Promoting Positive Behaviour at Bishop Gore

“You can be strict without being nasty, maintain boundaries without cruelty and correct children without aggression”. (Paul Dix, Pivotal Education)

Our vision is that :

‘Every child that comes through the gates has the best possible education and opportunities to achieve their potential’

In order to achieve this at Bishop Gore we want to create an environment that is safe, where everyone feels respected and where pupils come into each lesson ready to engage in learning.

 

Core Principles:

• We expect everyone to work hard, to give their best and to respect everyone’s entitlement to learn without disruption.

• We expect all members of the school community to show courtesy and consideration for each other at all times.

• We believe that everyone in the school is of equal value and deserves an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential.

• We believe that everyone in the school should have high expectations of themselves and show respect for themselves and others.

• We seek to achieve positive relationships with and between pupils in an environment where achievement of every kind is valued and where praise and encouragement are expected.

• We believe in fairness and consistency taking into account individual circumstances and the needs of individual pupils.

• We believe that every member of staff has primary responsibility for managing the behaviour of pupils within his or her class.

• We should always attempt to preserve the self-esteem of the individual. Comments and actions should address the behaviour and not the individual.

• We should seek to have restorative conversations that allow all involved to work in collaboration to reach a positive outcome whilst maintaining their dignity.

• Our ultimate goal is to ensure that pupils become respectful, caring and responsible citizens who are ready and prepared to play a safe, active and productive role in the community.

Rationale

The purpose of our Promoting Positive Behaviour policy is to:

• Fulfil the governors’ duty of care to pupils and staff, enabling them to feel safe, respected and ready to learn.

• Promote a calm and positive climate for learning that ensures effective learning and teaching takes place, leading to high standards of attainment for all pupils.

• To establish a framework for staff to problem solve that focuses more on relationships and less on sanctions.

• To support pupils to develop the skills to take responsibility for poor conduct and to manage and modify their behaviour

• Ensure that the reputation of Bishop Gore is positive in the local and wider community.

As staff we are all accountable for the implementation and success of our Promoting Positive Behaviour Policy. Our actions affect each other and we all have the responsibility of maintaining positive relationships in our school community.

Because of the need to treat each pupil and incident on the basis of its own particular circumstances, it is necessary that the Headteacher or another member of the Leadership Team should retain a wide measure of discretion when dealing with incidents. Staff will take due regard of both the law and educational guidelines when reaching decisions and will ensure these are reasonable and proportionate.

We aim to have high expectations of behaviour and we seek to create an environment which encourages and reinforces positive behaviour and fosters positive attitudes. There are occasions when we will need to deal with poor behaviour and this policy sets out the consequences should it arise.

We understand that reasonable adjustments sometimes need to be made for different children and we will ensure that this policy is applied fairly to these children.

 

ROLES and RESPONSIBILITIES

The Governing Body will establish, in consultation with the Headteacher, staff and parents/carers a policy for the promotion of desired behaviour and keep it under review. It will ensure that this is communicated to pupils and parents/carers and is non-discriminatory with clear expectations. Governors will support the school in maintaining high standards of desired behaviour of staff and pupils.

The Headteacher and Leadership Team will be responsible for the implementation and day-to-day management of the policy and procedures.

Staff, including teachers, support staff and volunteers, will be responsible for ensuring that the policy and procedures are followed consistently and fairly applied. Mutual support amongst all staff in the implementation of the policy is essential. Staff have a key role in advising the Headteacher on the effectiveness of the policy and procedures. They also have responsibility, with the support of the Headteacher, for creating a high quality learning environment and teaching positive behaviour for learning.

Pupils are expected to take responsibility for their own behaviour and will be made fully aware of the school policy, procedure and expectations. All pupils are expected to prioritise their learning and understand the importance of respect and good manners. Good behaviour is the ‘norm’; poor or off‐task behaviour is a hindrance to learning.

The Governing Body, Headteacher and staff will ensure there is no differential application of the policy and procedures on any grounds, ethnic or national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexuality. They will also ensure that the concerns of pupils are listened to, and appropriately addressed.

