Behaviour for Learning

Overarching Principles

1. All members of Bourne Grammar School community are expected to maintain the highest standards of personal conduct, to accept responsibility for their behaviour and act in a respectful and courteous manner.
2. Everyone has the right to feel safe, valued and respected in an environment free from discrimination and where learning and teaching can take place without disruption.
3. Building positive relationships, encouraging self-reflection and maintaining clear and consistent expectations will enable students to regulate their own behaviour. This in turn will contribute to the Best Atmosphere, where everyone is working together to achieve the highest standards.
4. There is a strong emphasis on student accountability, but staff and parents/carers have an important role to play in recognising and reinforcing positive behaviours to allow students to flourish.
5. Excellent behaviour in all aspects of School life is a minimum expectation; the implementation of this Behaviour for Learning Policy is the responsibility of all staff.
6. Any form of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse or sexual violence (including sexualised language) is unacceptable and will be dealt with in accordance with this policy and our Safeguarding policy.
7. Although this policy relates primarily to School life during the school day, it may also be applied to situations off-site and out of term-time. These include behaviour that could bring the School into disrepute or which has a serious impact on the School community or individuals within it.

Policy Aims

1. To help ensure that all members of the School community feel safe in an environment free from disruption, discrimination, abuse and harassment.
2. To facilitate outstanding teaching and learning.
3. To create a culture of outstanding behaviour and establish the highest standards.
4. To cultivate a climate of acceptance, resilience, confidence and making positive choices, where mutual respect pervades the life of the School.
5. To ensure equality of opportunity and the fulfilment of individual potential.
6. To help learners take control of their own behaviour and be responsible for the consequences of it.
7. To adopt a consistent approach to managing behaviour.
8. To promote the importance of positive relationships, early intervention, the use of restorative practices and the recognition of positive behaviour.
9. To ensure that students know where to access support in relation to pastoral issues and the nature of support available (including specialist support).

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Students are expected to:
   1. be respectful, safe and prepared;
   2. model excellent behaviour for others, both on-site and off-site (this expectation increases as students progress in their School careers);
   3. take responsibility for their own behaviour and the decisions they make;
   4. follow reasonable staff instructions and accept interventions and consequences in an appropriate way;
   5. cooperate with, and abide by, any arrangements put in place to support their behaviour;
   6. wear the School uniform/dress code correctly at all times;
   7. adhere to the Behaviour for Learning Policy and the Home-School Agreement.
2. Parents/carers are expected to:
   1. encourage their sons and daughters to behave appropriately and respectfully;
   2. support the School’s authority to discipline students and work with the School to support their child’s positive behaviour;
   3. help ensure that their sons and daughters follow instructions by staff and adhere to the Behaviour for Learning Policy;
   4. send their child to School each day punctually and suitably prepared to learn;
   5. inform the School of any changes in circumstances that may affect their child’s behaviour or wellbeing;
   6. attend meetings with staff, if required, to discuss their child’s behaviour.
3. Staff are expected to:
   1. implement the Behaviour for Learning Policy consistently;
   2. model positive behaviour, including personal presentation;
   3. encourage students to make correct choices, give opportunities to correct poor choices and expect students to accept the consequences of their behaviour;
   4. provide a personalised approach to the specific behavioural needs of particular students;
   5. record behaviour incidents.
4. Middle Leaders and Senior Leaders will support staff in implementing the Behaviour for Learning Policy.
5. The Headteacher is responsible for:
   1. reviewing and approving the Behaviour for Learning Policy;
   2. ensuring that the School environment encourages positive behaviour and that staff manage and modify poor behaviour effectively;
   3. monitoring how staff implement the Behaviour for Learning Policy to ensure rewards and sanctions are applied with a high degree of consistency.
6. Governors
   1. The Governors are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the Behaviour for Learning Policy and holding the Headteacher to account for its implementation. The Pastoral and Community Committee receive Pastoral Reviews regularly.

