Behaviour Policy
Dunottar does not produce an exhaustive list of 'dos and don'ts'. Girls are expected to behave in a disciplined, polite and responsible way at all times, and to be tolerant, caring and respectful towards others. The expectations of pupil behaviour at Dunottar are contained within our Rules and Code of Conduct.
Rules and Code of Conduct
Parents and guardians of new pupils are requested to ensure that their children have read and understood this document before they join the School. These guidelines and rules exist to enable the School to be a purposeful, happy and tolerant society where each member of the community can fulfil their potential.
Any anti-social behaviour, breach of good manners or of common sense will be taken as a breach of the School rules and Code of Conduct. Girls should conduct themselves in a manner which is a credit to themselves and the School, and which, in the judgement of staff, causes no embarrassment to others. The School rules apply to all girls from the time they leave home for school, up to their return. They also apply on School coaches, trips and expeditions organised by the School. Where events occur out of school hours but this has an impact on members of the school community such as in the bullying of a pupil or member of staff, the behaviour policy may also apply.
Aims
- To provide an effective learning environment in an orderly community
- To help children gain a greater understanding of their emotional well being and to develop their social skills
- To help children understand the importance of taking responsibility for their own actions, in both what they say and what they do and understand there are consequences for themselves and others
- To promote an ethos of inclusion and an atmosphere of mutual respect between all members of the school community
- To reward good work and effort in all aspects of children’s lives
- To investigate thoroughly and fairly all misdemeanours, including all forms of bullying
- To work with pupils and parents to resolve behavioural and disciplinary conflicts effectively and supportively
Pupils should ensure that all their property is named and take care to safeguard their books and possessions in school, making use of lockers and padlocks where appropriate.
Parents have a key role in supporting their child to develop appropriate social, emotional and behavioural skills. Parents are asked to help their child understand and respect the school’s behaviour policy and the disciplinary authority of school staff and where there are concerns to work with the school to resolve these. In their interactions with the children, members of staff and other parents they are asked to uphold the shared values of the school community. They are asked to inform school staff of any factors which may impact on their child’s learning or result in their child having difficulty in complying with the code of conduct or displaying behaviour outside the norm.
All members of staff have a role to play in promoting positive behaviour including teachers and assistants, administrative and support staff. They model appropriate behaviours in their interactions with the children, other members of staff and parents. They praise children for appropriate behaviour and challenge inappropriate behaviour by dealing with it themselves or referring to teaching staff as appropriate. Staff apply the behaviour policy including rewards and sanctions fairly, consistently, proportionately and reasonably. Any concerns or where there are repeated incidents of unacceptable behaviour, are reported to the form teacher who monitors the children’s behaviour and keeps appropriate records. Form teachers will use the code of conduct as a basis for discussion within the class to establish ‘rules’ that are expressed in language that pupils will understand and that are appropriate for their age.
Staff work with parents, colleagues and external agencies as appropriate in order to help a child understand and comply with the behavioural expectations of the school.
Rewards and Sanctions – Senior School
Staff aim to be generous with rewards and encouragement and write encouraging comments on work that is well done and try to ensure that the girls can see that their hard work has not gone unnoticed. The aims of the procedures are:
- to reinforce positive behaviour,
- to help girls improve;
- to ensure there is a good learning environment;
- to ensure that every girl feels safe and secure;
- to demonstrate to all that there is a fair and just sanctions procedure in place.
Credits and Commendations
Credits can be awarded at the discretion of the staff. They might, for example, be awarded for:
- an excellent project or piece of coursework
- a series of very good pieces of work
- particular helpfulness, initiative
- effort or progress in a subject.
Credits regularly appear on the agenda for discussion at departmental meetings to ensure that there is consistency in their departmental use. When a girl has accrued 10 credits she takes her homework diary (where the credits are recorded) to the Headmistress who presents her with a Commendation Certificate. These are awarded at regular intervals throughout the term. Credits are recorded on reports and count towards House trophies.
Good Work/Good Effort
At the end of each term “Excellent Work” and “Excellent Effort” lists are prepared for each form which are then read out in Assembly. They also count towards House points which are used to calculate the winner of the House Work Cup, presented to House Captains of the winning House at the end of each term.
