Behaviour
This is a child page of Policies
Scoil Charthaigh Naofa,
Rahan.
Roll Number 20273A
Vision Statement: Scoil Charthaigh Naofa aims to promote the development of faith inspired by gospel values. While educational excellence is promoted, it is the needs of the learner that direct the development of the school.
The dignity of each student, staff member and parent is honoured and reflected in school policies and structures including this policy.
The principal and board of management support individual classroom teachers in their efforts to create a positive teaching and learning environment in the school. Teachers use their experience and professional judgement to adapt and modify the content of lessons and methods of instruction to suit the needs of students.
Our vision is one of a community of pupils, teachers working together in an interesting, bright and stimulating, happy school free from harassment and bullying with all working together to achieve their full potential.
Aims: The school aims to put in place a code of discipline drawing on the information and research in the Minister for Education's report on discipline in schools (1997), on teacher observation on the needs of the school and on circular 7/88, discipline in national schools.
Our policy's aims are:
1. To further the work of pupils and teachers to make Scoil Charthaigh Naofa a learning school.
2. To specify the standards of behaviour expected of pupils for their development as responsible individuals.
3. To put in place a transparent procedure to be followed where behaviour does not meet those expectations and the sanctions that may be imposed.
4. To specify the procedures to be followed in the event of suspension or expulsion.
5. To specify how a decision to suspend or expel may be removed and the grounds for such a decision.
6. To specify appeals procedures.
7. To foster, recognise and reward good behaviour
8. To encourage positive behaviour by a range of strategies.
Staff Responsibilities:
1. Each teacher is responsible for the maintenance of good behaviour in his/her classroom and shares a common responsibility for good behaviour within the school premises
2. The principal has overall responsibility for the maintenance of good discipline within the school. Pupils will be referred to the principal for serious breaches of discipline and for repeated or persistent minor misbehaviour
3. Teachers should pick up classes from the school as soon as possible after the bell
4. Each teacher should bring his/her class to the gate at dismissal time
5. Each teacher should bring his/her class into the yard at break times. Pupils should not be dismissed from the class.
6. A teacher should never leave a class unsupervised.
7. The teacher should make every effort to establish a good relationship with each child in his or her class.
Pupils Responsibilities
1. Every pupil is expected to treat each other pupil with the utmost courtesy and respect at all times.
2. Every pupil is expected to treat every member of staff with the utmost respect and courtesy at all times.
3. Every pupil is expected to treat his property and the property of others with the utmost courtesy and respect at all times.
4. Pupils are expected to report all incidents of bullying and should never condone such behaviour in themselves or others.
5. Every pupil is expected to work to the best of his abilities at all times and to play his part in inculcating a happy but work-like atmosphere within the school.
6. Pupils are expected to never bring the good name of the school into disrepute.
Anti Bullying Policy
1. An Anti-Bullying Policy will be rigorously enforced within the school.
2. It is recognised that an Anti-Bullying Policy can only work with the active co-operation of staff, pupils, and parents
3. All reported instances of bullying will be investigated and logged should they prove true in the opinion of the principal in the bully's school file.
4. A Name Calling/Anti-Bullying Contract will be issued to every pupil in second class. In this contract the pupil and parent each testify that they understand the damage that can be caused by bullying or name-calling and each pupil promises not to indulge in such unwanted behaviour. A modified version of the Anti-Bullying Contract, which is easier to understand, will be given to the infant classes and to first class. This will be kept for reference on the pupils file.
5. Management reserves the right to report serious incidents of bullying to the Gardaí.
6. It is the schools policy to protect the names of pupils who complain about being bullied. Bullying will be as much as possible investigated without revealing the names of the victims. It is our experience that bulling is behaviour and where a child indulges in bullying it is rarely if ever directed at only one victim.
Healthy Lunches: The school recognises the influence certain foods have on behaviour and learning and therefore has a healthy lunches policy, which it expects all pupils to adhere to. Chocolate, sweets, crisps, chewing gum and sugary and/or fizzy drinks are therefore not allowed in the school.