Legal duties and relationship with other policies

1. This policy is based on advice from the Department for Education (DfE) on:
   1. Behaviour and discipline in schools.
   2. Searching, screening and confiscation at school.
   3. The Equality Act 2010.
   4. Use of reasonable force in schools.
   5. Supporting students with medical conditions at school.
   6. Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) code of practice.
   7. School suspensions and permanent exclusions.
2. In addition, this policy is based on:
   1. Schedule 1 of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014; paragraph 7 outlines a school’s duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, paragraph 9 requires the school to have a written behaviour policy and paragraph 10 requires the school to have an anti-bullying strategy.
   2. DfE guidance explaining that academies should publish their behaviour policy and anti-bullying strategy online.
3. This Behaviour for Learning Policy is linked to the following policies:
   1. Safeguarding Policy.
   2. Anti-Bullying Policy.
   3. Drugs and Alcohol Policy.
   4. Searching Students and Confiscation of Student Property Policy.

Managing Behaviour for Learning

Promoting positive behaviour

1. All staff are responsible for setting the tone and context for positive behaviour at School.
   1. Staff will follow the below principles:
      1. Be mutually supportive.
      2. Maintain clear and consistent expectations.
      3. Create a stimulating environment for all.
      4. Retain ownership where possible.
      5. Model positive and respectful behaviour.
      6. Practise self-reflection.
      7. Reinforce the expectation for students to be respectful, safe and prepared.
      8. Cultivate positive relationships with students by, inter alia;
         1. Recognising and reinforcing positive behaviours and giving attention to best conduct.
         2. Acting in a calm and consistent manner.
         3. Developing clear routines and greeting students at the start of lessons.
         4. Communicating expectations in advance of activities.
         5. Ensuring there is certainty to any consequence.
         6. Engaging students in reflective dialogue and reconciliation when appropriate.
         7. Challenging students who are not meeting expectations around the School site and following the principle of cue, caution, consequence.
   2. Middle Leaders will:
      1. be a visible presence encouraging appropriate conduct and positive behaviours.
      2. ensure staff within the Department/Year group are empowered to manage student behaviour by providing advice and support. Intervene where necessary to achieve this;
      3. meet with students who are persistently behaving inappropriately (alongside the relevant member of staff) to try and improve/resolve the situation;
      4. regularly celebrate staff and students whose efforts go above and beyond expectations. Encourage the recognition of positive student behaviours;
      5. use behaviour data to target and assess interventions;
      6. continue to implement Departmental/Year group level interventions if student behaviour is not improving; share concerns with the Leadership Team if necessary.
   3. LT will:
      1. meet and greet students at the beginning of the day;
      2. be a visible presence around the site;
      3. celebrate staff, middle leaders and students whose effort goes above and beyond expectations;
      4. identify staff training needs, share good practice and provide behaviour management training for all staff;
      5. support middle leaders in managing students with more complex or entrenched negative behaviours;
      6. use behaviour data to target and assess school-wide behaviour policy and practice.

Rewards

1. Positive behaviour will be recognised and rewarded by, for example:
   1. Praise.
   2. Achievement/Merit points.
   3. Letters/Emails/Phone calls to parents/carers.
   4. Increased responsibility.
   5. Privileges, appropriate to the student's age.
   6. Nominated for Student of the Week.
   7. Nominated for Headteacher’s Award.
   8. Nominated for a prize at Speech night.

