Behaviour Policy (Restorative Practice)
School: Carlow Educate Together NS
Introduction
This policy describes a set of practices, procedures and programmes which promote the values of our school with regards to behaviour. The policy was drawn up after a three-year review of our approach to behaviour from Sep 2022 – June 2025. We see our school as a community that comprises: students, staff and parents, all of whom were involved in this review process.
The policy ties in with our school motto: happy, safe, learn. It also links to the ethos of Educate Together schools as equality based, child-centred, co-educational, democratic schools: ET Values. The principles of the National Council for Special Education’s Relate approach to creating a positive learning environment are reflected and upheld in our policy. These are:
Rights based, Regulation first, Student voice, Unconditional positive regard, Solution focussed, Neurodiversity affirming, Staff and student wellbeing and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Carlow Educate Together follows a values based restorative and relational approach to behaviour in school, which is trauma aware. We believe that all behaviour is the communication of a need and is dependent on the context in which it takes place. We will do our best to try to understand what needs are being communicated in order to address the need, and to equip children with the means of expression to articulate their feelings and needs in order to reduce the stress that leads to disruptive and harming behaviours. We believe that all of us flourish in an environment which respects our values. Our aim is to create an environment where we can live together harmoniously and learn how to resolve differences and conflict in a way that repairs the ruptures that are part and parcel of life. We do this for two reasons:
- to create a positive school environment, which values each member of the school community equally, and
- to give children the opportunity to develop the interpersonal skills that are necessary for a fulfilling and peaceful life.
Aims of our Positive Behaviour Policy
It is a requirement under the Education Welfare Act, 2000, Section 23 (1) that primary schools should have a Code of Behaviour for the following reasons:
- To set out the standards of behaviour that are expected of students
- To set out the measures that will be taken if a student fails or refuses to observe those standards.
- To set out the procedures to be followed before a student may be suspended or expelled from the school concerned
- To set out the grounds for removing a suspension imposed in relation to a student and
- To set out the procedures to be followed in relation to a child’s absence from school.
We feel that behaviour belongs to the whole school community, it is not just something that students do. Our Code of Behaviour is our Positive Behaviour Policy. It is important to us that all members of the school community work together to ensure that:
- We create a learning environment that is a safe, positive one for all of its members.
- The school is able to function in an orderly way where children can make progress in all aspects of their development.
- We promote positive behaviour, emotional awareness and self-regulation.
- We recognise that schools are complex social places where children are learning to be together, and we accept that they will make mistakes. Our role as adults is to support them in overcoming and learning from their mistakes.
- We recognise the differences between people, old and young, and the need to learn how to accommodate these differences.
- We assist parents, staff and students to understand the systems and procedures that form part of the code of behaviour. Some of these are mandatory, and some have been agreed by the school community and ratified by the Board of Management.
- The systems and procedures we put in place are implemented in a fair and consistent way throughout the school.
Our values & expectations
Our school expects all members of its community to behave in ways that uphold our core values. These values were established in spring 2025 after consultation with staff, students and parents. Our values are:
- Respect
- Kindness
- Responsibility
- Teamwork & collaboration
- Honesty
We strive to view all behaviour through these values. These form the backbone to all of our interactions with each other. We believe that every staff/student interaction with a child is a potential opportunity for the child to learn how to behave in a way that promotes well being and flourishing and we strive to have positive interactions. If children experience these values in their everyday life in school they will feel safe and learn to live these values.
Expected behaviours in school
Below is a list of behaviours that are expected of children in school based on our values. We see these values as ones we want to uphold in all of our community. Examples of how these values might be lived by staff and parents are included in Appendix 1 of this policy.
Respect
It is expected that all members of the school community treat each other with respect.
What does this look like for children?
- Children are expected to be respectful in how they speak to others.
- Children are expected to take instruction and direction from staff members when in school or on school trips outside of school.
- Children are expected to try their best with their work.
- Children are expected to respect the school environment so that it can be a place of learning for all.
- This means that children are expected to keep their belongings and their space in the classroom in order to the best of their ability.
- It means children are expected to respect school property, the property of others and the natural environment of the school. We want to be sustainable in all of our practices, and this is shown by respecting the environment we inhabit.
