Behaviour
At William Harding school we ensure a consistent approach to behaviour. Although we have consequences for unacceptable behaviours, we focus on rewarding positive choices and encouraging positive learning behaviours.
Some pupils have additional behaviour needs. Those pupils will be supported through bespoke behaviour plans.
FAQ
1. Can staff put consequences in place for behaviour that occurs of the school site/outside of the school day?
Where a pupil has misbehaved off site, we will follow our in-school behaviour policy to determine the consequences for the behaviour, this may include suspension or permanent exclusion. Consequences may be applied where a pupil has misbehaved off-site when representing the school, such as on a school trip or travelling on the way to and from school. Schools have the power to sanction pupils for misbehaviour outside of the school premises. We may use consequences for non-criminal poor behaviour and bullying which occurs off the school premises or online and which is witnessed by a staff member or reported to the school in the following situations:
when taking part in any school-organised or school-related activity;
when travelling to or from school;
when wearing school uniform;
when in some other way identifiable as a pupil at the school;
that could have repercussions for the orderly running of the school;
that poses a threat to another pupil; or
that could adversely affect the reputation of the school.
2. When are parents informed about a behaviour?
Any behaviour determined to be at level 4 of higher, parents will be informed on the same day as the incident where possible. Teachers may inform parents about lower level behaviour where they deem it appropriate to do so e.g. if it is repeated regularly.
Please note that teachers are with their classes until almost 4pm each day and also have pre-arranged meetings after school that they must attend. Please also note, we cannot provide all information until all investigations have taken place. If an incident occurs in the afternoon, we may not be able to start to investigate until the following day. Therefore, calls to parents may take place later or the following day. We aim to inform parents as soon as it is reasonably possible to do so.
3. Can consequences be put in place in school for children who are unkind online when they are at home?
If children use school devices to send unkind messages then the school can provide consequences as this breaches our acceptable use policy. If children send unkind messages from home, using their own devices then we are unable to provide consequences for this, unless the behaviour / unkindness is also seen in school.
It is the responsibility of the parents to monitor internet use at home and provide consequences for any unkind behaviour. Please see our guides on setting privacy setting on devices and age appropriate apps on our following two website pages:
https://www.williamhardingschool.co.uk/online-safety-newsletters
https://www.williamhardingschool.co.uk/onlineesafety
4. Do you use any DfE (Department of Education) policies or guidance to inform your policies?
We use the following policies, please click the link to access the policy
5. Can you use physical contact with children?
Reasonable 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 force can be used to prevent pupils from hurting themselves or others, from damaging property, or from causing disorder.
The decision on whether or not to physically intervene is down to the professional judgement of the staff member concerned and will always depend on the individual circumstances and the Senior Leadership Team are always involved/informed. Schools do not require parental consent to use force on a pupil. A team of staff have received specialist training from the PRU to restrain pupils. Only this team will hold a pupil this ensure all holds are conducted following the national guidance.
6. Can staff search my child’s pockets, locker, bag, drawer etc?
Staff have the right to search for any article a staff member reasonably suspects has been, or is likely to be, used to commit an offence, or to cause personal injury to, or damage to the property of, any person (including the pupil). These could be; knives or weapons, alcohol, illegal drugs, stolen items, tobacco/cigarette papers, e cigarettes / vapes or Fireworks. Any prohibited items in pupils’ possession will be confiscated. These items will not be returned to pupils.
School staff will liaise with the police or other agencies if pupils are found to be in possession of any illegal item, including, data, images or videos on a pupil’s phone. We reserve the right to delete any data or files from a pupil’s mobile phone if we have a good reason to do so. If items are deleted, parents will be informed what was deleted and why.
7. What would behaviour would result in suspension?
In some cases, we may consider it necessary to suspend a pupil for a fixed period of time or permanently exclude a pupil from the school. This decision will be made by the Headteacher following an investigation of the behaviour and the causes. Parents will be informed of the reasons both verbally on collection of the pupil and also in writing.
Parents are expected to collect pupils as soon as possible once they have been informed of the need to collect their child. If they are unable to collect, they must notify the school of another person who will collect on their behalf. The pupil will not return to class. If a pupil is not collected within a reasonable time then the suspension may be rolled to the next day. Some examples of reasons for suspension are listed below:
Physical assault
Verbal abuse or threatening behaviour
Significant or persistent disruption of school life or learning
Damage to property or the learning environment
Attempting to, or leaving the school site
Unsafe behaviours
Use, or threat of use, of an offensive weapon or prohibited item
Inappropriate use of social media or online technology
Bullying, racist abuse, abuse against sexual orientation or gender reassignment, abuse relating to disability, sexual abuse or harassment
Theft
8. What happens after a suspension?
Following a suspension, parents will be asked to attend a reintegration meeting before their child returns to class. The aim of the meeting is to identify the triggers for the behaviours and put strategies in place to prevent a reoccurrence. Wellbeing Plans may be updated following a suspension and will be shared in the meeting. An emergency Annual Review may be called for a pupil with an EHCP. External support from the PRU or a reduced timetable may also be offered.
9. What does the school do about bullying?
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’. Where there are one off incidents, or the investigation reveals that a situation is not bullying, support will be put in place for those involved. Consequences will be given according to the behaviour policy.
Where an investigation does identify bullying we will put in place support for the perpetrator and victim. We will inform all parents involved and will ensure consequences are in place. As per the GDPR section, we cannot discuss other pupils with parents. We will also ensure other measures are put in place to prevent a reoccurrence e.g. class move offered, monitoring, additional support at lunchtime mediation, education or moving seating in the classroom.
External Support
We also seek advice and support from external agencies where needed. We work with CAMHs, school nursing and the Pupil Referral Unit to provide support for pupils.
PRU - Pathways Primary Pupil Referral Unit
Units 1 and 2
The Abbey Centre
Weedon Road
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP19 9NS
Tel: 01296 387300
Email: pathways@primarypru.bucks.sch.uk
Zones of Regulation
To support our children in self regulating, we run twice half termly ‘Zones of Regulation’ sessions. These sessions help the children to identify their emotions as well as giving them strategies to self-calm. Please see the slides below for more information:
Click here.
Promoting Positive Behaviours with Your Child Presentation
This presentation, explores effective strategies and techniques to support you in promoting positive behaviours in your child/children at home.
The presentation covers the following topics:
How the brain develops and works
The crisis cycles
Consistency
The power of praise
Managing meltdown moments
Getting back on track
How to get more help