Behaviour for Learning Policy

Purpose: To promote behaviour that supports wellbeing, engagement and learning

Central to our behaviour for learning policy is our school ethos, which outlines our aims and values as a school, as well as our beliefs about the education we wish to provide for our children.

School Ethos

We encourage the development of the whole child by providing a truly personalized, holistic education. Wellbeing comes first. Only with wellbeing is a child ready to

engage with their learning. With engagement comes academic achievement.

The school has one key rule to support this ethos: ‘Be yourself, but not to the detriment of anyone else’.

This policy is designed to support every child’s wellbeing, engagement and academic achievement by aiming to:

• Create an environment which supports wellbeing, learning and achievement for all.

• Promote consistently good behaviour and discipline.

• Develop self-esteem, self-discipline and positive relationships based on mutual respect, all of which are key components of wellbeing.

• Improve teaching and learning by reducing low level disruption and therefore maximising engagement.

• Ensure fairness and consistency in response to both positive and negative behaviours, whilst recognising that there are children of a wide range of ages and

needs at the school and that different responses may be required in different cases to achieve the best outcomes for all children.

• Work effectively with parents/carers and, where applicable, other agencies in ensuring good behaviour and discipline.

• Ensure there are consistently high expectations of all children and staff.

Staff Responsibilities

The school treats each child as an individual. Consequently, staff will use their professional judgement, within the overall structure of this policy, to determine which

specific actions are most appropriate to achieve the above outcomes. Actions will have regard to the child, their age, their stage, their needs and the setting of the

activity.

Expectations of behaviour at any point in time may change over time. The expectations for a child who is new to the school may be different from the

expectations after a year. Expectations of their behaviour in classrooms and in the wider environment may also differ. Expectations of children with different learning

needs may differ.

When dealing with misbehaviour staff should act with authority without being authoritarian; staff should be assertive without being aggressive.

CHILDREN WILL NEVER BE SMACKED, SHAKEN, HUMILIATED, RIDICULED, THREATENED OR MADE TO FEEL UNWANTED OR UNDERVALUED.

In addition the following should be avoided wherever possible:

• Shouting (except in an emergency).

• Class/Group rather than individual sanctions.

• Personal anger: it is almost always counter-productive and the opportunity for positive action is almost invariably lost.

In dealing with any issues in school, staff should be sensitive to children exhibiting signs of distress – particularly our more vulnerable children. If this is the case, this

needs to be followed up with a conversation with the child.

Physical restraint of a child will only be used in accordance with published guidance.

If there are any Child Protection concerns, these should be reported in line with the Safeguarding and Child Protection policy.

Children’s Responsibilities

Children should be aware of what is expected of them and take responsibility for their actions.

Certain behaviour is never acceptable. All children are expected to consistently:

• Be non-violent.

• Be courteous to staff and other children.

• Not engage in verbal or physical bullying of other children (see also Anti-Bullying

Policy).

• Remain on site.

• Engage in their own personal programme of learning.

• Engage in the process of learning to be a member of Llangattock School Monmouth.

• Have regard for their own safety and that of others.

Members of the Leadership Team have the right to search children’s possessions if they believe or suspect that the child is contravening school rules, is in possession of

a weapon or illegal substance or has inappropriate material on their mobile phones.

Outline of Stepped Actions to Support Behaviour for Learning

To differentiate between low-level disruption and more serious misbehaviour we have looked at different strategies appropriate to increased levels of inappropriate

behaviour.

Level 1

Individual teacher strategies to promote positive attitudes towards learning

All members of staff have a shared responsibility to work together and support each other in creating an atmosphere conducive to learning. The class teacher is

responsible for the teaching and learning in his/her classroom and for the behaviour of the children in her/his class.

Llangattock School Monmouth understands that good quality teaching, building relationships with students, clear understanding of expectations, individual

timetables and providing individualised supportive strategies (recorded on their one page profile) in a safe and supportive environment will support positive behaviour in

students and reduce occurrences of negative behaviour.

Due to the nature of our children, many who have not thrived in a traditional setting, standard sanctions often do not have the desired effect. Therefore it is important to

use bespoke behaviour strategies for different children depending on the staff’s knowledge of that child and a ‘trial and error’ approach, in time these can be agreed

with the child and written into their one page profile. The emphasis being on supporting positive behaviour choices and reducing negative ones.

All consequences are to be proportional to the behaviour and no consequence must ever intend to humiliate, harm or embarrass a child. It is important to note that all

sanctions / consequences apply to the child’s behaviour and not the child. If staff are unsure if any consequence is acceptable or would like further support, a member of

the Leadership Team is always available.

The strategies used should create an atmosphere conducive to learning in which staff:

• Communicate, engage, stretch and challenge children.