Kindness
It is expected that all members of the school community treat each other with kindness.
What does this look like for children?
Children are expected to be kind with their words and their actions to all members of the school community.
Children are expected to act safely and consider the safety of others in their actions.
Responsibility
All of us are human and we make mistakes. While holding that in mind, we expect all members of the school community to take responsibility for their actions and seek to make amends where possible.
What does this look like for children?
Children are expected to take responsibility for their own actions and words.
Saying that someone else made you do wrong is not taking responsibility.
Children are expected to engage in a conversation with an adult at the first stage when their actions or words have caused harm.
Children are encouraged to think about the consequences of their actions.
Children are encouraged to seek ways to repair the harm they have caused by making amends or by apologising.
Degrees of harm and the consequences are covered in the next section.
Teamwork and collaboration
It is expected that all members of the school community try to work together for the common goal of the children’s education. Being able to work together has been identified as a key skill for the 21st century.
What does this look like for children?
Children are expected to be willing to work together when instructed by adults in the school.
This means that children may have to interact with people who are not their friends.
Children are expected to sit in a place the teacher has chosen and to work in that group to their best of their ability.
Within the school day the child may be expected to work in many different groups, this is the nature of school today.
Honesty
It is expected that all members of the school community encourage honesty.
What does this look like for children?
Children are expected to be honest in school.
This means if the child has done wrong, the child is expected to tell the truth.
Children are expected to make an honest effort with their work.
Honesty does not mean saying things that might hurt another person, even if it is true i.e. I don’t like you. We encourage children to think: Is it helpful? Is it kind? Is it necessary? before they say something to another person.
Whole school approach in promoting positive behaviour
‘The most effective methodology that teachers develop in attempting to manage challenging behaviour is to prevent it occurring in the first place’.
(Managing Challenging Behaviour, Guidelines for teachers INTO 2004: 5).
The core values of respect, kindness, responsibility, teamwork and honesty help us reach the vision of our school as a place that is happy and safe and is a positive learning environment. This is our whole school approach and it will be implemented using the following strategies, amongst the many that our staff do naturally, such as a kind word, a joke etc that are too many to list but we acknowledge have an enormous positive impact on the child’s day.
- We will welcome each child to school every day with a smile.
- We will seek to connect with the children in our school so they feel valued.
- Shared core values will be on display in all classes and in common areas
- Staff have been trained in restorative and relational practice and will be encouraged to continue this by availing of CPD courses and by providing Croke Park hours training every year on behaviour.
- All members of the community will be explicitly asked to honour the core values of the school. Parents will sign up to the Positive Behaviour Policy every year, staff will agree to the policy on recruitment. Children will sign up to a class contract every year, in which these values are reflected. The exact content of the contract will be agreed each year by the class group with their teacher.
- Staff will ensure that students understand and are frequently reminded of how they are expected to behave using the language of values, feelings and needs.
- Teachers will organise and manage their classrooms in a way that ensures a variety of activities and methodologies to sustain pupil interest and motivation.
- All behaviour discussions will use the values as a point of reference.
i.e I see great teamwork. Well done for being honest. That was not kind. That did not show respect etc.
- Classes will have regular circle time (at least one a week, preferably once a day) to check-in on the temperature of the class and to promote a sense of belonging and connection in the class. This creates an atmosphere where interpersonal clashes are easier to work through.
- Children will be taught the language of values, feelings and needs, so that they have the tools they need to express themselves prosocially. This teaching will happen across the curriculum with particular reference to the Learn Together, SPHE and Primary Languages curricula.
- Children will work on emotional self-regulation in class at an appropriate level throughout their school life.
- Children who need more social and emotional support than is available in the classroom, will be supported by other staff members as much as is possible within the restraints of resources available to us.
- Children will be taught how to resolve conflict as part of SPHE, not just when a conflict arises, so that they have the skills they need to express themselves in the inevitable ups and downs of life.
- Children will continue to have Golden Time on Fridays as a celebration of the many ways they lived their values during the week. It will no longer be something children have to earn, or that will be incrementally taken away, we acknowledge that most people do their best most of the time and that is worth celebrating. It also creates a feeling of well being and contentment in the children at the end of the week.
