Headteacher: Ken Mackenzie Policy Title Behaviour for Learning Policy Version No: Adopted February 2018 The school has a clear vision for everyone: Rationale Shared Vision, Transformed Lives To be a centre of excellence where all students gain the qualifications, skills and experiences necessary for them to maximise their potential. The school of first choice for the local community where all can fulfil their dreams and aspirations. A place where young people are put in charge of their lives and their futures as engaged citizens and leaders of the future. We shall achieve this through: High quality, inspirational and innovative teaching and learning. Inspirational and accountable leadership at all levels. Challenging all staff to consider: would this be good enough for your child? Expecting and supporting all staff and students to achieve at all times and in all that they do. Ensuring that we all seek to excel in all that we do. Ensuring that every member of the school community stands together in all aspects of school life. We take responsibility for ourselves and each other at all times. Investing in and developing the skills and expertise of all staff. Demanding that students are ready to learn and take responsibility for themselves at all times Consistently applied high standards in all school operations. Developing the perseverance and resilience of all students. Providing a wide range of exciting and memorable experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Developing and delivering a curriculum that meets the needs of all students and ensures that they can imagine and secure their futures as leaders. Ensuring we provide a safe, secure and caring culture of respect in which to work and learn. Providing first class resources and state of the art facilities to support learning. Working closely with the local community to ensure all benefit from Acton High School. Equalities Objectives Equality of opportunity To ensure that all members of the school community are treated fairly regardless of disability, gender, age, sexuality, religion or ethnicity. The school recognises that many students face particular achievement barriers as a result of their disadvantage and pays particular attention to ensuring these students are treated fairly. To ensure that all members of the student body, regardless of background, access a curriculum that is tailored to their individual needs. To ensure that all students have the opportunity to develop the skills and attributed required to become leaders in their community and beyond. 1
To identify, address and overcome all barriers to learning that a student s background may create and to develop the cultural capital of all students. Equality of achievement To unlock the potential in all students so that they can achieve in all areas of school life. To identify, address and close all achievement gaps. To monitor and report on the achievement, attendance and exclusion rates of key underperforming groups. To ensure disadvantaged students are supported through bespoke interventions and support packages ensuring that they achieve as well as their peers. This policy outlines the commitment of the governors, staff and students of Acton High School to outstanding behaviour for learning. The school believes outstanding teaching and learning is at the heart of outstanding behaviour. Effective behaviour management creates a calm and enthusiastic learning environment in which teachers teach effectively and students learn successfully. The governors believe that all staff, students, and visitors have the right to feel safe when participating in the life of the school; in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and subsequent related legislation. The school is working towards achieving Rights Respecting Status; as such the responsibility to maintain high standards of behaviour lies with all members of the school community; in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The school maintains that all members of the school community have the right to equal treatment irrespective of special educational need, disability, health, race, socio-economic group, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy or maternity, marital status or civil partnership, sex, gender reassignment, or age. As such, outcomes and consequences of behaviour in this policy comply with the Equality Act 2010 in respect of all protected groups including students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The school s Anti-bullying policy is also closely linked to this policy. The school takes into consideration the needs of the whole community when sanctions are applied. The principles of restoration and reconciliation underpin the discipline procedures which accompany this behaviour policy. In order to establish an effective culture for learning the school will: Create an inclusive, consistent and considerate community where students can learn and excel. Respond to behaviour issues consistently with awareness of individual circumstances Promote effective independent learning, self-regulation and behaviour management skills Provide positive role models in an environment where risk is appropriately assessed and students understand how to keep themselves safe Ensure students understand their rights and responsibilities as defined in the UNCRC and the implications of these on their own conduct and behaviour Ensure that students and staff are encouraged to treat all members of the school community equally with consideration and respect irrespective of their background Regularly review the effectiveness of behaviour management with students, parents and other stakeholders. 2
Collaborate with parents, carers, family members and community representatives where appropriate to maximise support for an outstanding learning culture Consistently reward students for demonstrating our key ASPIRE values (Achieve, Stand together, Persevere, Respect, Excel) Policy Statement GOVERNORS POLICY STATEMENT ON BEHAVIOUR Shared vision - Transformed lives All staff are expected to: Act as role models, develop and maintain outstanding behaviour for learning in all interactions with staff, students and other stakeholders in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, during extracurricular activities and trips and support students to represent AHS positively in the local community. Support behaviour inside and outside the classroom, in our school and local community by consistently upholding and referencing the The Acton Way and values central to our vision and ethos. Maintain consistency in the application of AHS The Acton Way behaviour systems liaising and communicating with key staff and parents/carers as necessary. Model rights respecting language and behaviour towards all members of the school community. Communicate with parents giving a consistent and balanced message about behaviour, with due regard for individual home contact guidance procedure (see AHS The Acton Way Behaviour for Learning flowchart) Effectively use the school s rewards programme (see staff handbook) to promote positive behaviour and actively develop esteem. Ensure that they are aware of students additional needs including those on positive monitoring support booklets or Pastoral Support Programmes and actively support them in achieving their targets. All parents are expected to: Support the school s ethos of ASPIRE and take responsibility for their child s behaviour. Ensure their child is well prepared for learning and is encouraged to model the positive learning behaviours that will ensure that their child excels in lessons and in the wider school community. Establish positive relationships with their child s teachers and the pastoral team raising any behaviour concerns that may affect their child s learning. Agree and adhere to the Acton Way and other whole school systems such as detentions and community service. 3
