Behaviour Policy - smgs

SCOIL MHUIRE GAN SMAL DISCIPLINE POLICY

The aim of the policy is, first and foremost, to develop self-discipline in our
pupils and secondly to protect each and every pupil, staff member and visitor
within our school.

Rewards and rehabilitation procedures will take precedence over sanctions.

Self-discipline will be nurtured and developed through discussion, self-assessment
sheets, the KOAR Value Code, Circle time and Golden time.

The KOAR Value Code is a whole school system whereby kindness, obedience, attentiveness and respect (KOAR) are noted, recorded and rewarded on a regular and long-term basis i.e. weekly, monthly and yearly.

KOAR Value recording sheets are displayed at the top and bottom of the stairs and in each classroom and pupils ‘caught’ displaying and of the values mentioned towards fellow pupils, staff or visitors, are rewarded with a tick on the sheet which is initialled by the adult. Rewards such as extra playtime, Golden time or even a video/DVD are given to the class with the most KOAR values in the week. An extra reward is given at assembly each month to the class with the most points in that month. The class with the most points in a year is rewarded with a trip e.g. bowling.

The sentiment of respect is the corner stone of our Code of Discipline
Respect for all staff of Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal
Respect for pupils
Respect for parents
Respect for all who enter Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal.

According to this code:

Every pupil has a right to be able to learn at school and to participate in all school activities without interference from other pupils
Pupils should behave in a well-mannered fashion at school and should not interfere with the efforts of other children to learn or participate in school activities
Pupils should wear their uniform at all times except on gym days when the school tracksuit should be worn
Pupils should arrive on time for all school activities  


CORRECTION AND BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

Past surveys administered to both pupils and parents have shown that both parties, separately, came to the same conclusion-that informing parents/guardians of their child’s achievement was the most satisfying reward for the child and, in the case of misbehaviour, the most effective sanction.

Essentially the role of the teacher is to teach while the responsibility for the child’s behaviour ultimately lies with the parent/guardian. The correction system relies heavily on close understanding and co-operation between parents and teachers.


                               THE CARD SYSTEM

White Card- for petty offences
Yellow Card- for minor offences or after 5 white cards
Red Card-for a serious offence or after 3 yellow cards or the equivalent of 17 white cards

The card serves as a sanction for the child and a means of informing the parent of the misdemeanour. When a card is given it must be signed by a parent/guardian and returned the following day. If not, a further sanction will ensue e.g. the child can be placed in another class, with work from his/her teacher, until such time as the card is returned signed and the child apologises for his/her behaviour.

On receipt of a red card parents are requested to attend a support meeting in the school. At this meeting parents, the class teacher and a designated other teacher (Principal, Deputy Principal or teacher with responsibility for discipline) will discuss how they can jointly help to improve the child’s behaviour. The child may be asked to participate in his/ her own rehabilitation e.g. by filling in a daily self-assessment sheet. The child may also be placed on a notebook as per sanctions listed in this policy. Review meetings may follow for as long as deemed necessary.
Misbehaviour that threatens the safety of the child or others, or behaviour that causes concerns about future conduct on school trips and activities, may result in a child being withdrawn from such activities on health and safety grounds. Pupils who seriously misbehave may be suspended and/or be disqualified from extra-curricular activities.




  CODE OF DISCIPLINE    JUNIOR INFANTS- FIRST CLASS-


CLASSROOM SANCTIONS

Non-verbal warning
Verbal warning
Time-out chair
Visual symbol e.g. storm cloud shown to child
Send to other class
Speak to Principal
Behaviour book (if necessary)


YARD SANCTIONS

Non-verbal warning
Verbal warning
Name and offence in yard book
Time-out in shape or on line
Report to teacher
Time out of yard in care of a teacher or at secretary’s door
Inform parent
Inform Principal and maybe go the office


OTHER SANCTIONS

Reasoning
Confiscation of items deemed dangerous
Time out in other class
A staged approach e.g. warning, time out and gradual return, may be used.

IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES it may be necessary to vary the start time for a disruptive/unruly pupil and then gradually re-introduce them to the normal school day. This will be done only when all other avenues have been exhausted and in full agreement with the parents of the child involved.