- Simon’s Golden Book – children can be nominated for the Golden Book by any staff member for living one of our school values. The child visits Simon in his office to be put into the Golden Book. Names are read out in Assembly every week and one person is chosen every week for special mention by Simon (or whoever is doing Assembly), for living one of our values.
- Students of the Week – two students of the week are chosen every week by each class teacher for living one of our values. A picture of the Students of the Week is published on our social media and each child receives a certificate.
Procedures for dealing with unacceptable behaviour
There are three types of unacceptable behaviours which are named misbehaviours: minor, serious and gross.
Staff are expected to support children to take responsibility for harm caused using a restorative approach.
The following 3 restorative questions frame conversations about behaviour:
What happened?
Who was affected?
What do you think should happen next?
In cases of more serious harm or with children who are capable of a more in depth discussion the following 6 restorative questions will frame the discussions:
What happened?
What were you thinking at the time?
What have you thought about it since?
Who was affected and in what way?
How could things have been done differently?
What do you think needs to happen next?
This model will be used to support conversations at all levels of misbehaviour. Teachers are encouraged to practice this with their students, thus giving the children the tools and ability to sort out minor interpersonal issues for themselves.
Minor misbehaviour
We understand that all humans mess up sometimes. One off or isolated incidents are dealt with by the teacher or SNA within the framework of values and individual systems a teacher may have in place in their class. At all levels below staff will seek to understand the behaviour and will try to find out what need is being expressed by the unacceptable behaviour. Once unwanted behaviour becomes repeated and interferes with the flow of the classroom or is causing harm to others, the teacher can categorise it according to the structure below. It is the responsibility of the class teacher to keep records once a child’s behaviour reaches Behaviour Support Behaviour Support Level 1. The class teacher may consult with the ISM team member with responsibility for behaviour in the school at any stage, but must do so if a child is on Behaviour Support Level 2 or Behaviour Support Level 3 of Minor misbehaviours, or when serious or gross misbehaviours have occurred.
Behaviour Support Level 1
These are low-level behaviours that are usually dealt with immediately by the teacher who is responsible for the child at that moment. Behaviours are not static in their impact, for example shouting is acceptable in some instances but not in others. In class during a game it may be fine to shout, but shouting during quiet concentration time is not acceptable. Shouting aggressively is another level again. For this reason the judgement and assessment of the adult is key in deciding whether the behaviour is acceptable or not in the particular context. Below is a list of some examples of these behaviours that may be problematic, though it is not exhaustive and it is context dependent:
- Repeatedly calling out
- Distracting others from work
- Throwing items in class
- Spitting
- Not following instruction
- Not doing classwork
- Destroying the belongings of others
- Inappropriate comments or language
Understanding that all behaviour is context dependent means that the teacher is usually the person best placed to decide how the behaviour should be categorised. The teacher will decide when a child moves from the occasional behavioural misstep that all children occasionally take, to Behaviour Support Level 1. This is similar to the structure of Learning Support and mirrors the Continuum of Support. Behaviour Support Level 1 is similar to Classroom Support, Behaviour Support Level 2 is like School Support and Behaviour Support Level 3 is like School Support Plus. The teacher will keep records from when the child moves onto Behaviour Support Level 1. If the child is at Behaviour Support Level 1, but then is regulated for over a week the intervention is ended. If something were to happen after that the child would be at Behaviour Support Level 1 again. A child stays at Behaviour Support Level 1 for up to a month and at Behaviour Support Level 2 for up to 6 weeks if the behaviour does not change.
Here are examples of an action that might be taken by the teacher at the various levels of minor misbehaviour.
| Behaviour Support Level 1 | Removal to a quiet spot within the classroom away from their group to do work for 15 minutes.
Temporary withdrawal from an activity if the child is not able to manage themselves in the activity without disrupting or harming others. Movement breaks away from class if this can be supervised by SNA. Removal from the group for up to 30 minutes. Removal to another class for up to 1 hour. Parent contact to notify and ask if anything has happened to disrupt the child. |
| Behaviour Support
Level 2 |
Removal to a quiet spot within the classroom away from their group to do work for 15 minutes.
