Behavior Policy

Introduction And Purpose

We have a duty to our pupils to have in place a behavior policy that is consistent throughout the school. This policy is therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school community can work together to create an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure.

International School is a community where excellent behaviour is the norm, individuals are respected and their unique attributes are valued. Self-discipline and resilience are promoted.

We are a school that nurtures and supports every young person; that values everyone’s unique worth and contribution and that empowers every member to achieve their fullest potential. It is a place of safety where firm boundaries provide guidance and support; where high expectations lead to lifelong learning; where care and respect build self-esteem and self-belief. It is a gateway to higher aspirations and brighter futures.

We aim to achieve this through:

• Establishing clear expectations of behaviour.
• Encouraging pupils to conduct themselves in a responsible, reflective and self-disciplined manner
• Providing opportunities to develop empathy, caring about the needs and rights of others.
• All pupils and staff treating each other with respect
• Working together to prevent all forms of bullying
• Working together with parents and carers to create a partnership between home and school.

We expect pupils at International School to:

• Listen to and follow instructions
• Speak respectfully to everyone
• Take responsibility for property and equipment
• Respect the school’s buildings, equipment and environment
• Treat others with kindness and empathy

The Directors and Staff at the School believe that these aims and objectives can be achieved by:

• Promoting self-esteem, self-discipline, appropriate regard for authority and positive relationships based upon mutual understanding, kindness and respect.
• Developing an integrated approach which takes full consideration of safeguarding, equality and the involvement, where necessary, of extended services.
• Ensuring fairness of treatment for all via a consistent approach towards both positive and negative behaviour.
• Providing a safe environment free from disruption, physical violence, bullying or any form of harassment.
• Establishing and maintaining a positive relationship with parents and carers that involves them in the implementation of the School’s policy and associated procedures.
• Using restorative and reflective approaches in the first instance to deal with any issues
• Promoting the use of IEPs to ensure that staff are aware of needs of each pupil and thereby limiting potential behaviour issues.
• Ensuring that all staff are aware of specific needs as detailed in EHCP documentation.
• Staff training in behaviour management techniques, especially in light of any incidents or individual pupils joining the school with specific needs
• Publishing the behaviour and associated policies on the school website and reinforcing expectations through PHSE, tutor time, assemblies and extra-curricular activities.
• Reviewing the policy annually and following any updates from the DfE.

This policy takes into account the non-statutory advice in Behaviour and Discipline in Schools (2014) (reissued September 2016) and duties under the Equality Act 2010, including issues relating to pupils with SEND and how reasonable adjustments are made for these pupils. The Principal, Senior Leadership Team and relevant staff should also read Parts 1 and 5 of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022.

The staff will educate and support pupils through the curriculum and extra-curricular activities to attain the excellent standards of behaviour outlined above.  All members of staff will strive to lead by example at all times through their interactions with and behaviour towards pupils, parents and each other.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the School Safeguarding and Anti-Bullying policy and procedures.

Roles and Responsibilities.

The Principal and Senior Leadership Team will establish a policy for the promotion of excellent behaviour and ensure a timely review process in line with the above. The leadership team will ensure that the policy is clear, fair and non-discriminatory. The leadership team will communicate the policy to pupils, parents and staff. The Advisory Body will support the School in maintaining the excellent standards that the policy promotes.

The Principal will determine the expectations regarding behavior within the School.  The Principal with the Senior Leadership Team has overall responsibility for maintaining discipline in the School. This includes oversight of the development of the Behaviour Policy and facilitating its implementation. The Principal will have strategic responsibility for the support of staff facing challenging behaviour and will fulfill this role by:

• Promoting self-discipline and appropriate regard for authority among pupils.
• Encouraging excellent behaviour and respect for others.
• Encouraging restorative and reflective approaches from pupils
• Preventing all forms of bullying.
• Creating a clear leadership structure delegating roles and responsibilities for the detailed implementation of the behavioural policy.
• Consulting with staff, advisory body, pupils and parents regarding standards of behaviour.
• Designating those staff, including support staff, with authority to discipline pupils, in school and whilst engaged in extra-curricular activities.
• Ensuring that appropriate CPD on a whole school and individual basis is provided to enable the implementation of the behaviour policy in a consistent, fair and non-discriminatory manner.
• Taking any other steps necessary to regulate the conduct of pupils with due regard to issues of safeguarding and equal opportunities.

