limavady central primary school€¦ · web viewin order to maintain the very good standard of...

LIMAVADY CENTRAL PRIMARY SCHOOLPOSITIVE BEHAVIOUR POLICY

‘Putting Children First’

Introduction:The creation and maintenance of an orderly working environment is a pre-requisite to effective learning and teaching. To achieve this at Limavady Central Primary School, we will continue to develop our positive ethos which promotes learning and in which each child is respected.

Reflecting this ethos, our school’s positive behaviour policy seeks to set guidelines that support our pupils within a caring environment and will lead them to a position of self discipline and personal responsibility. Therefore, this policy must be considered within the wider framework of the school’s pastoral role and alongside the Child Protection, Special Needs, Intimate Care, Safe Handling and Anti-Bullying policies.

Discipline needs to be viewed as a method by which we seek to moderate and improve the overall behaviour of all our pupils. Therefore, this Positive Behaviour Policy focuses on behaviour that is desirable by using the approaches of praise, encouragement, incentives and rewards as well as sanctions for undesirable behaviour. Our aim is that the pupils will see good behaviour and self discipline as an understanding of, and a commitment to, their wider role and responsibilities within our community and society.

Good behaviour results from positive relationships between all who work and learn in our school where mutual respect, good manners and tolerance of others are necessary to create an environment where effective teaching and learning can take place.

The greater emphasis will always be on praise and reward for the behaviours that the staff in the school is trying to promote. Nevertheless, sanctions must be available for behaviour that is not acceptable and these will be implemented according to the severity of the behaviour.

Aims:

In order to achieve an environment that is industrious and conducive to learning, we aim to:

create an atmosphere within the school where the children and all staff feel safe, secure and respected,

develop the children’s understanding of and respect for rules and regulations,

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promote a sense of self-worth, self-respect and self-discipline in the children,

develop the children’s self esteem, encourage the children to be valuable contributors to their communities

and to society, develop an understanding of the need for forgiveness and reconciliation

and encourage positive communication between the school and parents so

that, by working together, we can help each child to achieve his/her potential.

Rules:

In order to maintain the very good standard of behaviour that already exists at Limavady Central Primary School, we have a general set of rules as listed:

arrive at school on time with all necessary equipment for the day, wear the school uniform, show respect to other pupils, staff, other adults within the school and to

visitors to the school, be truthful, well-mannered and kind, co-operate with teachers and other adults, treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, keep our school clean and tidy, remembering our Eco-code, do all school work to the best of your ability.

In addition, each class develops their own set of classroom and school rules which are on display throughout the school year. Generally, though, these rules are around the four broad themes of following instructions and directions, keeping hands, feet and objects to oneself, no name calling or bad language and concentrate on school work. In order to be effective, these rules must be seen to be fair and consistently applied. They must also be clearly communicated and understood by the children.


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Encouraging Positive Behaviour:

In our ongoing commitment to developing and encouraging good conduct, the children and teachers have identified behaviours that are worthy of reward and promote the smooth running of the school.

Positive Behaviours(in no particular order)

Rewards(in no particular order)

be kind share help others say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ listen to others, especially the teacher have good manners keep the school clean no name calling put up your hand in class hold open doors for others no bullying work quietly play fairly and safely tell the truth obey adults no pushing or shoving be sensible don’t talk back to adults walk in the corridors be respectful be Eco aware put litter in the bin be on time for school help younger children say ‘sorry’ line up quickly don’t hurt others’ feelings be a good sport

praise from the teacher praise from the Principal sticker a sweet table point leading to table prize certificate marble in the jar leading to class

reward Golden Time extra play time night off homework a mark on good manners chart a mark on the honesty chart Smart Card Star of the Week a happy teacher do messages for the teacher help the teacher sit beside a friend prize from prize box at the end

of the week be first in the line reward pass a clap from others in assembly a note home put name into Green circle on

traffic light system a stamp on personal reward

chart

stamps leading to prize/reward

The emphasis is always on promoting and encouraging positive behaviour that will help children to grow into responsible adults who will be able to participate constructively in our society. However, there will be times when sanctions must be applied for behaviour that undermines the smooth running of the school, is unsafe, infringes on the rights of others or involves the destruction of property. These less desirable behaviours lie on a continuum from mild or Positive Behaviour Policy Updated September 2015

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minor to severe and damaging and any imposed sanction must reflect this. In addition, a one-off lapse in conduct will not be dealt with as severely as continual or persistent undesirable or unacceptable behaviour.