Strategies to encourage positive behaviour: Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool that should be used by all teachers within the school. Praise may be given by means of the following:
" A quiet word or gesture to show approval.
" A comment in the pupil's exercise book.
" A visit to another member of staff for commendation.
" A word of praise in front of the class.
" Merit stamps or stars
" Praise by the teacher to the child's parent either orally or by a note.
" Delegating special responsibility or privilege.
" Reward certificates.
Teachers will be given a trophy for their class at the start of the academic school year. This will be awarded to the pupil of the week on Friday. The pupil will be able to keep the trophy at home for the duration of the following week. This will be awarded by the teacher for good behaviour, trying hard at schoolwork and for setting a good example for others. Systems that may be used by the teachers in their classrooms to encourage positive behaviour may include:
" Discipline for learning
" Golden time
" Star system
This list is not exhaustive and a teacher may if they wish employ another strategy in consultation with the principal providing that it does not compromise quality of learning in their classroom or the existing code of behaviour.
Proactive approach to the prevention of misbehaviour in class:
1. Teachers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with good classroom management practice.
2. Teachers are expected to provide a stimulating programme for the children.
3. Teachers are expected to treat pupils firmly, fairly and with respect.
4. Reports will be posted home in June and will be signed by the principal. Parent-teacher meeting will take place once a year in February.
5. Class rules will be clearly displayed in every room.
6. Teachers are encouraged to discuss class and school rules with the children on a regular basis. The principal may call into a class to discuss school rules should there be a need to do so.
7. An Anti-Bullying programme will be carried out in each class as part of the SPHE programme of the school.
8. Pupils are actively encouraged to report all incidents of bullying to a member of the teaching staff.
General Classroom sanctions:
1. Pupils may be given work that encourages them to reflect on their behaviour. These sheets should be brought home and signed by a parent.
2. Notes may be written in the pupil's homework notebook to be signed by a parent.
3. Teacher Parent contact is encouraged where problems with behaviour occur.
4. Poor behaviour is to be recorded on weekly behaviour grids.
5. The results of the weekly grids will be posted home where necessary.
6. Pupils may be asked to copy out the class rules and get them signed.
7. Pupils may be detained for Friday Detention Group.
8. Pupils may be removed from the yard for a period of time during break.
9. Pupils may be asked to transcribe a passage from a book.
10. For continued minor misbehaviour pupils may be issued with a serious misbehaviour report, which is placed in their school file.
Misbehaviour in the yard:
1. Pupils are expected to play in a safe, friendly, and fair manner at all times in the schoolyard.
2. Each incident of misbehaviour will be recorded on a weekly 'Yard Misbehaviour Grid'.
3. When a pupils name appears three times in one week's grid the pupil will be placed in the Friday lunchtime detention group. Should the principal feel that the incident is of a serious nature the child may automatically be placed in the Friday lunchtime detention group.
4. Serious misbehaviour reports may be issued to pupils who seriously misbehave on the yard. This will be kept in the pupils school file.
5. Pupils who continuously misbehave in the yard may be removed from the yard for a period of time.
6. Yard rules will be displayed clearly in each classroom and will be discussed by the class at least once per term
7. Where minor misbehaviour occurs in the yard the supervising teacher may detain the child for a period of time to a specified area of the yard.
Pupils who present with a behaviour disorder
1. A pupil who presents with what is deemed by the teacher to be a behaviour disorder, will after consultation with the principal and parents, be referred to the services of the Midland Regional Health Authority for assessment.
2. In cases deemed by the principal to be an emotional behavioural disorder as set out by the weighted system for allocation of resources for children with special needs, arise suddenly, emergency application for extra resources will be made to the Department of Education and to the Special Educational Needs Organiser for the school. These applications will be sent by post.