Sanctions
In the Senior School, when necessary, teachers reserve the right to set students extra work or detain them at break or lunchtimes. Detentions for persistent or more severe offences take place after School and last for a maximum of sixty minutes. Parents will be kept informed. Such detentions are only given at the discretion of the Assistant Heads or Headmistress and are administered by the Senior Leadership Team.
Red and Yellow cards are issued by staff when girls are judged to have committed a persistent or bad misdemeanour.
| Yellow Cards for Academic Matters (includes bad behaviour in lessons) | Red Cards for Behaviour Matters (Outside Lessons) |
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The subject teacher issues a yellow card and forwards it to the Head of Department. The action taken by the department (either by the subject teacher or the Head of Department) is then recorded and the form passed to the Form Tutor. When a red card is issued, the teacher records the action taken (which may be a referral to the Assistant Heads or Headmistress); the form is then passed to the Form Tutor.
Three cards of any colour may constitute her being detained at lunch time, arranged by the Form Tutor in consultation with the Assistant Head (Pastoral). These are taken by the Heads of Department on a rota system on a fortnightly basis. These lunch time detentions take priority over other activities (except a paid lesson). A card does not always result in a detention if alternative appropriate action is taken but the card will be kept on file as a record.
After two lunchtime detentions, the third detention will automatically be an after-school detention.
Rewards and Sanctions – Junior School
It is the responsibility of the Head of Junior School, to formulate and implement the school behaviour policy consistently throughout the Junior School.
The Head of Junior School:
- Promotes an inclusive atmosphere of mutual respect between all members of the school community
- Disseminates the policy to members of the school community including volunteers
- Sets the standards of behaviour and supports staff in the implementation of the policy
- Includes behaviour expectations in staff induction and monitors behaviour management through lesson observations and informal observations of pupils
- Ensures complaints of bullying are investigated and dealt with effectively
- Disciplines pupils for serious incidents of unacceptable behaviour and liaises with parents
- Records serious incidents of unacceptable behaviour
- Reports to the Headmistress serious breaches of the behaviour policy.
Creating Shared Values and Promoting Positive Behaviour
Staff will:
- Listen to children and give them a means of making suggestions and raising concerns
- Encourage children to be reflective and to accept responsibility for their actions
- Encourage children to take on duties and responsibilities
- Encourage children to be involved in school activities
- Use incentives wherever possible rather than sanctions
- Keep parents informed
- Listen to parents, consider their suggestions and act on concerns.
- Never use humiliation as a form of punishment
Rewards and incentives to encourage appropriate behaviour
Staff should praise and reward children often and use this to encourage good behaviour rather than highlighting any poor behaviour. Stars stickers and credits are used to back up verbal praise to make sure children know their hard work is being noticed.
- Through non – verbal encouragement such as smiling, nodding
- By praising verbally or in writing
- By other teachers congratulating children
- By giving stars
- By giving stickers, certificates & merits
- Through displaying work
- By telling parents or sending a note home
- By highlighting achievements publicly in Assemblies
- By references in the weekly newsletter
- By sending to the Head of Junior School
Sanctions to discourage inappropriate behaviour
- Through non–verbal discouragement such as frowning, shaking the head
- By reprimanding the child
- By asking the child to make amends for example by apologising either verbally or in writing
- By using a system of time out of the activity or the teaching space
- By keeping the child in at a break
- By informing parents
- By setting targets
- By putting on behaviour report
- By sending to the Head of the Junior school
- Internal suspension
- Fixed period exclusion
- Permanent exclusion
EYFS
Staff use the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance for Personal Social and Emotional Development for pupils in the Nursery and Reception classes. See Foundation stage policy.
It is the responsibility of the Foundation Stage teachers to help formulate and implement the school behaviour policy so it is appropriate to the needs of young children.
Fixed-term and permanent exclusions
The school has a specific policy on fixed term and permanent exclusions which is available to parents.
Related Policies
This policy is to be read in conjunction with the Anti-bullying policy, the Child Protection and Safeguarding policy, the Exclusions Policy, and the Complaints Procedure