Temporary withdrawal from an activity if the child is not able to manage themselves in the activity without disrupting or harming others. Movement break away from class if this can be supervised by SNA. Removal from class for a portion of the day (⅓ of day) to another classroom Parent phone-call to notify and enquire about what works at home |
| Behaviour Support
Level 3 |
Parent meeting in school
Behaviour Plan drawn up SET intervention if necessary |
Serious misbehaviour:
Serious misbehaviour is difficult to define. It is more serious than minor misbehaviour but not in the realm of gross misbehaviour. It would include persistently engaging in disruptive behaviours. The school has the right to define a behaviour as “serious” based on the context of the behaviour. The naming of a behaviour as serious will happen only in consultation with a member of the ISM team. Serious misbehaviour will always involve a meeting or talk with parents.
This list below is not exhaustive. A one-off behaviour can be deemed a serious misbehaviour only in consultation with the leadership team. If the letters mentioned below are to go home, this must be done in consultation with the principal, the ISM team member with responsibility for behaviour or the next most senior ISM team member who may be deputising for the principal at the time.
- Serious verbal aggression including threat of harm
- Serious physical aggression
- Use of phone or smart device in school (refer to Acceptable Usage Policy)
- Theft
- Any behaviour that poses serious harm (physical, emotional) to another
- Bullying (Cineáltas (national guidelines) will be followed)
- Racism, homophobia, misogyny or any other discriminatory behaviour
| Serious Verbal or Physical Aggression |
|
Gross misbehaviour (samples):
Gross misbehaviour may be defined as extremely serious behaviour. Gross misbehaviour may warrant immediate suspension and/or expulsion from the school. The principal of the school will be involved in any behaviour considered gross misbehaviour and it will be at his/her discretion what sanction must be implemented. In some cases, the school’s Board of Management must be involved (see below).
The following list of behaviours are considered Gross misbehaviour. However, the list is not exhaustive and it is the right of the principal to define any behaviour not listed below as Gross misbehaviour.
- Acts of intentional Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) to a child or to a staff member It is important to note that the school will decide whether an incident comes under this definition. This behaviour goes far beyond jostling on the yard.
- Intentional theft of item of value, e.g. money, jewelry, electronic devices, items of a highly personal nature, etc.
- Intimidation of a staff member by a child.
- Possession of a weapon on school property. A weapon is defined as any implement or tool that is utilised or intended to utilise harm to another individual. Examples include knives (including pen knives), guns, screwdrivers, etc. However, any item can be used as a weapon and it is generally the intention that will be examined when considering this behaviour.
- Any form of intentional sexual harassment.
- Wilful destruction of school property.
- Any behaviour previously deemed serious that persists
- Use of phone or smart device in school – repeated and including recording in school (also school trips).
- Sharing audio or video recordings taken in school
This list is not exhaustive and other incidents, including one-off incidents, may be considered as gross misbehaviours at the discretion of the leadership team (ISM) and/or Board of Management.
Involving parents/outside agencies in the management of problem behaviour
A high level of co-operation and open communication is seen as an important factor encouraging positive behaviour in the school. Structures and channels designed to maintain a high level of communication among staff and between staff, pupils and parents have been established and are being reviewed regularly. Parents are encouraged to talk in confidence to teachers about any significant developments in a child’s life, in the past or present, which may affect the child’s behaviour. At all levels a conversation between parents and teachers can be helpful to identify the cause of behaviour in order to support the child.
Serious emotional and behavioural problems will be dealt with in conjunction with parents. A behaviour plan will be made with parents so that consequences for good and bad behaviour are replicated at home and at school.
Through the Special Educational Needs Organiser, appropriate support is sought from services available e.g. Health Service Executive, NEPS, etc.Professional development is made available to staff, e.g. NCSE, Colleges of Education, ICEP (Prof Excel) courses, Education Centres, SENO and/or EWO.
Playground(s)
- We have the same expectations of children in the playground as anywhere else in the school. The main difference is that the class teacher may not be “on duty” during this time. Therefore, staff will endeavour to implement the same strategies for behaviour management as each other.
