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The Weatheralls School
Positive Behaviour Policy
1. Introduction
Statement of the school values
2. Aims - for the policy
- for children.
What do we mean by good behaviour?/What are we working towards?
3. Process of developing the policy - who has been involved, what has happened - involvement of children, parents, governors, all staff
4. Rules/Codes of behaviour - whole school, playground, class based - processes used, as well as statement of rules
5. Strategies for promoting good behaviour/rewards/incentives
formal/informal
6. Strategies for dealing with difficult behaviour/sanctions - including record keeping, statement on exclusions
7. The "Children Beyond"
8. The environment - playground, classroom organisation, displays
9. Self esteem - approaches/strategies for promoting it, e.g. Circle Time, Special Day
10. Links with curriculum - e.g. PSHE, RE, English
Links with other policy documents - PSHE, Equal Opportunities, Child Protection and Anti-Bullying
11. How the policy is shared/communicated with children and parents.
12. Processes for evaluating, monitoring and reviewing policy and practice.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR POLICY AND PRACTICE
1. Introduction
This policy sets out the purpose, nature and management of Behaviour in our school.
The policy reflects the consensus of opinion of the whole staff and has been presented to the Governing Body.
Our learning community is committed to:
inspiring all to greater achievement
challenging our capabilities
respecting and valuing diversity
celebrating individual and community success.
For children and adults alike the Ethos of our school is created and sustained
by: -
A friendly, welcoming and joyful atmosphere
An acknowledgement of the value of each individual’s contribution
The celebration of the quality of our successes and achievements
Relationships that are sensitively respectful and mutually supportive
Positive contributions from all
An enthusiastic, purposeful and happy school life
A climate of physical and emotional security
A continual effort made by all to maintain a high level of morale
2. Aims for the Policy
At The Weatheralls we aim to promote a school community where everyone, children and adults, develops a high self esteem and is valued as an individual regardless of race, religion, sex, age, ability or background.
In encouraging and developing positive behaviour we aim to have a consistent approach based on a shared understanding by all pupils, parents and staff.
We aim to promote good behaviour within a caring climate that enables children to grow and develop with positive attitudes.
Our positive approach to behaviour is aimed at creating and sustaining a safe environment for all.
Aims for the Children
The central purpose of our school is to provide an education for our children in which the children in our care grow socially, personally and academically.
Alongside the acquisition of knowledge and skills our children become aware of values which lead them to gain responsibility for their own actions and to recognise acceptable behaviour boundaries.
We want our children to see our school as a safe place where people are kind and where kindness and consideration are normal patterns of behaviour.
In co-operation with the children we have developed whole school behaviour codes which are central to our positive behaviour policy.
In practice these codes will enable children to listen to one another and to demonstrate a caring, sharing attitude toward each other and all who teach, learn and work alongside them.
In promoting these values as foundations for good behaviour we would like our children to:
Be happy and sociable and learn good citizenship
Have a positive self image
Be well motivated, to take pride in their own and other's achievements
Be polite and well mannered
Take care of themselves and their environment
Show regard for other people's feelings and needs
Take responsibility for their own behaviour
Be able to work both independently and co-operatively
Value their own possessions and those of others
3. Process of Development
The policy was developed by the whole school community through a series of staff meetings, a professional day and by working with parents and governors.
The children were fully involved in the process of developing whole school and classroom behaviour codes.
Further development and involvement of the children will be achieved through the setting up of a School Council.
4. Rules for Positive Behaviour
Whole School
Following discussion the children and staff drew up the following behaviour codes:
The Children’s Code, Our Learning Code, Making Assemblies Special, Our Dining Hall Code, Our Lunchtime Code.
Each class draws up their own classroom rules at the beginning of every school year. The Reception classes do this in January allowing the children to settle into school. These are particular to each class but reflect aspects of the Children’s Code and Learning Code.
‘Let’s Talk it Out’
This policy gives the children an opportunity to discuss a conflict situation – to ‘talk it out’ with each other, in order to better understand the nature of the problem, the way it makes them feel and how it might best be resolved.
Home School Agreement
The above behaviour codes and aspirations are communicated to parents
through the Home/School/Pupil Agreement.
5. Strategies for Promoting Positive Behaviour
Listening
Our own behaviour as adults will reflect our expectations of the children. As a staff we will aim to meet the children with a smile, be consistent, keep calm, have a sense of humour, listen to the children and follow up problems to their conclusion.
Non-verbal
Importance of reinforcement such as giving children eye contact, smiling at them, using positive gestures (such as thumbs up, clapping)
Verbal Reinforcement
Using praise - to groups and to individuals - checking out that we are being as positive as we think we are.
