HINCHINGBROOKE
SCHOOL

Policy Statement on
BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING
A summary for parents

Drawn up by:                                      GNM

Date:                                                  November 2007

Date adopted by Governing Body:     14.11.07 (Ethos)             

Revised:      

The full policy may be found on the school website at www.hinchingbrookeschool.net
or hard copy on request from the Admin Office

The Hinchingbrooke Way Behaviour for Learning Policy

OUR MISSION

It is our ambition that all Hinchingbrooke students achieve, at each stage, the highest possible step on their learning journey.  They will have self-confidence, founded in their learning achievements and social skills, to become good citizens.  Their physical and spiritual well being will give them energy and enthusiasm for the challenges before them.  We expect that they will have pride in their success and find their school life a lasting inspiration.  For our students, we seek to be the best.

OTHER POLICIES

The Behaviour for Learning Policy should be read in conjunction with the following general policies:
                                                                  

THE HINCHINGBROOKE WAY – BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING POLICY

Rationale
We recognise that good behaviour is essential so that individuals feel secure and learning can take place effectively. Success and recognition of positive achievement helps student self-esteem and confidence which in turn leads to self-discipline.
This policy will set explicit standards for a rewards and sanctions system.  Praise for positive behaviour is more effective in motivating students and is fundamental to the ethos of Hinchingbrooke School.  The Learning Grid found in the student planner is used as a basis for reporting progress and the five headings of Teamwork, Performance, Fair Play, Effort and Leadership have a clear link to our specialist status. One of the main aims of using the grid is to make students realise the impact their behaviour may have on their own learning and that of others. It also allows us to more easily identify those who should be rewarded for their efforts. Respect for others and their right to learn, personal responsibility and an emphasis on improvement run throughout the grid.

Rewards:

• help to build and maintain positive relationships between staff and students
• produce an ethos whereby success is celebrated
• make school more enjoyable for students and staff
• contribute to student self-esteem and confidence
• raise attainment

Sanctions are more likely to change student behaviour when they address poor behaviour without condemning the person and encourage students to take responsibility for their actions. Effective sanctions are:

• fairly applied within a short time frame
• reasonable and proportionate to the incident
• organised in a hierarchy and do not escalate too quickly
• consistently applied
• focus on the behaviour not the person
• enable students to make choices for long-term improvement

Students will:

• be responsible for their own actions
• follow the school rules and the LEARNING code
• be truthful and own-up to wrongdoing
• accept sanctions imposed for inappropriate behaviour
• report incidents that interfere with the well being of others

Staff will:

• be positive role models and treat all students as responsible young people in the expectation that they will respond in the same way
• be responsible for ensuring that policy and procedures are followed consistently and fairly applied
• recognise and reward good behaviour in  class and around the school
• challenge poor behaviour in  class and around the school
• communicate about students by sharing information about students through appropriate channels eg notes in planners to parents
• ensure that persistent poor behaviour is discussed with team leaders for further sanctions and support Behaviour for Learning

To get the most out of my learning journey I will……………..

THE HINCHINGBROOKE WAY -  SCHOOL RULES

At Hinchingbrooke we expect excellent conduct and consideration for others. We expect our students to be aware of the LEARNING code and Learning Grid which make it clear the attitudes to learning that we want at our school. There is also a need for a clear and explicit message about other aspects of behaviour. We expect our students to:

• Follow the LEARNING code
• Behave in a way that brings credit to themselves and our school - on the way to and from school and when off site for any reason such as trips or on work experience
• Wear uniform correctly – follow the rules in the planner (a copy of which is attached to this document)
• Not to be involved in bullying of any kind
• Move around the school in a calm manner
• Look after our school – litter, graffiti and damage make our school a worse place to be for everyone. Chewing gum is banned for these reasons
• Follow all Health & Safety rules eg wearing goggles in science and the safe use of tools in technology
• Not to bring to school any banned items – alcohol, illegal substances, weapons, laser pens, tobacco etc, aerosols, correcting fluid (eg tippex) and offensive materials
• Know that mobile phones, ipods/MP3 players and similar items are not to be used whilst at school and should be switched off and in bags
• Realise that non-uniform items, mobiles etc and any item causing nuisance, danger or disruption may be confiscated for a period of time. Banned items will not be returned if confiscated.