The Senior Leadership Team will support the Principal in securing and maintaining excellent standards of behaviour by:

• Adhering to the aims and objectives of the Behaviour Policy as outlined above.
• Implementing the detail of the Behaviour Policy within their areas of responsibility as delegated to them by the Principal.
• Monitoring and evaluating the impact of the policy on standards of behaviour and its day-to-day enforcement with due regard for related polices including Safeguarding and Equal Opportunities.
• Carrying out or facilitating all CPD in relation to behaviour and the implementation of the policy as directed by the Principal.
• Contributing fully to the timely review of the Behaviour Policy including, but not limited to, consultation with staff, parents and pupils. This consultation will be carried out when significant changes to policy or procedure are required.

All Staff are expected to adhere to this policy in order to ensure that standards are maintained. They will as designated, play a key role in educating and counselling pupils in order to promote self- discipline and responsibility. Staff will work in a strategic and coordinated way to deal with behavioural matters in partnership with parents and carers. They will follow all lines of referral to ensure that appropriate intervention, reinforcement and support is delivered. During this process they will take into account a range of school policies relating to safeguarding and equal opportunities which may necessitate the involvement of external services.

Parents and Carers will be expected to work in partnership with the school to support it in its aim of securing and maintaining excellent standards of behaviour.  In line with home/school consultations parents and carers will be given opportunities to comment on the Behaviour Policy. The School will liaise with parents/carers and other agencies including, but not limited to, police, counseling services, social services and LADO, if it is deemed necessary whilst considering behavioural and disciplinary matters. At all times due consideration will be given to matters of safeguarding, equality and SEND.

Students are expected to take responsibility for their behaviour and the consequences associated with it. Students will be made fully aware of the Schools standards and the rewards and sanctions associated with those standards. They will be educated in those standards in classrooms, tutor time, assemblies, extra-curricular activities and by the behaviour of the adults and senior pupils around them.  All students will be encouraged to report any behaviour that is contrary to the ethos of the School.

Malicious allegations against staff made by a student are likely to constitute an infringement of the Behaviour Policy. This could lead to an appropriate sanction which could include temporary or permanent exclusion as well as a referral to the police if there are grounds for believing that a criminal offence has been committed.

Training

As stated above the Principal, supported by the Senior Leadership Team will ensure that appropriate CPD is provided for staff to support the implementation of the behaviour policy. This will take the form of INSET, external courses, individual mentoring or any intervention deemed necessary as a result of performance management or disciplinary procedures.

Transition Of Pupils.

The School will liaise both internally and externally with all necessary services to ensure an                accurate and timely exchange of information that will facilitate the smooth management of transition, from institution to institution and or from phase to phase in order to ensure the correct behaviour support is provided and safeguarding requirements are met.  

The Review Of The Policy

The Senior Leadership Team will review the Behaviour Policy annually and upon receipt of updates from the DFE or other government authorised body with responsibility for any aspect of education that impacts upon discipline and behaviour in schools. Such review will seek to continue the established relationship with other School policies impacting upon the welfare, safeguarding, progress and achievement of students.

Behaviour Standards

Personal

• Follow staff instructions.
• Behave appropriately, physically and verbally, towards any other person.
• Wear the prescribed School uniform, and the appropriate kit for games, physical education and other physical activities, including any safety or protective clothing or equipment.
• Respect other people’s points of view.
• Speak politely to everyone. Using bad language is not acceptable at any time.

School Environment

• Keep the school clean by ensuring that all litter is placed in bins.
• Respect all property, equipment and fixtures & fittings.
• Timetabled Lessons
• Ensure you are prepared for each lesson, arrive promptly, line up quietly outside the classroom and behave quietly and sensibly at all times.
• Conduct throughout the lesson must be conducive to learning and no student may disturb the learning process of another.
• Permission from your teacher must be sought before leaving a lesson.
• Homework set must be checked Google Classroom and completed as directed.
• Eating, drinking and chewing gum are not allowed during lessons.
• Students must wait to be formally dismissed by class teachers.

Personal Possessions

• Bring into School only items required for use in lessons, these should all be clearly named.
• Inappropriate items such as fireworks, weapons, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, matches, aerosol sprays and alcohol must not be brought onto School premises at any time.
• Valuable items should not be brought into School and money should be limited to small amounts.
• The buying and selling of personal possessions is not allowed.
• Personal property is entirely the responsibility of the owner.
• Respect the personal possessions of others.

Teachers & Adults in the School community

• All members of the School community and visitors should be treated courteously.
• Teachers are in the position of loco parentis and this authority should be respected at all times. Any reasonable request from a teacher should be carried out.
• Where a conflict of interest arises an appropriate member of staff will be assigned to deal with the matter.

