Positive Behaviour Policy
Our school culture and ethos are inspired by evidence-based trauma-informed approaches.
At The Redstart Primary School, if we want our pupils to display and develop positive patterns of behaviour, and approach their learning with a ‘have a try’ attitude, we believe it is our responsibility to ensure we create a positive learning environment in which such behaviour grows and is mirrored by all. To do this, our ethos, systems and procedures need to ensure everyone in the school community feels valued, safe and secure. Our approaches and expectations need to be clear and consistent, so pupils all know what is expected of them. We accept that learning is not linear, and children will not always make good choices, but our aim is for them to be able to recognise this and help them to learn a better way forward, providing opportunities to steer themselves back on the right track.
This policy is, therefore, built upon school values and overarching beliefs:
Rules for good behaviour are entrenched in children following The Redstart Way:
These guidelines are regularly explained and explored in assemblies and in class discussions.
Strategies for Promoting Positive Behaviour
Unwanted behaviour:
When speaking to pupils regarding their behaviour, adults will continue to show respect and nurture all pupils, regardless of the behaviour that they exhibit. Where possible, adults will use ‘positive language’ to correct behaviour.
When discussing behaviour with pupils, adults should refer to The Redstart Way and reflect on recent PSHE lessons. It is important to remind them of the positive choices they could have made and have likely made in the past. Staff will remind the children of the importance of acting as a Redstart Citizen who is following The Redstart Way and promote the normal expectations of behaviour within our school.
Although an appropriate sanction might be used, we believe that quality ‘reflection’ with an emotionally available adult is a more important and effective intervention to prevent further similar, unwanted behaviours. The staff member should try to develop empathy in the child, asking them to consider how their actions are impacting the learning or well-being of others. All staff will adopt a ‘collaborative problem-solving approach’ when reflecting with pupils on challenging behaviours.
Importantly, staff are encouraged to spot signs or triggers of negative behaviours by knowing their children and understanding their individual needs. Some negative behaviours can be diffused if the situation is handled appropriately. Therefore, staff all receive training on diffusing behaviour incidents using the C.A.R.E approach.
C.A.R.E
When dealing with any behaviour incident, staff adopt the C.A.R.E approach to ensure incidents are dealt with fully and don’t reignite or escalate further at a later time.
Discouraging Unacceptable Behaviour
When a pupil displays behaviour that is not in line with our school expectations, it is important that we try to recognise how they may be feeling and provide opportunities to correct that behaviour. To do this, we follow these steps and CARE approach. Some children may have a different plan, and this will be clear in their Behaviour Support Plan.
| STEP 1 | Poor behaviour – this could be individual or class | Class teacher gives oral reminders to children of behaviour expectations. |
| STEP 2 | Poor behaviour continues | Warning – name the behaviour and remind children of expectations. Make it clear to the child they have now been given a ‘warning’ that their behaviour does not meet expectations.
“You have been reminded about behaviour expectations and have not followed them. This is now a ‘warning’. |
| STEP 3 | Poor behaviour continues | Class teacher may send child to a different space, or another classroom, to reduce escalation and/or are picked up by Nurture. “You have been reminded again about behaviour expectations and have not followed them. We are going to move you to X to help you meet the expectations.”
At the end of the lesson (or most appropriate time), a brief reset conversation is needed. Child’s parent could be informed at the end of the day. |
| STEP 4a
OR |
Poor behaviour continues | Child remains behind at break or lunchtime for a longer reflection with the teacher.
Incident should be logged onto Bromcom and SLT informed if necessary. Child’s parent should be informed at the end of the day. |
| STEP 4b | Poor behaviour is aggressive (verbal or physical) | Inform SLT
Nurture provision may be called for support. Incident should be logged onto Bromcom. It is likely that the Principal or Assistant Principal will be involved in parent communication. |
If Step 4 has been reached, or for serious or regular disruption, children will be asked to attend a Reflection Session (Restart) as described below.
KS1:
Daily session in senior member of staff classroom at 2.30pm (during afternoon break). Children are taken to the classroom and sit on the carpet for 10-minute reflection.
KS2:
Monday to Friday – 12.30-1.00 – Eagles classroom – staffed by a member of SLT/senior staff.
Y5-6 to attend from 12.30-12.55
Y3-4 to attend from 12.45-13.00 after they have eaten their lunch.
Younger children may be asked to reflect on their behaviour with the teacher in charge.
KS2 children will be asked to complete a Reflection form:
Reflection session (each child to complete each time)
| Name:
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| Class:
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| Date:
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| The reason why I have been told to attend the Reflection session. Use your own words to describe what happened. Try and explain why you reacted/behaved in the way you did.
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| What would help you in the future so you don’t have to come back for more reflection?
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The Reflection forms will be collected by the adult leading the Reflection Session and returned to the class teacher.