Serious misconduct

The following types of behaviour will be treated very seriously and may lead to a period of isolation or exclusion which could even be permanent.  Hinchingbrooke School reserves the right to involve the police and other agencies when necessary.

• Assault eg fighting
• Theft eg stealing from changing rooms
• Verbal abuse eg swearing at staff
• Intimidation and bullying eg racist comments to another student
• Dangerous conduct eg setting off fire alarms
• Defiance and/or a refusal to follow instructions
• Bringing illegal or dangerous items to school eg drugs or knives
• Repeated disruption to the learning of others

There must be consequences for breaking these rules. This may range from a simple reprimand through detentions to exclusion in serious cases. Hinchingbrooke School reserves the right to exclude students from social events, eg Year 11 Formal, trips and membership of school teams if their behaviour or attendance is deemed unsatisfactory.  Sanctions must always be reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances of the incident.

It is the duty of all members of Hinchingbrooke School to support these rules which are there for the safety and protection of us all.

REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Praise, rewards and recognition are an essential part of creating a positive climate for learning.
Praise and rewards are much more effective in motivating students than sanctions and all departments should discuss their use on a regular basis so that consistency is maintained.
It is important to consider how students like to receive praise. For some, public praise is difficult and a quiet word later in the lesson or on the way out is much more valuable. Even stronger is the use of ‘secondary praise’ where a good comment is written in planners for parents to see or is passed on to a colleague who then delivers the message back to the student.
It may be tempting to over-praise students’ responses during questioning by using words such as ‘fantastic’ or ‘excellent’ to describe work that is barely adequate – over time these words lose their meaning. If the response is overly-positive what tends to happen is that the level of expectation about what the class can do will fall.

Examples of suitable rewards and recognition

There are a wide range of responses available to staff which range from formal rewards such as merits to informal rewards such as verbal praise. It is important that students are aware of how rewards can be earned and that staff will award them fairly and consistently. Our system of rewards shows that we value a student’s progress, achievement and effort.
The system of rewards at Hinchingbrooke has been designed to reflect the fact that different year groups have different needs – what works in Year 7 will not necessarily work with Year 11. The system has been developed in consultation with students and their views have greatly influenced the final form and range of rewards.
As well as the day to day system in use, such as the giving of merits, there is also the opportunity for public recognition of the efforts students make in school. This is done through:

• Celebration Assemblies which each year group have every half-term
• Able, Gifted and Talented Evening
• Celebration Evening  at the end of the Key Stage
• Presentation Evening

Such events recognise attainment, achievement, progress and contribution to school life. These include:

• School Awards in the form of bronze, silver, gold and platinum  pins for sporting excellence
• Certificates and trophies for attainment and  improvement in the Key Stage 3 SATs
• Service awards for recycling
• Personal development on the Grafham Residential trip
• Recognition  for 100% attendance

The above are just a small sample of the wide range of ways we celebrate success.

Years 7 & 8

Staff issue merits to students and these are recorded in their planners with a brief reason for the merit. Tutors keep a record of these merits and the form with the highest number of merits is announced in assembly with certificates presented for the form notice board.

Staff are invited to nominate a star of the week. This can be for non-curriculum things such as good deeds eg helping another student who has had an accident. The names of the nominees go into a draw – all names are read out and the winner gets a certificate and cinema voucher.

A  non-school uniform day is awarded to the form with the highest number of merits in a half term and a letter goes home for the whole class.

Merit rewards are collected for 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 merits – these include things such as sporting equipment, pencil cases and WHSmith vouchers.

Merit certificates are presented in assembly by the Head of Year. Star of the Week and merit winners are listed on the Year Group website.

Year 9

In Year 7 & 8 merits are very effective rewards – most students are more than willing to work hard as a means to get them. As students get older they become less effective and students start to grow out of them. In Year 9 the system is modified to refresh the idea of rewards and attempts to offer extra encouragement.

