Introduction
We have active consistent and positive expectations of the roles responsibilities and contributions of all participants in Highbury’s learning community which promote effective and confident behaviour.
This policy is a result of the annual review of the existing Behaviour Management Policy and the Governor’s Statement of Principles.
The Head Teacher and the Governing body will review this policy annually.
Practice at Highbury is effective in the light of the guidance ( Appendix 1), with an approach , including this policy, that is based upon a consistent holistic approach to promoting learning behaviour, including behaviour management. On occasions that approach may include physical intervention, accepted in Calderdale as good practice, from *Team Teach training that includes positive handling strategies
Aims
Encouraging a positive relationship with parents and external agencies, to develop a shared approach to behaviour management. We recognise the role of school, design, structure and relationships in promoting children’s learning to regulate themselves with increasing independence. In addition the curriculum and target setting reflects this priority, in order for children to access their environment and community, with positive confident learning behaviour.
Highbury School aims to promote positive behaviour management by:
In addition the curriculum and target setting reflects this priority in order for children to access their environment and community (including social media and assertiveness in relation to such as Prevent and grooming) with positive confident learning behaviour.
As a school we promote equality, diversity and tolerance and therefore utilise strategies including:
Procedures
We proactively seek to teach and make progress regarding self – regulation.
Positive behaviour is recognised and rewarded throughout school. The ethos of the school is one of encouragement and positivity. We follow the strategy of ‘catch them doing something right!’ and draw attention to achievements, continually looking for positives to reinforce. Approaches target the development of motivation, recognising personal challenges.
We will adapt approaches for pupils whose behaviour may be a result of underlying mental health difficulties. We will consider whether the behaviour under review gives cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. Where this may be the case, school staff should follow the schools’ Safeguarding policy.
Proactive Behaviour Management Strategies
We acknowledge that the staff and the school environment impacts upon pupil behaviour
As a staff we will-
The school environment will provide
Initial de-escalation strategies may include
Where initial low key strategies have been tried but the pupil is not responding, the following strategies or sanctions may be used as appropriate:
Reparations and planned next steps
We aim to de-escalate behaviour and redirect pupils, however when behaviour has been inappropriate children must understand that there are consequences. Approached include:
Individualised and Specific Behaviour Strategies
Some pupils will display challenging behaviour and will need specific strategies and interventions to promote appropriate behaviour.
Challenging behaviour is termed as behaviour that leads to: -
Behaviour Management Plans
Where a pupil frequently displays challenging behaviour, the School Leadership Team (SLT) will be informed and a Behaviour Management Plan (BMP) drawn up in consultation with the class team.
BMP’s
Assist coordination of the child’s learning in relation to their behaviour regulation and choices.
Positive Handling
Where possible we will do our best to help pupils to calm using communication skills, distraction techniques and removing triggers. However, there may be times when staff may need to control or restrain a child to ensure the pupil’s own safety, the safety of others, or to ensure that property is not seriously damaged. This can require positive handling techniques (control or restraint).
Physical intervention should always be:
Specific Guidelines for situations involving positive handling techniques
Reactive Behaviour Strategies
Physical intervention may be used as part of a BMP however it may also be used in unplanned situations where an unexpected behaviour is seen to pose a significant risk e.g. by running toward a busy road, engaging in self-injury, or sustained aggression toward others or likely to commit an offence.
Judgments have to be made at the time, taking due account of all the circumstances, including any known history of other events involving the child.
Assessment recording and reporting
This will include some or all of the following: -
Glossary:
Definitions:
Exclusions
Headteachers can exclude your child if they misbehave in or outside school.
What happens when your child is excluded:
If a child is being excluded from school parents or carers are notified about an exclusion as soon as possible. Parents would then receive a letter informing them long their child is excluded for and why.
Information contained in the letter would include details of how to challenge the exclusion.
Exclusions can start on the same day but the school would not insist that arrangements are made to collect a child straight away. A child who had been excluded would always be kept safe in school until arrangements could be made.
