This policy is based on the core values of Kingsmead School. Positive relationships between staff and students built on care and respect lie at its very heart.
An Equalities Impact Assessment has been carried out. The assessment concluded that there was no adverse impact identified for any groups of people with protected characteristics / or / there was potential adverse impact identified for some groups of people with protected characteristics and mitigations are in place to reduce that impact.
Reference to other relevant policies
Anti Bullying Policy
This policy is based on legislation and advice from the Department for Education (DfE) on:
In addition, this policy is based on:
This policy complies with our funding agreement and articles of association.
Misbehaviour is defined as:
Serious misbehaviour is defined as:
Bullying
Bullying is defined as the repetitive, intentional harming of 1 person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.
Bullying is, therefore:
The Academy Council
The Academy Council is responsible for:
Link Academy Councillor
The Principal
The principal is responsible for:
The Senior Leadership Team
The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) will ensure that this policy is widely understood and consistently implemented by all members of the school community. They are responsible for effectively communicating policy implementation and ensuring any updates/ training relevant to this policy are conducted effectively.
The principal and deputy headteacher – Pastoral will attend all allocation panels, SLT will consult with TDPC regarding potential partnership work and consult with other schools regarding the potential OSD/Managed move of students. They will also oversee and review the effectiveness of Re-tracking and Re-engagement.
Assistant head teachers – Pastoral will work closely with Heads of Year, Heads of Department, and tutors to ensure that positive relationships thrive and all aspects of the graduated protocols for learning are implemented within a restorative framework.
The SENDCo is responsible for ensuring this policy is implemented with specific focus on students with special educational needs and disabilities.
Staff
Staff are responsible for:
The senior leadership team (SLT) will support staff in responding to behaviour incidents.
Parents and carers
Parents and carers, where possible, should:
The school will endeavour to build a positive relationship with parents and carers by keeping them informed about developments in their child’s behaviour and the school’s policy and working in collaboration with them to tackle behavioural issues.
Pupils
Pupils will be made aware of the following during their induction into the behaviour culture:
Kingsmead approach to creating a culture that promotes excellent behaviour for learning focuses on the key expectations of all students at Kingsmead School which embody the core values of care, respect, determination, and aspiration.
These expectations are shared with all stakeholders, detailed for students in their planners and for parents/carers on the school website
Pupils are expected to:
Where appropriate and reasonable, adjustments may be made to routines within the curriculum to ensure all pupils can meet behavioural expectations in the curriculum.
Mobile phones
In line with DfE’s mobile phone and behaviour guidance.
Classroom management
Teaching and support staff are responsible for setting the tone and context for positive behaviour within the school.
They will:
Safeguarding
The school recognises that changes in behaviour may be an indicator that a pupil is in need of help or protection. We will consider whether a pupil’s misbehaviour may be linked to them suffering, or being likely to suffer, significant harm. Where this may be the case, we will follow our child protection and safeguarding policy, and consider whether pastoral support, an early help intervention or a referral to children’s social care is appropriate.
Please refer to our child protection and safeguarding policy for more information
Responding to good behaviour
When a pupil’s behaviour meets or goes above and beyond the expected behaviour standard, staff will recognise it with positive recognition and reward. This provides an opportunity for all staff at Kingsmead to reinforce the school’s culture and ethos.
Positive reinforcements and rewards will be applied clearly and fairly to reinforce the routines, expectations and norms of the school’s behaviour culture.
Positive behaviour will be rewarded using Class Charts
Students can access their Class Charts account online or through an app on their device at home to see how many points they have and will also be able to spend their points in the rewards store on Class Charts. A selection of stationary, toys, sports equipment and vouchers are available.
The positive points also count towards our 50+, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards, which each bring with them further rewards.
Throughout the year staff will be able to reward students by:
Example Rewards rota below
Curriculum awards are nominated every half term – these are then celebrated in Celebration assemblies.
Aspire awards are given by those taking part in the Aspire curriculum overseen by the Assistant Headteacher for Teaching & Learning.
Attendance awards are given half termly by the Deputy Headteacher and celebrated in Celebration awards
Responding to misbehaviour
See Appendix B – Behaviour protocols
When a pupil’s behaviour falls below the standard that can reasonably be expected of them at Kingsmead, staff will respond in order to restore a calm and safe learning environment, and to prevent recurrence of misbehaviour.
Staff will endeavour to create a predictable environment by always challenging behaviour that falls short of the standards, and by responding in a consistent, fair and proportionate manner, so pupils know with certainty that misbehaviour will always be addressed.
De-escalation techniques, including the use of pre-arranged scripts and phrases, can be used to help prevent further behaviour issues arising.
