Behaviour Policy 2023-2024

This policy should be read in conjunction St Brigid’s Safeguarding Policy, St Brigid’s Anti-bullying Policy, St Brigid’s Uniform and Appearance and St Brigid’s Equality Duty Policy.

St Brigid’s Primary School is committed to creating an environment where the best behaviour is at the heart of productive learning.  Everyone is expected to maintain the highest standards of personal conduct, to accept responsibility for the behaviour and to encourage others so do the same.

Aims

This policy aims to:

• Create a positive culture that promotes excellent behaviour, ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to learn in a calm, safe and supportive environment
• Establish a whole-school approach to maintaining high standards of behaviour that reflect the values of the school
• Provide a consistent and calm approach and to celebrate the best behaviours
• To use restorative approaches whilst having clear boundaries on what we consider to be unacceptable behaviour, including bullying and discrimination

The four Key Values of our Catholic School are

• We are all made in God’s image- each unique and talented.
• To be the best we can be in all things- happy confident and thriving.
• To care for one another- our planet and our community.
• Let everything we think, do and say be a shining example of our faith.

Purpose of the policy

To provide simple, practical procedures for staff and children that

• Recognises behaviour norms and positively reinforces this behaviour
• Encourages children that they can and should make good choices
• Ensures consistency of expectations across the school
• Builds a community which values kindness, care, good temper and empathy for others

Expectation of Adults

We expect every adult to

• Meet and greet at the door
• Refer to ‘Ready, Respect, Safe’ in their daily conversations with children
• Never walk past or ignore pupils who are failing to meet expectations
• To use the scripts
• Follow up all behaviour including restorative conversations and communication with parents
• Teach behaviour as part of the weekly curriculum
• Plan lessons that engage, challenge and meet the needs of all pupils
• Deal with all poor behaviour in private

Behaviour is managed well where adults know their classes and develop positive relationships with all pupils

Expectation of Phase leaders

Phase leaders (and SENCo’s) are not expected to deal with behaviour referrals in isolation.  If called upon they are there to stand alongside colleagues to support, guide, model and show a unified consistency to the pupils.

• A visible presence around school
• Encourage the use of positive phone calls/ positive postcards amongst their team
• Support behaviour development through phase meetings to ensure consistency of the policy
• Know which children are consistently meeting expectations
• Liaise with SEND team to ensure prompt provision where needed
• Providing new staff with a clear induction into the school’s behavioural culture to ensure they understand its rules and routines

Expectation of Senco Team

• To use behaviour data to target and assess interventions at universal and SEND support in line with Matching Provision to Need document
• To provide support and advice to adults.
• To support teachers in managing pupils with more complex or challenging behaviour so that needs are being met.

The Head teacher and the Senior Leadership Team

• Meet and greet learners at the beginning of the day
• Will be a visible presence around the school
• Celebrate staff, leaders and pupils whose effort goes over and above expectations
• Ensure staff training needs are identified and met
• To support the Senco Team and phase leaders in managing learners with more complex or negative behaviours
• Use behaviour data to target and assess the effectiveness of the behaviour policy and practice

The Governing Body is responsible for

• Reviewing and approving the Behaviour Policy
• Monitoring the policy’s effectiveness
• Holding the headteacher to account for its implementation

Playtimes/Lunchtime

If there are concerns at playtimes or lunchtime then teachers on duty/ LOs respectively will fill in a cause for concern sheet which is given to the member of SLT on duty after modifying and managing any poor behaviour.

Misbehaviour is defined as:

• Disruption in lessons, in corridors between lessons, and at break and lunchtimes
• Non-completion of classwork or homework
• Poor attitude

Serious misbehaviour is defined as:

• Repeated breaches of the school rules that lead to unreasonable high level disruption of children’s right to learn
• Any form of bullying, harassment or discrimination such as racist, sexist or homophobic behaviours (please see Anti-bullying Policy)
• Physical violence or verbal aggression directed towards an adult or pupil
• Use of object/weapons to hurt others
• Serious/ continued bullying incidents
• Vandalism leading to significant damage of school property and resources
• Possession of any article a staff member 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)

Suspensions

In order for children to achieve their maximum academic potential in the school they must feel safe from physical and verbal aggression and disruption.  If a child seriously breaches the school’s behaviour policy and if the pupil remaining in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school, the Headteacher may take the decision to exclude for a fixed period.  If this decision is taken, work will be set for the pupil to complete at home.  Following the suspension, the pupil and parents will meet with the Headteacher to discuss the pupil’s reintegration to school and the best way forward to support the child.  Each day is a new day.

Permanent exclusions

Permanent exclusion is seen as a very last resort after all reasonable steps to avoid exclusion have been put into place.  Permanent exclusion should only occur when risk assessment indicates that to allow the pupil to remain in school would be seriously detrimental to the education or welfare of the pupil concerned or to other pupils at the school

Safeguarding

The school recognises that changes in behaviour may be an indicator that a pupil is in need of help or protection. We will consider whether a pupil’s misbehaviour may be linked to them suffering, or being likely to suffer, significant harm.  Where this may be the case, we will follow our safeguarding policy, and consider whether pastoral support, an early help intervention or a referral to children’s social care is appropriate. Where there is suspected child on child abuse please read St Brigid’s Safeguarding Policy 2023