Actively participate in the monitoring of their child s behaviour by signing their daily positive behaviour report as necessary. Commit to all meetings concerned with behaviour for learning from pastoral and curriculum teams. Ensure their child knows the importance of positive learning behaviours such as being on time for school and have excellent attendance. All students are expected to: Uphold the school ethos and values inherent in ASPIRE. Self-regulate their behaviour and follow the Acton Way. Respect the school environment, school property and the property of others. Resolve issues with a restorative conversation and reflect on their own behaviour, taking responsibility for their own actions. Represent the school community, when travelling to and from school and within the local community. Wear school uniform the correct way and with pride (as stated in the school planner). Students will set high expectations for their behaviour for leaning, such as arriving on time for school and having excellent attendance. Not use mobiles phones on school premises (see mobile phone policy below). Students are expected to maintain the same high standards of behaviour in the local community. The use of mobile phones and other electrical items e.g. tablets, games, music devices See it lose it is the whole school policy that states if a mobile phone or other electrical device is seen it is confiscated. Students are expected not to bring their phones onto school premises. Once confiscated the parent will have to come into school to collect the phone from reception that afternoon. A second occurrence will lead to the phone being confiscated for a week. Equal Opportunity and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Provision for SEND students with behaviour needs is central to the policy. Equal access to learning is a vital principle of behaviour management. In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, students with behaviour needs are given equal access to learning activities including off-site and extra-curricular activities. 4
The school also recognises that other students may experience emotional and behaviour difficulties on occasion and specific guidance in order to manage their behaviour may be required. The school makes provision for identifying and supporting all students with behaviour needs, as well as enabling staff to effectively intervene. Effective monitoring procedures evaluate the impact of the provision leading to sustained improvement in behaviour. The school acknowledges its legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, in respect of safeguarding, making reasonable adjustments and generally in respect of students with SEND. A reasonable adjustment that the school may make would be to impose a lesser sanction for a student whose behaviour is in consequence of their disability than would be imposed for a student exhibiting the same behaviour who does not have that disability. Guidance on Consequences and Sanctions for Inappropriate Behaviour Different levels of sanction are applied depending on the seriousness of the behaviour incident. For example; the sanction for being late to registration is a detention, whereas the sanction for persistent bullying is likely to be a fixed term exclusion. The school s sanctions range from a verbal warning to a permanent exclusion. Examples of possible sanctions used at Acton High School include: A verbal warning, written warning and a behaviour point which results in a teacher detention Detentions from classroom teachers, Heads of department (HODs), Heads of College (HOCs) and Senior Leadership team (SLT) Detention/Loss of free time (LOFT) including during lunch time, before and after school School based community service Positive behaviour monitoring report including daily reporting to a member of staff. Acceptable behaviour contract (ABC) Pastoral support programme (A 16-week programme for students at risk of exclusion) Governors warning and review panel Fixed term exclusion Permanent exclusion *See example of consequences ladder below: Permanent exclusion is used as a last resort, in response to a serious breach, or persistent breaches, of the school s behaviour policy and where allowing the pupil to remain in the school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school. The school will follow the DfE statutory guidance on exclusions (September 2017). PEX might be used as a sanction in instances such as physical or sexual assault on staff/other pupils, persistent breaches of the behaviour policy after escalating sanctions imposed, damage to school property, bringing offensive weapons/drugs into school. 5
6
In addition, these strategies and sanctions are in place: The shadow timetable is for faculty support for when a pupil has failed the Acton Way. It is the temporary transfer of a pupil to another classroom to ensure that learning is not disrupted and positive behaviour is reinforced. A slip is completed by the classroom teacher and the pupil is sent to another class, where they can continue with their learning. This is then followed up by the class teacher and Head of Department/Faculty as necessary. Patrol is only used if a student fails to comply with shadow timetable (above) and there is an emergency in the classroom. There are two heads of college who are on call every lesson to support staff and remove students in these rare circumstances. Reconciliation Reconciliation processes are used to re-establish the learning environment (where required) after a behaviour incident. Students returning from exclusion engage in reintegration prior to their return to school. This is led by the HOC and the SLT link to ensure any issues are resolved using restorative conversations. Community Service Community service may, at the discretion of the HOC or HOD, be offered as an alternative to detention or internal