All pupils will be treated equitably under the policy, with any factors that contributed to the behavioural incident identified and taken into account.
When giving behaviour sanctions, staff will also consider what support could be offered to a pupil to help them to meet behaviour standards in the future.
The school may use 1 or more of the following sanctions in response to unacceptable behaviour:
Personal circumstances of the pupil will be taken into account when choosing sanctions, and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, but with regard to the impact on perceived fairness.
Responding to misbehaviour from pupils with SEND
Recognising the impact of SEND on behaviour
The school recognises that pupils’ behaviour may be impacted by a special educational need or disability (SEND).
When incidents of misbehaviour arise, we will consider them in relation to a pupil’s SEND, although we recognise that not every incident of misbehaviour will be connected to their SEND. Decisions on whether a pupil’s SEND had an impact on an incident of misbehaviour will be made on a case-by-case basis.
When dealing with misbehaviour from pupils with SEND, especially where their SEND affects their behaviour, the school will take its legal duties into account when making decisions about enforcing the behaviour policy. The legal duties include:
As part of meeting these duties, the school will anticipate, as far as possible, all likely triggers of misbehaviour, and put in place support to prevent these from occurring. Any preventative measures will take into account the specific circumstances and requirements of the pupil concerned.
Examples of strategies
Adapting sanctions for pupils with SEND
When considering a behavioural sanction for a pupil with SEND, the school will consider whether:
If the answer to any of these is ‘yes’, it may be unlawful for the school to sanction the pupil for the behaviour. The school will then assess whether it is appropriate to use a sanction and if so, whether any reasonable adjustments need to be made to the sanction.
Considering whether a pupil displaying challenging behaviour may have unidentified SEND
The school’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) may evaluate a pupil who exhibits challenging behaviour to determine whether they have any underlying needs that are not currently being met.
Where necessary, support and advice will also be sought from specialist teachers, an educational psychologist, medical practitioners and/or others, to identify or support specific needs.
When acute needs are identified in a pupil, we will liaise with external agencies and plan support programmes for that child. We will work with parents/carers to create the plan and review it on a regular basis.
Pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
The provisions set out in the EHC plan must be secured and the school will co-operate with the local authority and other bodies.
If the school has a concern about the behaviour of a pupil with an EHC plan, it will make contact with the local authority to discuss the matter. If appropriate, the school may request an emergency review of the EHC plan.
Supporting pupils following a sanction
Following a sanction, the school will consider strategies to help the pupil to understand how to improve their behaviour and meet the expectations of the school.
This could include measures such as:
Pupil transition
Inducting incoming pupils
The school will support incoming pupils to meet behaviour standards by offering an induction process to familiarise them with the behaviour policy and the wider school culture via the Head of school and their Head of Year.
As students move up the school, key information will be passed on to the relevant Head of School.
Training
As part of their induction process, our staff are provided with regular training on managing behaviour, including training on:
Behaviour management will also form part of continuing professional development. All staff have access to The Behaviour for Learning Handbook and Updated Behaviour Protocols
Reasonable force
Reasonable force covers a range of interventions that involve physical contact with pupils. All members of staff have a duty to use reasonable force, in the following circumstances, to prevent a pupil from:
Incidents of reasonable force must:
When considering using reasonable force, staff should, in considering the risks, carefully recognise any specific vulnerabilities of the pupil, including SEND, mental health needs or medical conditions.
Searching, screening and confiscation
Searching, screening and confiscation is conducted in line with the DfE’s latest guidance on searching, screening and confiscation.
Confiscation
Any prohibited items (listed in section 3) found in a pupil’s possession as a result of a search will be confiscated. These items will not be returned to the pupil.
We will also confiscate any item that is harmful or detrimental to school discipline. These items will be returned to pupils after discussion with senior leaders and parents/carers, if appropriate.
Searching a pupil
Searches will only be carried out by a member of staff who has been authorised to do so by the principal, or by the principal themselves.
The authorised member of staff carrying out the search will do so with another member of staff present as a witness to the search.
If the authorised member of staff considers a search to be necessary, but not required urgently, they will seek the advice of the principal, designated safeguarding lead (or deputy) or pastoral member of staff who may have more information about the pupil. During this time the pupil will be supervised and kept away from other pupils.
A search can be carried out if the authorised member of staff has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the pupil is in possession of a prohibited item or any item identified in the school rules for which a search can be made, or if the pupil has agreed.
An appropriate location for the search will be found. Where possible, this will be away from other pupils. The search will only take place on the school premises or where the member of staff has lawful control or charge of the pupil, for example on a school trip.