As with Year 7 & 8 merits are awarded by staff for things such as good effort, academic improvement  and being a good citizen around the school.

Once every half-term a merit draw is held with pairs of cinema tickets as prizes.  All students who have gained five merits get one entry into the draw – this allows for multiple entries depending on the number of merits they have. In addition the student who has most entries in the draw will automatically get a prize.

There is also the facility for staff to nominate an ‘instant entry’ into the draw for exceptional performance over and above that expected normally of a student – this also triggers a post card to be sent home.

Years 10 & 11

Students in KS4 view merits as childish and they rate them as of little consequence. The system is based around giving ‘Golden Tickets’. The students helped to design of the tickets and they make explicit reference to the headings on the Learning Grid and thus the specialist status of the school.

 Staff issue these directly to the student and they are responsible for keeping them safe. They are a lot harder to earn than merits and students approve of this as they see them as having a value in their own right.  When a student has five of the tickets they are handed in to the Head of Year and are entered into a half-termly prize draw.

Students were consulted about what they wanted as a prize and the consensus was that a single high value prize was in preference to more lower status prizes. All students entered for the draw also get a letter home.

Guidelines for staff giving rewards

It is important that rewards are valued by students and parents. Rewards should recognise that the student has contributed something extra to that routinely expected of them. This could be related to their performance on the Learning Grid, representing the school in sport or going out of their way to help others. If rewards are given too freely then they cease to be worth earning. The table below gives some examples of rewards and when they are appropriate:

SANCTIONS
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 gives us a clear authority to punish students whose behaviour is unacceptable, who break school rules or who fail to follow reasonable instructions. The purpose of sanctions is to improve behaviour and lead to better learning.
Sanctions are most effective if we set clear standards and expectations.
Sanctions should focus on the behaviour, not condemning the person

• Sanctions should encourage reflection on the effects of inappropriate behaviour
• Whole-group sanctions are not school policy
• All sanctions are to be reasonable and proportionate to the incident
• 24 hrs notice must be given in writing for all detentions out of normal school hours
• Confiscation must conform to school policy
• Sanctions should take into account individual circumstances such as transport difficulties
• For further advice on class room management please consult the Learning and Teaching policy

As a general rule if an incident happens in class then it is for the Department concerned to deal with. Misbehaviour around the school or across subjects is a pastoral concern. Misbehaviour at break-times should be reported to the relevant Duty Team Leader.
Students and parents should be kept informed about what has been done to address their concerns.  Parents who are concerned about any case of exclusion should refer to the Complaints Policy.

Note: Staff means all responsible adults in charge of or working with students eg this includes site team, Teaching Assistants, cover supervisors, invigilators, volunteers, outside providers and even candidates on interview.

Behaviour for Learning Procedures

CONFISCATION
There will be three levels of confiscation:

• Temporary and held by staff within departments eg a football being used in a manner causing a nuisance. This would be kept in a secure location where students do not have access eg in a filing cabinet in a department base. This would normally be returned at the end of the day. Staff are responsible for the safe keeping of the item.
• Temporary and held by the office eg mobile phones, MP3 players, inappropriate jewellery. Any items of high value. These are handed in to the office and staff are given a receipt. Parents are contacted and asked to collect the item.
• Permanent. The Act now gives us the right to retain and dispose of some items eg those that are illegal or considered a risk. This will include all banned items such as laser pens. Other items not on the banned list but considered by staff to be dangerous or disruptive should be handed in to the office as above and a decision will be made by senior staff if the item is to be retained. Parents will be contacted and informed of the decision.

Nuisance items, eg water bombs, may be disposed of by staff directly. This also includes smoking materials and aerosols.  A note should be put into the student planner.

