Positive Relationships and Behaviour Policy

Author:	Nadia Guglieri
Date:	February 2023

As a Rights Respecting School our philosophy and ambition for our pupils is underpinned by our four Core Values and the values and principles of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

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

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

Article 28: School discipline should respect children’s dignity and rights.

Article 37: If you do the wrong thing, you have a right to be treated fairly.

Pupils at JCP demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning and behaviour. We aim to create an ethos where children’s strengths, attitudes and positive behaviours are nurtured, acknowledged and reinforced through effective strategies.

At the heart of our school ethos are our College Values, Aspire, Inquire, Excel and Belong. These form the foundations of school life and are at the heart of all we do. ‘Belong’ is our most important value and places key importance on building positive relationships across the whole school community.

Our ambition for all pupils at JCP

At JCP we will develop happy, confident, caring pupils, who enjoy positive relationships and show compassion and respect for others. 

Pupils will grow as individuals and feel valued. We will strive to forge a strong and supportive community that reaches out around the world.     Pupils will demonstrate a growing awareness about the choices they make and the impact these have on their environment. We want to develop hardworking, independent learners and creative thinkers.    

Our Pupils will be encouraged to take full advantage of opportunities and to aspire to the highest standards. We aim for our pupils to be inquisitive, ambitious and motivated in their approach to learning.    

Pupils will grow in independence, be reflective in their thinking, be eager for challenges and be resilient enough to cope with any setbacks they may face.  

This policy is written with the value of Belonging as central to our core purpose and how we manage our relationships, emotional safety, well- being and behaviour. We value pupils, parents, staff and governors as important members of our School Community.

As members of our School Community:

We support and care for each other
We value and respect each other
We include each other
We trust each other
We listen to each other
We share ideas
We make sure everyone has a voice
We have good manners
We take pride in ourselves and our school
We celebrate everyone’s achievements

As Successful Learners:

We are ambitious and motivated
We ‘have a go’, making mistakes is an important part of our learning
We are resilient and overcome challenges
We are independent
We ask questions to find things out
We positively challenge each other
We think creatively
We are reflective
We solve problems
We are confident and have self-belief
We strive to be the best we can

Responsibilities

All Staff have responsibility to:

Ensure the wellbeing and safety of all pupils.
Communicate high, consistent expectations of positive behaviour and learning attitudes and encourage ‘good choices’.
Act as positive role models.
Promote the ‘Positive Behaviours Code’ in the everyday life of the school and curriculum.
Promote the ‘Successful Learners’ attitudes and dispositions regularly in all aspects of learning to enhance a growth mind-set across the school.
Use the language of our Core Values.
Praise and reinforce positive relationships and behaviour including House Points.
Be consistent with praise and consequences.
Listen and offer solutions.
Offer intervention and support to address unacceptable behaviour and avoid escalation.
Use a serious but calm tone when managing behaviour.
Pro-actively monitor the playground, corridors and shared areas.
Follow the behaviour management structure to ensure effective communication/action.
Record/Report Wellbeing concerns / Behaviour / Bullying Incidents ASAP. Act safely and responsibly in accordance with the Behaviour Policy and Restrictive Physical Intervention Policy.

Class Teachers have responsibility to:

Develop the profile and understanding of the ‘Positive Behaviours’ through PSHE and Circle Times.
Liaise with lunchtime staff with any play focuses or behaviour concerns.
Assess, develop action plans and monitor behaviour.
Liaise with Parents.

Key Stage Leaders have responsibility to:

Support and advise colleagues who are concerned about individuals or groups of children.
Ensure the recording of incidents, actions and reviews are in place.
Evaluate behaviours, develop action plans and monitor behaviour.
Involve the Deputy Head, SENCO, Counter Bullying Lead, Headteacher where appropriate.
Liaise with parents and other support agencies.
Address focuses and issues in Key Stage assemblies.

Deputy Head teacher and SENCO have responsibility to:

Support pupils, staff and Parents and co-ordinate appropriate intervention with serious behaviour incidents or concerns.
Work with Class teachers to develop, evaluate and monitor action plans.
Liaise with parents and other support agencies.
Oversee the implementation of this policy and report to the Governors Safeguarding Committee.

The Headteacher has responsibility to:

Ensure the wellbeing and safety of all pupils and staff.
Support pupils, staff and Parents and co-ordinating appropriate intervention with serious behaviour incidents or concerns.
Meet with Staff to ensure action plans are monitored and actioned.
Liaise with Parents and other support agencies.
Oversee the implementation of this policy and ensure it is reported to the Governors Safeguarding Committee.
Report to the Governing Body any suspensions and exclusions of pupils.