• Adopt practical strategies that support the monitoring of all children and their progress. When dealing with an individual or small group of children, continue to

retain an awareness/oversight of the whole class.

• Set high standards through their own behaviour including listening to children and insisting on good manners.

• Respect all children and colleagues; nurture their self-esteem; treat each as an individual.

• Be aware that general cleanliness and tidiness in the classroom and around school may have an effect on attitudes and behaviour.

• Be positive, praise good or improved behaviour - whole class or individuals.

• Ensure children know how they are expected to behave and are aware of the consequences of misbehaviour.

• Deal with misbehaviour – do not ignore it.

This positive atmosphere may be supported using some of the following actions,

although this list is not exhaustive. The actions chosen will depend on the specific

children and the specific circumstances:

• Give a clear and consistent outline of your expectations within your classroom.

• Spend time talking with your children about the good behaviour and stress the importance of self-discipline including at lunch time. Discuss consequences with

children.

• Model your expectations of children, greeting children, arriving promptly to lessons, ensuring books are marked and next steps are given so you are aware

of the child’s progress and are planning appropriately to enable them to make progress, being measured in your responses, and demonstrating that you value

their effort.

• Remind children that respect is a two-way process: they have responsibilities as well as rights.

• Create a ‘can do’ ethos in your classroom, where children are willing to ‘have a go’ and know that they are able to experience success.

• Give lots of praise for positive attitudes.

• Use positive behaviour management strategies, such as praising those who are demonstrating good and outstanding behaviours.

• Try to ‘catch a child being good’ so you have an aspect of their work or behaviour to praise.

• Never ridicule wrong answers – use them as stepping stones to further thought.

• Use information from individual children’s EHCP and one page profiles to adopt strategies to allow all children to experience success.

• To achieve positive outcomes in class and avoid child frustration through experiencing too much challenge or conversely, insufficient challenge, it is crucial

that staff adapt resources and activities.

• Be proactive to identify strategies to avoid potential conflict situations with children. This could include a child having a differentiated task or activity, support

from a colleague during the session, or giving the child responsibility for an aspect of the learning.

• Get to know your children / find out about their interests / develop a rapport with them; treat them as individuals.

• Give feedback to children about their behaviour / attitude to learning, as well as their attainment.

• Talk to children quietly / in private if possible when you are giving negative feedback or consequences.

• Have break-time and lunch-time conversations with children who do not meet your expectations, reiterating these, discussing what went wrong in the lesson,

and agreeing actions for improvement.

• Reason with older children; they often respond well to being treated maturely.

• Maintain a sense of humour.

• If a class is noisy, speak more quietly, so children need to be quiet in order to hear you; model calmness and reasonable behaviour yourself.

• Remind children of your expectations re their behaviour/ manners, such as listening to others and not talking over others.

• Use rewards to celebrate achievement, effort, and behaviour, and improvements in these areas. (Stickers; certificates; comments on schoolwork and homework;

phone calls, letters or postcards home are all effective means of recognising children’s achievements).

• Share learning objectives and success criteria with children so they know how to progress. Sharing assessment stages/ levels/ criteria with children where

appropriate, will allow children to know where they are and how to proceed.

• Set next steps for children which address areas for improvement.

• If you find yourself feeling negative about a child or class, speak to the Headteacher to help you to change your mindset about the child / group by

getting a different perspective on their behaviour.

Where behaviour is unacceptable, the following strategies/sanctions will be taken.

The actions chosen will depend on the child and the specific circumstances:

• Immediate action will be taken to ensure the safety of the child and others if the behaviour is likely to cause injury or emotional harm to themselves or others.

In all other cases low level, day-to-day disruption will be addressed by:

• Dealing with misbehaviour – don’t ignore it.

• Communication with home is generally more effective at an early stage, before problems escalate. Staff should communicate with Headteacher first before

communicating with parents/carers directly.

• It is also very effective to ask a member of the Leadership Team to phone home while the child is there with them, if that is possible/ appropriate.

• Be consistent in your expectations and follow through any strategies/sanctions.

• Giving verbal reminders of the expected behaviour. Use ‘I need’ sentences where possible.

• Using a mentor in the classroom to offer support/offer a child someone to talk to.

The underlying cause of the behaviour can then be explored and addressed.

• A ‘time out’ may be suggested to allow the child time to calm down.

• A child may be required to report to one of the Senior Leadership Team if the misbehaviour is seriously preventing learning progress in the classroom.

• Ensuring all serious behaviour concerns are logged using the wellbeing incident /concern form to help achieve an accurate overview of children’s behaviour.

