Cullompton Community College

Behaviour Policy.

In our Behaviour Policy we follow these guiding principles:

  • Happy students, who are actively engaged in learning and enjoying the experience, are unlikely to misbehave
  • A positive, calm and purposeful atmosphere in the classroom is key to good discipline
  • We praise the behaviours we do want – positive reinforcement works best
  • We explain the rules and why they are important
  • The goal is to enable students to take responsibility for their own behaviour and to become independent learners
  • We give students choices to encourage positive decision making
  • We positively encourage and reward good behaviour
  • We discourage and eliminate disruptive behaviour
  • We always use respectful restorative language and approach students in a friendly manner applying firm but fair strategies for tackling challenging behaviours

To support our Positive Behaviour Strategy we have the following Values, Aims and Procedures:

Values:

The college believes that:-

  • All members of the community have the right to feel safe,
  • All members of the community have the right to be treated with respect and dignity,
  • All students have a right to learn.
  • These rights also bring the responsibility of ensuring that others enjoy the same rights.

Aims:

  • To create a safe, caring and orderly environment in which effective learning will take place,
  • To develop mutual respect between all members of the school community,
  • To develop in the pupils self discipline and an acceptance of responsibility for actions,
  • To enhance pupil’s self esteem and consequently their learning by appropriate praise, rewards and celebration,
  • To ensure that the maintenance of good behaviour within the college is the shared responsibility of every member of the community.

These values and aims underpin the behaviour policy and strategy of the college. The policy aims to establish a positive school ethos and to promote effective learning. A number of key aspects of school practice will be reflected upon in developing the policy. These include a consistent approach to behaviour management, teaching and learning, college leadership, classroom management, rewards and sanctions, behaviour strategies, staff development and support, student support systems, liaison with parents, carers and other agencies, managing transition school organisation and facilities.

The Code of Conduct.

In order to develop a college community that encourages everyone to achieve their best, it is important that we think about the needs of everyone in the community.

If everyone is to be happy and successful at the college, it is important that the basic behaviour code must be followed:

Respect everyone and be pleasant and polite

Every student must wear the college uniform correctly

Show maturity by letting learners learn and teachers teach

Proceed around the College quietly

Ensure you bring the right equipment and arrive on time to each lesson

Carefor the College environment

Take pride in your work and always try your best.

Cullompton Community College belongs to us all – let’s show pride in ourselves and our College.

Procedures – Policy in practice – promoting good behaviour.

Planning for good behaviour in the classroom – working within the 4R’s.

  1. Agreed rules which enable others to learn,
  2. Routines are taught and established,
  3. The right for teachers to teach, students to learn, and both to feel safe, listened to and respected,
  4. Responsibility to oneself and the safety of others.

Teachers should:-

  • Use appropriate seating plans to promote good learning and behaviour,
  • Get to lessons on time,
  • Meet and greet students on entry to class,
  • Establish clear routines, with the input of the students,
  • Request that students have their pens, books, planners etc out,
  • Know the pupils as individuals,
  • Ensure that students know the learning objectives of the lesson,
  • Prepare lessons and resources thoroughly,
  • Prepare differentiated materials,
  • Ensure that all students and learning styles are catered for,
  • Praise students for good behaviour as well as good work,
  • Arrange displays of students’ work within the classroom and corridors,
  • Remind students of classroom expectations,
  • Use rewards and sanctions consistently,
  • Encourage all students to contribute,
  • Use a range of non verbal and verbal cues to encourage good behaviour,
  • Look to de escalate conflict where it occurs,
  • Keep to time in the lesson and finish on time,
  • Ensure students are quiet at the end of the lesson and dismiss in an orderly manner,
  • Model behaviours that they wish to see,
  • Separate the behaviour from the student,
  • Look to ‘Catch the student being good’,

Rewards.

We believe that praise and reward will motivate students to follow the college expectations.

Praise will reinforce positive behaviours and enhance self-esteem. One way of promoting positive behaviouris to acknowledge appropriate behaviour. E.g.’ Thank you for coming in quietly...... a good start to the lesson, thank you....I think you have coped well with a difficult exercise today, well done.....’

With praise and rewards, the aim is to encourage good standards and behaviour through the fair and consistent application of the policy to all students. It is important to recognise all students ‘doing the right things’.

‘Catch them being good’.

Effective praise is:

  • Personal,
  • Genuine,
  • Descriptive and specific,
  • Frequent and consistent,
  • Planned as part of Classroom Discipline Plan.

Staff should praise and reward students through:-

  • Quiet praise,
  • Public praise,
  • Written comments in exercise books – WWW EBI
  • House points and merits,
  • Postcards home – Years 10 and 11,
  • Positive phone calls home,
  • Department and year group certificates
  • Displaying work,
  • Sending students to Tutor/ Head of Department/ Head of Year/ SLT Link/ Head teacher to show good work,
  • Staff may wish to consider introducing using Student of the Day/ Week/ Month in lessons.
  • Celebration assemblies and celebration evenings

We believe that praise increases motivation and self-esteem and helps to develop positive relationships.