Behaviour outside lessons

These occasions include break-times, School journeys and trips and other School organised events.

All of the expectations mentioned above will still apply, as appropriate, on any occasion when pupils are under school jurisdiction.

The Restorative System

Under the restorative system behaviour is managed by staff as follows:

Behaviour, in the first instance, is managed by the class teacher. From here concerns should be raised with form tutors who can then refer to relevant Deputy Head as necessary. All concerns deemed significant will be logged. In the case of serious incidents matters can be referred directly to the Principal. Deputy Heads will inform the Principal of all serious breaches of the discipline code.

Transgressors of the policy will be dealt with via a stepped system.

A student will be reminded of their behavioural obligations by the teacher and asked to modify their behaviour. It is expected that this warning will be sufficient.

During the week and in boarding, if there are any issues/incidents or conflict between children or even adults they are dealt with in a restorative and reflective way. The language used is very fair, calm and respectful.

About Restorative Language:

When our pupils find themselves in conflict or upset we will ask them:

• What happened?
• What were you thinking when it happened?
• What needs to happen to put this right?
• What would you do differently next time?

We might also say to our pupils:

• What would you think if this happened to you?
• How can we put this right?
• What could you do differently next time?
• What other choice could you have made?
• How could you make sure this doesn’t happen again?

Most situations can be dealt with by working through these questions. The aim here is that the outcome is fair for everyone. If somebody is upset, we aim to make them feel better. If someone has done something wrong, we expect them to take responsibility for their actions and fix the situation.

If the offence is considered by the teacher to be sufficiently serious to miss out the warning, or restorative process, a detention can be awarded by the teacher and logged on the school’s behaviour management system. If a detention is given, the teacher should inform the parents and the form tutor.

In the rare case of a serious breach of the behaviour policy immediate action can be taken. In the Senior School the teacher may withdraw the student from the lesson and send them to the School Office. The School Office will then locate and inform a member of the Senior Leadership Team who is free to deal with the pupil and notify the teacher that the student is under supervision. Should this measure be taken, the member of staff who has sent the student out of the lesson must contact the parents to give details of why the student was asked to leave. A meeting must take place with the member of staff, the student and either the Form Tutor, the Deputy Head Pastoral or the Deputy Head Academic at the nearest possible opportunity in order to seek to resolve the issue. It may also be necessary for parents/carers to be present at the meeting.

Serious Offences

There are times when the breaking of rules, regulations or the behaviour policy will need to be treated very seriously indeed, for example bullying, stealing, or breaking boundaries.

In some circumstances, either during the school day or during boarding hours staff may need to search pupils or their belongings, as failure to do so would put at risk the welfare of a child or others.  All such searches will comply with DfE guidelines.  

Where a transgression is deemed to be of a serious nature an appropriate punishment will be delivered at the discretion of the Principal, or one of the Deputy Heads. This may involve internal exclusion, temporary exclusion or permanent exclusion (please see Exclusions Policy). In rare cases, where internal and external exclusion is employed, approval will be required from the Principal.

Pastoral Support

The tutor is the primary source of pastoral support and as such has an important role in monitoring and managing pupil’s behaviour.

A record of detentions issued is kept centrally for the tutor to monitor any changes in behaviour patterns.

Tutors are encouraged to liaise with parents/carers following any behaviour concerns, firstly to keep them informed as to the disciplinary actions taken and secondly to discuss the management actions that will be used to modify and correct the behaviour in the future.

The tutor works closely with the LDU department to ensure all staff are aware of issues related to pupils with special educational needs/disabilities and how reasonable adjustments can be made for these pupils in the methods used by the teacher to control behaviour based on the pupils needs.

Daily behavioural/pastoral reports can be can be used to highlight a particular area of concern and can help to monitor more closely behaviour. The report is checked regularly by the tutor and monitored by the relevant Deputy Head. The reports are used in communication with parents.

Where necessary and where the existing internal School procedures have been exhausted or need to be supplemented, the School will consult with external agencies in order to safeguard the well-being of students.

Behaviour giving cause for concern should be considered within a safeguarding context, and where appropriate safeguarding procedures should be followed including recording on MyConcern.

Promoting Positive Behaviour (Rewards)

Reward Systems involve staff rewarding students on a regular basis as this acts as an incentive for students to work towards achieving targets and goals set in lessons and contributing to their House community.  It also encourages involvement in all other aspects of School life.