3. Where a pupil has been diagnosed by a recognised professional with a Behaviour disorder, special behaviour systems will be put in place for that child. These may include Behaviour Contracts, Daily Monitoring Records, A reduced school day, etc. The health and safety the child and of the other children and/or staff of Scoil Charthaigh Naofa must be a consideration in the planning of behaviour systems for children with behaviour disorders.
Serious Misbehaviour:
1. The following types of misbehaviour would be deemed to be serious
" Any action that endangers the child himself, other pupils or staff.
" Any form of physical violence name calling or bullying.
" Damage of property or theft of property.
" Disrespect shown to any member of staff or non co-operation with staff
" Any form of minor misbehaviour which is disruptive and continuous
" Any form of behaviour that endangers the health and safety of the child the other children and/or the staff.
2. All acts of serious misbehaviour will be recorded on a Serious Misbehaviour Sheet and placed in the pupils school file.
3. The principal when appropriate will inspect individual pupil's files.
4. Serious misbehaviour may result in a child being suspended by the principal for up to three days.
5. All suspensions will be recorded and will be notified to parents by post.
6. When a suspension period has been served, a pupil must be formally re-admitted to his class by the principal. A parent of the child must accompany the child to the principal's office on his return to school. A pupil will not be re-admitted until the principal has spoken to the child's parent regarding the child's behaviour.
7. Very serious misbehaviour may be brought to the attention of the Board of Management for further consideration. A special decision of the Board of Management is necessary to authorise a suspension in excess of three days and up to ten school days to allow for consultation with the pupil, parent or guardians. The parents of the child will be informed of the meeting by registered post and invited to make a presentation to the Board of Management before the motion to suspend is discussed. Should the Board of Management decide to suspend the pupil a letter will be drafted by the board outlining the reason for the suspension, the duration of the suspension and the conditions in which the suspension will be lifted. This letter will be sent to the parents of the child by registered post. In exceptional circumstances the Board of Management may decide to authorise a further period of exclusion in order to enable the matter to be reviewed. Again the parents will be informed in advance of the meeting and invited to make a presentation to the Board of Management. The decision of the board will be sent by registered post and will again outline the reason for the suspension, the duration of the suspension and the conditions for the lifting of the suspension.
Should any suspension bring the cumulative period of suspension to 20 school days within one school year the Board of Management will inform the parents of their right to appeal the suspension under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998. Information on the procedures for such appeals and an appeal application form will be sent to the parents of the child by registered post.
Sanctions:
Sanctions used within Scoil Charthaigh Naofa in no particular order may include
" Reasoning with the child.
" After frequent unheeded correction by the teacher/ principal parents are informed of the child's behaviour.
" The child may be placed in the Friday lunchtime detention group.
" The child may be asked to remain outside the staff room window for a section of, or all of either breaks.
" The principal or the class teacher may employ a grid where a child will be rewarded with stamps for positive behaviour. This may also have conditions attached which may stipulate that in order to receive a reward or to receive permission to attend a school event or outing a minimum number of stamps must be achieved
" Isolation/ separation within classroom.
" Additional written work or worksheets.
" Referral to the Principal.
" Loss of privileges- tours, matches, jobs. This list is not exhaustive.
" Suspension. Please refer to the section dealing with serious misbehaviour.
" Expulsion. In circumstances where serious misbehaviour has been continuous, sanctions mentioned in this section of the code of discipline for Scoil Charthaigh Naofa have been deemed by the Board of Management to have been exhausted and to have had insufficient positive effect on the discipline of the child within the school, and where there is a significant and continuing threat to the health and safety of the pupils and/or staff of Scoil Charthaigh Naofa, the board of management may decide to expel the student from Scoil Charthaigh Naofa in accordance with Section 24 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000- Please see Appendix 1. Parents will be informed in advance of the meeting by registered post and will be invited to make a submission to the board before the motion to expel is discussed. Should the board decide to expel a pupil, the parents of the child will be notified by registered post of the decision and will also be provided with details of how to appeal this decision under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998- Please see Appendix 2. A copy of both the Education Act 1998 and the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 is available for parents to read within the School.