Parents and carers will be expected, encouraged and supported to take responsibility for the behaviour of their child. The school will encourage parents/carers to work in partnership to help in maintaining high standards of desired behaviour and will be actively encouraged to raise with the school any issues arising from the operation of this policy.

Our Promoting Positive Behaviour Policy is based on the Five Pillars of Pivotal practice:

• Consistent, calm adult behaviour

• First attention for best conduct

• Relentless routines

• Scripting difficult interventions

• Restorative follow-up

Behaviours “When the adults change, everything changes” (Pivotal Education)

At Bishop Gore we expect to see from all of our staff, governors and visitors the following behaviours:

Be Calm

Be Clear

Be Confident

Be Consistent

Be Compassionate

Behaviours we don’t expect to see from any members of our school community:

• Aggression

• Shouting

• Negativity

• Humiliation

Consistent adult behaviour will lead to pupils consistently conforming to our expectations

We expect all STAFF to:

1. Meet and greet

2. Demonstrate calm, consistent adult

3. Praise in public, reprimand in private (PIP & RIP)

Middle Leaders understand their responsibility to create a positive climate in their department areas.

We expect all MIDDLE LEADERS to:

1. Meet and greet

2. Walk around and be visible in their curriculum area and corridors

3. Go into lessons to recognise and acknowledge pupils’ positive behaviour

4. Stand by their team to support restorative conversations

The role of the Senior Leadership Team in Bishop Gore is to support all staff and all pupils regarding all aspects of relationships and wellbeing.

We expect SENIOR LEADERS to:

1. Stand at the gates and front door every morning to meet and greet

2. Be visible at lesson changeovers and social times

3. Carry out regular support walks to support and model expectation

Our Values and Expectations

Our three clear expectations of pupils are that every day they will:

• Be Respectful

• Be Safe

• Be Ready

We want to recognise and reward our pupils who have demonstrated a willingness to go beyond expected levels of behaviour, attainment and attendance in a meaningful way.

We expect al staff to recognise positive behaviour and achievement in the following ways:

• verbal and non-verbal praise

• postcards home - handwritten

• positive phone calls home

• regular celebration assemblies

• subject achievement awards

• annual presentation evening

We teach positive behaviour for learning through:

• referencing the three expectations (Be Respectful, Be Ready, Be Safe) in lessons, in tutor time, changeovers and at social times

• teaching pupils routines using a graduated response; reminder, caution, last chance, time-out, repair

• scripted conversations

• restorative conversations

• modelling positive behaviour on a daily basis

• whole school, house, key stage and year group assemblies

Some of the strategies we use to establish readiness for learning and maintain a positive climate are:

• meeting and greeting

• high staff visibility on corridors at changeover times

• giving attention to positive behaviour, not negative

• using non-verbal strategies for example, making eye contact, moving around the classroom, issuing gentle reminders and approaching pupils in a non-confrontational manner

• repeating instructions to get them started, praising the pupils who are engaged in learning and encouraging them to support their peers

• using a space within the classroom to allow a pupil to reflect

• Being assertive

Being assertive is being able to communicate your needs in a way that is:

• Being in control

• Being clear

• Being decisive with clear conviction

• Being direct

• Being polite and fair

Graduated response

De-escalation of inappropriate pupil behaviour by staff avoids low level behaviours escalating and becoming more serious. When pupils are behaving in a way that is not appropriate, staff should use a range of strategies to support so that the pupil can get back on track without giving attention to the negative behaviour.

 

	Steps	Actions
1	Reminder	A reminder of the three simple rules (be ready, be respectful, be safe). Repeat reminders if reasonable adjustments are necessary. Take the initiative to keep things at this stage.
2	Caution	A clear verbal caution delivered privately, wherever possible, making the pupil aware of their behaviour and clearly outlining the consequences if they continue. Use the phrase, “Think carefully about your next steps”.
3	Last chance	Speak to the pupil privately and give them a final opportunity to engage. Offer a positive choice to do so and refer to previous examples of good behaviour. Use the 30 second scripted intervention. “Stay behind two minutes after class” could be added to this step. That two minutes is owed when the pupil reaches this step, it is not part of some future negotiation on behaviour. It cannot be removed, reduced or substituted.
4	Time Out	Time out might be a short time outside the room, in the reflection area, in another classroom or at the side of the field of play. It is a few minutes for the pupil to calm down, breathe, look at the situation from a different perspective and compose themselves.
5	Repair	This might be a quick chat at break or lunch time or a more formal meeting.

