Behaviour Policy Including Exculsion - September 2019 - Dene Academy

Behaviour Policy
      Including Exculsion

          September 2019

    Review – September 2021

            Dene Academy is part of
Advance Learning Partnership Multi Academy Trust

Introduction

Behaviour in schools is inseparable from academic achievement, safety, welfare and
well-being, and all other aspects of learning. It is the key to all other aims, and therefore
crucial.

At Dene Academy it is the aim to promote outstanding behaviour for learning that enables all
students to achieve their full potential in a safe and calm environment.

Objectives

   1. Ensure that Dene Academy, is a safe and supportive environment for all staff and
      students;

   2. Ensure that all members of the school community are shown respect and show
      respect for others

   3. Endeavour to ensure that all members of the school community feel safe and are not
      subject to physical or verbal abuse, aggression or harassment both on, and outside of
      the school site;

   4. Encourage a positive approach to behaviour by modeling the expected standards and
      rewarding good behaviour;

   5. Ensure that the environment, curriculum and other factors within the school's control
      are monitored to ensure the promotion of good behaviour and ensure that where
      behaviour falls short of accepted standards, procedures are followed and sanctions
      are applied fairly and consistently.

Restorative Approaches

Dene Academy is committed to a ‘Restorative Approach’ of behaviour management, which
focuses on the harm caused rather than the rules broken. It shows equal concern and
commitment to all those involved by allowing all the chance to have a say in what happens.
We recognises that the school is a community and its members have a responsibility to each
other.

Rewarding Good Behaviour

At Dene Academy we believe that good behaviour is best promoted and developed by
drawing attention to, and rewarding, well‐behaved students. This can be achieved in variety
of ways, which includes:

         The awarding of praise points on Class Charts
         Specific acknowledgement in school sources such as 20/20, our digital signage or
          via social media.
         Individual praise – e.g. in private; in assembly; in class.
         Awarding of prizes.
         Praise postcards sent home every half term.
         Presentation of Achievement Certificates.
         Access to termly reward trips run by our House Champions.

Class Charts

Dene Academy uses Class Charts to record positive aspects of behaviour using a stepped
praise system. This information is shared with home through an app and with students via
their tutor. Positive Class Charts points are used to determine rewards such as students of
the week, tutor of the week and termly reward trips.

Good News Postcards

These postcards are issued via Progress Leaders and Heads of Year.

   Examples of how students gain good news postcards:

      Consistently making outstanding verbal contributions to lessons
      Consistently making outstanding written contributions to lessons
      Consistently producing exceptional pieces of work of any kind
      Outstanding endeavour or effort within a lesson
      Consistently treating people with respect
      Consistently caring for the school environment
      Consistently demonstrating initiative
      Consistently taking part in out of hours learning
      Representing the school at a level beyond the ordinary
      Displaying a caring attitude for members of the school community

Individual Attendance Awards

Bronze -> Students are to achieve 95% attendance
Silver -> Students are to achieve 97% attendance
Gold -> Students are to achieve 99%

Student’s rewards are based on their attendance percentage and their positive point ratio.
Both of these reset at the end of each term. Students have 3 attempts to get onto the
Bronze/Silver/Gold reward trip throughout the year (Christmas/ Easter/Summer). If students
achieve less than 95% attendance, they will not receive a reward

Student of the Week Award

Each week the students with the most praise points or who have made the most improvement
over the week in each year group are identified by the Progress Leaders. A letter is sent
home and the students name is circulated to staff for additional praise. Students of the week
are also displayed on the digital signage in school.

Reward Trips

At the end of each term the following three factors are taken in to consideration to determine
whether or not a student is entitled to attend a reward trip.
     Effort in lessons
     Attendance
     Behaviour Points

Reward trips are categorised in to bronze, silver and gold.

Unsatisfactory Behaviour

Whilst actively encouraging and rewarding good behaviour, Dene Academy’s Behaviour
Policy makes clear that unsatisfactory behaviour will not be ignored or tolerated. Boundaries
are made clear and sanctions are applied when students willfully ignore the rules of conduct.
In order for unsatisfactory behaviour to be dealt with effectively, it is considered important to
have the fullest picture of a student's behaviour so that any incident may be seen in the widest
possible context. Such information will not only be used in judging what sanction is
appropriate, but will also inform efforts to identify any underlying cause for the behaviour and
to work with the student to improve their behaviour in future.