Parents have responsibility to:

Support the school’s Positive Relationships and Behaviour Policy.
Communicate with school as soon as possible if they have any concerns regarding a student’s wellbeing.
Engage in Home/School programmes to support positive relationships and behaviour.

PSHE Co-ordinator has responsibility to:

Support the wellbeing and safety of all pupils and staff.
Develop key themes and values in assemblies to create whole school focuses.
Develop, support and monitor the development of PSHE curriculum and circle time.
Review and revise the Positive Relationships and Behaviour Policy.

The Governing body is responsible for:

Agreeing and maintaining the aims and policies of the school and College.
Supporting the development and application of the school's policy on behaviour.

Reinforcement of Positive Attitudes and Behaviours

All staff will communicate high, consistent expectations of positive behaviour and learning attitudes, encouraging ‘good choices’ and giving positive verbal feedback. The ‘Positive Behaviours Code’ will be clearly displayed in all classrooms, and staff will plan for and regularly communicate them in the day-to-day life of the school and curriculum.

House Points will be awarded for positive behaviours. Staff will plan for and promote the ‘Successful learners’ attitudes and dispositions regularly in all aspects of learning to enhance children’s confidence, independence and resilience and promote a growth mind-set across the school.

We work closely with parents so that children receive consistent messages about how to behave at home and at school. We expect parents to support their child’s learning and to co-operate with us. We try to build a supportive dialogue between home and school, and we inform parents if we have concerns about their child’s welfare or behaviour. As part of our behaviour policy, we recognise that parents should be fully informed about their child’s behaviour. Every effort is made to ensure that there is good communication between home and school. Should a child’s behaviour be cause for concern then parents will be contacted and the matter discussed.

It is our job to deal with incidents that arise in school. We ask parents not to intervene with another child’s parents or with another child, but to report the matter to us in school. If a parent would like to discuss an issue about their child’s behaviour or that of another child, we would ask that they contact their child’s class teacher in the first instance.

Positive Behaviour Management

The school bases its principles and values on positive behaviour support and endeavours to create an environment where pupils feel safe, secure and valued. Our philosophy is based on one of prevention as opposed to reactive management.

Any pupils who present a known risk as a result of their behaviour towards themselves or others will have a Behaviour Support Plan (Appendix 1). The support plan will detail the target behaviours that are of critical risk and the behaviours will be fully assessed and described. This may be accompanied by an individual risk assessment that will detail the behaviours of risk and risk reduction strategies. See Positive Behaviour, Exclusions & Part-Time Timetables Policy and Practice (CYPES)

Restrictive Intervention

There are occasions when restrictive physical intervention (RPI) is an appropriate response to the risks presented in a particular situation. However, the scale and nature of any physical intervention must be proportionate to both the behaviour of the individual to be controlled, and the nature of the harm they might cause. See Positive Behaviour, Exclusions & Part-Time Timetables Policy and Practice (CYPES)

Positive Behaviour Management Structure

Many behaviour incidents will be managed at class teacher or playtime supervisor level. Where more support is needed, incidents may be reported to senior leaders or the Headship team. The following management structure is used to escalate and de-escalate challenging behaviours.

Class Teacher – to manage and support day-to-day relationships and behaviours and assess, plan and monitor any interventions required and review development. Liaise with Parents.

⇩

Key Stage Leaders (SLT) – to support the team, advising colleagues who are concerned about individuals or groups of children, coordinate assessments with SENCO and Counter Bullying Lead, develop action plans, monitor interventions and review development. Liaise with Parents.

⇩

Deputy Headteacher / SENCO – to support and advise pupils, staff and Parents, co-ordinate appropriate assessment and intervention, including external support agencies and monitor serious behaviour incidents or concerns. Liaise with Parents.

⇩

Headteacher – to support and advise pupils, staff and Parents, co-ordinate appropriate assessment and intervention, including external support agencies and monitor serious behaviour incidents or concerns. Liaise with Parents.

Rewards and Sanctions

Rewards

Most children at JCP behave well and respond to positive encouragement. We aim to create an ethos where children’s strengths and positive behaviour are continually acknowledged and reinforced by praise.

In addition to class teacher praise we also reward by giving a House Point, and adding a House point to a class chart. Children earn a House Point by displaying behaviours from our Positive behaviours code which reflect our Core Values.