- It is also acknowledged that the best person to regulate a child is the person who has the closest connection with the child: the class teacher or SNA working with the child. It is very important that this person is consulted in order to help us understand the full context of an unwanted behaviour.
- In instances where a child is disregulated we will use the 3R strategy (Perry):
Regulate, Relate and Reason.
- The first goal is to calm a disregulated child and bring them to a place of safety if needed. The class teacher or SNA working with the child is usually the best person to understand the context of the child’s world at that point. The SET team may support the class teacher by taking their class so that the class teacher can reason with the child when s/he is regulated.
Bullying
In the Cineáltas action plan bullying is defined as:
Bullying is targeted behaviour, online or offline, that causes harm. The harm caused can be physical, social and/or emotional in nature. Bullying behaviour is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power in relationships between two people or groups of people in society.
Bullying has a pattern and isolated incidents over a long period of time do not constitute the term “bullying.” Bullying is a very strong term to use and should not be confused with inappropriate behaviour. Online bullying has now been deemed a type of bullying that a school must endeavor to address to the best of its ability, given that it takes place outside of school.
When a child feels they are being bullied, the school will investigate this. If the school defines the behaviours as bullying, the Anti-bullying policy will be implemented. In other cases, this policy will be implemented.
Suspension / Expulsion procedures
The Education Welfare Act, 2000, stipulates that a code of behaviour shall specify… ‘the procedures to be followed before a student may be suspended or expelled from the school concerned” and “the grounds for removing a suspension imposed in relation to a student.”(Sections 23(2) c, d)
Suspension
The principal shall inform the education welfare officer, by notice in writing, when a student is suspended from a recognised school for a period of not less than 6 days. (Sections 21(4) a )
Circular 20/90 states that ‘Parents should be informed of their right to come to the school and be invited to do so in order to discuss the misbehaviour with the Principal Teacher and/or the class teacher. This should always be done when the suspension of a pupil is being contemplated’.
The school’s procedure in relation to suspension and expulsion require the following steps to be taken:
- When a child reaches the stage of serious/gross misbehaviour, a child may be temporarily excluded from school.
- The Board of Management will authorise either the Principal or the Chairperson to exclude a pupil from the school for a maximum initial period of three school days.
- This will only occur if procedures were followed to ensure fairness when excluding a pupil and the following criteria have been acknowledged:
- Have all other means of dealing with the behaviour been tried?
- Has there been previous communication with parents regarding misbehaviour?
- Are parents invited to the school to discuss the intention to exclude?
- Has a fair investigation taken place, taking parents’ and pupil’s perspective into account?
- If the BoM is likely to reach a decision to exclude a pupil, how will it ensure the decision will be reached in an unbiased manner? c/f NEWB Guidelines for Developing School Codes of Behaviour
- What facility is there to allow a pupil return to school before the period of suspension is over? (Section 23(2)d)
- In certain cases, suspension will have to occur without exploring other avenues in some cases of Gross misbehaviour.
- If a child is to be temporarily excluded from school, a letter is sent to the parent(s)/guardian(s) signed by the principal and/or chairperson. This letter outlines the dates where the child has been excluded from class and is stored in his/her permanent record.
- When the period of suspension is over, the pupil, parent(s)/guardian(s) and staff are expected that the incident is not used to “pigeon-hole” the child. He/she should come back to school on a “clean sheet”.
- A transition plan will be put in place for the successful reintegration of the child back into class. This will involve the Deputy Principal and/or Principal.
- If a period of suspension in excess of three days is intended, a special decision of the Board of Management is required. This decision can be made by the Chairperson of the Board.
