record incidents of unacceptable behaviour and repeated low level disruption


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keep the class teacher informed. The role of the Headteacher It is the responsibility of the Headteacher to:

under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, to implement the school behaviour policy consistently throughout the school, and to report to governors on the effectiveness of the policy

ensure the health, safety and welfare of all children and adults within school

ensure that the school collaborates actively with parents so that children receive consistent messages about how to behave at school and home

support the staff by implementing the policy, by setting the standards of behaviour, and by supporting staff in their implementation of the policy

keep records of all reported serious incidents of misbehaviour and of regularly occurring low level incidents

give 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 only ever taken after the school governors have been notified.

The role of parents and carers It is the responsibility of parents and carers to:

actively work with school to ensure that children receive consistent messages about how to behave at school and at home

by reading and signing our Home School Agreement (sent in new starters’ pack on entrance to school) , undertake to support our school’s principles

be involved in building a supportive dialogue between home and school sharing any concerns that they may have

support the actions of the school where the school has to use reasonable sanctions to punish a child

contact the class teacher should a parent or carer have concerns about the way that their child has been treated. If concerns remain, they should follow our complaints procedure as set out on our school website.

The role of governors It is the responsibility of our school governors to:

set these guidelines on standards of discipline and behaviour and to review their effectiveness

support the Headteacher in adhering to these guidelines

advise and support the Headteacher in dealing with individual disciplinary issues. The Headteacher must take this into account when making decisions about behaviour issues

The behaviour of adults in school

Behaviour concerns about members of staff:


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The headteacher will speak to the member of staff concerned, in private, as soon as possible.

If the behaviour continues the headteacher will follow our staff discipline policy in consultation with the school governors.

Behaviour concerns involving parents or other adults:

The headteacher will ask the parent to speak to her away from children or other parents. She will discuss the problem and attempt to resolve it.

If the behaviour continues, the headteacher may need to restrict a parent’s access to the school. This will be done in consultation with the school governors.

Additional Support

As a school we are able to access additional help and support from Wakefield’s Primary Behaviour Service, the Youth Offending Team and our school’s Educational Psychologist who may then refer to other agencies. Any referrals will be made in consultation with parents and carers.

Any parents and carers who would like support with their child’s behaviour should contact the school’s Inclusion Coordinator who will be able to discuss support needs and suggest next steps.

Fixed-term and permanent exclusions

We do not wish to exclude any child from school, but sometimes this may be necessary. On such an occasion, the school will refer to the standard national list of reasons for exclusion, and the standard guidance, called Guidance on Exclusion from maintained schools, Academies and Pupil Referral Units in England (DfE, April 2012).

Only the Headteacher (or Deputy Headteacher acting in the Headteacher’s absence) 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. In extreme and exceptional circumstances, the Headteacher may 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, she must inform the parents/carers immediately, giving reasons for the exclusion, giving the length of the exclusion and making it clear that the parents/carers can make representation about the exclusion to the Governing Body. The school informs parents about how to do this. The Headteacher informs the LA and Governing Body about any permanent exclusions and fixed-term exclusions beyond five days in any one term.

An independent review panel does not have the power to direct a governing body to reinstate an excluded pupil. However, where a panel decides that a governing body’s decision is flawed, it can direct a governing body to reconsider its decision. In the light of their consideration, the governing body can either uphold the exclusion or direct reinstatement of the pupil immediately or on a particular date.

Drug and alcohol related incidents


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It is the policy of the school that no child should bring any drug, legal or illegal, to school. Donations of alcohol for school fairs must be brought to the school office by an adult. If a child needs medication during the school day, the parent/carer should bring the medication to the school office in the morning with a completed medication form. Only teachers or other responsible adults may administer medication and this will always be recorded in the school’s medication record. All medication is stored in the staff room in a locked cupboard or the fridge (where necessary), with the exception of asthma inhalers, which must be kept in the classrooms, and epipens, which are kept in the school office for quick access in emergencies.

The school takes misuse of alcohol or drugs very seriously. Parents/carers are always informed of any incidents. Any child deliberately bringing drugs or alcohol into school will be punished by fixed-term exclusion. Permanent exclusion will result from a repeated incident and the police, as well as social services, will be contacted.

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