Special Day Person
Regularly a person is chosen from each class to have a Special Day. This helps to promote self esteem and encourage good behaviour.
In the classroom
Stickers, Stamps and House Points are used to reinforce classroom rules and recognise good work. These are used at the discretion of individual teachers and support staff. Clearly understood routines on entering the room, prior knowledge of the immediate task and readily accessible resources are pre-requisites for good order.
Between classes
Children are sent to other members of staff and the Headteacher (the Secretary if the Head is not available) to share good work.
Whole class privilege time
At each teacher's discretion whole class rewards can be given in the form of a privilege for keeping the class rules. The keeping of the rules can be recorded in a number of ways until a target is reached e.g. apple stickers on a tree outline, marbles in a jar etc.
Assemblies
Special recognition for achievement in all forms is given during Assemblies, e.g. Pupil of the Week Certificates, Headteacher Awards, House Points etc.
Lunchtime
The lunchtime staff can award merits stickers for helpful behaviour.
6. Strategies for dealing with difficult behaviour
When dealing with difficult behaviour there are 3 main considerations:-
calm yourself first
use the ‘Language of Self-Esteem’ (see appendix)
try to control the situation, not the child.
The parents are consulted and informed throughout if their child's behaviour is
a cause for concern.
We will deal globally with unacceptable behaviour in the classroom using circle time and in the hall through assembly by the Head and Deputy Head if this is appropriate i.e. a whole school problem.
In the child's own classroom (See Appendix 1)
Reminding pupils of the school and/or class rules
Noticing good behaviour as it occurs and re-enforcing it.
Ignoring misbehaviour as appropriate
Giving special responsibilities
Sometimes this may not be enough and depending on the situation it may be necessary to deal with persistent misbehaviour by:
Giving effective reprimands and reminders of appropriate behaviour and explanations as to why a certain type of behaviour is not appropriate.
Employing a home/school record.
Providing thinking time and writing about the problem by describing
What I did
What rules I broke
How it happened
What I can do to put things right
Separating the pupil within the class – “Cool off” time (see end of section)
Separating from the class by:
taken to another, pre-arranged class by an adult
being supervised in a ‘quiet area’
c. taken to the Deputy Headteacher
d. taken to the Headteacher
If a situation arises whereby a child needs to be removed or restrained the Headteacher (Deputy) will be called.
In extreme situations the class may be removed leaving the child with the teacher/Headteacher.
Other Strategies
Loss of privilege e.g. losing playtime when children will stay with their teachers or other staff if the teacher is on duty.
Consistent bad behaviour at lunch time may result in a child being sent home at lunch times.
Behaviour Stages
These describe our response to various levels of inappropriate behaviour(see appendix)
“Cool off” Time
Places for “Cool off” will be available in areas throughout the school
in classrooms
in the playground
in the hall
This will be explained when negotiating ground rules. It is not a punishment it is a consequence which allows adults and children a few minutes to calm down and think how to deal rationally with the situation.
As far as possible adults need to follow-up by:-
one to one discussion with children when the situation has calmed down.
ways of dealing with situation in the future e.g. drawings etc
sending to others - other teachers, Head etc
7. The Children Beyond
Some children's behaviour is beyond normal incentives and sanctions. They tend to be children with complex emotional or physical needs. It is possible that there is a lack of support from home for these children. They are often unhappy, angry or suffering from low self-esteem. Consequently they believe they do not have a chance of being good so they do not bother to try.
As a school we aspire to help these children to break out of their negative pattern of behaviour. Like adults children will be unhappy and suffer bad moods and they must understand that this is normal and that they can talk about it.
The use of star/sticker charts is sometimes helpful in modifying a child's behaviour and encouraging the development of positive attitude. Frequently these charts are used between home and school in a mutually supportive way.
It may be necessary to devise a 'special contract' tailor made for the child beyond which includes achievable targets and consequent rewards.
We must identify the areas of behaviour that need improvement and target them. If the contracts which are drawn up with the child fail to work then we may need to include the parents, Deputy Headteacher, Headteacher, outside agencies and Governors as and when their inclusion is appropriate(see Behaviour Stages). Should an incident necessitate it, the parents will be called into school as soon as possible and the child excluded there and then awaiting further action.
8. The Environment
The overall appearance of a school both inside and out undoubtedly helps set the atmosphere both for visitors and those of us who spend our days there. We foster a sense of ownership and pride in our school environment which has a positive effect on the behaviour of adults and children alike. We all like to work in a pleasing environment and encourage everyone to work to help maintain those standards.
We recognise the importance of providing a variety of attractive and informative displays which not only reflect the work which goes on in school but also provides opportunities for sharing talk with parents, other pupils, staff and visitors.
