Behaviour for Learning

Our Aims

At St Denys, we teach children the importance of living and working as part of a team, class and community, where every child and adult matters and has the daily responsibility to contribute positively. We promote behaviours, which enable the children to develop Christian values, taking the life and values of Jesus Christ as our model. Children develop personal, spiritual and moral values from a Christian perspective.

“Be kind to anyone who needs your help. Not just your friends not just the people you know, but anyone” (Luke 10) is our primary guideline in helping our children to decide which behaviours and values are right and wrong.

St Denys CE Infant School is a community that nurtures and supports every child; that values everyone’s unique worth and contribution; that empowers every member to achieve their fullest potential; that opens up a world of opportunities. Our school motto ‘Each one of us is different. Each one of us is special’ is at the heart of all we do.

The St Denys School Values:

St Denys is committed to:

• Promoting desired behaviour.
• Promoting self-esteem, self-discipline, proper regard for authority, and positive relationships based on mutual respect.
• Ensuring equality and fair treatment for all.
• Praising and rewarding good behaviour.
• Challenging and disciplining misbehaviour.
• Providing a safe environment free from disruption, violence, discrimination, bullying and any form of harassment.
• Encouraging positive relationships with parents.
• Developing positive relationships with pupils to enable early intervention.
• A shared approach which involves pupils in the implementation of the school’s policy and associated procedures.
• Promoting a culture of praise and encouragement in which all pupils can achieve.

Reasonable and proportionate sanctions will be used where a pupil’s behaviour falls below the standard that is expected, alongside support to prevent recurring misbehaviour. The school acknowledges that behaviour can sometimes be the result of educational needs, mental health issues, or other needs or vulnerabilities, and will address these needs via an individualised graduated response.

To help reduce the likelihood of behavioural issues related to social, emotional or mental health (SEMH), the school aims to create a safe and calm environment in which positive mental health and wellbeing are promoted and pupils are taught to be resilient. The school aims to promote resilience as part of a whole-school approach using the following methods:

• Culture, ethos and environment – the health and wellbeing of pupils and staff is promoted through the informal curriculum, including leadership practice, policies, values and attitudes, alongside the social and physical environment
• Teaching – the curriculum is used to develop pupils’ knowledge about health and wellbeing
• Community engagement – the school proactively engages with parents, outside agencies and the wider community to promote consistent support for pupils’ health and wellbeing

All staff will be made aware of how potentially traumatic adverse childhood experiences, including abuse and neglect, can impact on a pupil’s mental health, behaviour, and education. Where vulnerable pupils or groups are identified, provision will be made to support and promote their positive mental health. The school’s Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Policy outlines the specific procedures that will be used to assess these pupils for any SEMH-related difficulties that could affect their behaviour.

The St Denys School Code

The ‘Restorative’ Approach

At St Denys CE Infant School, we have high expectations of our pupils. We encourage all children to try their best to achieve their goals. They should understand that it is the responsibility of staff and pupils to uphold and maintain our school ‘code’. For occasions when this is proving not to be the case, we use restorative approaches to help pupils understand the impact of their actions and how to put it right.
We believe that by using this ‘Restorative Approach’, we are giving pupils the skills to independently make better and more informed choices in the future.

Restorative approaches encourage pupils to think about how their behaviour affects others, both pupils and staff. It helps children to develop respect, responsibility and truth telling.
If a pupil in our school has been negatively affected by someone’s behaviour, we will try our very best to make sure they feel that it has been put right for them and that it will not happen again.
If a child has done something wrong they will be asked to put things right and change their behaviour so it does not happen again. All children are supported in a constructive way to face up to consequences which will be put in place as a result of the behaviours which have taken place.

By using the ‘Restorative Approach’ it allows ALL parties to have their say AND be listened to.

A Restorative Conversation:
When a pupil has harmed another child in some way find (has hurt or upset another child) or has not behaved appropriately (moved to the blue/red behaviour zone), we will ask them:

1. What happened?
2. What were you thinking/feeling at the time?
3. Who has been affected by what happened? In what way?
4. What other choice could you have made?
5. What needs to happen to put this right?
6. What could you do differently next time?

