St. Lawrence C E Primary School - beautifully located on the bank of the River Thames

Discipline Policy

2. Aims of discipline within the school

6. School rules, rewards and sanctions

7. Procedure for dealing with persistent or serious offences, including bullying

8. Children with specific needs

9. Responsibilities of SENCO

St Lawrence Primary School, Lechlade

DISCIPLINE POLICY

Including
ANTI-BULLYING STATEMENT

Working Document - version 5 Back to top

1. Purpose of this policy

The purpose of this policy is to explain to staff, governors, parents and pupils, the behaviour that is expected at St Lawrence School, and the consequent rewards and sanctions. Back to top

2. Aims of discipline within the school

Discipline within St Lawrence School is guided by two main principles:

The school's central role is to ensure that pupils learn. This relies on staff and pupils behaving in certain ways. Good behaviour makes effective teaching and learning possible; bad behaviour disrupts this process.

St Lawrence is aware of its Christian foundation. Our ethos is stated clearly in our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Policy. We ensure a caring community in which each individual has a part to play. Emphasis is placed upon the quality of relationships between all members of the community. It is expected that pupils and adults will treat each other with consistency, respect, fairness and sensitivity. Bullying and any form of harassment is not tolerated within the school.

This document applies to behaviour on school premises and during school trips. Back to top

3. Links to other policies

This policy links to the policies below, and should be read in conjunction with them:

Teaching and Learning (covers expected behaviour of staff, and lists the core policies that should be adhered to in all school-related activities);

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural;

Staff seek to reinforce the school?s ethos and rules through all activities, including daily Worship.

Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE);

The school is using the PSHCE "Learning for Living" scheme of work (by Mary Gurney). This scheme supports the school's discipline policy in facilitating discussion about responsibilities and rules within the school community. It also encourages children to accept and value the differences and choices of others.

Drugs and Drug Education. Back to top

4. Consultation

Staff, governors, parents and children were consulted in producing this policy. The children were consulted through school council. Parents/guardians are expected to support the policy through the Home-School Agreement. Guidance from Policies - A Guide for School Governors and Head Teachers (M Robbins & M Baxter) was also taken in account. Back to top

PSHCE

The school is using the PSHCE "Learning for Living" scheme of work (by Mary Gurney). This scheme supports the school's discipline policy in facilitating discussion about responsibilities and rules within the school community. It also encourages children to accept and value the differences and choices of others. Back to top

6. School rules, rewards and sanctions

The school reviews its rules, rewards and sanctions regularly at staff meetings. This is to ensure that they are fair, and applied consistently. Children are reminded of rules, rewards and sanctions during assembly at the start of each term, and at other times, should the need arise.

Children agree the rules for the class with their teacher at the start of the school year. These are then displayed. Children review the rules and their achievement of them, at regular intervals.

Rewards/recognition for good work, effort or behaviour take the following form:

verbal praise from staff;
display of good work;
stickers/stars;
house points;

Certificates are presented to children who have accumulated 50, 100, 150 or 200 house points in a single academic year. A book is presented to children with 200 house points. The house that has the most house points at the end of the year receives a trophy.

special responsibility within the school or class (eg ringing bell, library monitor);
being sent to the Head Teacher (and/or other teachers) for recognition;
sharing achievements at Friday assembly (focus on a different area of achievement each week);
informing parents.

Minor offences are dealt with in class. Sanctions involve the following:

time out of activity ? to cool down/reflect on behaviour;
allocated job (which will not be regarded as a reward);
loss of all/part of breaktime ? might be to finish off work, supervised by adult;
loss of all/part of structured playtime within the classroom (younger children);
loss of choice in activities;
loss of special responsibility within school or class.

Apologies

When a child has hurt or upset others, he/she will be asked to reflect on the action and the effect it might have had on other children/adults. The child will be encouraged to apologise to the relevant parties, clearly stating the action for which he/she is sorry, and acknowledging its effect.

The school is aware of the National Curriculum Inclusion Statement. Rewards and sanctions may be different to meet pupils? diverse needs (see Inclusion Policy).

In the event of repeated or slightly more serious incidents, the child?s parents/guardians will be informed, and the planned way forward discussed. The head teacher will be made aware of the problem by a member of staff, and may meet the child to discuss the behaviour. Back to top

7. Procedure for dealing with persistent or serious offences, including bullying

Serious offences include the following (this should not however, be regarded as a comprehensive list):

Bullying (see Anti-Bullying statement)
Causing physical harm to self or others
Putting self or others at risk
Use of abusive or inappropriate language
Serious disruptive behaviour.

The procedure for dealing with these offences is stated below:

a) Head teacher discusses problem with the child and any other people involved.

b) Head teacher, class teacher and special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) draft an action plan with clear, realistic targets for the child, strategies, rewards and sanctions. Advice from appropriate agencies might be sought at this stage, eg from educational psychologist, school doctor. Dates for review should be included.

c) Head invites parents/guardians for discussion, enabling them to input to the action plan.

d) Action plan is discussed with the child.

e) Head informs chair of governors of the situation, and the action plan being implemented. Head provides regular updates on the situation.

f) If progress is not satisfactory at the time of review, as a last resort, and in consultation with the governors, a decision will be taken to exclude the child from school.

g) Head informs the pupil?s parents/guardians of the period of exclusion, or of a permanent exclusion, giving reasons for the exclusion.

h) Head advises the parents/guardians that they may make representations about the exclusion to the governing body?s discipline committee, and explains how these may be made.

i) Head notifies the local education authority and the governing body?s discipline committee of the details of the exclusion, including the reasons for it, in the case of:

i) permanent exclusion or a fixed-period exclusion converted into a permanent one;
ii) a fixed-period exclusion of more than five days or which brings the days the pupil has been excluded in one term to more than five;
c) an exclusion that would result in the pupil losing the opportunity to take a public exam.

See A Guide to Exclusions in Schools and Pupil Referral Units in Gloucestershire (Sept 04) for details. Back to top

8. Children with specific needs

These may be physical, emotional or mental. Management of the behaviour of these children requires individually set targets and rewards, and a co-ordinated whole-school approach. Back to top

9. Responsibilities of SENCO

These are to:

Co-ordinate behavioural individual education plans (IEP's) in line with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, including monitoring and review;
Liaise with parents, staff (including lunchtime supervisors) and outside agencies, as appropriate;
Discuss targets with individual children. Back to top