New Moston Primary School

Behaviour Policy

Rationale

At New Moston Primary School we insist on high standards of behaviour at all times. This policy ensures consistency of approach across all members of staff to ensure the health and safety of everybody in school and that learning opportunities are maximised. At New Moston Primary School the holistic philosophy of Team Teach underpins our approach to behaviour management (See Appendix 1). This policy is to be read in conjunction with the Anti-bullying Policy, E-Safety policy, SEND Policy, Physical Intervention Policy and the Safeguarding Policy along with ‘Manchester Exclusions Explained’ document.

Purpose

  • To encourage children to develop a strong sense of self discipline in all areas of life including attendance and punctuality
  • To encourage children to make the right choices
  • To ensure that children know that they have the right to learn and the responsibility to allow others to learn
  • To encourage children to treat everyone with respect
  • To enable children to resolve situations that may be threatening in a calm, non violent way
  • To encourage children to have high expectations of themselves
  • To enable children to develop the social skills needed to be able to cope in the adult world

Broad Guidelines

When in the school building or out on school trips staff will:

  • Ensure that all unwanted behaviours are challenged appropriately
  • Ensure that wanted behaviours are praised specifically so that children know what it is that they have done well
  • Ensure the school’s systems are displayed in each teaching area and referred to as part of everyday practice with a focus on wanted behaviours rather than those that are unwanted. (See Appendix 2)
  • Remind children of the importance of keeping the golden rules through all areas of learning including: P4C, assemblies, lessons and conversations
  • Encourage children to behave well through use of the school’s reward systems (See Appendix 3)
  • Ensure at least an hour per week is dedicated to the teaching of Philosophy for Children (P4C)

Where the desired behaviour is not being displayed staff will use some or all of the following strategies:

  • Use de-escalation techniques using verbal and non verbal communication
  • Use a graded and gradual response so that staff can select the appropriate interventions to reduce anxiety and help to calm situations
  • Follow the school’s agreed consequences structure; this may be personalised for a fixed period to meet the needs of an individual pupil (See Appendix 4)
  • Use a physical intervention where the health and safety of any pupil or member of staff, or the physical fabric of the building or resources are in danger(Ref: Physical Intervention Policy and Appendix 5)
  • Partake in a ‘Team around the Child’ approach where the Phase Assistant Head, Phase SENCo, Class

Teacher and Pastoral Team will liaise with each other to see if current practice needs adapting to meet the

needs of an individual pupil; they will then carry out the recommendations given. Parents will be

informed and opinions sought at regular intervals as appropriate and progress will be reviewed regularly

Where a child persistently breaks the golden rules, a member of the Senior Leadership Team, in consultation with the Phase SENCo, Class Teacher and main carer, will:

  • Place the child on report for an agreed length of time. Report records will be signed at the end of each lesson and by the parent at the end of each day
  • Negotiate a behaviour contract with the child. Failure to comply with the conditions set out in the behaviour contract will result in a fixed term exclusion and may escalate to a permanent exclusion if behaviour does not improve (see ‘Manchester Exclusions Explained’)

The Right to Search

(Ref: DfE Searching, Screening and Confiscation Feb 2014 (NB: this document was reviewed July 2015)

  • School staff can search a pupil for any item if the pupil agrees
  • The Headteacher and staff authorised by them (at New Moston this is all of the Senior Leadership Team and Class Teachers) have a statutory power to search pupils or their possessions, without consent, where they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the pupil may have a prohibited item. Prohibited items are: knives or weapons, alcohol, illegal drugs, stolen items, tobacco and cigarette papers, fireworks, pornographic images, any article that the member of staff reasonably suspects has been, or is likely to be, used to commit an offence, or to cause personal injury to, or damage to the property of, any person (including the pupil).
  • At New Moston Primary a member of the SLT will always be present if a child or their possessions are searched and parents/carers will be informed that this has happened
  • School staff can seize any prohibited item found as a result of a search. They can also seize any item, however found, which they consider harmful or detrimental to school discipline.
  • We are not required to have formal written consent from the pupil for this sort of search – it is enough for the teacher to ask the pupil to turn out his or her pockets or if the teacher can look in the pupil’s bag or locker and for the pupil to agree.
  • If a member of staff suspects a pupil has a banned item in his/her possession, they can instruct the pupil to turn out his or her pockets or bag and if the pupil refuses, the consequences structure will be applied (see page 1 of this policy)
  • If authorised staff have to physically search a pupil they will be the same sex as the pupil being searched; and there will be a witness (also a staff member) and, if at all possible, they will be the same sex as the pupil being searched. There is a limited exception to this rule. We maycarry out a search of a pupil of the opposite sex to them and without a witness present, but only where we reasonably believe that there is a risk that serious harm will be caused to a person if we do not conduct the search immediately and where it is not reasonably practicable to summon another member of staff.
  • NB: We are not required to inform parents/carers before a search takes place or to seek their consent to search their child.