In more extreme cases the Principal or Assistant Principal will become involved. It may be necessary to refer to the SEN team where outside agencies could be consulted. In addition, a meeting will be held with parents / carers to agree the way forward.
We believe that ‘children do well if they can’, so a supportive meeting would be held aimed at identifying specific ‘lagging skills’ or unsolved problems that the child may have, which results in the unwanted behaviours. We will look at how the adults can help address the lagging skills and unsolved problems. We will also again, encourage the pupil to develop a sense of self-discipline by helping them recognise their emotions, reflect on why and accept responsibility for their actions.
This will be recorded using a Behaviour Support Plan.
Behaviour Support Plan
The Behaviour Support Plan is a formal contract that is drawn up between the parent/carer, child and school. It is at this stage that a contract is signed by all parties and external agency support may be requested.
SMART targets are agreed at the initial BSP meeting in consultation with all present. These are written in child speak and progress towards them is recorded daily. Regular reviews and feedback are provided to parents so that they can support at home.
Suspensions and Exclusions
The outcome of any case deemed extreme may be that a child may be excluded either for a fixed term or permanently depending on the severity. This will follow statutory guidance for those with legal responsibilities in relation to exclusion. Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement Guidance for maintained schools, academies, and pupil referral units in England August 2024 (DFE). For further information, a copy is available in the school office or follow the link below.
Suspension and permanent exclusion guidance
Behaviour Logging
Behaviour incidents are recorded electronically using Bromcom so we can ensure incidents are dealt with appropriately and consistently. The SLT analyses this at least every half term so that any patterns of behaviour can be identified. These can then be addressed before becoming more significant behaviour trends for individuals. Staff ensure that patterns of behaviour are communicated at the earliest opportunity. At lunchtime, information is shared verbally with class teachers and may be logged on to the Bromcom behaviour log.
The use of Restrictive Physical Intervention
In rare situations, where attempts to de-escalate a child’s behaviour have been unsuccessful and they are at risk of causing injury to themselves or others (children or adults), Restrictive Physical Intervention (RPI) strategies advised by Team Teach may be used. Only staff who have received appropriate Team Teach training will hold pupils in any form of ‘restraint’ as guided by this training and all staff should seek a trained person to support them in the event of an emergency, although it is important to note that all staff working in schools have the authority to physically intervene if a child is putting themselves in danger. Before using Restrictive Physical Intervention at our school, staff will endeavour to engage the pupil in a calm and measured tone, making clear that their behaviour is unacceptable and setting out how the pupil could choose to change their behaviour. The use of Restrictive Physical Intervention will only be proportionate to the level of risk and will be reduced at the earliest possible time.
Where an adult has held a child using a Team Teach restrictive physical intervention, this will be recorded within the ‘bound and numbered book’ and reported to parents and all agencies involved with the child as appropriate.
This guidance should be read in conjunction with ‘Use of reasonable force advice for headteachers, staff and governing bodies July 2013’ (DFE). A copy is available in the school office or follow the link below.
Clear procedures are also followed for any child who runs from school (see Appendix 1).
Anti-bulling procedure and Child-on-Child abuse
To help eliminate bullying and child-on-child abuse we will ensure that children are taught:
To protect the rights of all children to have a safe and secure learning environment The Redstart Primary School and Nursery will continuously work towards preventing acts of bullying, harassment, and other forms of aggression and violence as these behaviours are unacceptable and interfere with both our school’s ability to educate children and a child’s ability to learn. If such a case arises, the staff at The Redstart Primary School and Nursery will follow the anti-bullying guidelines laid out in this policy.
Forms of bullying or abuse
There are many different kinds of bullying including bullying relating to:
Definition of Sexting
This is sending inappropriate pictures, videos or messages – they can sometimes be called ‘nude pics’, ‘rude pics’ or ‘nude selfies’, but can also be rude messages. Pressuring someone into sending these pictures, videos and messages is abuse. It is illegal to have these kind of pictures or videos of a person if they are under 18 years old.
Definition of cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying is the use of technology such as mobile phones, email, chat rooms or social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to harass, threaten, embarrass, intimidate or target a child. Unlike physical bullying, cyber-bullying can often be difficult to track as the cyber-bully (the person responsible for the acts of cyber-bullying) can remain anonymous when threatening others online, encouraging them to behave more aggressively than they might face-to-face.
Types of cyber-bullying
Actions NOT considered to be bullying
All children have upsets and squabbles; these are not classed as bullying and are dealt with through the Behaviour Policy. Actions not considered to be bullying are:
Roles and responsibilities
The Education Act 2002, Education and Inspections Act 2006 and Equalities Act 2006 all make reference to a school’s legal responsibility to prevent and tackle bullying. By law, all state schools must have a behaviour policy in place and displayed on their website and must also follow anti-discrimination law. This means staff must act to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimisation within the school.