If any staff member is unsure about the sanctions another member of staff has used with a child, please seek clarification from the member of staff concerned. If this is

not resolved, you may choose to talk to the Headteacher. The Headteacher will support all staff in building their skill sets and strategies to manage behaviour

appropriately.

Level 2

Headteacher monitoring of an individual child’s patterns of behaviour across a range of subjects

For ongoing poor behaviour, a discussion between teachers, ALNCo and Headteacher will take place to determine what other pastoral strategies may be

appropriate to support changes in behaviour. Some of the following actions will be used although this list is not exhaustive. The actions chosen will depend on the

specific child and the specific circumstances:

• Reviewing behaviour across all subjects to identify any patterns of behaviour.

• Identifying if an individual teacher needs additional support or training in order to develop improved skills to deal with the specific behaviour issue in their class.

• Headteacher to interview with the child, use a solution-focused approach to address the areas of concern.

• Ensuring any Mentor regularly reviews these specific actions as part of the mentoring process.

• Ensuring parental/carer communication happens as early as possible: At this stage this will normally be by teacher or Headteacher telephone calls / emails

home, to alert them to concerns. There may need to be a follow-up date arranged with parents/carers to review progress several weeks later.

• Where appropriate, encourage teachers to use reframing strategies to reset their relationship with the child.

The following strategies/sanctions may be taken:

• Ensuring that teachers are supported to follow through any behaviour issues in their classes including following through any strategies/sanctions adopted under Level 1.

• Amending individual timetables, in discussion with Headteacher, to ensure their needs continue to be met and that engagement is high.

• Try to resolve the situation through a meeting between the parents/carers, teacher/Headteacher/Principal and Mentor to outline concerns, set targets and

plan strategies for success.

• Request support/advice from outside agencies may be obtained where appropriate.

Where behaviour has been particularly disruptive, the Headteacher or Principal may

decide to move straight to level 3 without adopting any of the above

strategies/sanctions.

Level 3

Poor behaviour continues – disruption of the learning of others

The Headteacher or Principal will take some of the actions outlined below. The

actions chosen will depend on the child and the specific circumstances:

• Child put on a monitoring sheet. This involves the teachers writing a daily report on the child’s behaviour which is also signed by the Headteacher and shown

daily to parents/carers.

• Reduce the length of time in school. The exact details, including the amount of any work to be undertaken and the support when away from the school, will be

agreed with the parents/carers.

• Individual timetables and support may be introduced to enable academic progress to continue while appropriate strategies are implemented to develop

classroom appropriate behaviour.

• Off-site schooling may be offered to avoid an exclusion.

• A behaviour contract with the school may be drawn up to identify requirements to

avoid exclusion.

Level 4

Extreme Behaviour – Fixed Term or Permanent Exclusion

Exclusion will only be used to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children in the specific circumstances detailed below.

Only the Principal (or another member of staff who has been given authority by the Principal) has the power to exclude a child from school.

The exclusion of a child may be for one or more fixed periods, in any one school year. The Principal only may also exclude a child permanently if the circumstances

warrant this. Details of any exclusion, and details of any incidents leading up to the exclusion, are included in the concerns book (in the nursery) and in the serious

incident and sanction book for the school as well as on their individual file in both

cases. A list of any exclusions is held in the Office.

There are normally only three reasons for exclusion from Llangattock School

Monmouth:

• Physical Assault on another child or adult.

• Leaving school grounds thereby endangering personal safety.

• Certain Illnesses (see Sickness policy).

• Intention to harm and / or using an object as a weapon

Exclusion may be considered as a sanction for acts of racism or bullying or excessive bad language towards another person.

If the Principal or her representative excludes a child, she/they will inform the parents/carers immediately, giving reasons for the exclusion. This is immediately

followed up in writing where it is made clear to the parents/carers that they can, if they wish, appeal against the decision to the Chair of the Board of Advisors. If

requested, the school will inform the parents/carers how to make any such appeal.

The Principal informs the Board of Advisors about any permanent exclusions, and about any fixed-term exclusions beyond five days in any one term.

Before readmission after a fixed term exclusion, a meeting with the Principal, parents/carers and child will be held. (Other members of the Leadership Team may

be involved in the meeting, where appropriate.). Re-admission into school is conditional on:

• The attitude the child exhibits during the meeting;

• The child acknowledging what went wrong and agreeing changes for improvement;

• The Principal or her representative being satisfied that re-admission would not put any child or adult at immediate risk. A risk assessment will be undertaken.

Additional Documents

Wellbeing Incident/concern form

Serious Incident and Sanction book (school)

Concerns book (nursery)

Exclusions List

Issue date: 27 May 2022 - reviewed 30 May 2023

Withdrawal date: Current

Next review by: 30 May 2024