House points.

House points are awarded for a variety of reasons, for example:-

  • Doing homework,
  • Contributions in class,
  • Displaying good behaviour and a positive attitude,
  • Consistent effort in class – weekly/ 2 weekly basis,
  • Outstanding piece of work,
  • Good test results – improvement in individual performance being the key,
  • Helping in own time – e.g. Open Evenings,
  • Sporting contributions,
  • Initiative,
  • Being a good role model,
  • Supporting other students,
  • Involvement in delivering assemblies,
  • Keeping booksin good condition,
  • Being consistently well prepared for lessons,
  • Significant improvement on any of the above from a student previously experiencing problems in this area.

House points are recorded in Planners and counts collected by House Captains. Tutors and pastoral staff will monitor the updating of tutor charts. House points are added up throughout the academic year.Certificates will be awarded in assemblies at key points.

End of Term ‘achievement’ assemblies will take place in each Year Group. Success in any of the following may be rewarded:- attendance, punctuality, House Points, Praise Postcards, Pupil of the Term, Form of the Term, outstanding achievements and/or effort, achievements out of school, Prefects/ Senior students/ sporting achievements, participation in Year/ College Council/Leadership etc....

Praise Postcards.

If Praise Postcards are issued they are sent home to students and parents/carers. Postcards may be awarded for many reasons for example::- consistent good effort over a period of time, an outstanding piece of work/ coursework, a positive contribution to the life of the college. Staff complete the Postcard proforma and hand this to the office who will write the card and send it home. Once written, the proformas will be returned to HOYs. The office will maintain a list of the number of Postcards sent home.

Public recognition of all House Points/ Postcards will be made during assemblies, and published on Year Notice Boards and in Newsline.

Contact with parents.

  • Staff are encouraged to use praise through phone calls home at any time. Where students improve their behaviour, a phone call home can be a powerful tool.
  • Setting targets with students that a postcard/ phone call will follow an improvement over a certain period of time is to be encouraged too.

Positive actions to promote good behaviour.

Staff are encouraged to plan to prevent disruptive behaviour by using a number of strategies. The aim is to defuse any situation that may occur before it does so. Examples are as follows:-

  • Stating the desired ‘behaviour’ in a positive manner,
  • Giving the student take up time,
  • Name on board – making it clear that there is an opportunity for this to be rubbed off with an appropriate change of ‘behaviour’,
  • Tactically ignoring undesirable behaviour, ( if this is appropriate),
  • Giving non verbal signals,
  • Quiet word with student reminding of choices and consequences,
  • Saying ‘thank you’ after giving a direction,
  • Giving a general comment to the whole class – ‘Nearly everyone is on task – I can just hear one or two voices’,
  • Using the school 1Consequence’ C1,C2,C3 system
  • Praise student who has been misbehaving and has since chosen to behave,
  • Use of Restorative Approaches and restorative language, for example ‘what has happened’ rather than ‘what have you done wrong’
  • Highlight the behaviour of the student not the student themselves. Emphasise the impact that the behaviour is having on the learning of students in the class,
  • Warning of being detained after lesson (break/ dinner) – emphasise that this is something that you do not wish to carry out,
  • Aim is on prevention– emphasis is on defusing the situation and dealing with it there and then,
  • Use humour if possible.

Choices and Consequences.

Consequences are a choice and students should know the range of consequences for unacceptable behaviour,

Students expect to be treated fairly – staff need to be consistent on their use of rewards and sanctions,

A clear system of choices/ consequences should be highlighted to all students and the consequences poster should be on display in all classrooms – nothing can come as a shock,

Students need to be given a choice to stop the behaviour or continue it and face the consequence (C1,C2,C3 which they are aware of),

Consequences do not have to be severe, just used consistently,

Consistency is the key – unacceptable behaviour leads to a hierarchy of consequences,

Consequences become gradually more substantial,

Consequences should be provided calmly and consistently,

Consequences/ sanctions may be something that students do not like (but they should not humiliate them).

Restorative Approaches:

As a school we believe in being a restorative community. Restorative practice emphasises positive relationships between students and staff. Restorative practice places the student firmly at the centre of the process so they can be active and thoughtful contributors to their behavioural improvement. The Restorative Approach emphasises personalresponsibility and accountability for actions and the solutions to those actions and behaviours which are causing harm.

The principles of Restorative Approaches:

  • Students become aware of the effects of their behaviour on others through the use of affective questions
  • Students are involved and are able to speak about their actions and how best any harm can be repaired
  • Students are provided with future options for behaviour

All staff know and understand the process and have received appropriate training. Students, parents and carers are involved so that problems can be discussed in a climate of mutual respect and a fair and reasonable solution can be reached and agreed by all through a process of structured questioning.