Class Charts

Repeated poor behaviour or a change in pattern of behaviour giving rise to concern is
recorded on Class Charts. Form tutors, Progress Leaders and Heads of Year will frequently
check the entries in the log. If a student is displaying inappropriate behaviour or having
difficulties throughout the curriculum on a consistent basis, the pastoral team will implement
further action in line with this policy.

Parents also have access to their child’s class charts account. This can be checked online
or via the class charts app.

The Use of Sanctions

On occasions, the behaviour of a minority of students may fall below the standard expected
and, in these instances a range of sanctions may be applied. Care is taken to apply the
sanction most appropriate to the student concerned and the nature of the misdemeanor.
These include:

      Moving a student's position in class

      Loss of break/lunchtime

      Withdrawal of other privileges

      Detention

      Informing parents by letter, phone call or inviting to a meeting

      Referral to the Head of Department / Progress Leader / Head of Year / SLT

      Being placed on report

      Isolating students by removing them from class for a time (only with approval of a
       Subject Leader / Progress Leader / Head of Year / SLT)

      Internal exclusion

      Exclusion (see exclusion policy ‐ procedure)

Department Management of Behaviour

Subject Leaders are responsible for managing behaviour in their subject areas and should
have procedures in place to ensure that students are adequately rewarded and/or sanctioned
for their behaviours. In addition, it expected that each Subject Leader assist teachers of their
subject when a student has received a C3. This usually means, housing the students whose
behaviour has fallen below the required standard and has been removed from the classroom.

It is then the responsibility of the Subject Leader to discuss with the classroom teacher to
decide whether or not that C3 warrants a 30 minute after school detention.

It is the responsibility of the Subject Leader to issue an On–Call should the behaviour of the
student deemed severe enough. Students will then be removed from the area with further
sanctions applied.

Detentions

It is no longer a legal requirement to provide 24 hours notice for an out of school detention
or to obtain the consent of parents.

Detention is important to ensure good order and discipline and, by choosing to send their
child to Dene Academy, parents are agreeing with the use of detention as a sanction. Parents
are responsible for the safe transport home of their child following detention. It is not a
consideration for school that making such arrangements is inconvenient.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that his/her parents are made aware of the detention
date and time. However, when after school detentions are issued, the parents/guardians will
be notified via text.

When a C3 is recorded on Class Charts and a 30-minute detention set, then a short log will
be made on Class Charts of the reason why. This is will be checked by the Progress Leaders
and Heads of Year.

Learning Support Unit (LSU)

The LSU is the school’s learning support unit where pupils who breach school rules may be
educated separately anywhere from a single lesson up to 5 consecutive days depending
upon the severity of the breech.

Students will complete English, Maths and Science work in the morning session with a more
pshe/restorative focus in the afternoon, which may include group work. On occasion,
students may also work on individual coursework or complete outstanding assessments.

Internal Exclusion

In some cases a behaviour incident may warrant an Internal Exclusion. Parents will be
informed on the day of the incident and the student should return to school the following day
at 10am until 4pm in the LSU. Any misbehaviour during this time will result in an immediate
fixed term exclusion.

Fixed Term Exclusion (FTE)

Depending on the nature of the behaviour incident, a student may receive a FTE. Following
an appropriate investigation, if a student is found to have committed a breach of school rules
which the Head Teacher deems appropriate to warrant a FTE, parents/carers will be informed
on the day of the incident and a letter sent to the parent/carer within 24 hours.

On the return from a FTE, parents/carers must attend a re-integration meeting where the
students’ behaviour is discussed and the appropriate actions agreed.

The governors of the school must review any FTE’s that would result in a pupil being excluded
for more than 15 days in any one term.

Permanent Exclusion

Serious breaches of school rules and circumstances where allowing the student to remain
in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the student or others in the
school, may result in a permanent exclusion. In cases of this nature, a suitable amount of
time will be given to fully investigate the breach and to allow the Head Teacher to carefully
consider their decision based on this. If, following an investigation, a student is found to
have committed a breach to school rules which warrants a permanent exclusion,
parents/carers must be verbally informed on the day of the incident with a letter sent to the
parent/carer within 24 hours. In cases where additional evidence comes to light a fixed term
exclusion may be converted to a permanent exclusion. In these cases, the parent of the
child must be contacted in writing informing them of the PE within 24 hours of this evidence
coming to light.

