Behaviour Policy

Children’s emotional and behavioural development is a central part of their personal development. We combine high expectations with the knowledge that many children come to school with issues that could get in the way of their learning. Children lean about their responsibilities towards themselves and each other in an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding.

Problems will occur sometimes; this is a normal part of a child’s development as they test the world around them. We take trouble to ensure that these difficulties are sorted out fairly and consistently and we aim to leave the child feelings that they have made the right decision in the end. We take time to ensure that if a child does something wrong, they not only acknowledge that it is wrong but are lead to an understanding of why it is wrong and how it can be put right. For example, “I was wrong to run across the road without looking because I could have been hurt by a car. Next time, I will stop, look and listen and cross only when it is safe to do so”.

Each teaching area has a system of rewards and sanctions that they use to reinforce children making the right choices. These are set within the procedures that apply across the whole school, with all members of staff. They provide consistency and security for children as they move through the school.

As parents you have a key role to play in ensuring that your child gets the most out of school. If children are finding life difficult in school, we will contact you and ask for your ideas and support. You may be contacted by phone or letter and we will ask you to come into school to talk. Parents often contact us if they have concerns about their child’s behaviour at home. These meetings give us the opportunity of discussing what is going wrong and finding solutions together. They also allow the child to see home and school working together for their benefit. Sometimes this process is formalised and regular meetings are set up. This is known as a pastoral support programme.

Other professionals are available to support children to overcome difficulties they are having in school. We have access to the range of support services offered by the Child Action Teams (CAT) and also support from the Whitley Excellence Cluster (WEC) through Links workers, Learning Mentors and our Lead Behaviour Professional.

Every child has the right to the best quality of education we can offer. The needs of the group must be weighed against the needs of the individual. Sometimes, in the interest of all of the children, we have to take children out of a group, their class or the school for a period of time. Before and after this happens, we do everything we can to support the child concerned.

For further details about how we deal with behaviour see the school’s strategies for inclusion, and policy for motivation and behaviour management.

We enjoy giving parents good news, but need your help when things aren’t going so well.