The children and teachers have identified behaviours that require a level of sanction.

Minor Behaviours(in no particular order)

Possible Sanctions(in no particular order)

not listening during lessons lack of manners running in the corridor doing work slowly talking when teacher is talking not handing in homework talking during assembly interrupting others saying unkind words shouting out in class keeping others back from their

work rough play on the playground not lining up properly

a ‘look’ from the teacher a word of warning speak to the child individually move to another table time off from a fun activity extra homework scolding by the teacher lose table/team points move name into orange/red

circle on traffic light system moved to back of the line apologise for behaviour sit next to teacher’s desk miss some of ‘Golden Time’

Moderately Serious Behaviour(in no particular order)


talking back to the teacher bad language (swearing) excluding other children from an

activity or game dominating games or group

activity lying name calling teasing bad manners destroying someone else’s work throwing things in the classroom

keep child in at play times send to another class move name into red circle on

traffic light system note in homework diary denial of a privilege time off art/P.E. or other fun

activity work instead of fun activity time off Golden Time speak to parents about the

behaviour

Serious or Persistent Behaviour(in no particular order)



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hitting, kicking, biting, scraping stealing emotional abuse/bullying vandalising school property defiance spitting at/on another person throwing stones lying racism/religious taunts leaving school without

permission bad language/swearing sexualised language/behaviour

sent to head of key stage/ SENCO/Vice-Principal/Principal

parent to sign a note from the teacher

ask parent to come into school to discuss behaviour

no Golden Time Daily Report sent home miss out on school trips sent to another class stand outside class in

supervised area

Generally, minor lapses in behaviour will be dealt with by the classroom teacher and, as such, any sanction will be imposed in a fair and consistent manner. There will always be a need for flexibility in order to take account of a child’s age, the number of previous misbehaviours and other considerations (such as family events or other known stressors in the child’s life). Before any sanction is imposed, the child must fully understand the reason why the behaviour is considered unacceptable. When the teacher feels that the misbehaviour warrants additional emphasis, he/she may engage the support of another teacher, a more senior teacher, the SENCO, the Vice-Principal or Principal. This is not a decision made lightly by the classroom teacher and, as such, the child’s behaviour will be dealt with more severely. When such an action is taken, the child’s name, a record of the incident, date and time will be recorded in an incident book. This will enable staff to monitor behaviour over time and have supporting documentation available should it become necessary to make a referral to an outside agency.

Lunchtime Supervision:Children are aware of the agreed rules when they are in the school canteen, the packed lunch area and in the playground. Supervision during this time is provided by Supervisory Assistants. They give encouragement and praise to the children for behaving responsibly and for showing good manners. If required for misbehaviour, the Supervisory Assistants will give a verbal warning with an explanation of potential consequences if the behaviour continues. One consequence may be to stand to the side of the dining area or playground for a short period of time. The child’s name and the reason for being asked to stand to the side will be recorded in a diary. For very serious incidents, the supervisory assistants may call on the Principal or other senior member of staff for immediate support. If the misbehaviour continues, it will be dealt with in the same way as the ‘Moderately Serious’ or ‘Serious’ behaviour stated earlier in this policy. However, if the behaviour becomes unmanageable during the lunch time period, then the Principal, with the support of the Board of Governors, may request that the child’s parents make provision for the child to be taken out of


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the school over the lunch time period. This is usually a short term solution until such time as the child can make an improvement in behaviour.

