Behaviour and Discipline Policy

The behaviour and discipline policy of Longfield Academy has been reviewed and adopted by the Pupil and Community Committee of the Governing Body in September 2008

Date of Policy: September 2008
To be reviewed: January 2011

The Principles

1. The Governing Body believes that in order to enable effective teaching and learning to take place, good behaviour in all aspects of academy life is necessary. It seeks to create a caring, learning environment in which the school can function happily and successfully with every student being successful and fulfilled. This will be achieved by:
   • Promoting good behaviour and discipline.
   • Promoting self-esteem, self discipline, proper regard for authority and positive relationships based on mutual respect.
   • Ensuring fairness of treatment for all.
   • Encouraging consistency of response to both positive and negative behaviour.
   • Promoting early intervention.
   • Providing an environment conducive to effective learning for students, teachers and support workers.
   • Providing a safe environment free from disruption, violence, bullying and any form of harassment.
   • Encouraging a positive relationship with parents and carers to develop a shared approach to involve them in the implementation of the academy’s policy and associated procedures.

Roles and responsibilities

2. The Governing Body will establish, in consultation with the Principals, staff and parents, the policy for the promotion of good behaviour and keep it under review. It will ensure that it is communicated to students and parents, is non-discriminatory and the expectations are clear. Governors will support the school in maintaining high standards of behaviour.
3. The Principals will be responsible for the implementation and day-to-day management of the policy and procedures. Support for staff faced with challenging behaviour is also an important responsibility of the Principals.
4. Staff, including teachers, support staff and volunteers, will be responsible for ensuring that the policy and procedures are followed, and consistently and fairly applied. Mutual support amongst all staff in the implementation of the policy is essential. Staff have a key role in advising the Principals on the effectiveness of the policy and procedures. They also have responsibility, with the support of the Principals, for creating a high quality-learning environment, teaching good behaviour and implementing the agreed policy and procedures consistently.
5. The Governing Body, Principals and staff will ensure there is no differential application of the policy and procedures on any grounds, particularly ethnic or national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexuality. They will also ensure that the concerns of students are listened to and appropriately addressed.
6. Parents and carers will be expected to take responsibility for the behaviour of their child both inside and outside the academy. They will be encouraged to work in partnership with the academy to assist the school in maintaining high standards of behaviour and will have the opportunity to raise with the academy, any issues arising from the operation of the policy.
7. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their own behaviour and will be made fully aware of the academy policy, procedure and expectations. Students also have a responsibility to ensure that incidents of disruption, violence, bullying and any form of harassment are reported.

Procedures

8. Whole Academy Behaviour Audit will be carried out. Members of staff, students, parents and Governors will be consulted and procedures amended after consideration of their responses.
9. The procedures arising from this policy will be developed by the Principals in consultation with the staff. The procedures will make clear to the students how acceptable standards of behaviour can be achieved and will have a clear rationale, which is made explicit to staff, students and parents. The procedures will be consistently and fairly applied and promote the idea of personal responsibility with every member of the school having a responsibility towards the whole community.

Rewards

10. An academy ethos of encouragement is central to the promotion of good behaviour. Rewards are one means of achieving this. They have a motivational role in helping students to realise that good behaviour is valued, and are clearly defined in the procedures. Integral to the system of rewards is an emphasis on praise both informal and formal to individuals and groups.

Sanctions

11. Sanctions are needed to respond to inappropriate behaviour.
12. A range of sanctions are clearly defined in the procedures and their use will be characterised by clarity of why the sanction is being applied and what changes in behaviour are required to avoid future sanctions. The procedures make a clear distinction between the sanctions applied for minor and major offences.

Training

13. The Governing Body will ensure that appropriate high quality training on all aspects of behaviour management is provided to support the implementation of the policy.
14. The Governing Body will ensure that, where there is a clearly identified need, training in Positive Handling Strategies is made available. This is to ensure that the powers of teachers to use reasonable force as set out in section 550A of the Education Act may be safely and effectively exercised.

Interrelationship with other academy policies

15. In order for the behaviour policy to be effective, a clear relationship with other academy policies, particularly equal opportunities, special educational needs and anti-bullying, has been established.

Involvement of outside agencies

16. The academy works positively with the external agencies. It seeks support from them to ensure that the needs of all students are met by utilising wherever possible a range of available external support.

Review

17. The Principals, in consultation with the staff, will undertake systematic monitoring and conduct regular reviews of the behaviour management policy and procedures in order to evaluate them, so ensuring that the implementation of these is effective, fair and consistent. The student body through the whole Academy Council will be part of the consultation process. The Principals will keep the Governing Body informed.
18. The Governing Body will regularly review this policy and associated procedures, to ensure its continuing appropriateness and effectiveness. The review will take place in consultation with the Principals, staff, students and parents.
19. The outcome of the review will be communicated to all those involved, as appropriate.