Before carrying out a search the authorised member of staff will:
If the pupil refuses to agree to a search, the member of staff can give an appropriate behaviour sanction but will likely refer to the principal/designated safeguarding lead, to try to determine why the pupil is refusing to comply. A phone call to parents/carers may be made at this point to support the concern raised.
The authorised member of staff may use a metal detector (wand) to assist with the search.
An authorised member of staff may search a pupil’s outer clothing, pockets, possessions or locker. ‘Outer clothing’ includes:
Searching pupils’ possessions
Possessions means any items that the pupil has or appears to have control of, including:
A pupil’s possessions can be searched for any item if the pupil agrees to the search. If the pupil does not agree to the search, staff can still carry out a search for prohibited items (listed in section 3) and items identified in the school rules.
An authorised member of staff can search a pupil’s possessions when the pupil and another member of staff are present.
Informing the designated safeguarding lead (DSL)
The staff member who carried out the search should inform the DSL without delay:
All searches for prohibited items (listed in section 3), including incidents where no items were found, will be recorded in the school’s safeguarding system.
Informing parents/carers
Parents/carers will always be informed of any search for a prohibited item (listed in section 3). A member of staff will tell the parents/carers as soon as is reasonably practicable:
Support after a search
Irrespective of whether any items are found as the result of any search, the school will consider whether the pupil may be suffering or likely to suffer harm and whether any specific support is needed (due to the reasons for the search, the search itself, or the outcome of the search).
If this is the case, staff will follow the school’s safeguarding policy and speak to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL). The DSL will consider whether pastoral support, an early help intervention or a referral to children’s social care is appropriate.
Off-site misbehaviour
Sanctions may be applied where a pupil has misbehaved off-site when representing the school. This means misbehaviour when the pupil is:
Sanctions may also be applied where a pupil has misbehaved off-site, at any time, whether or not the conditions above apply, if the misbehaviour:
Sanctions will only be given out on school premises or elsewhere when the pupil is under the lawful control of a staff member (e.g. on a school-organised trip).
Online misbehaviour
The school can issue behaviour sanctions to pupils for online misbehaviour when:
Sanctions will only be given out on school premises or elsewhere when the pupil is under the lawful control of a staff member.
Suspected criminal behaviour
If a pupil is suspected of criminal behaviour, the school will make an initial assessment of whether to report the incident to the police.
When establishing the facts, the school will endeavour to preserve any relevant evidence to hand over to the police.
If a decision is made to report the matter to the police, the principal or any member of the senior leadership team will make the report.
The school will not interfere with any police action taken. However, the school may continue to follow its own investigation procedure and enforce sanctions, as long as it does not conflict with police action.
If a report to the police is made, the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) will make a tandem report to children’s social care, if appropriate.
Zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and sexual violence
The school will ensure that all incidents of sexual harassment and/or violence are met with a suitable response, and never ignored.
Pupils are encouraged to report anything that makes them uncomfortable, no matter how ‘small’ they feel it might be. Pupils can report anything via any member of staff at Kingsmead or via the link on the school website – ITS NOT OK @ Kingsmead (office.com)
The school’s response will be:
The school has procedures in place to respond to any allegations or concerns regarding a child’s safety or wellbeing. These include clear processes for:
Please refer to our safeguarding and child protection policy for more information
Malicious allegations
Where a pupil makes an allegation against a member of staff and that allegation is shown to have been deliberately invented or malicious, the school will consider whether to discipline the pupil in accordance with this policy.
Where a pupil makes an allegation of sexual violence or sexual harassment against another pupil and that allegation is shown to have been deliberately invented or malicious, the school will consider whether to discipline the pupil in accordance with this policy.
In all cases where an allegation is determined to be unsubstantiated, unfounded, false or malicious, the school (in collaboration with the local authority designated officer (LADO), where relevant) will consider whether the pupil who made the allegation is in need of help, or the allegation may have been a cry for help. If so, a referral to children’s social care may be appropriate.
The school will also consider the pastoral needs of staff and pupils accused of misconduct.
Please refer to our safeguarding and child protection policy for more information on responding to allegations of abuse against staff or other pupils.
Detention
Pupils can be issued with detentions during break, after school or on weekends during term time.
For all detentions, Class charts will inform the pupil’s parents/carers. For after school detentions, Heads of Year/Pastoral Team will make a phone call to confirm a pupil’s attendance.
When imposing a detention, the school will consider whether doing so would:
Removal from classrooms
In response to serious or persistent breaches of this policy, the school may remove the pupil from the classroom for a limited time.
