Behaviour & Anti Bullying Policy

Behaviour/Anti-Bullying Policy

Rational:

At Cullercoats Primary School/Nursery we believe that our pupils will develop as good citizens when they have the opportunity to learn within a secure and friendly environment which promotes and rewards good behaviour. The school aims are to encourage and respect an understanding of others and the environment. We place great importance on ensuring that the children are responsible for their actions in order to develop self-discipline. We ask all staff, parents and pupils to work with the school to promote appropriate behaviour.

The school/nursery will:

– Provide a welcoming, interesting, caring and secure nursery/school environment.
– Praise success and good behaviour.
– Teach the children to understand that their actions affect others and be responsible for them.
– Encourage an attitude of helping and supporting each other.
– Encourage children to talk respectfully to pupils and adults and value the comments and contributions of others. Listen to the child when concerns are expressed.
– Ensure that each child has an equal opportunity to achieve their potential and develop their interests.
– Encourage children to look after the school and outside environment.
– Enable each child to develop skills to work effectively with others, to organise their work and be responsible for their learning.
– Encourage a positive attitude towards all school activities.
– Encourage children to appreciate and respect differences in people and communities.
– Give children a sense of belonging to the school family, Local, National and Global Community.

 

School values include:

● being polite and well mannered
● telling the truth
● listening to advice and instructions
● respecting the rights and property of others
● taking care and helping one another
● taking responsibility and reporting concerns
● self discipline and control
● equal opportunities for all
● having a positive attitude towards learning
● active participation in school life
● adopting healthy lifestyles

School values reject:

● bullying
● cheating
● harming others
● telling lies
● destroying property
● name calling
● stealing
● racism
● greed
● selfishness
● homophobic language

School Golden Rules:

Have a positive attitude towards your learning.
Listen to and follow the advice and guidance given by the teacher and school staff
Be polite and well mannered.
Be honest and respectful
Take care and help one another.
Taking responsibility for your own actions
Respect the rights and property of others
Equal opportunities for all—be fair
Actively participate in school life.
Adopt healthy lifestyles.

School strategies to encourage good behaviour:

● Use praise and positive reinforcement.
● Inform pupils and parents of good behaviour.
● Each class develops a rewards system.
● An award assembly is held each week when teachers in each Key Stage can nominate children for a Head teacher’s award.
● Short term goals targeting positive behaviours.
● Clear guidelines for children as to appropriate behaviour.
● Use of teaching styles which encourage empathy, co-operation, emulation and collaboration.
● Collective worship includes themes to promote appropriate behaviour.
● Regular class discussion with regard to school and class rules, and why some behaviour is inappropriate.
● Consistency of approach.
● Home/school contract—parents agree to share and support the school in promoting good
● Social and emotional skills taught in PSHE lessons

School strategies to deal with inappropriate behaviour include:

● Verbal warning.
● Stay behind for a period of time at the end of the session.
● Recording inappropriate behaviour on class behaviour record (warning, consequence 1, consequence 2, inform parents by telephone or letter)
● Movement of the child within the class.
● Traffic Light System.
● Movement to another member of Staff. Sent to the appropriate member of the Senior Management Team
– EYFS and Key Stage 1 Miss L Linden Deputy Headteacher
– Key Stage 2 Mrs J Armstrong Assistant Headteacher
● Loss of privileges, break, lunchtime or participation in events.
● If inappropriate behaviour persists parents will be contacted by telephone or letter.
● Serious actions such as violence, theft or incidents of bullying will result in parents being informed as soon as possible.
● School Positive Behaviour Plan to deal with persistent inappropriate behaviour.
● Meaningless punishments are avoided.
● If inappropriate behaviour persists parents will be contacted by telephone or letter.

The above stages will be recorded on a class discipline record. For a misdemeanour which is considered serious, such as an act of violence or incidents of bullying, a parent will be contacted as soon as possible. An incident report log will be completed detailing the misdemeanour and the action taken.

School Strategy to deal with incidents of extreme behaviour include:

● In the most extreme circumstances where a child is at risk to themselves, other pupils, staff or adults – the class or group will escorted away from the risk.
● Physical restraint will only be used where a child poses a significant risk to themselves or others. 

The school will follow advice for the Use of Reasonable Force in School from the Department for Education.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-reasonable-force-in-schools

Safeguarding Our Pupils

All staff have an awareness of safeguarding issues that can put children at risk of harm. Behaviours linked to issues such as drug taking and/or alcohol misuse, deliberately missing education, serious violence (including that linked to county lines), radicalisation and consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images images and/or videos*can be signs that children are at risk. Below are some safeguarding issues that staff are aware of through Safeguarding Training:

Child on Child Abuse

Child Sexual Exploitation

Child Criminal Exploitation

Domestic Abuse

Female Genital Mutilation

Mental Health

Serious Violence

Behaviours that are deemed serious and put a child or the community at risk will be reported to North Tyneside’s Front Door Service and/or Police.

