Summary of Behaviour Management Policy

At St. Joseph’s, all our children are encouraged to treat adults and other children with courtesy. A high standard of behaviour is expected and parents are asked to support the school in this.

Through behaviour management, we aim to help children to grow in a safe and secure environment and to become positive, responsible and increasingly independent members of our school community. Management of behaviour is always developmentally appropriate, respecting individual children’s level of understanding and maturity.

Rewards and Sanctions

We praise and reward children for good behaviour in a variety of ways:

Teachers congratulate children.
Good work is shown to the class, another teacher or the headteacher.
Each week, a child from each class is nominated to receive a headteacher’s award either for consistent good work or behaviour, or to acknowledge outstanding acts of kindness in school. The child is nominated either by staff or, at the end of each term, by the children within the class.
House points are given to children in classes 3 to 7. The house with the most points at the end of the term is awarded the house point cup. Extra play is awarded to a house if it achieves the highest points for three consecutive weeks.
End of year awards are given to children for a variety of achievements.
A progress award is given to one child from each class at the end of the year.
Awards for external achievements are presented at assembly.
Awards for good manners at lunchtimes are presented at assembly.

The school employs a number of sanctions and strategies when a child’s behaviour is unsatisfactory, depending on the age of the child and the individual situation.

We expect children to listen carefully to instructions in lessons. If they do not do so, then we ask them to either move to a place nearer to the teacher or to sit on their own.
We expect children to try their best in all activities. If they do not do so, they may be asked to repeat a task.
If a child is disruptive in class, the class teacher speaks to the child and explains why they should not have acted in that way. If a child misbehaves repeatedly, they may be sent out (into another class or to the headteacher’s office) until they calm down and are in a position to work sensibly again with the rest of the class.
The safety of our children is paramount in all situations. If a child’s behaviour endangers the safety of others, the class teacher will stop the activity and prevent the child from taking part for the rest of that session.
Circle time is used regularly in each class to reinforce good behaviour.
House points may be deducted by class teachers for minor misbehaviour.
Where judged appropriate, a class teacher may give a behaviour chart to an individual child, to be filled out by staff and signed by the headteacher and parents at the end of each day.
For more serious or persistent misbehaviour, parents are contacted and asked to meet with the headteacher to discuss the situation.
In exceptional circumstances, a child may be excluded from school for a period agreed by the headteacher and parents.

(For a full copy of our Behaviour Management Policy, please contact the school).