Consequences of unacceptable behaviour

1. Staff will remain professional when managing student behaviour and give ‘take-up time’ where possible.
2. Staff will follow-up incidents of poor behaviour every time, retain ownership whenever possible and engage students in reflective dialogue.
3. Staff will always challenge students who are not meeting behaviour expectations.
4. Staff will typically manage minor disruptive/poor behaviour by Cue, Caution, Consequence:
   1. Cue: Remind the student of expectations, referring back to respectful, safe, prepared. Remind them that they are responsible for their own behaviour. Attempt to re-engage where possible.
   2. Caution: Caution the student and share the consequences of them continuing to behave in that way. Emphasise that they have an opportunity to take responsibility and improve the situation. Allow take-up time where possible.
   3. Consequence: issue a consequence if the student chooses not to take the opportunity to improve their behaviour and be 'respectful, safe and prepared'.
5. Where students choose not to be 'respectful, safe and prepared' they will receive an appropriate consequence (sanction).
   1. These may be applied where a student has misbehaved off-site when representing the School, such as on a School trip or on the bus on the way to or from School.
   2. Consequences include:
      1. A verbal caution.
      2. Completion of additional work.
      3. Change of seating plan.
      4. Reparation meeting with a member of staff (and another student if necessary).
      5. Progress Support Booklet focused on behaviour.
      6. Removal from the lesson (this should be used sparingly).
      7. Detention at break, lunchtime, or after-school.
      8. Letters/emails or phone calls home to parents/carers/carers.
      9. Completing a task that is beneficial to the School community, but which is not too physical and is not degrading to the student.
      10. Confiscation of student’s property (see Searching Students and Confiscation of Student Property Policy).
      11. Withholding participation in trips or sports fixtures/other events that are not essential to the curriculum.
      12. Involvement of a senior member of staff.
      13. Implementation of a behaviour contract, Individual Behaviour Education Plan or Pastoral Support Programme.
      14. Internal suspension (isolation)
      15. External suspension.
      16. Permanent Exclusion - used in extreme cases only.
6. Removal from lesson:
   1. A student may be sent out of a lesson, normally for a maximum of 5 minutes.
   2. For more severe issues they may spend the remainder of the lesson in another class or be supervised by another member of the Department, such as by the Subject Leader.
   3. In extreme situations a member of the Leadership Team or another member of staff will be called to the lesson.
   4. If a student is removed from a lesson and supervised by another member of staff, a reparation meeting needs to take place, before they can return to their normal timetabled lesson.
   5. If a student is only out of the room for a short period of time, before they return to the lesson, they must reflect on their actions and the teacher must highlight the behaviour that is of concern, reinforce expectations (in relation to respectful, safe and prepared) and remind the student of the consequences of further issues
7. Detentions.
   1. The School has the power to issue detentions and these may be scheduled on the same day that they are issued.
   2. However, the School will endeavour to notify students and parents/carers/carers 24 hours in advance of an after-school detention.
8. Same day after-school detentions may be used if a member of staff has contacted and spoken to a parent/carer and the student can get home safely.
9. After-school detentions may inconvenience parents/carers, but as stipulated by the DfE, this is not a reason for a student to miss a detention.
10. Paragraph 29 on page 10 of the DfE guidance says that schools can give detentions outside of school hours on:
    1. Any school day where the pupil does not have permission to be absent.
    2. Non-teaching days (i.e., training/INSET/non-contact days).

Bullying

1. Bullying is defined as the repetitive, intentional harming of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.
2. Bullying is therefore:
   1. Deliberately hurtful.
   2. Repeated, often over a period of time.
   3. Difficult to defend against.
3. Bullying can include: Emotional, physical, racial, or sexual bullying; direct or indirect verbal bullying, cyber-bullying.
4. Details of our School’s approach to preventing and addressing bullying are set out in our Anti-Bullying Policy.

Online Behaviour

1. Students are expected to represent the School in a positive light in the digital world. Students should conduct themselves over the internet in such a manner that the School is not brought into disrepute and the wellbeing of staff and students is protected.
2. The School will respond appropriately to incidents of poor behaviour or bullying online.
3. The School is generally unable to deal with online misconduct which is perpetrated out of School. However, if such behaviour adversely affects the learning or welfare of students in School, then appropriate action will be taken.

Zero-tolerance approach to Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence

1. The School will ensure that all incidents of sexual harassment and/or violence are met with a suitable response, and never ignored.
2. Pupils are encouraged to report anything that makes them uncomfortable, no matter how ‘small’ they feel it might be.
3. The School’s response will be in line with Government Guidance and will be:
   1. Proportionate.
   2. Considered.
   3. Supportive.
   4. Decided on a case-by-case basis.

Student Support systems

1. The School recognises its legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to prevent students with a protected characteristic from being at a disadvantage. Consequently, our approach to challenging behaviour may be differentiated to cater to the needs of the student.
2. The School’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator will evaluate a student who exhibits challenging behaviour to determine whether they have any underlying needs that are not currently being met.
3. Where necessary, support and advice will also be sought from specialist teachers, an educational psychologist, medical practitioners and/or others, to identify or support specific needs.
4. When acute needs are identified in a student, the School will liaise with external agencies and plan support programmes for that child. The School will work with parents/carers to create the plan and review it on a regular basis.
5. In order to effectively improve student behaviour, the School requires the support of parents/carers/carers, although there is also an emphasis on students taking responsibility for their own behaviour.
6. Parents/carers/carers will not routinely be notified about minor behavioural issues, but will be notified about after-school detentions and more severe breaches of the Behaviour for Learning Policy, especially if their support is felt to be especially necessary.
7. Parents/carers may be required to attend meetings with School staff and external agencies where required.
8. The School acknowledges the Lincolnshire Ladder of Behaviour Intervention and will initiate the Early Help Process and a Pastoral Support Programme where necessary.
9. The School engages two qualified counsellors who have enhanced DBS clearance and students who have additional needs may be referred for sessions, after consultation with the Pastoral Team.