When a pupil has been harmed in some way (hurt or upset by another child) we will ask them:

1. What happened?
2. What were you thinking/feeling when you realised what had happened?
3. How does this make you feel?
4. What do you think needs to happen to put things right?

Most situations can be dealt with by working through these questions. The aim here is that the outcome is fair for everyone. If somebody is upset, we aim to make them feel better. If someone has done something wrong, we expect them to take responsibility for their actions and fix the situation.

We recognise that it may take time for some children to be ready to have a restorative conversation and that restorative conversations can take place in different places, e.g. in the classroom, over lunch, walking on the playground. We sometimes support restorative conversations with a restorative storyboard.

The St Denys Behaviour Management System

At St Denys, we believe that the most effective way of achieving our aim is to praise and encourage positive behaviours. We believe that rewards can have a motivational role, helping children to see that positive behaviour is valued.

STEP 1- GREEN ZONE:
Children will start on the green ‘monster’ every day, with the aim of remaining on green for following the St Denys School Code. Green ‘behaviours’ are the general high standards of behaviour that are expected at all times throughout the school day.

STEP 2- YELLOW ZONE:
This is behaviour which is disturbing teaching and learning or is generally inappropriate.
Staff will:

1. Give a verbal warning to the child and explain how to correct behaviour “Please stop shouting out, you need to raise your hand!” The child’s name will be moved to the yellow behaviour zone.
2. Seek to praise behaviour which is appropriate.
3. If behaviour improves the child will have their name moved back to green behaviour zone.
4. If behaviour continues or worsens after a warning, the child will have their name moved to the blue behaviour zone.

STEP 3- BLUE ZONE:
This is behaviour which is disturbing teaching and learning or is generally inappropriate but is persistent and is not changing after a warning has been issued.
Blue behaviour may consist of but is not exhaustive of; not listening; being unkind; not following instructions i.e. not completing tasks set; not tidying up when asked; not lining up when asked, disrupting learning i.e. fiddling on the carpet; shouting out; talking over the teacher; moving around the room when they should not be; being disrespectful i.e. answering back, questioning instructions. Staff will:

1. Repeat their verbal warning and explanation of how the child should correct their behaviour “This is your second warning, please stop shouting out, you need to raise your hand!”
2. Remove 1 dojo point. Parents will not be notified formally at this stage. The removal of a Dojo Point will be visible via the Class Dojo app.
3. When ready, the child will have a restorative conversation with a staff member.
4. The child will miss 5 minutes of ‘free’ time with a member of the teaching staff.
5. If the child’s behaviour improves they can move back to the green zone. If the child’s behaviour continues or worsens, they will be moved to the red zone.

STEP 4- RED ZONE:
Should the child not modify their behaviour and their behaviour is still not in line with the expectations of ‘The St Denys School Code’ then the child’s name will be moved onto the red monster. Reaching the red behaviour zone means that a child is choosing to ignore all the warnings, conversations and support that the teacher or other adults are giving. This is looked on as persistent, intentional misbehaviour.
In addition to persistent not listening, being unkind, not following instructions and continually disrupting learning; the child may also be intentionally hurting other people, acting in an unsafe way, be displaying destructive behaviour or using inappropriate language.

1. Moving to the red zone will result in a 10-minute loss of ‘free time’ (this may include playtime/lunchtime) with a member of teaching staff, either that day or the following.
2. When ready, the child will have a restorative conversation with a staff member.
3. Parents/carers will be notified via the Class Dojo messaging app.
   

Some extreme negative behaviours e.g. assaulting a peer or an adult, damaging property etc. may warrant a child moving straight onto the red behaviour zone without moving through the previous zones. This will also result in a Dojo point being removed.

In these cases, the child will be sent to the DHT or member of the SLT. Appropriate consequences will then be discussed with the child. Parents/carers will be notified.

STEP 5- GREY ZONE

1. If a child is moved on to red again within the next 5 school days, they will lose 10 minutes of their ‘free time’ and be sent to the Deputy Headteacher/SLT.
2. The DHT/SLT member will have a restorative conversation with the child.
3. Parents/carers will be notified.
4. The child’s teacher reports the incident on CPOMs.