Risk of prosecution if child is found in public place
For the first 5 school days of an exclusion, it is the parent or carers responsibility to make sure their child isn’t in a public place during normal school hours unless there is a good reason.
Parents/carers may be prosecuted if their child is found in a public place when they’re not supposed to be.
Types of exclusion
There are 2 kinds of exclusion - fixed period (suspended) and permanent (expelled).
Fixed period exclusion
A fixed period exclusion is where your child is temporarily removed from school. They can only be removed for up to 45 school days in one school year, even if they’ve changed school.
If a child has been excluded for a fixed period, schools should set and mark work for the first 5 school days.
If the exclusion is longer than 5 school days, the school must arrange suitable full-time education from the sixth school day, eg at a pupil referral unit.
Permanent exclusion
Permanent exclusion means your child is expelled. Your local council must arrange full-time education from the sixth school day.
Alternative education and exclusion
The school or local council must tell you about any alternative education they arrange. It’s your responsibility to make sure your child attends.
Making a complaint
If alternative education isn’t arranged within 5 days, or you’re not happy with the education, you can complain to:
the school, for fixed period exclusions
the local council, for permanent exclusions
If you’re not happy with the response, you can complain to the Department for Education (DfE).
You’ll need to show that you followed the school or council’s complaints procedure.
Special circumstances
If a child is subject to a child protection plan or is in Local Authority Care, the social worker for that child will also be informed of the exclusion.
If a child who has been excluded is not collected by the end of the school day or if the child absconds from school then the school may need to report this to the police and/or the multi-agency assessment team (MAST)
Screening and Searching Pupils
The DfE document Searching, screening and confiscation – advice for Head teachers, school staff and governing bodies (February 2014) should be read in relation to this section. The Head teacher and staff authorised by them have a statutory power to search pupils or their possessions, without consent, where they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the pupil may have one of the following:
Prohibited items:
· knives or weapons;
The member of staff conducting the search must be the same sex as the pupil being searched; and there must be a witness (also a staff member) and, if at all possible, they should be the same sex as the pupil being searched. However, there is a limited exception to this rule whereby staff can carry out a search of a pupil of the opposite sex and without a witness present, where there is reasonable belief that there is a risk that serious harm could be caused to a person if the search is not conducted immediately and where it is not reasonably practicable to summon another member of staff.
School staff can seize any prohibited item found as a result of a search. They can also seize any item, however found, which they consider harmful or detrimental to school discipline.
Allegations of abuse against staff
In line with guidance from the Department for Education, when dealing with allegations of abuse against teachers and other staff, all allegations of abuse will be taken seriously. Our school is committed to ensuring that we deal with allegations quickly in a fair and consistent way that provides effective protection for the child and supports the person who is the subject of the allegation. Every effort will be made to maintain confidentiality and guard against unwanted publicity while an allegation is being investigated. Suspension of the member of staff will not be used as an automatic response when an allegation has been reported.
Allegations that are found to have been malicious will be removed from personnel records and any that are not substantiated, are unfounded or malicious will not be referred to in employer references. We will offer pastoral support to staff members in line with the DfE guidance.
Pupils who are found to have made malicious allegations are likely to have breached school behaviour policies. The school will therefore consider whether to apply an appropriate sanction, which could include temporary or permanent exclusion (as well as referral to the police if there are grounds for believing a criminal offence may have been committed).
February 2020
Reviewed annually
* In keeping with effective evidence -based practice as the baseline of our approach - a distinctive feature of Team-Teach, are both de-escalation skills and physical interventions, known as ‘positive handling strategies’. The approach is clearly structured and calibrated against level of risk. It includes accreditation and re-accreditation of staff. Team Teach is accredited by The Institute of Conflict Management (ICM). The majority of staff will receive initial 12 hour training, with 6 hour refresher training every two years. Other members of staff will be included in training, as appropriate.
Appendix 1
Key References : This policy was written with particular reference to the following:,