Schools have the legal power to make sure pupils behave and do not bully outside of school premises, for example on public transport or in nearby public communal areas. If seen as appropriate the Principal or staff can choose to report bullying to the police or local council. During school hours, including while pupils are taking part in school visits, after school clubs and cyber bullying the school has direct responsibility to ensure children feel safe and secure.
The role of the Academy Council
The Academy Council supports the Principal in all attempts to eliminate bullying from the school. The Academy Council will not condone any bullying at all, and any incidents of bullying that do occur will be taken very seriously and dealt with appropriately.
The Academy Council monitors incidents of bullying that do occur and reviews the effectiveness of this policy regularly. The members of the Academy Council require the Principal to keep accurate records of all incidents of bullying and to report to the members of the Academy Council on request about the effectiveness of the school’s anti-bullying strategies.
A parent/carer who is dissatisfied with the way the school has dealt with a bullying incident can make a complaint to the Chair of the Academy Council. The complaint will be dealt with in accordance with the CLF complaints policy which can be accessed from the CLF website.
The role of the Principal
It is the responsibility of the Principal to implement the school’s anti-bullying and child-on-child abuse strategy, to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the school policy, and that they know how to identify and deal with incidents of bullying. The Principal will report to the Academy Council about the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy on request. Although the Principal has overall responsibility, they may have nominated a staff member to implement the anti-bullying and child-on-child abuse policy.
It is the Principal (or designated member of staff) who must ensure that all children know that bullying and child-on-child abuse is wrong, and that it is unacceptable behaviour in school. The Principal will draw the attention of children to this fact at suitable moments. For example, the Principal may decide to use an assembly as the forum in which to discuss with the children why bullying is wrong.
The Principal will ensure that all members of staff receive sufficient training to be equipped to identify and deal with all incidents of bullying and child-on-child abuse.
The Principal will set the school climate of mutual support and praise for success, so making bullying and child-on-child abuse less likely. When children feel they are important and belong to a friendly and welcoming school, bullying is far less likely to be part of their behaviour.
The role of the staff
Members of staff will do all that they can to eradicate bullying and child-on-child abuse; they will ensure that they follow the school’s anti-bullying and child-on-child abuse policy.
All members of staff will routinely attend training that equips them to identify bullying and child-on-child abuse to follow school policy and procedures with regard to behaviour management.
Staff will use a range of methods within PSHE lessons to help prevent bullying and child-on-child abuse to establish a climate of trust and respect for all. They will use drama, role-play, stories etc. within the curriculum, to help pupils understand the feelings of bullied children and to practise the restraint required to avoid lapsing into bullying behaviour. Ring fenced time will also be used to praise, reward and celebrate the successes of all children (such as celebration evenings or assemblies) and thus to help create a positive atmosphere.
Members of staff will keep a vigilant watch on suspected ‘bullies’; any incidents will be handled carefully. It is important that the child responsible for initiating the bullying is dealt with appropriately. The person dealing with the incident will need to collect all the relevant information and then provide the Principal with a copy in order that he/she can decide on an action. All cases are individual and various strategies will be employed by the Principal to address the issue.
Teachers and support staff will do all they can to support a child who is being bullied.
The role of parents/carers
Parents/carers, who are concerned that their child might be being bullied or who suspect that their child may be the perpetrator of bullying, should contact their child’s class teacher immediately in a calm manner. If they are not satisfied with the action taken they should contact the Principal. If they remain dissatisfied, they should follow the procedure detailed above. Parents/carers have a responsibility to support the school’s anti-bullying policy by actively encouraging their child to be a positive member of the school.
The role of pupils
Pupils are encouraged to tell somebody they trust if they are being bullied, and if the bullying continues they must keep on letting people know; the children are taught several strategies to help them with this.
Pupils are also encouraged to participate fully in activities that raise their awareness about bullying in order that they clearly understand what to do if they, or another child, are being bullied.
Reporting, sanctions and monitoring
All members of The Redstart Primary School and Nursery are encouraged to challenge all forms of bullying including prejudice-based bullying if they come across it.
Procedures
8. There will be a biannual audit and analysis of incident logs and interventions to continually improve practice.
This school has set procedures to follow in implementing sanctions where a bullying incident has occurred, as described above sanctions are applied in appropriate proportion to the event. In the event of all other avenues being exhausted, or in particularly serious cases that lead to exclusion, Trustees will examine the evidence that a wide range of strategies had been tried and failed to affect a positive change in the bullying behaviour.
Monitoring, evaluation and review
Strategies to reduce bullying
The Redstart Primary School and Nursery has adopted a range of strategies to prevent and reduce bullying, to raise awareness of bullying and support victims and those displaying bullying behaviour, including:
APPENDIX 1
Pupils who run from school
When a child runs from the classroom:
When a child leaves the school grounds:
The Redstart Primary School