- Where a student has been suspended for a cumulative total of six or more days, the National Education Welfare Board is notified using the standard form. Forms are available on www.newb.ie
Expulsion (permanent exclusion)
Under the Education Welfare Act, 2000, ‘A student shall not be expelled from a school before the passing of twenty school days following the receipt of a notification under this section by an educational welfare officer’ (Section 24(4)) It is the right of a Board of Management to take ‘…such other reasonable measures as it considers appropriate to ensure that good order and discipline are maintained in the school concerned and that the safety of students is secured.’ (Section 24(5))
Appeals
Under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, parents (or pupils who have reached the age of 18) are entitled to appeal to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science against some decisions of the Board of Management, including (1) permanent exclusion from a school and (2) suspension for a period which would bring the cumulative period of suspension to 20 school days or longer in any one school year. Accordingly, schools should advise parents of this right of appeal and associated timeframe if it has been decided to suspend or permanently exclude a pupil. Appeals must generally be made within 42 calendar days from the date the decision of the school was notified to the parent or student. (See Circular 22/02)
- Parents are given a copy of Circular 22/02 and related forms if they wish to appeal a decision.
- The chairperson of the Board of Management will prepare a response if and when an appeal is being investigated by the Dept of Education and Science. (Section 12, Circular 22/02 – Processing of an Appeal)
Keeping records
In line with the school’s policy on record keeping, and data protection legislation, all records of serious and gross misbehaviour are kept in relation to pupils’ behaviour in their permanent file. Records are written in a factual and impartial manner.
It is recommended that the individual teacher keeps note of any behavioural issue in the classroom or playground once the behaviour has been recorded as Minor, Serious or Gross misbehaviour.
Implementation Date
This policy will be implemented immediately from the date of ratification: 27th June 2025. It will be reviewed regularly and all members of the school community will be informed of any changes. The policy is available publicly on the school website. Any changes are ratified by the Board of Management and dated.
Appendix 1
What our values might look like in action for adults in our community?
Respect
It is expected that all members of the school community treat each other with respect.
What does this look like for staff?
Staff are expected to respect the dignity of the child irregardless of behaviour. Unconditional positive regard (Rogers) means that adults can dislike a behaviour and dislike the way a need is being communicated, but that they inspire and support the child to do better by their words and actions nonetheless, thus maintaining the child’s sense of inherent worth and capacity to do better..
Staff are expected to use language that does not shame, when interacting with children, or indeed any member of the community.
Staff are expected to discuss problematic behaviours with children in terms of our values, and not in terms of the child. For example:
Kicking the chair is not kind and not respectful. = Values based correction.
Kicking the chair is what a bad child does. = Shaming
What does this look like for parents?
Parents are expected to encourage their children to uphold the values of our school when they are in school.
Parents are expected to follow procedures and processes if they have an issue with a staff member or with another child in school. We always encourage parents to have a chat with their class teacher to get all sides of a story before making a judgement.
Parents are expected to be mindful of our Dignity at Work policy with regard to the expectation of an immediate response to a query or complaint. We fully appreciate that your child is the most important person in your life, but we have to balance the needs of all children and parents and may not be able to respond as quickly as you want us to.
Kindness
It is expected that all members of the school community treat each other with kindness.
What does this look like for staff & parents?
Staff are expected to acknowledge, encourage and highlight any acts of kindness they observe in children. We hope parents do the same.
Staff are expected to support children in learning how to be kind.
We know our staff and parents are kind, and we are grateful for the many kindnesses we experience from each other.
Responsibility
All of us are human and we make mistakes. While holding that in mind, we expect all members of the school community to take responsibility for their actions and seek to make amends where possible.
What does this look like for staff ?
Staff are expected to teach and model the language children need to express their feelings and needs, so that children have the tools to express that harm has been done to them and/or to repair harm they have caused.
Staff are expected to support children to take responsibility for harm caused using a restorative approach.
The following 3 restorative questions frame conversations discussing harm:
What happened?
Who was affected?
What do you think should happen next?
In cases of more serious harm or with children who are capable of a more in depth discussion the following 6 restorative questions will frame the discussions:
What happened?
What were you thinking at the time?
What have you thought about it since?
Who was affected and in what way?
How could things have been done differently?
What do you think needs to happen next?
What does this look like for parents?
Parents are expected to understand that school is not only a place for academic work, but a place where children are learning to be, and they make mistakes.
If harm has come to a child, parents are expected to engage with the class teacher to hear the full story and context of the situation.
Parents are encouraged to use the restorative questions above when they are discussing incidents with their children.
Parents are encouraged to accept that all children can do wrong. Providing children with the safety to admit to wrongdoing and looking for ways to repair harm helps the child to develop a sense of responsibility.