Staff can award a house point using the School’s House Point system. Points are summarised regularly with certificates awarded when specific quantities of points are gained.  At Speech Day, the House Cup is awarded to the house gaining the highest amount of house points during the year. There are two houses, Lions and Unicorns, and pupils are assigned to one or the other on entry.

During the course of the academic year, departments may run initiatives focusing on key aspects of behaviour and citizenship.

Staff are free to use the reward system as they see fit. If rewards are given too often or not often enough then their value can be diminished and become counter-productive.

Verbal praise and positive reinforcement is a valuable tool in securing excellent standards of behaviour.

Staff are encouraged to reward pupils for consistency in standards of work, both in the classroom and in extra-curricular activities.

Behaviour that promotes the ethos of the School is also rewarded as is pupil-initiated activity.  

Principal’s Commendations are awarded when something exceptional has been achieved.  This could be an outstanding piece of work or an action that is above and beyond expectations.  

Corporal Punishment And Use Of Reasonable Force – DfE Advice July 2013

In accordance with the law there is no corporal punishment allowed by the School.   However, the Principal or any other member of staff may use ‘reasonable force’ in certain circumstances. (Ref. the Positive Handling Policy).

The term ‘reasonable force’ covers the broad range of actions used by most teachers at some point in their career that involves a degree of physical contact with pupils.

Force is usually used either to control or restrain. This can range from guiding a pupil to safety by the arm through to more extreme circumstances such as breaking up a fight or where a student needs to be restrained to prevent violence or injury.

‘Reasonable in the circumstances’ means using no more force than is needed.

Control means either passive physical contact, such as standing between pupils or blocking a pupil’s path which may result in contact, or active physical contact such as leading a pupil by the arm out of a classroom.

Restraint means to hold back physically or to bring a pupil under control. It is typically used in more extreme circumstances, for example when two pupils are fighting and refuse to separate without physical intervention.

School staff should always try to avoid acting in a way that might cause injury, but in extreme cases it may not always be possible to avoid injuring the pupil.

When can reasonable force be used?

Reasonable force can be used to prevent pupils from hurting themselves or others, from damaging property, or from causing disorder.

In a school, force is used for two main purposes – to control pupils or to restrain them.

The decision on whether or not to physically intervene is down to the professional judgement of the staff member concerned and should always depend on the individual circumstances.

The following list is not exhaustive but provides some examples of situations where reasonable force can be used.

Schools can use reasonable force to:

• Remove disruptive children from the classroom where they have refused to follow an instruction to do so;
• Prevent a pupil behaving in a way that disrupts a school event or a school trip or visit;
• Prevent a pupil leaving the classroom where allowing the pupil to leave would risk their safety or lead to behaviour that disrupts the behaviour of others;
• Prevent a pupil from attacking a member of staff or another pupil, or to stop a fight in the playground.
• Restrain a pupil at risk of harming themselves through physical outbursts.

Staff should report any necessary intervention, to the Principal, in the event of having to separate a child or use reasonable force to stop a child from hurting themselves or others. All incidents where physical intervention is used to manage a child’s behaviour should be recorded and parents should be informed about it on the same day. These incidents can be recorded in the bound book kept in the school safe. These incidents will need to be recorded by the relevant Deputy Head and the Principal informed immediately if such an incident occurs.

International School makes reference to the Dfes document “Use of Reasonable Force.”  Advice for headteachers, staff and governing bodies 2013.” The document is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-reasonable-force-in-schools

Drug Use (Including Smoking And Alcohol) On The School Site:

The School does not tolerate any use of drugs (including smoking and alcohol) on the school site, alongside which our approach is to educate students to the risks of any form of drug use.

This policy and other related policies will be followed in the event that a young person brings drugs onto the school site.

The school will search the possessions of any student suspected of bringing drugs onto the school site (see Search and Confiscation Procedure) and may be required to involve outside authorities in the event that drugs are found.

Appropriate sanctions will be applied by the school once the full range of information relating to the context of the situation has been gathered and investigated by the Deputy Head Pastoral, the Principal and a member of the safeguarding team. Records will be kept in accordance with the school’s policy.

Where a student has been identified as using drugs (including smoking and alcohol) the school will seek to follow the DfE and ACPO Drug Advice for Schools (September 2012) in order to provide the most appropriate form of support for the student within the context of the situation and in liaison with appropriate authorities, organizations and the parents and carers of the young person involved.

Awareness of issues relating to the use of drugs (including smoking and alcohol) will be raised via PSHE lessons with students advised of sources of information and support that can be accessed online.