REWARDS: INFANTS-FIRST CLASS

Tricycles
Praise
Stickers
Treats
Smiley face on board
Good News book
Pupil of the week
Teddy sleepover
Visit to other teacher or Principal
Assembly certificate
Positive feedback to parent/guardian

REWARDS: SECOND-SIXTH CLASS

The KOAR Value system is the main way in which children are rewarded
Stickers, sweets, pencils, certificates at teachers’ discretion
Golden Time
Assembly rewards
Praise
Homework passes
Positive feedback to parents/guardians
Positive feedback to other teachers and Principal
Trips
Pupil of the Day/Week
Star charts
Giving child a responsible job

SANCTIONS: SECOND- SIXTH

Sometimes the most feasible way to deal with unruliness is to send the pupil to another classroom with plenty of suitable work to do, having first agreed this with
    the other teacher.
Have a time-out table/chair in the room
Use a timer for cooling down and to indicate when the teacher will be available to talk
Get the child to draw, colour or write about the incident and what might have been a more appropriate behaviour
Arrange for a ‘time out’ detention period during one of the breaks
Miss ‘Golden time’ or a treat
If group rewards are given an individual’s behaviour could cause loss of same
On Health and Safety grounds certain activities may have to be cancelled for individuals or groups
The child may be sent to the Principal/Deputy Principal
When deemed necessary a child may be put on a notebook which must be signed by the parent/guardian each day
The school Card System can be applied with any of the above or as a stand alone sanction

OFFENCES and THE CARD SYSTEM

WHITE CARD (Petty offences)
Continually talking in class—3 warnings to be given
Continually interrupting—3warnings to be given
Continually out of seat/walking around class—3 warnings to be given
Homework not done (regularly) and no note of explanation
No uniform and no note of explanation
Squirting drinks or throwing food
Not obeying exact instructions when teacher leaves the room
Throwing things in class
Interfering with or damaging  other persons property
Bad language or insulting gestures towards another person
Name-calling
Threatening language
Fighting
Misbehaving in corridor or toilets

YELLOW CARD (Minor offences)
Persistent name-calling
Fighting of a vicious nature
Graffiti
Damaging school property
Faking a signature
Disrespect towards teacher
Persistent cheeky or smart remarks
Using a mobile phone in school
Spitting at another person
Point blank refusal to carry out instructions
Stealing


RED CARD (Major offences)

Leaving school without permission
Vandalism
Wilful destruction of school property
Smoking on school premises
Theft (serious)
Bullying (persistent and serious
Violence: seriously assaulting another person
Serious disrespect towards a teacher, staff member or visitor  

Any of the sanctions mentioned on the previous page may be imposed along with the card if deemed necessary.  



THE SANCTIONS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED WHEN ON SCHOOL TOURS/TRIPS
and the following also if necessary

School may be phoned and the child collected
Child may be banned from further tours/trips
The parent(s)/guardian may be asked to accompany the child on future tours/trips


AT SPORTS AND AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The normal sanctions, or a yellow card specifically for sports, may be applied. The sports card will indicate what behaviour is expected and the child will be informed that if they are shown a second yellow sports card they may miss sessions or lose their right to attend the activity.

IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES whole class sanctions may be imposed.