*Consensual image sharing, especially between older children of the same age, may require a different response. It might not be abusive – but children still need to know it is illegal- whilst non-consensual is illegal and abusive. UKCIS provides detailed advice about sharing of nudes and semi-nude images and videos.

Anti-Bullying Policy

Rationale:

“We believe that all children have the right to feel safe and secure both in school and on their way to and from school.”

Aim:

● To increase awareness and to encourage pupils to report concerns regarding bullying
● To provide protection, support and reassurance for victims
● To develop the self-confidence and self-esteem of all students
● To develop an effective range of emotional ‘self-defence’ skills for all students
● To promote an anti-bullying ethos amongst the whole school community

The school rejects bullying in all forms, verbal, physical, emotional, economic, financial, cyber/internet/social media, homophobic, disability, religious and racist.

What is bullying?

Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally’.

We also find helpful the following clarification by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which states that bullying mostly falls into two categories:

● emotionally harmful behaviour, such as taunting, threatening, spreading hurtful rumours and excluding people from groups; and
● physically harmful behaviour, such as kicking, hitting, pushing, or other forms of physical abuse.

The following three conditions are used to define incidences of harmful interpersonal behaviour as bullying behaviour. Behaviour is bullying behaviour if:

● it is repetitive, wilful or persistent;
● it is intentionally harmful (emotionally/physically), carried out by an individual or group; and,
● there is an imbalance of power leaving the person who is bullied feeling defenceless.
Bullying is not an argument or disagreement between children, or the breaking up of friends, although this may be the cause of later bullying.”

School strategies to deal with incidents of bullying:

Staff Responsibilities:

● All reports of bullying, homophobic bullying and racism will be investigated and recorded by a member of the teaching staff. The member of staff must then inform the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher.
● To implement procedures to confront bullying in any form
● To listen to all parties involved in incidents
● To investigate incidents promptly and as fully as possible
● To take appropriate action or to refer to Teacher/Key Stage Manager/SLT as appropriate
● To share with parents of the victim and bully, incidents of persistent and/or serious bullying
● To promote the use of a range of learning styles and strategies which challenge bullying behaviour.
● To promote open management styles which facilitate communication and consultation within the school and relevant outside agencies when and where appropriate.
● To promote the use of interventions that are least intrusive and most effective.

Curriculum initiatives to raise awareness:

● During PSHCE students are taught to be assertive, considerate and confident. Work is also done to raise awareness of bullying and safeguarding issues.
● Literature, Drama, visitors and assemblies are just four examples of places in the curriculum where
bullying may be raised, discussed and explored.
● Discussion in class and larger school group emphasising that incidents of bullying, homophobic bullying and racism are unacceptable.
● Children educated as to what is not accepted as excuses for bullying: e.g. ‘I was only playing’ or ‘it was a fun fight’.
● Individual counselling for victims and bullies.
● Children and their parents are encouraged to report incidents of bullying, homophobic bullying and racism where, either they are the victim or have seen others being bullied.
● The help of an older child may be sought to befriend a child who is being bullied.
● For a fixed period of time following an incident of bullying a chart will be kept and monitored by the class teacher to record daily if the victim has had a ‘happy day’.
● Parents of the child being bullied will be informed of any investigation of a report and action to be
taken.
● Parents of a child reported as bullying another child or group of children will be informed of the report and they will be requested to visit school and discuss the matter with the class teacher and/or Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher/Assistant Headteacher and any sanctions which may be imposed.
● Exclusion from school, initially for a fixed period of time, will be considered if a child is involved in persistent bullying, homophobic bullying, disability bullying, religious bullying and racist bullying or if other children are in immediate danger from the bully.

School staff:

All staff have discussed and agreed the school aims, the strategies to encourage good behaviour and discourage inappropriate behaviour and the school Behaviour Policy to deal with persistent inappropriate behaviour.

Parents:

All parents have been sent a copy of the school Behaviour Policy and will be asked to sign the Home/School contract a copy of which will be sent to you when your child starts school. Parents are asked to support the school in meeting the aims of the policy. Parents should not hesitate to contact the school if there is any cause for concern. Often the class teacher is the best informed person to deal with any queries or problems, but an appointment can be made with the appropriate member of Staff. Miss L Linden – Deputy Headteacher, Mrs J Armstrong – Assistant Headteacher and Mr G Storey – Headteacher.

Children:

All children are made aware of the school Behaviour Policy by their class teacher and the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

Governors:

All governors have discussed and agreed the school aims and the strategies to encourage good behaviours and discourage inappropriate behaviour and conduct.

 

Reviewed March 2023

Next Review March 2024