Specific observable behaviours which might be acknowledged include:

Trying your best
Persevering
Being honest
Appearance and uniform
Being helpful
Being organized
Walking inside
Demonstrating one of our Core Values
Being a good friend
Collaborating
Being polite
Helping others
Representing the school

In addition to House Points, we reward in the following ways:

Showing work to other staff or the Headteacher, or going to see them for extra praise
Members of staff letting parents know about their child’s positive behaviour.
Classes and Year groups will have their own stickers, stamps, good choice tickets, certificates, praise pads etc. to celebrate positive attitudes and behaviours.
Weekly assembly celebrations will focus on successful learning characteristics and on achievements both in school and outside of school.

Sanctions

The vast majority of children respond to a friendly warning. For those children who find it hard to behave or who consistently challenge our rules, we have a framework of sanctions. The following list of sanctions are not in order – we respond to each incident as an individual case, considering factors such as past behaviour:

For Disruption in Class

Friendly warning
Verbal warning
Formal Warning (May take child aside to talk more formally, and logged in SIMs)
Asked to work in another part of the classroom
Asked to sit by themselves or outside the classroom with a five minute timer
Asked to go to another class with a five minute timer
Asked to work in another class until the end of the session
Asked to go to the Key Stage Manager (Follow management structure)
Withdrawal of privileges such as after school clubs, football matches, trips.

Use of inappropriate language (SLT to be informed):

24 hours removal from playground
Removed from class for the remainder of the session

If the inappropriate behaviour continues or becomes a regular occurrence, the class teacher may suggest a ‘Behaviour Chart’ (Appendix 2). This may be drawn up with the child/children and class teacher. A copy is then shared with the child’s parents and monitored by staff. For more serious or repetitive behaviours, a Behaviour Support Plan will be agreed with the SENCO/Deputy Head.

Playground ‘Time Out’ and ‘Play Agreement’

As part of children’s emotional and social development and learning, children will have regular focuses on appropriate, safe play, creative games and how to play collaboratively. However, if an occasion occurs where staff on duty in the playground have an immediate concern about the nature of play, ‘Time Out’ may be used as a strategy for a child or group of children. This is a time for a child to have some calm, reflective time away from the situation that has resulted in inappropriate play. The duty member of staff will identify a bench/area away from others or walk with them whilst they reflect on their behaviour.

After an agreed period, a discussion is had and the child is reminded about safe, appropriate play. Play suggestions/reminders are given, the member of staff may initiate an appropriate game, or the child will be integrated into a different game with other children. Duty staff will then monitor the play.

If the inappropriate behaviour is observed again, the duty staff will discuss with the class teacher and a ‘Play Plan’ or ‘Behaviour Chart’ (Appendix 2) may be drawn up with the child/children and class teacher. A copy can then be shared with the lunchtime supervisor and monitored by both staff. For any serious or repetitive behaviours, a Behaviour Support Plan will be agreed.

Restrictive Physical Intervention

Sudden or uncontrolled behaviour is very rare, and should be avoided through a proactive, rather than a reactive approach. In this situation, the Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher should be called, and the parents informed immediately that the child has been removed from class.

Use of restraint is not used unless the child is a significant danger to themselves or others. We will ensure we have members of staff that are trained in physical restraint techniques.

In cases of extremely poor behaviour or if there are no responses to all our previous strategies, children may be excluded from school. This is in accordance with the CYPES Suspension Policy. Any type of exclusion is made known to CYPES and it is recorded in the child’s file. Parents have the right to appeal against an exclusion. We will also exclude children from outings if this is where the problem lies.

It is our job to support children’s good behaviour in school. We would ask parents not to intervene with another child’s parents or with another child, but to report the matter to us in school.

Children with Specific Needs

Some children with very specific difficulties find it hard to behave appropriately. If a child’s behaviour gives cause for serious concern, we can give additional support in school to try to support. We can also, but only with the agreement of parents, seek the assistance of, for example, the Behaviour Support Team or the Educational Psychologist

Record Keeping and Monitoring

The Headship team, SLT and the PSHE Co-ordinator, monitor the effectiveness of the policy on a regular basis and, if necessary, will make recommendations for further improvements. The school keeps updated records on our SIMs school database and My Concern of:

Wellbeing concerns and actions
Behaviour/Serious behaviour incidents, actions and reviews
Behaviour Support Plans
Bullying incidents, actions and reviews (See Counter Bullying Policy)
Any pupil who is suspended for a fixed term or who is permanently excluded.

SLT will monitor the SIMS behaviour log regularly and report figures termly to CYPES and Governors termly. The findings will be taken into consideration when prioritising whole school developments.