Pupils who have been removed will continue to receive education under the supervision of a member of staff. This education will be meaningful, but it may differ from the mainstream curriculum.
Removal is a serious sanction and will only be used in response to serious misbehaviour. Staff will only remove pupils from the classroom once other behavioural strategies have been attempted, unless the behaviour is so extreme as to warrant immediate removal.
Removal can be used to:
Pupils will not be removed from classrooms for prolonged periods of time without the explicit agreement of the principal.
Pupils should be reintegrated into the classroom as soon as it is appropriate and safe to do so. The school will consider what support is needed to help a pupil successfully reintegrate into the classroom and meet the expected standards of behaviour.
Parents/carers will be informed on the same day that their child is removed from the classroom.
The school will consider an alternative approach to behaviour management for pupils who are frequently removed from class, such as:
Staff will record all incidents of removal from the classroom, along with details of the incident that led to the removal, and any protected characteristics of the pupil.
Suspension and permanent exclusion
The school can use suspension and permanent exclusion in response to serious incidents or in response to persistent poor behaviour which has not improved following in-school sanctions and interventions.
The decision to suspend or exclude will be made by the headteacher and only as a last resort. All such consequences take into consideration reasonable adjustments for students with SEND.
Internal Exclusions
Parents/ carers and student will always be informed in advance by Class Charts notification.
Internal Exclusions can only be issued by the Head of Year in consultation with a member of the SLT, or directly by a member of the SLT.
Internal Exclusions are led by SLT and supported by the Middle Leaders. Students are required to work in isolation in the Re-tracking room for a ½ or full day. Relevant work will be provided. Students will be allowed supervised breaks throughout the day.
An internal exclusion will trigger interventions to support the student to re-track as per the suggestions in the intervention table.
Fixed Term Suspensions
DfE Fixed-Term Suspension Codes
The suspension letter will be emailed to the parent/ carer outlining the reason for the suspension and the legal status of the suspension/ complaint’s procedure. From April 2024 we no longer post a copy of suspension letters. This is to reduce financial cost to the school and our impact on the environment. If, however, a parent/carer would like to receive a hard copy, they can request this by return email.
Fixed term suspensions are usually issued for between one and five school days, but in exceptional circumstances can be for a longer period.
Our aim is to minimise levels of fixed term suspensions, and they will only be used as a last resort.
Every fixed term suspension will be followed by a re-integration meeting involving the Principal or a member of the SLT, The Head of Year, parent/ carer, and student where discussion will be held to support students to understand what went wrong and how to address more positively in the future. Non attendance or refusal will be recorded as a lack of engagement.
A copy of every suspension letter is sent to the Chair of Academy link councillors and the letters indicate that.
Comprehensive details relating to fixed term suspension can be found in the exclusions policy.
Off-site direction – OSD
Occasionally, all attempts to manage and support the appropriate behaviour of a student break down. In such incidences, a ‘OSD’ between Kingsmead and another local school can be explored. This would give the student an opportunity for a ‘fresh start’ – but is subject to a local protocol between schools and would need to be carefully considered by Kingsmead staff, the parents/ carers, and any potential new school.
Local protocols ensure that any OSD is initially on a trial basis and for a fixed period of time. OffSite direction referral form to be completed along with parameters in advance.
Managed moves
A managed move is used to initiate a process which leads to the transfer of a pupil to another mainstream school permanently. Managed moves should be voluntary and agreed with all parties involved, including the parents and the admission authority of the new school. If a temporary move needs to occur to improve a pupil’s behaviour, then offsite direction (as described above) should be used. Managed moves should only occur when it is in the pupil’s best interests
Permanent Exclusions
A decision to exclude a student permanently will usually be the final step in a graduated process for managing serious concerns regarding behaviour as detailed elsewhere in this document.
A decision to exclude a pupil permanently should only be taken:
In exceptional circumstances permanent exclusions may be issued because of a serious single incident. Any decision to permanently exclude a student will be rooted in this policy and relate directly to the graduated protocols.
Kingsmead has a commitment to avoid permanent exclusion and works with a range of other agencies to explore alternative solutions to permanent exclusion wherever possible.
We recognise that a child or young persons ‘home school’ is always the best place for them but will have to sometimes concede that alternative provision – including via the route of a permanent exclusion, might be the best solution for the young person, their family/ carers, and the rest of the school community.
Parents and carers will always be fully informed if a young person is at risk of permanent exclusion. Any attempts to seek out alternative support and provision for the young person will always be done with the agreement and cooperation of the parents/carers.
Level 0 – Redirect & Re-engage – Restorative opportunities – in green
Level 1 & 2
Level 3 & 4
Level 5 & 6