Student Transition

1. To ensure behaviour is continually monitored and the right support is in place, information related to student behaviour issues may be transferred to relevant staff at the start of the term or year. Information on behaviour issues may also be shared with new settings for those students transferring to other schools.
2. The tutor system is designed to allow Form Tutors to progress through Year 8-11 with their tutees in order to provide continuity. Tutors in Year 7 are supported by a fixed Head of Year 7 who focuses on a smooth transition from Primary to Secondary school.
3. Year 7 Tutor groups are assigned a number of Sixth Form students who provide additional transition support.

Organisation and facilities

1. Detentions may take place on any 'permitted day' of detention as outlined in [Education and Inspections Act 2006].
2. Students may be required to work in the Inclusion Room or Pastoral Office in response to serious or persistent breaches of the Behaviour for Learning Policy.
3. If a student is Internally Suspended from School, they will work in the Inclusion Room or Pastoral Office and they will be expected to complete school work.
4. The Inclusion Room and Pastoral Office will be supervised when students are using them.

Staff Development and Support

1. Staff are provided with regular training on managing behaviour in the form of staff briefings and training days. They are also supported via the Line Management system.
2. Allegations of abuse by staff:
   1. Please refer to our Safeguarding Policy for more information on responding to allegations of abuse.
   2. Where a student makes an accusation against a member of staff and that accusation is shown to have been malicious, the Headteacher will discipline the student in accordance with this policy and parents/carers will be contacted.
   3. A malicious allegation by a student is likely to result in an exclusion, although the School will also take the necessary steps to understand why a student has made a malicious allegation and look to implement an Early Help Assessment.
   4. The member of staff will be supported by the Deputy Headteacher (Pastoral), alongside the relevant Line Manager if appropriate.
   5. The School will endeavour to provide access to the School counselling service, subject to availability.
   6. If the allegation is against the Headteacher, the Chair of Governors must be informed.

Searching Students and Confiscation of Student Property

1. Please refer to the School’s Searching Students and Confiscation of Student Property Policy, which identifies the below prohibited items:
2. Knives or weapons.
3. Alcohol.
4. Illegal drugs.
5. Stolen items.
6. Tobacco.
7. Fireworks.
8. Pornographic material, including electronic.
9. Any article that the member of staff reasonably suspects has been, or is likely to be, used to commit an offence, or to cause personal injury to, or to damage the property of, any person (including the student).
10. In addition to the items listed above and those included in the Drugs and Alcohol Policy, the below items are also prohibited in order to help keep the School community safe and healthy:
    1. substances believed to be illegal drugs; legal drugs for which permission has not been granted;
    2. tobacco products and all smoking items, including cigarette papers; electronic cigarettes; lighters/matches;
    3. Laser Pens;
    4. Caffeinated Energy Drinks.
11. Any prohibited item listed above or in the Drugs and Alcohol Policy, will be confiscated and will not be returned to students.
12. The School will also confiscate any item which is harmful or detrimental to School discipline or if it is being used in a manner that has a negative impact on learning.
13. This includes a student’s mobile phone if it is disrupting learning or if it is being used in a way to harm others.
14. These items may be returned to students after discussion with the Pastoral Team.
15. A parent/carer may be required to collect the item from the School, if this is deemed more appropriate.

Use of reasonable force

1. In some circumstances, staff may use reasonable force to restrain a student to prevent them:
   1. Causing disorder.
   2. Hurting themselves or others.
   3. Damaging property.
2. Incidents of physical restraint must:
   1. Always be used as a last resort.
   2. Be applied using the minimum amount of force and for the minimum amount of time possible.
   3. Be used in a way that maintains the safety and dignity of all concerned.
   4. Never be used as a form of punishment.
   5. Be recorded and reported to parents/carers.

Date of next review

1. This Behaviour for Learning Policy will be reviewed by the Headteacher and the Pastoral and Community Committee every two years.
2. This policy was last reviewed and approved on 11 May 2022.
3. This policy will be reviewed in May 2024.