Governors at St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School recognise the importance of good behaviour in creating and maintaining a positive teaching and learning environment for both our teachers and children.

The purpose of this statement is to provide guidance to the Headteacher in drawing up the School’s Behaviour Policy so that it reflects the values of the school and the shared aspirations of governors, parents/carers of pupils, staff and pupils and promotes our Catholic faith.

This statement has been drawn up in accordance with the Education and Inspection Act 2006 and the Department for Education (DfE) Guidance on Behaviour 2022.

The Headteacher must ensure that the Behaviour Policy is made available to staff, parents/carers and pupils and is posted on the school website. The Policy and Statement of Behaviour Principles will be reviewed annually.

1. The right to feel safe at all times. All children and staff have the right to feel safe at school, as do school visitors.

2. High standards of behaviour. High standards of behaviour are essential for effective teaching and learning and to ensure a happy, vibrant, productive and safe learning environment throughout the whole school. Governors also expect pupils to display those same high standards of behaviour when they are representing the school off-site at school-related events and visits; when travelling to and from school; and when they are wearing the school uniform off-site. The policy will outline the action to be taken by the school when poor behaviour is observed or reported to the school.

3. The uniqueness of each individual. The Behaviour Policy will recognise that children have varying needs and backgrounds and some pupils may need additional support to meet our behaviour expectations. The school has legal obligations (Equality Act 2010) to meet the needs of pupils identified as having Special Educational Needs and those identified as ‘vulnerable’ and will seek the involvement of external agencies to assist in behaviour support as and when necessary. All members of the school community should be free from discrimination of any sort as stipulated by the Equality Act 2010. Measures to protect pupils from bullying and discrimination on the basis of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation or background will be clearly set out in the Behaviour Policy and Anti-bullying Policy.

4. School Code of Conduct for pupils. The school Code of Conduct for pupils, setting out expected standards of behaviour will be clearly stated in the Behaviour Policy and will be explained to all pupils. The governors expect the Code of Conduct to be consistently applied by all staff.

5. Rewards and sanctions. Rewarding the good behaviour of individuals or groups of pupils helps to encourage future patterns of positive behaviour and reinforces the aspirations and expectations of the school. A range of reward strategies will be included in the policy. A hierarchy of sanctions for unacceptable behaviour will also be included and be known and understood by all pupils, staff and parents/carers so that it is clear how and when these are applied. This includes the school’s position on exclusions which should normally be a sanction used as a last resort. (see 6 below) Governors would expect to see the frequency of rewards far outweighing that of sanctions.

6. Additional powers to support behaviour management Governors recognise that in exceptional circumstances the school may need to use additional powers to support behaviour management. The Behaviour Policy will use specific guidance issued by the DfE; measures could include fixed term exclusion; a Governors Disciplinary Panel; a period of off-site behavioural support or ultimately the Headteacher could ask governors to support permanent exclusion from school.

In addition:

• The power of school staff to screen or search a pupil where there is a reasonable belief that he/she possesses an item that that is ‘prohibited’* or banned in accordance with school rules.
• The power to use ‘reasonable force’* and other physical contact to control inappropriate behaviour. Governors expect that appropriate and ‘authorised’* staff have undergone necessary training. The Policy should define ‘reasonable force’.

7. Parent/Carer support. Governors expect all parents/carers to be fully informed and encouraged to support the Behaviour Policy and Anti-bullying Statement and for the HomeSchool Agreement to summarise the main points.

8. Allegations against school staff. The Behaviour Policy sets out the disciplinary action to be taken against pupils who are found to have made malicious accusations against school staff. Governors expect the Headteacher to draw on the advice contained in the ‘Dealing with Allegations of Abuse against Teachers and Other School Staff’ guidance document when setting out the pastoral support that school staff should expect to receive if they are accused of misusing their powers. Staff so accused should not be automatically suspended pending an investigation.