exclusion. Community service normally involves the student in a supervised activity, designed to improve the school environment. Where community service is undertaken the student will be provided with protective clothing appropriate to the task. Internal Exclusion (ER-Exclusion Room) Internal exclusions (time served excluded from mainstream education whilst on site) enable the maintenance of high standards of behaviour whilst minimising the impact of exclusion on learning. All pupils who are in the ER will be offered classwork from their timetabled teachers and extra work will be issued to ensure that no learning time is lost. Internal exclusions are sanctioned by members of the Senior Leadership Team. Internal exclusions are not used for Time Out. Where such short term interventions are required, Shadow /Patrol is deployed. It is the highest sanction that Acton High School has in terms of sanctions. Safer school s officer/family support Where appropriate and following all incidents of prejudice based bullying and community incidents a meeting is held with our safer schools officer and Heads of College /SLT link with parents/carers and student If necessary, an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) is drawn up and signed. School s officers are always made aware of any incidents involving: Weapons Drugs Gangs Serious Assaults Safeguarding (Criminal Element) Crimes with a Sexual Element (Sexting etc.) Child Sexual Exploitation Extremism or Radicalisation 7
Support for pupils and parents If pupils have a concern they can speak to their tutor, HOC, our Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads or any staff member that they feel comfortable talking to. They can also share a concern using our SHARP (School Help Advice Support Page) system through the school website. If parents have a concern their best first point of contacts are their child s tutor and HOC. All allegations and incidents are investigated thoroughly and resolved. Support panel Acton (SPA) Support panel Acton (SPA) is a multi agency panel, chaired by the Deputy Headteacher with responsibility for Inclusion/behaviour /safeguarding / (Designated Safeguarding Lead) that meets weekly to discuss and support students. Governors warning Panel (GWP) A governors warning panel is a formal meeting that consists of School Governors, Head Teacher and the HOC. The Governing Body, reviews the student s progress in terms of their learning behaviour and discusses what more can be done to prevent them from getting permanently excluded. It is also an opportunity to check that appropriate interventions have been used. Targets are set by the panel and the warning is then given. The governors will review the case within 6 weeks of the governors warning. Fixed Term Exclusion (FTE) (See Exclusions Policy for more detail) Fixed term exclusion is a serious sanction and is usually used for behaviour incidents involving physical violence or extremely threatening behaviour. This also includes making malicious allegations against a member of staff or student and persistent bullying. Fixed term exclusion can be used in the event of repeated disruption to learning or breaches to Health and Safety. Fixed Term Exclusion is sanctioned by the Head teacher only. Permanent Exclusion (PX) (See Exclusions Policy for more detail) In accordance with national guidelines students may be permanently excluded from school if they are involved in incidents within the following categories: Sale, distribution, possession or use of drugs or any other illegal substances on premises Threat of violence/sexual assault or actual violence/sexual assault towards students and/or staff Bringing, or being in possession of, a weapon onto any AHS premises. (The definition of weapon in this instance includes penknives, laser pens, or any object brought onto the site or carried on site which could cause harm or injury to another person) Criminal offences Persistent disruptive behaviour where despite intervention, poor behaviour continues Permanent exclusion is sanctioned by the Headteacher only. Monitoring and Review This policy will be monitored by the following: Weekly behaviour reports to SLT, HODs, and HOCs reviewed in line management meetings Weekly monitoring data on low level behaviour incidents Half termly report to SLT on behaviour and exclusions by SLT with responsibility for behaviour Termly report to governors on behaviour and exclusions by SLT with responsibility for behaviour Annual review of exclusions data from the Local Authority SEF reviews 8
Updates of the school strategic plan Links to Legislation and guidance Links to other policies DFE Use of reasonable force advice for Headteachers, staff and governing bodies DFE Screening searching and confiscation advice for Headteachers, and governors February 2014 DFE Behaviour and Discipline in Schools Advice for Headteachers, January 2016 DFE statutory guidance: Exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, September 2017 Equality Act 2010 Ealing guidance on the use of pupil exclusion Keeping Children Safe in Education: Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges, September 2016 Working Together to Safeguard Children: A Guide to Inter-Agency Working to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children, March 2015 Getting the simple things right: Charlie Taylor s behaviour checklists Attendance Acton High Attendance Policy Child protection and safeguarding Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy policy Anti-Bullying Policy Acton High Anti-Bullying Policy Complaints Acton High Complaints Policy Curriculum/ Learning and Teaching Acton High Learning and Teaching Policy Also see: http://www.actonhighschool.co.uk/curriculum PSHCE http://www.actonhighschool.co.uk/pshce Radicalisation and Extremism See Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy Risk Assessment Under review by the Resources Committee Staff Code of Conduct Acton High Staff Code of Conduct Supporting students with medical Acton High Medical Conditions Policy conditions Use of force Acton High Use of Force Policy Whistleblowing See Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy And whistleblowing policy (add link ) AHS behaviour flowchart AHS Incident Report AHS Procedure for the Recommendation to Externally Exclude AHS Single Equalities Policy AHS Anti-bullying policy AHS Drug Education and Drug Incident policy AHS Staff Handbook 9
AHS Acceptable behaviour contract AHS Home School Agreement The Acton Way behaviour toolkit ASPIRE vision Staff Responsible School Group Responsible Date approved by Governing Board This policy will be monitored and reviewed by the Deputy Headteacher responsible for Behaviour, Inclusion and Safeguarding. Heads of College Heads of Department Senior Leadership Team Deputy Headteacher (Behaviour, Inclusion, Safeguarding) GOVERNING BOARD 6 February 2018 Review Date: Sept 2019 10