In the Canteen, the children will follow the “LUNCHES” rules: • LINE up quietly and sensibly with no queue jumping • USE good manners – “Please and Thank-You” • NO walking around while eating and NO throwing food• CHAT quietly • HAVE respect for each other• EVERYONE takes responsibility for their own behaviour• SORT your tray and cutlery in an orderly manner

Serious and Persistent Misbehaviour:Children whose behaviour is difficult to manage may be placed on the Special Needs Register at Stage 2 under the category of Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. An individual behaviour/education plan with reasonable targets will be put into place and evaluated after period of time to determine whether or not the specific interventions put into place have led to an improvement in the behaviour. In line with the Special Needs Policy, if there are two consecutive education plans where the targets have not been met, then the child will be placed at Stage 3 of the Code of Practice which involves agencies from outside the school. This could include:

for young children, up to Primary 4, a referral to the Western Education Support Team who will come into the school and provide advice and support to the teacher and may work with the child on behaviour issues. This requires parental consent.

a referral to the Behaviour Support Team. The Behaviour Support Team will visit the school, observe the child, make recommendations and provide advice on the most effective way to manage the most difficult behaviours. This is a referral that requires parental consent.

a referral to the Educational Psychology Service. An Educational Psychologist will visit the school, assess the child and make observations. He/She will make recommendations regarding the most effective way to manage the child’s behaviour and may also make a referral to a Behaviour Support Unit which the child would attend on a part-time basis for up to three terms. Such referrals require parental consent.

a request to Western Education and Library Board for statutory assessment at Stage 4 of the Code of Practice if the support services on offer at Stage 3 have proven unsuccessful in making positive changes in the child’s behaviour. This may result in the child being issued with a Statement of Special Educational Need. Parental consent is required to undertake this process.

The quality of education and the safety of all the children in the school will be the over-riding consideration for the Board of Governors. Should this be jeopardised, they have the power to suspend a pupil from school for very serious or persistent misbehaviour or misconduct. They may also expel a


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pupil, following the relevant guidelines from the Department of Education for Northern Ireland.In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education for Northern Ireland and with the support of the Board of Governors, Limavady Central Primary School reserves the right to impose sanctions on pupils for incidents that are directly related to school but which occur off the school premises or outside school hours. Incidents of this nature may include bullying or fighting on the way to or from school or may involve verbal abuse or attack on any pupil from any school, parents, other adults, staff or a member of the Board of Governors.

Roles and Responsibilities:The Board of Governors at Limavady Central Primary School will:

ensure that an up to date Positive Behaviour Policy is in place, set general guidelines on standards of discipline and behaviour, support the Principal regarding suspensions and expulsions and support the Principal in the overall implementation of this policy.

The Principal of Limavady Central Primary School will: implement the school’s Positive Behaviour Policy, report to the Board of Governors regarding the effectiveness of the

policy, keep records of all serious or persistent incidents of behaviour, ensure that the health, safety and well-being of pupils and staff is

paramount, give fixed-term suspensions to pupils for serious acts of misbehaviour or

misconduct and following procedure, expel a child with the support of the Board of

Governors.

The Class Teacher will: plan lessons that are interesting and engaging with clear aims and

objectives involving differentiation where required to meet pupil need,

have high expectations for good behaviour, be consistent and fair when dealing with behaviour issues, treat all children with respect and understanding, praise pupil achievement regardless of ability as often as possible

and reward good behaviour both in and out of the classroom.

Pupils at Limavady Central Primary School will: be cooperative and well-mannered, work diligently and to the best of their ability, respect others and contribute positively to school life, become familiar with the behaviour expected while at school and remember that they are pupils of the school with behavioural expectations, even when they are off-site.


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Parents of pupils at Limavady Central Primary School will: ensure that their child/children attend school regularly and

punctually, ensure that their child/children is wearing the required uniform, check that homework is completed to the best of the child’s ability, inform the school of situations at home that may have an impact on

learning and/or behaviour in school and attend meetings with teachers and/or the Principal when required or

make such an appointment when there is a need to do so.

All those associated with the school should work together to promote the positive behaviour so that the children can achieve to the best of their ability.


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PATHS Programme

To help address social and emotional issues the school has introduced the PATHS Programme from P1 – P7.

This provides teachers with a systematic developmental procedure for enchancing social competence and understanding in children.