If invited in to have a discussion with either the class teacher, the Deputy Principal or the Principal about a child’s behaviour, the parent is expected to attend.
Teamwork and collaboration
It is expected that all members of the school community try to work together for the common goal of the children’s education. Being able to work together has been identified as a key skill for the 21st century.
What does this look like for staff ?
Staff are expected to encourage teamwork across the whole curriculum.
Staff are expected to teach children how to work together in a team.
Staff are expected to acknowledge and praise good team work.
Staff are expected to model good team working behaviours, we often work together in teams in our school and it enriches our days and improves our practice.
Staff are expected to include parents in major decisions that affect their child (i.e Special Education provision, a Behaviour Plan etc) and to work together for the child.
What does this look like for parents ?
We see staff and parents as the key team in the child’s educational journey, we encourage parents to get involved in this process.
Parents are expected to support our team working approach in teaching and learning with their children.
Parents are expected to support and encourage their own child to work collaboratively in school.
Honesty
It is expected that all members of the school community encourage honesty.
What does this look like for staff & parents?
We expect staff and parents to encourage and praise honesty, particularly when a child owns up to something they did wrong.
We expect staff and parents to encourage children to think about what they are saying and how it may affect others, even if it is honest.
We appreciate that some neurodiverse people can find social communication challenging. If the general rule is to be honest, understanding why sometimes it is better to say nothing can be a challenge. We expect all adults to be sensitive to this fact, and that for some children the social rules of honesty don’t make sense. We expect adults to support children in this.
What do I do if there is an issue between adults in the school community?
There are procedures in place for adults to resolve issues between each other, which differ from the procedures listed for the behaviour of children in the Positive Behaviour Policy.
As a parent or guardian if you have any issues with a parent in the school please refer to our: Complaints Policy.
As a staff member if you have any issues with how you have been treated by an adult in the school community please refer to our: Dignity at work policy.
In all cases, and in the spirit of this policy, the first step is to have a chat to see if the issue can be resolved together.
Appendix 2
At a glance Positive Behaviour Policy
We promote positive behaviour in all of our interactions in school. The values of our school are:
Respect Kindness Responsibility
Teamwork and collaboration Honesty
All of us are human and we make mistakes. While holding that in mind, we expect all members of the school community to take responsibility for their actions and seek to make amends where possible.
If something happens we will ask the following restorative questions:
What happened?
Who was affected?
What do you think should happen next?
In cases of more serious harm or with children who are capable of a more in depth discussion the following 6 restorative questions will frame the discussions:
What happened?
What were you thinking at the time?
What have you thought about it since?
Who was affected and in what way?
How could things have been done differently?
What do you think needs to happen next?
Minor misbehaviours
|
What do we do with frequent ongoing low-level persistent behaviours?
A note of duration & frequency of time spent on any level below will be made on the child’s file in order to get a full picture of the child’s needs. |
|
| Behaviour Support Level 1 | Parent notified
Action as per table in policy Child supported to change behaviour If behaviour stops within a reasonable timeframe decided by the teacher (up to a month), the child goes back to no level |
| Behaviour Support Level 2 | Parent notified
Action as per table in policy Child supported to change behaviour: targets or incentives used where appropriate Child is on Level 2 if interventions at Behaviour Support Level 1 have not worked within one month If behaviour stops within a reasonable timeframe decided by the teacher in consultation with ISM, the child goes back to no level |
| Behaviour Support Level 3 | Parent meeting
Action as per table in policy Child supported to change behaviour: targets/incentives/Behaviour Plan used where appropriate Child is on Level 3 if interventions at Level 2 have not worked within 6 weeks. Child is supported by SET team and or SNA to manage themselves in school If behaviour stops within a reasonable timeframe decided by the teacher in consultation with ISM, the child goes back to no level. |
Serious misbehaviour – in consultation with ISM team and as per policy, a response to the serious misbehaviour will be decided upon and communicated with parents.
Gross misbehaviour – in consultation with the ISM team and as per policy, a response to the gross misbehaviour will be decided upon and communicated with parents. Serious and/or gross misbehaviours may lead to suspension or expulsion as per the policy.