Students with SEND

Students with a statement or with particular educational needs are expected to follow the
Academy’s Behaviour Policy and comply with all sanctions. Where behaviour is incurring a
risk of exclusion, all appropriate support agencies will be contacted and every reasonable
step will be made to ensure the needs of the student is being supported. Fixed term and
permanent exclusion, however, is still a possibility if serious misbehaviour occurs.

On return to school from a Fixed Term Exclusion, students identified as having SEND will
receive additional support with the reintegration process.

The main areas of need linked to the exclusion of this group of children is Social Emotional
and Mental Health Needs and Communication and Interaction.

SEND students will be taken through a Social Communication program consisting of six
dedicated 30 minute sessions, the intention of which is to explore in more depth how the
student understands the chain of events that led to the exclusion and the steps that can be
taken to make positive progress in the future.

With oversight from the SENCO, identified support staff will facilitate the sessions, at the end
of which there will be a record of the student progress and certificate of completion.

The “Talkabout for Teenagers” program will be used and contains material appropriately
designed for students with SEND.

Searching and confiscation

Following guidance set out by the Education and Inspections Act 2006, our members of staff
are authorised to use confiscation as a disciplinary sanction if it is lawful. This means that
staff may confiscate or seize items in the possession of students that are illegal, or banned
by the school. It is our first priority to ensure that students are in a safe and secure
environment when they are in our care, and any items that may jeopardise the safety of other
students or themselves will be taken off students without notice.

A teacher or someone who has lawful control of the child can search a student with their
permission to look for any item that the school’s rules say must not be brought into the school.
The Head Teacher and other members of staff authorised by them have the power to search
a student without the student’s consent if they suspect they are in possession of ‘prohibited
items’. Prohibited items that can be searched for without consent include:

             knives or weapons
             alcohol
             illegal drugs
             stolen items
             tobacco and cigarette papers (Any cigarettes confiscated in school will be
              destroyed)
             fireworks
             pornographic images
             articles that have been or could be used to commit an offence or cause harm.

The Education Act 2011 allows for staff seizing an electronic device to examine any data or
files on the device if they think there is good reason to do so. These data or files may be
erased before returning the item if they believe there is good reason to do this.

School Uniform and Dress Code

All students are expected to wear correct school uniform at all times. We ask all parents who
send their children to our school for their support of the school uniform policy. We believe
that parents have a duty to send their children to school correctly dressed and ready for their
daily schoolwork. Parents should ensure that their child has the correct uniform, and that it is
clean and in good repair. Parents / Carers / Students should note that students who are
persist in failing to comply with the policy will be monitored and escalated through our
Consequence System on the basis of their defiance.

Regulating Students’ Conduct Outside of the School Premises

Teachers have a statutory power to discipline students for misbehaving outside the school
premises. The Headteacher may choose to discipline a student for:

   any misbehaviour when the child is
       o taking part in any school organised or school related activity
       o travelling to or from school
       o wearing school uniform or is, in some other way, identifiable as a student at the
          school
   misbehaviour at any time that
       o could have repercussions for the orderly running of the school
       o poses a threat to another student or member of staff
       o could adversely affect the reputation of the school.

Use of reasonable force

Section 93 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 enables school staff to use such force
as is reasonable in the circumstances to prevent a student from doing, or continuing to do,
any of the following:

      Committing any offence (or, for a student under the age of criminal responsibility, what
       would be an offence for an older student);
      Causing personal injury to, or damage to the property of, any student (including him
       or herself); or
      Prejudicing the maintenance of good order and discipline at the school or among any
       students receiving education at the school, whether during a teaching session or
       otherwise.

Dene Academy does not encourage the use of force and it will be used very rarely in special
circumstances. There is no definition of when it is reasonable to use force, and every situation
will have to be judged by the person in charge at that time. The degree of force used should
be the minimum needed to achieve the desired result.

All staff at Dene Academy have the authority to use force when reasonable, and this extends
to any other person whom the Head Teacher has given the responsibility to be in charge or
in control of the students.