 

If the reminder and caution, as described above, have been implemented and have not had the required impact staff should get alongside the pupil and deliver the “script”. Staff will create a script that they feel comfortable with. An example of this could be:

1. I’ve noticed that …. (you are not ready to learn/you are not behaving safely/you are not acting respectfully), reference previous good behaviour

2. I need you to ……… (give pupils choices, phrase the choices so that whatever the choice the pupil makes it will be the right choice)

3. I know you can do this/..you are better than this/thank you for listening

This should be no more than a 30 second intervention. A short intervention is less likely to result in an improvisation.

Staff will then walk away and give pupils time to think and act positively.

Consequences

If the behaviour continues and escalates, it is not ignored.

Staff will reference it by reporting to their Curriculum Leader who may then consult with the Head of House.

The member of staff should reassure the rest of the group that it will be dealt with.

Interventions may include:

 

By whom	Intervention	Restorative Practice
All staff	Graduated response - including taking a few minutes of the pupil’s own time (see above) and setting an imposition if necessary	Restorative conversation must take place each time facilitated by restorative questions.
Curriculum Leaders	Intervention (possible 10 mins gained/lost time) e.g. reflection, catch up, curriculum area task, an imposition
Pupil Support Leaders	Intervention (possible 20 mins gained/lost time) e.g. reflection, catch up, parental meeting, monitoring report	Restorative conversations during pupils own time with HoH, parents and member of staff present
SEBD Co-ordinator / Pupil Support Leaders/SLT	Community work, reflection time out of lessons, catch up, parental meeting	Restorative conversations with peer mediators and a member of SLT
Head Teacher	Internal exclusion, fixed term exclusion, permanent exclusion	Restorative conversation with parents present before returning to school

 

When pupils have been given the support and opportunities to make the right choices, but do not modify their behaviour, staff will use the agreed consequences.

Impositions

If a pupil needs to catch up or pay back time lost in learning then the member of staff should give an imposition.

Impositions are additional work that must be completed that evening, countersigned by the parent and returned first thing in the morning.

The imposition slip should be completed and stapled to the work by the member of staff with the time it needs to be handed back the next day.

This policy should be read in conjunction with:

Bishop Gore’s Aims and Ethos

Child Protection Policy

Safeguarding Policy

Anti-Bullying Policy

Complaints Policy

Attendance Policy

Accessibility Policy

E-Safety Policy

Acceptable Use Policy

Uniform Policy

Equal Opportunities Policy

Substance Misuse and Offensive Weapons Policy

Use of Restraint and Reasonable Force Poli

 Restorative Approaches and the Rights of the Child

A restorative approach helps meet the needs, rights and responsibilities of children and those working with them. The United Nations Charter on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) ¹ reminds us that children have the right to be: Protected; Equal; Educated; Heard; Healthy and Safe. Working restoratively especially addresses the key rights from the following articles in the Charter :-

Article 3 Everyone who works with children should always do what is best for each child

Article 12 Your right to say what you think should happen and be listened to

Article 13 Your right to have information.

Article 15 Your right to meet with friends and join groups and clubs

Article 19 You should not be harmed and should be looked after and kept safe.

Article 23 Your right to special care and support if you have a disability so that you can lead a full and independent life.

Article 25 Children who are not living with their families should be checked on regularly to make sure they are okay.

Article 28 Your right to learn and go to school.

Article 29 Your right to become the best that you can be.

Article 31 Your right to relax and play

Article 33 You should be protected from dangerous drugs.

Article 34 The government should protect children from sexual abuse.

Article 36 You should be protected from doing things that could harm you.

Article 37 Your right to be treated fairly if you break the law

Article 39 Children should get special help if they have been abuse