We are lucky in having pleasant grounds at The Weatheralls and have worked hard to use them to extend the learning and playing environment for the children. We recognise the need to provide a wide variety of activity areas to gainfully occupy the children and encourage positive learning, play and behaviour. We have three Adventure Playgrounds that encourage and challenge the children's physical abilities. We have also been able to provide seating and tables in the library and outside to enable children to sit and chat, play quieter games, read, or just watch what is going on. We also provide areas to pursue more traditional pastimes and games such as skipping and ball games. Funds have been made available from the budget to purchase and maintain a variety of lunchtime playtime equipment such as balls, ropes, stilts, quoits, dolls, chalks, cars, playmats etc to foster positive play.
As a result of these provisions we are able to provide the best possible range of activities to enable the children to play happily and safely.
9. Self Esteem
Our behaviour policy seeks to improve the self esteem of the children. Self esteem is built on:
security
identity
belonging/acceptance
motivation/sense of purpose in life
feeling of personal power - "I can do it"
Characteristics of child with high self esteem:
persistent at tasks
can ask for help when it is needed
can risk being different
can make positive statements about him/herself
can express emotions
can accept praise
can cope with constructive criticism
typically feels: confident, competent, valued, needed and loved, happy, safe and secure
We promote this in school by:-
1. Caring for children and catering for individual needs
2. Acknowledging and reinforcing good behaviour
3. Using circle times in classrooms to share experiences and feelings
4. Using "special day person" strategy
5. Celebrating achievements through Assemblies
Child with low self esteem may demonstrate that s/he feels:
unloved, unwanted, rejected, inadequate, incompetent, discouraged, powerless.
Circle Time
The use of Circle Time is central to our Behaviour Policy. Circle Time provides a tried and tested framework for the development of a whole school policy on self-esteem and positive behaviour. There must be a sense of ownership and commitment by all involved. The central aim of Circle Time is to build self-esteem.
The children and staff will be seated, in a circle, so that everyone can be seen by everyone else. In any discussion that takes place the emphasis is on help and not blame. Praise and rewards can be handed out by any members of the group.
Topics for discussion can cover anything like behaviour, school work, rules, lunch times, playtimes, news, concerns, concepts etc. Circle time can be used as a vehicle for games and brainstorming.
A code of behaviour is decided upon by all in the circle and the use of eye contact and use of names is encouraged.
Our four main rules for circle time are:
Everyone listens
Only one person speaks at a time
Everyone can have fun
No-one can spoil anyone else's fun
Other rules will be decided upon by those involved in any given circle.
10. Links with other areas of the curriculum
Our Positive Behaviour policy has strong links with other areas of the curriculum notably P.S.H.E. and R.E., where issues of self esteem, moral and spiritual development are addressed and English, particularly speaking and listening.
School policy documents on Equal Opportunities, Child Protection and Anti-Bullying also reflect elements of the Positive Behaviour Policy.
11. Sharing the Policy
The children have shared in the process of compiling the policy and daily application of the principles within it constantly reinforce the messages.
The whole staff teaching and non-teaching were involved in its creation.
All staff will have access to the policy on computer ‘MASTER’.
New parents will be introduced each year to the policy.
12. Evaluating, monitoring and reviewing policy and practice
1. Evaluating and monitoring. This will be done on a daily basis as the practices within the policy are exercised.
2. The co-ordinator responsible for P.S.H.E. will regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the policy.
3. The Headteacher will regularly monitor with the teaching and support staff through individual and staff meetings.
4. The policy and practice will be subject to Quality Assurance observations on a rolling programme identified through the School Development Plan.
5. This policy will be reviewed by staff as deemed necessary.
January 2002
(updated Dec.02)
Appendix 1
Behaviour Reinforcement
From Bill Rogers “You Know the Fair Rule”
“the principle is simply itself, and had been understood in essence by parents and teachers since ancient times. If you want someone to do something you make it worth his while; if you want him to stop you likewise make it worth his while, or more worth his while to do something else. Not a very noble message, but an effective one.” Biggs and Telfer, 1981
Children who regularly disrupt may well be doing so to gain some sort of reinforcement – attention from the teacher and/or from their peers. This attention could even take the form of anger or pleading from the teacher. Bill Rogers suggests the following steps for dealing with the example of children who are constantly calling out in front of the whole class.
STEP ONE
Use firm tactical ignoring of calling out for two minutes. Do not even look in the direction of the student calling out, let alone comment on their behaviour. But, at the same time as Johnny and Co. are ignored, on-task (rule-keeping) behaviour is reinforced. “Thanks for putting up your hand Nick. What’s your question?” In the first two or three minutes the reinforcement is positive, specific and accompanied by direct eye contact or even a smile! Off-task behaviour is tactically, resolutely ignored. The teacher is on the look out for the moment when Johnny does put up his hand so positive reinforcement can be applied.