Persistent disruptive behaviour

Where a student does not follow the school’s code of conduct an entry is made on SIMS. Staff will follow up and decide on the appropriate action to be taken. The HOY will become involved in the discussion on appropriate action. This may be any of the following:-

  • Discussion of difficulties with student and teacher (HOD/ teacher),
  • Interview with HOD,
  • Restorative conversation or conference
  • Detention (HOD/ teacher)
  • Change of seating plan (HOD/ teacher),
  • Possible deployment of teaching assistant (SEN/HOD)
  • Appropriateness of activities for student (HOD/ teacher)
  • Parent, carer involvement – phone/ letter (HOD/ HOY/ teacher),
  • Departmental report – individual focus (HOD),
  • Isolation for lessons until return is re negotiated by student (HOD/ HOY),
  • Changing teaching group (HOD),
  • Contract (HOD),
  • Loss of privileges (HOD/HOY),
  • Mentoring (appropriate and available mentor),
  • Liaison with SEN department,
  • Round robin to ascertain if problem is widespread (HOY),
  • Parent/ carer interview – clear way forward with responsibilities of student and parent underlined (HOY/ HOD),
  • Whole school report (HOY),
  • PSP (HOY or Hub)
  • Initiate appropriate referral to ‘The Hub’ or appropriate external agency.

For serious misbehaviour in a classroom.

  • Student is given a C3 and is sent to the admin office. Another student is deployed to confirm to the office that the student has been sent. The student with the C3 is allocated to another teacher/classroom/Hoy or Hub for the remainder of that lesson. The student attends a restorative meeting supervised by the HOY at lunch time. A restorative meeting between the student and teacher takes before the next lesson to resolve the issues.
  • If a student refuses to leave when given a C3 the request will be repeated and a clear consequence given if the student chooses not to comply.
  • Should this be the case, a reliable student can be sent to the office for a member of SLT to attend.
  • A SIMS entry to be written and handed to member of SLT who dealt with the student. This is allocated as a C3 and dealt with in the same way.

Internal Exclusion.

A student may be placed in internal exclusion following a discussion between the HOY and the SLT Link. This sanction can be used where a student is disrupting learning or for a serious one off incident. Parents will be contacted and informed of the internal exclusion. Students will be placed with the HOY/ SLT Link and will be expected to work in silence, follow specific instructions given by the member of staff concerned, spend break and lunch times with the member of staff, write targets for improved behaviour.

Fixed Term Exclusion.

A student may receive a formal exclusion from school for a fixed period for persistent disruption to learning or for a serious one off incident. This is a serious sanction and parents, governors and the LA are informed. After a fixed term exclusion, parents attend a re- integration meeting at the school on the day of return to the college. In most cases fixed term exclusions will be kept to 1 or 2 days.

Students whose behaviour is a serious concern will be monitored and supported closely. A Pastoral Support Programme (PSP) will be drawn up and clear and achievable targets will be set. A review of the targets will take place 6/ 8 weeks later. Depending on the success of the student in reaching the targets, the PSP will be removed or further targets set. The student will be further supported in improving their behaviour through working in the Learning Support Unit or through the use of other support agencies – Student Support Workers, alternative curriculum, counselling, School Nurse, extended work experience, alternative provision.

Referral to‘The Hub’ the school’s Behaviour and Intervention Support facility.

A managed move to another school is another option.

Permanent Exclusion is the final sanction.

Additional Whole School Support in Improving Behaviour.

  1. The Learning Support Base:

A centre designed to provide support for students who are struggling to come to terms with a full time classroom curriculum. Individual students will be provided with a proactive and detailed intervention programme. The centre will offer flexible provision, with withdrawal from specific lessons. Students will be referred following consultation between any or all of :- HOY, SLT Link, Deputy Headteacher, Headteacher and the Learning Support Manager.The aim is that students, as well as working on aspects of the curriculum, will work on specific skills that will enable them to be re integrated in mainstream lessons.

  1. The Hub – Behaviour and Intervention Support facility:

Where other interventions have been tried but have not proved successful a referral may be made to ‘The Hub’. Staff who are experienced in working with young people who show a high level and frequency of need will use a range of strategies to help young people address and manage their behaviours. Referrals may include short removal from a particular lesson, for a period of days or for inclusion in a specific programme of support.

  1. The college recognises that every student has a right to feel safe, to be healthy and to enjoy and achieve in school. Bullying, harassment and oppressive behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Pupils are involved in creating systems to support each other in school.
  2. Liaison with Parents and other Agencies:

The college works withother agencies where appropriate. These include Educational Psychologist, Careers South West, Student Support Workers, Youth Service, Social Care, The Police, School Nurse, Education Welfare Officer etc… It is vital that the school maintains the trust and confidence of parents/carers in educating their child. Good liaison takes time. Every effort should be made in ensuring that parents and carers hear from us when their child is doing well. There is likely to be a greater willingness to work with the school from parents when they feel that the school is fair and clear in its expectations and where parents and carers feel that they have the student’s interests at heart.