It addresses the following goals:-

Increased self-control ie the ability to stop and think before acting when upset or confronted with a conflict

situation. Lessons in this area also teach identification of problem situations through recognition of “upset” feelings.

Attributional processes that lead to an appropriate sense of self-responsibility.

Increased understanding and use of the vocabulary of logical reasoning and problem-solvin,g eg “if…then” ad “why...because.”

Increased understanding and use of the vocabulary of emotions and emotional states; eg excited, disappointed, confused, guilty, etc. Increased use of verbal mediation.

Increased ability to recognise and interpret similarities and differences in the feelings, reactions and points of view of self and others.

Increased understanding of how one’s behaviour affects others. Increased knowledge of, and skill in, the steps of social problem-

solving: stopping and thinking; identifying problems and feelings; setting goals; generating alternative solutions; anticipating and evaluating consequences; planning, executing and evaluating a course of action; trying again if the first solution fails.

Increased ability to apply social problem-solving skills to prevent and/or resolve problems and conflicts in social interactions.

Conclusion:We recognise that the behaviour of the pupils at Limavady Central Primary School is exemplary and this document is intended to confirm this. We acknowledge that maintaining this very positive behavioural ethos will require a continual reappraisal of this policy and of the relationships that exist in our school. The development of this policy endeavours to provide a framework for dealing with behaviour that causes concern and may interfere with the smooth running of our school. It is the intention of the Board of Governors and the staff that the school continues to be a place that provides a safe, secure, happy and structured environment for learning.

Monitoring and Evaluating:This policy will be reviewed annually and will be updated as and when it becomes evident that changes are required.


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The Board of Governors will have access to the Behaviour Incident Book that annotates children’s serious misconduct as required but at least annually.

________________________ (Chairperson of the BOG) Date: _____________

________________________ (Principal) Date: _____________

Appendix:In general, we have these expectations of pupil behaviour in and around our school:In the classroom:

Do stay in your seat and work quietly when the teacher has asked you to.

Do ask permission to use the toilet. Do put up your hand and wait quietly to answer a question or if you

don’t understand the question. Do share and treat school equipment and books with care. Do be responsible for your own belongings. Do bring a note if you have been absent, must stay indoors during

break times or if you are unable to participate in a school activity such as swimming.

Do leave toys etc. at home where they can’t be lost or broken. Do knock and excuse yourself when visiting another classroom. Do try your very best at all times. Do try to keep your desk and belongings tidy.

Travelling to and from school: Do wait for your parent/carer to collect you from school. Come back into

school and tell an adult if there is no one there to collect you. Do wear a helmet and wheel your bicycle when in the school grounds. Do stay on the paths when coming to and going home from school. Do use the designated classroom doors when entering and leaving the

school building. Do wear a seat belt when coming to school by car. Do be careful when opening car doors and getting out from the vehicle. Do wait for the supervisor and listen to her instructions before getting

the bus home. Do use the main carpark and refrain from using the staff car park inside

the gates. Do keep the main entrance into school free. Do follow the one way traffic signs when using the car park.

In the school: Do walk when inside the school building. Do walk on the left side of the corridor. Do speak using a quieter voice inside the school building.


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Do wear our uniform with pride. Do have your name on all items of clothing. Do try to get to school on time. Do wipe your feet on the mats provided before entering the school

building. Do try to do your best at everything you do in school. Do your homework to the best of your ability. Do remove jewellery and tie back long hair when doing P.E. Do conserve energy by turning off lights that are not needed. Do refrain from bringing chewing gum to school. Do save trees by using all types of paper carefully. Do remember to bring a healthy break to school and that only water is

allowed in your water bottle. Do vacate the building by the appropriate emergency exits on hearing

the school alarm.

Towards others:

Do be friendly and kind to each other. Do display good manners at all times. Do be courteous to any visitors in school. Do be honest with each other and tell the truth. Do say nice things to each other. Do say “please” and “thank-you.” Do remember that bad language will not be accepted. Do share any problems you might be having with your teacher, the

Principal or another adult. Do resolve arguments by talking to each other rather than fighting. Do stand back to let an adult through a door first and hold the door for

them. Do set a good example by your own behaviour.


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