DETENTIONS
The Act specifies that notice is not required for detentions within the school day. Break and lunchtime detentions fall within this although students must always have an opportunity to get something to eat at lunchtime. Parents should be informed that this has happened via the planner, email or phone call.
After school detentions require 24 hours written notification. These may be held within departments or as Year detentions. Consideration should be given to special circumstances eg if a student travels by taxi or has a hospital appointment.
Non-attendance at a detention (without good reason eg letter from parent explaining special circumstances) should always be treated as a serious issue and must be followed up.  Staff should adhere to the Behaviour for Learning Procedures and seek the support of colleagues as necessary. Nothing undermines our behaviour systems more than students thinking nothing will happen if they don’t turn up.
Whole class detentions are not allowed because of the actions of some students.  It is permissible to keep a class for a short while in order to investigate an incident eg theft or damage.   

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Subject Rules
Some subjects have their own rules in addition to the school rules. This is usually for health and safety reasons. Practical activities may involve some risk and these rules are designed to enable staff and students to work and learn in safety.
It is a serious issue if these rules are broken. As well as normal school sanctions being imposed students may find themselves not allowed to continue with a particular activity.
Currently the following subjects have their own rules:
Science, Design & Technology, Food & Textiles, PE, Drama & Geography
Detailed subject rules can be found in these subject areas on the school website.

Road Safety and Cycling
We expect excellent student behaviour when they are crossing the road going to and from school. Students must follow the direction of staff when using the crossing and must use the underpass rather than going onto the road.  Students must not cycle on school premises.  Hinchingbrooke School recommends the use of cycle helmets.  Students are reminded that working lights are essential on dark evenings.

Out of bounds
Some areas of the school grounds are out of bounds at all times unless under the supervision of staff. This includes the lower field, wooded areas, car parks, bike sheds, Japanese and Rose Gardens, Sports Facilities eg astro turf and the grass in front of the lower school and anywhere that would be out of sight of duty staff.
Students are expected to be on site during the school day unless they have permission eg dentists appointment. This means that anywhere other than school is deemed to be out of bounds eg the hospital, Hinchingbrooke Park, local shops and station.

ISOLATION ROOM (summary)
Hinchingbrooke School operates an internal isolation facility to address poor student behaviour.  Students who are sent to the Isolation Room are those whose behaviour is at the Amber or Red level. Each case is carefully considered according to the particular circumstances. It should be noted that a refusal by a student to cooperate with the expectations of the Isolation Room could lead to a temporary exclusion. There are some serious incidents, such as fighting, that would still warrant a fixed term exclusion from school. This facility is also used to support students as part of a re-integration programme where a student has a fixed term exclusion of over 5 days.

INCLUSION AND OUTSIDE AGENCIES (summary)
Some students will have the most challenging behaviours and will require significant support to ensure they are able to access the curriculum. This will mostly include students with social emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) with statements of SEN or students at School Action Plus of the SEN Code of Practice.
These students will have been through all the behaviour sanctions and rewards stated above. They will require additional resources and support. This will include an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or a Pastoral Support Plan (PSP). These will set targets for the student and support strategies to help them.
These specialist programmes are drawn up after discussion with the student, their parents/carers, the appropriate Head of Year, Key Stage Manager, Director of Inclusion and the allocated Secondary Support and Inclusion teacher.

POLICE LIAISON (summary)
It is important to keep parents informed as to the steps we are taking and the reasons for them.
To help guide parents about our professional judgement with regard to serious incidents the following points may be helpful. The loss of £1 from a purse is not a police matter; the systematic theft of items might well be. Two pupils having a fight is a school matter to resolve unless investigations warrant this to be passed to the police. An unprovoked assault, particularly involving an offensive weapon or leading to serious injury, is a police matter.

SCHOOL POLICY FOR PHYSICAL INTERVENTION WITH STUDENTS (summary)
All incidents that result in physical interventions will be recorded in detail immediately following, or as soon as possible after the incident (i.e. before the end of the day of the incident) by the staff member involved in the original incident, in a bound blue book provided by the County Council and kept in Learning Support room 104. Our blue book of recorded incidents will be available for monitoring by the governing body, County Council officers and Ofsted. 
The head teacher will be informed at the earliest opportunity. Parents/carers will be informed as soon as possible. We will take all necessary steps to re-establish the relationship between the student and the member(s) of staff involved in the incident.
This policy will be reviewed and discussed with staff and the governing body on an annual basis. Governors will be informed of the number of physical interventions annually.

