Our School Rules and expected standards of behaviour have been formulated so that the School may function smoothly and safely for all who work in it, and so that all pupils can benefit from their educational opportunities. The vast majority of our pupils co-operate naturally and helpfully in the maintenance of good order. However, we do have a discipline policy for those pupils who deliberately break the rules or whose actions or words may threaten the safety, well-being or progress of others.
Throughout the school and in every classroom the discipline levels are displayed along with a poster displaying the behavioural expectations of the pupils.
The discipline policy consists of 7 levels as described in the table below.
| Level | Action |
| 1 | Verbal warning. |
| 2 | Isolation within class or second verbal warning. |
| 3 | ‘Stop and Think’ exercise issued, return date specified by teacher. If exercise is not returned by date, pupil will go straight onto Level 4. |
| 4 | Referral to Principal Teacher and Discipline Letter sent home. (Detention and/or Planned Time Out may also be issued at this point.) |
| 5 | Referral to Year Head. Warning of Exclusion issued. |
| 6 | Exclusion by Head Teacher. |
| 7 | Removal from School Roll. |
If a pupil reaches level 3 on the Discipline Policy, a ‘Stop and Think’ exercise will either be issued directly to the pupil or sent home by the Class Teacher. This should be completed and returned by the specified date. Should a pupil reach level 4 or be ‘Immediately Timed Out’ of class a Discipline Letter will be sent home to explain what has happened to merit a pupil being placed on one of these levels.
Sanctions may be imposed as a result of indiscipline at these levels and may take the form of written work to be done at home or a lunchtime detention. Parents will be informed of any sanctions in the discipline letter.
If a pupil reaches level 5, parents will receive a copy of a Warning of Exclusion Letter and invited to school to discuss their child’s behaviour, who will be timed out of the class until the meeting has taken place.
Occasionally, a pupil will be excluded by the Head Teacher if the pupil reaches level 6 and parents will receive a copy of an Exclusion Letter. They will be then invited into school to discuss their child’s behaviour and how we can move forward.
Exclusions may result from a one off serious incident or through an accumulation of discipline incidents. Please note that this is a sanction available to Head Teachers and is used. However we work in an inclusive way with young people and their family to ensure it is a last resort.
If there are concerns regarding a pupil’s organisational abilities, such as coming to school without the correct books, failure to meet deadlines or the non-completion of homework, parents will receive an “Information Letter” rather than a “Discipline Letter”.
The Period Report
A further, more detailed method of reporting a pupil’s progress may be through a Period Report which class teachers make comment on and sign after each period. Parents are asked to sign it before the pupil returns the report to the school office next day. The use of a Period Report is designed to make parents aware of good behaviour and progress as much as bad.
Positive Information
Sanctions and the means of transmitting concerns to parents are a necessary part of the discipline structure but so too is the need to have a way of making parents aware of “good news”. A Praise Award informs parents and the pupils themselves of what staff regard as a particularly praiseworthy work or behaviour. It may also recognise a situation where the pupil has promoted the school in an event or activity in or out of school time.
As well as using Praise Awards, staff record pupils who have consistently produced a high standard of effort and followed all points on the Pupil Code. A reward event is held for each House Group at the end of each term to celebrate pupils’ efforts and achievements.
Almost all of our pupils share our aim of making the school a safe and pleasant place to work in, and are seldom involved in the disciplinary process. Even when sanctions are used, we would like to think that their imposition is always accompanied by a spirit of understanding and fairness.
Behaviour Support
Pupils whose behaviour has been identified as giving cause for concern, will work with the school’s Behaviour Support teacher Mrs Anderson to develop strategies to improve their behaviour in class. Parents have an important role in supporting the work of the Behaviour Support teacher in tackling the problems identified.