SUSPENSION POLICY


Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal reserves the right to suspend pupils in extreme situations. Parents will be involved at an early stage and existing disciplinary procedures will be implemented before resorting to suspension.
Pupils may be suspended for repeated instances of serious misbehaviour or a single incident of gross misbehaviour. Suspension will be in accordance with the terms of Rule 130 (5) of the rules of National Schools. (See appendix).
Where there are repeated instances of serious misbehaviour, the Chairperson of the Board of Management will be informed and the parents will be requested to attend the school to meet with the Principal and relevant teachers. In some cases another representative of the Board of Management may also be present.
In cases of gross misbehaviour the Board of Management will authorise the Principal to sanction an immediate suspension.
If a child is considered for suspension the parents will be informed and a meeting arranged with the Principal and /or other designated persons. All involved will be allowed to state their case and the pupil will be given the right to reply/comment. Following this, if the decision is to suspend the pupil, the parents will be informed of  the form the suspension will take and its duration.
The school is anxious that the sanction of suspension should be a learning experience and this will be expressed to all concerned. The emphasis will be on rehabilitation rather than punishment. During their the pupil may be requested to write an essay or do a project directly related to their suspension and including how they might improve their behaviour in the future.
A letter will be given to the parents outlining the length of the suspension (maximum 3 days though in exceptional circumstances this can be extended to 5 while necessary arrangements are being made for the safe re-introduction of the pupil), whether this will be in school or at home and assignments to be completed if the child is at home. If in school suspension is imposed the child will receive work from the class teacher on a daily basis and this will be done in another classroom decided by the Principal and the teachers involved.
A record of all suspensions will be kept.







ADDITIONAL MEASURES, as outlined below, may have to be taken in the event of a pupil continuing to display problematic behaviour following the receipt of a red card or suspension:
Members of the Special Needs team, in conjunction with the Principal and class teacher, will examine the child’s test scores and assess the child’s ability, to determine whether he/she has a learning difficulty and is in need of learning support.
NEPS may be contacted and a request made for an educational and/or behavioural assessment to be carried out on the child.
Consultation with St. James’ or the Child and Family Clinic in Ballyfermot may take place with a view to assessing the emotional and behavioural needs of the child.
The child may be referred to the School Completion Team for anger or bereavement management strategies.
Report Notebook: The child may be given a report notebook into which, at each break in school day, the teacher will record details of the child’s behaviour and work. The notebook will then be brought home to be signed by the parents/guardian at the end of the day. This will continue for a defined period e.g. until the child has completed a full week incident free. The notebook can be restarted if the pattern of misbehaviour resumes.
Mentor System: The child may be assigned a teacher to whom he/she will report after each break to review their behaviour in the yard.
The child may be removed from the classroom for whatever periods of the day appear to be problematic. An individual programme of work will be provided for these periods.
An Individual Behaviour Programme may be drawn up to meet the specific needs of any pupil. This will be done by a team including the teacher and other support staff such as the Principal, SEN teacher, the teacher with responsibility for Discipline Policy, School Completion team.
A Contract of Behaviour may be drawn up between the pupil and the school. The child and his/her parents will be asked sign this
In exceptional circumstances e.g. on Health and Safety grounds it may be necessary to request that a pupil attend school only until 12 noon when a parent/guardian would be required to take the pupil from school. In such circumstances work would be set for the pupil to do at home. Alternately it may be necessary to vary the pupil’s school day between SEN teacher and class.
  
     



 
EXPULSION POLICY


The Board of Management may consider expulsion of a pupil where it determines that circumstances are of a serious enough nature to warrant such a step.
When a pupil repeatedly places himself/herself, a teacher or other pupils at risk there may be no alternative open to the Board of Management other than expulsion.
In a situation where a pupil has consistently failed to conform to the school Code of Discipline, and has been suspended on a regular basis, expulsion may be necessary.
Expulsion will take place in accordance with Rule 130(6) of the Rules of National School.
(See appendix )



APPENDIX

5  The policy should aim to create a positive school ethos where learning and development can take place and to promote the highest possible degree of consensus about standards of behaviour among staff, pupils and parents.  A whole school policy should become part of the ethos of the school and should be clearly understood by pupils, parents and the wider school community.  It is important that the policy be accepted by all the staff.


The policy should indicate ways in which parents can have easy access to teachers and set down procedures for meaningful communications between both parties.


Pupils are likely to respond positively to such a. policy if it is clearly understood and applied in a consistent manner.  In this context, Principals should consider consulting older pupils about the relevance of individual rules and regulations.



6  The attitude of staff will have a critical bearing on how successful the policy is likely to be.  Staff should consider themselves responsible at all times for the behaviour of children within sight or sound of them and should respond promptly and firmly to any instances of unacceptable behaviour.  Poor behaviour can stem from a range of causes, some school-based, some external. The problem, then, is complex and a variety of measures required to deal with it.