CODE OF CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY POLICY IN THE SIXTH FORM (summary)
All sixth formers will have copies of the information they need on issues such as dress code.
Sixth Form Disciplinary Policy
Our expectation is that high standards of behaviour are considered the norm in Hinchingbrooke Sixth form. In addition all students must sign a Student/School Agreement before entry into the Sixty form. If a students’ conduct falls below expectations the following procedure will apply.
Level 1:     A student will receive a verbal warning from a Professional Tutor regarding their standards of behaviour. This will then be passed on, by e mail, to the Assistant Headteacher and/or the Guidance Manager.
Level 2:     A student will receive a verbal warning from the Assistant Headteacher and/or Guidance Manager. Targets for future behaviour will be agreed upon.
Level 3:     A student will receive a written warning, signed by the Assistant Headteacher and/or the Guidance Manager, which will be copied to parents and put in the student’s file.
Level 4:     A student will receive a final written warning in the presence of their parent(s)/guardian(s). A written contract will be established and signed by all parties. Failure to comply with the terms of the contract will lead to dismissal from the sixth form.
A student will have the right to appeal to the Headteacher and Governing Body.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

It is important to wear the right uniform so that you look smart for school.  It should be worn at all times on the school premises and to and from school.

CLOTHING LIST
These items are only available from the school shop.

• School sweatshirt – dark green, with embroidered badge in house colours.
• School Polo-shirt – white with embroidered school badge in house colours.

      Your white polo-shirt should never be hanging out so that it shows below your sweatshirt.  The collar of your polo-shirt should be showing, not tucked away.

• Plain black trousers or a plain black skirt

      These should be in a formal style in plain material.
      Girls should not wear skirts that are very short or very long.
      Trousers should be full length even in the summer.

• Plain white or black socks
• Plain black or natural tights
• Plain black or dark brown shoes with a low, sensible heel.
• Trainers should not be worn to registration, assembly or lessons

Outside clothes such as coats or scarves must not be worn in lessons, tutor-time or in the dining areas.  Hats should not be worn in the school buildings.  Avoid clothing with distinctive logos and football club insignias.
Cyclists should wear bright coats or a fluorescent band and should always wear a cycle helmet.
Trainers should not be worn to registration, assembly or lessons

• They are allowed in PE or other lessons if your teacher tells you to wear them
• They are allowed when playing sports at break eg football or basketball
• They are NOT allowed at other times eg walking between lessons

In other words – Shoes at school!
Uniform means what it says – we should look the same.
Do not personalise your uniform eg badges, pendants, big belts, short fashion skirts or jeans.  Fashion accessories may be confiscated and you may get a detention for not wearing uniform properly.

MAKE-UP & JEWELLERY
KS3
Students from Year 7 to Year 9 are not permitted to wear make-up or nail varnish.
Students in Years 7 to 9 may wear one ring, a watch and one small stud ear-ring in each ear.  The ear-rings should fit close to the ear.  Avoid hoops and drops.  No other jewellery is permitted.  No other visible piercings are allowed.

KS4
At KS4, we have an approach to the wearing of jewellery and make-up that reflects the increased maturity of the students.
We will allow the wearing of discreet make-up and jewellery, but there should be no facial piercings.
In practical subjects (PE, science and design) it is essential that students remove their jewellery prior to their arrival at the lesson.  This is not negotiable and is in response to Health and Safety restrictions.  The school will withdraw this flexibility if it is abused.
If you need to wear an item of jewellery for medical or religious reasons, please bring a letter stating that from home.
If you cannot wear full uniform at any time, please bring a signed and dated note from home.

EQUIPMENT
The key to success is good organisation and having the basic equipment to complete work is very important.  Students should have available pens, pencils, ruler, rubber, coloured crayons, pencil sharpener and a calculator.  This planner should be available at all times during the school day.
Students at KS3 do not need correction fluid and should not bring it to school.  Students should not carry large items eg skateboards with them round school.

The Learning Grid