STEP TWO (if necessary)
If two minutes of tactical ignoring doesn’t stop them then use one of the following measures. This depends on a teacher’s tolerance for frustration and how significantly calling out affects a teacher’s right to teach.
Restate the rule: “Johnny you know our ground rule for communication, use it please.” Don’t add the rule itself (he knows it!), don’t preach or add any sarcasm (I’ve been waiting five minutes for you to keep the rule!”). Just give direct eye contact and restate the rule. Add the rider of thank you or please to communicate what we call ‘the expectation of compliance’.
Give a simple direction (direct to the behaviour you want to see). “Debbie, if you want to ask a question, put up your hand and wait – without calling out. Thanks.” Then, turn the eye focus away to the on-task members of the class or the lesson itself as is necessary.
STEP THREE
Give direct eye contact and a clear choice. “Debbie, we cannot communicate fairly with that calling out. You can either work by the ground rules of our class or we will ask you to sit by yourself over there away from the group”. If she resists and keeps yelling and refuses to be isolated from the main group, go to Step Four.
STEP FOUR
She’s still shouting or calling out. “I see you’ve made your choice – would you leave our room now. If she still refuses, send a student to the head teacher/another teacher (this is dependent on support structures being already in place in the school) to come and direct Debbie out of the class.
Each of these steps is
Brief
non-hostile
gives a choice
fair
The first steps, consistently applied, will normally settle annoying attention seeking, like calling out.
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
Effective teachers have long known that encouragement, specific and thoughtful praise, even short term rewards, are far more effective than punishment. Students learn more quickly and more effectively when rewarded for on-task learning and behaviour. Interest, effort and self-esteem are obviously linked more effectively to positive reinforcement.
There are several types of reinforcement
Social Reinforcement
This is where the teacher gives attention for on-task behaviours. It can be a wink, nod or hand signal that indicates ‘well done’, a touch, a pat or simply walking alongside and smiling. Often this sort of reinforcement is verbal. “I appreciate it when…” “Thanks for…”, “You set that out well”, “I can see you’ve worked well here.”, “you really enjoyed that didn’t you”, “That writing is really neat.” It is a combination of specific and general encouragement, rather than global praise such as good or bad.
It’s amazing how effective social reinforcement is. Effective teachers also encourage children who are ‘social reinforcers’ as members of the classroom group; not necessarily in a big way but by saying quietly to a student, “Paul, I noticed how you asked Dave, quietly, for his sharpener. Well done.” A teacher’s verbal behaviour is a powerful and primary reinforcement tool in the classroom.
Symbolic Reinforcement
These include everything from stamps to symbols. Teachers have always used these, but they can be more systematically developed as part of a plan. Charts can be used with stamps to show development of successive reinforcement especially if the student can put their own stamp or sticker on their chart at the time they are ‘reinforced’.
Special Activity Reinforcement
This is where the teacher offers special activities as a reward and reinforcement. Everything from activities such as play, reading, or free time to working with a special friend or missing homework can be used. These can be negotiated with the students on a contractual basis.
Token Reinforcement and Edible Reinforcement
Tokens, a sticker or stamp, can be traded for a reward when an agreed number of stamps or points are reached. Similar ‘token economies’ can be used for team or class work. All reinforcers are linked to expected target behaviours, and these behaviours are explained or discussed with the students. These tokens can be exchanged for sweets, pencils, certificates, special stamps, ‘free’ activities etc. The token is the primary reinforcer, the sweet or pencil is the secondary reinforcer. All reinforcers ought to be linked with the verbal and social reinforcement. The reinforcement is the consequence the child experiences as a result of particular behaviour.
Reinforcement, thoughtfully applied, is not manipulation. Of course it needs to be stressed that the ultimate goal of all external reinforcement is the natural reinforcement enjoyed as a result of appropriate behaviours. The teacher’s intervention may be partial, systematic and carefully targeted, or merely ‘catching them on-task’ and verbally reinforcing. The goal is to move from teacher intervention to self-reinforcement. Initially, the reinforcement will follow as soon after the target behaviour as possible. “Thank you for putting up your hand”. “You’re sitting quietly and working. Well done.” If using any form of ‘token’ reinforcement, these should always be combined with social reinforcers. Behaviour is ‘strengthened’ and directed if it is followed by positive reinforcement. This will mean watching for students to be on-task, to ‘catch them in the act’ as it were, instead of only ‘catching’ them when they are disruptive and off-task.
From “You Know the Fair Rule”, by Bill Rogers
Pub. Longman
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