PARENT

GUIDE

TO

WESTDENE SCHOOL`S

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBLITIES

POLICY

What is this booklet for :

At Westdene School we believe that we should always work in partnership with our pupils` parents/carers and keep them informed about school systems and policy. This booklet tells you:

·  How we reward pupils for good behaviour

·  How we deal with broken rules

·  Support available for pupils and parents/carers

·  What to do and who to talk to if you have concerns

·  Our school rules

Our Rights and Responsibilities Policy:

Our ‘Rights and Responsibilities’ policy is otherwise known as our behaviour policy. To keep it up to date it will be reviewed at the start of each school year so everyone knows what to expect and what to do. (A full copy of the policy is available on request).

The policy works on the following principles:

·  Rules must be simple and clear.

·  Rules should be kept but we know some behaviour could be because of a child`s emotions or special educational needs. We work very hard to look beyond the behaviour and meet these needs.

·  Our rules are displayed clearly and have been complied and shared with all members of the school community.

·  All of us have rights and responsibilities. We all have a right to an orderly school where pupils and adults are well behaved and we must all take responsibility for our roles.

How will my child be rewarded for good behaviour and work?

At Westdene School we know that the more you reward children the harder they will try. We reward children in the following ways:

·  Spoken praise, smiles and encouragement

·  Golden time

·  Special mentions at assembly

·  Team points

·  Stickers

·  Merit certificates

·  Head teacher awards

Sometimes children may need some extra encouragement to overcome an issue. We may then set up an extra behaviour system for that child. This will always be done in full consultation with that child and their parent/carer.

What happens if my child breaks a rule?

We treat all pupils fairly. When a rule is broken staff will follow our sequence of sanctions to deal with it. We always take account of a pupil`s educational and emotional needs but must be firm and clear about rules to make sure our school is a safe and respectful place to be.

In the Infants:

·  Verbal warning

·  Losing minutes of Golden Time

·  Minutes can be regained for Golden Time

In the Juniors:

The sequence of sanctions must all happen within one day. After a day, the slate is wiped clean. The sequence is as follows:

1.  Verbal warning

2.  Name on the board

3.  Sad face or cross against name

4.  Two crosses against name

5.  Detention 12.15 pm – 12.45 pm (Juniors)

Failure to do homework in the juniors leads to an automatic “Homework Detention” where the child will be given the opportunity to complete this work at lunchtime under the supervision of the teacher responsible for detention on that day or in class with the class teacher.

After 3 detentions within any one term, the Assistant Head teacher will contact the child`s parent/carer.

After 6 detentions within any one term, the Assistant Head teacher will contact the child`s parent/carer again and invite them to attend a meeting with their child`s class teacher to discuss ways forward.

After 9 detentions within any one term, the Head teacher will ask the child`s parent/carer to meet with her and other interested parties to discuss strategies to enable their child to move forward.

If more than 12 detentions are issued in one term, the child may be given a fixed term exclusion and the governing body will be informed.

In rare incidents of extremely serious behaviour, the above sequence of sanctions may be bypassed and the parent/carer will be informed immediately.

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Staff

Rights: Responsibilities:

·  To be supported by parents, pupils To support pupils, parents and other staff

and other staff

·  To be listened to To listen to others

·  To be spoken to politely To speak politely to others

·  To be made aware of issues that may To stay aware of such issues and

affect their work and pupils deal with them responsibly

Parents:

Rights: Responsibilities:

·  To be listened to and treated with re- To listen to and treat staff, pupils

spect and other parents with respect

·  To be told about their child`s progress To attend parents meetings and

·  To have their concerns taken seriously read reports and newsletters

·  To have access to information on school To stay informed about school

policies and practice policy and practice

To talk to someone at school at

early stages, starting with the

class teacher

Pupils:

Rights: Responsibilities:

·  To be listened to and treated with re- To listen to and treat others with

Spect respect

·  To be safe To behave in a safe way

·  To learn To make the most of their time at

·  To make mistakes school and allow others to learn

To learn from their mistakes and

be tolerant of others

What should I do if I am concerned about a behaviour incident?

What ever the problem we know that it can be very worrying and stressful for parents if they feel their child is “in trouble”. We will always involve parents/carers if an incident is serious or if the same small problem keeps happening. If however, you are concerned about anything, please contact us as soon as possible.

  1. Please talk to the class teacher first. They will often have first hand information of any incident.
  2. If needed, the Special Needs Co-ordinator, Head of Early Years, Head of Juniors, Head of Infants, Deputy Head or Head Teacher may be involved.

What ever happens, we will always find the facts out first and then deal calmly with the problem.

Where can I get extra support for my child?

Staff will always support pupils as much as possible in their educational, social and emotional needs. The teacher, teaching assistant or a midday supervisor first deals with behaviour incidents. As well as consultation with parents, teachers may look for extra support for your child from:

·  The Special needs Co-ordinator : Mrs Anne Daswani

·  The Headteacher : Mrs Debbie Crossingham

·  The Deputy Head Teacher : Mrs Jenny Stratton

·  Assistant Head with responsibility for pastoral care: Mr O’Flaherty

·  Key Stage Leaders : Miss Carly Skuse (Foundation Stage)

Mrs Ella Turner (Key Stage 1-Infants)

Miss Natalie Bingle (Key Stage 2 -Juniors)

·  Nurture/friendship support (group or individual support)

·  The School Counselling Service

·  Speech and Language Support Service

·  LSS (Learning Support Service)

·  EWO (Educational Welfare Services)

Where can parents get extra information?

In the first instance, please speak to your child`s class teacher for extra information. Extra information may be available from:

·  Our Special Needs and Gifted/Talented co-ordinators

·  AMAZE (support for parents with children who have Special Educational Needs)

·  Mosaic (support for black, Asian and mixed race families)

·  Education Welfare Officers

Please let your class teacher know if you want to contact any of these people or organisations.

OUR RULES AT WESTDENE SCHOOL:

Our Rights and Responsibilities Policy is based on our School Rules, which have been compiled in consultation with all children and staff at Westdene School.

·  WE ARE KIND AND POLITE

·  WE LISTEN TO EACH OTHER

·  WE LOOK AFTER EVERYTHING IN AND AROUND OUR SCHOOL

·  WE MOVE AROUND OUR SCHOOL SENSIBLY

·  WE ALWAYS TRY OUR BEST

Our school motto is:

T ogether

E verone

A chieves

M ore