Conclusion

This policy will lead to children and adults feeling safe, secure and protected in our school environment. All stakeholders will understand what appropriate behaviour is, why it is important and how it can be achieved, resulting in every learning opportunity being maximised and an inclusive education being promoted. The implementation of this policy across the school will empower children in knowing their rights and give them the skills to carry out their responsibilities, both now and in the future.

To be reviewed: September 2017

Appendix 1: Team Teach Philosophy

Team Teach has a holistic nature of behaviour management and a need for person centred approaches. The Team Teach philosophy consists of 95% de-escalation and diffusion. Physical intervention is based on 5% of the Team Teach training and is required to safeguard pupils, staff and organisations.

Staff must actively listen and communicate with children and young people (appropriate to age and understanding), especially when they are in crisis and also understand the importance of the debrief process after incidents (during this debrief process the importance of location and environment is understood). Staff understand why communication is vital to the development of children and young people and how this assists in the development of the Child’s behaviour. Staff demonstrate various methods of behaviour management including focusing on the positive and developing better ways for the child to express their emotions in the future, they understood why this is essential to the development of self-esteem and self worth.

Staff understand and demonstrate the need for observing a child’s behaviour to identify the 6stages of a crisis, and also as a tool to de-escalate, diffuse and divert attentions to prevent a crisis occurring; including changing staff members to assist in the diffusion of the situation.

Staff understandthe need for dynamic risk assessments throughout the working environment and the need to work with the SEN Team to implement personalised intervention/strategies where necessary and work with outside agencies if deemed appropriate.

Appendix 2 – Golden Rules

  • We are gentle (We do not hurt anybody)
  • We are kind and gentle(We do not hurt people’s feelings)
  • We work hard (We do not waste our time or other people’s time)
  • We look after property (We do not waste or damage things)
  • We listen to people (We do not interrupt)
  • We are honest (We do not cover up the truth)

Appendix 3 – ‘Smilies’

The school has designed and adopted a consistent approach for rewarding and encouraging good behaviour, effort and manners based on the collection of ‘smiley faces’- Smilies! Smilies may be awarded for any actions, deeds or attitudes which are deemed noteworthy and may include:

  • Particularly good work/ effort
  • Displaying good manners
  • Displaying a caring attitude towards others
  • Staying on task

The reward system is graded as follows:

Any noteworthy behaviour = 1 smiley (children keep these until they collect 10)

10 Smilies = A teacher commendation which gets marked on the class reward chart (displayed in classrooms) and recorded in the child’s diary

100 Smilies = Phase Assistant Head Commendation (Bronze Award- presented by Phase Leader)

200 Smilies = Headteacher Commendation (Silver Award- presented by Headteacher or Deputy Head)

300 Smilies = School Commendation (Gold Award- presented in front of the whole school by the Headteacher)

Commendations and awards are recorded in the children’s diaries (planners). The diary should be taken home in order for parents and teachers to exchange comments on progress but the responsibility and care of the diary rests with the child. Loss of the diary will result in the loss of Smilies accrued other than in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix 4 – Consequences

If we break the Golden Rules:

  1. An adult will warn us and our name will be moved on the Stop Think Do system in class
  2. If our name is moved to Stop (red) on the Stop Think Do system and we continue not to correct the unwanted behaviour, we will lose one star
  3. We will lose 5 minutes playtime
  4. We will lose 15 minutes playtime
  5. We will have a 10 minute after school detention
  6. We will have a 30 minute after school detention

Children keeping all of their stars in a term will receive a prize during the end of term celebration assembly. Children keeping all their stars all year will receive an extra special prize at the end of the year. Attendance on end of year trips is dependent on children being on ‘Yellow’ or ‘Green’ for behaviour.

Appendix 5 – Staff/ Governors who are Team Teach trained

A list is kept in SEN records. Staff within each Phase at New Moston Primary School are Team Teach trained. Those that are not trained do not complete Team Teach holds but are able to implement the de-escalation methods (95% of challenging behaviour can be de-escalated without the need for physical contact).
NB: Pupil, Parent/Carer and Staff input has been sought and incorporated into this policy.