Positive Relationships, Behaviour and Discipline Policy

Introduction

This policy was developed from consultation with staff across the federated schools.

The policy principally relates to children but it is important to note that the principles set out here relate to positive relationships and behaviour of all adults and children who work at our schools.

Aims, expectations and principles

It is a primary aim of our schools that every member of the schools’ community feels happy, valued and respected and that each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring community with mutual trust and respect for all.

‘The Hampden Way’ ‘The Tetsworth Way’

Our schools have three ‘golden rules’ for our pupils, staff and volunteers:

We are kind
We do our best
We are a team

These rules encompass a range of core values which we teach and nurture through our Jigsaw PSHE scheme of work. We aim to promote relationships which are happy, safe and secure. This policy aims to help children to become positive, responsible and increasingly independent members of the school and the wider community. It is our aim to extend this policy to behaviour and conduct in world outside of our school gates including the following of any Government Guidance relating to Covid 19. This policy is designed to promote good behaviour, not merely deter anti-social behaviour. We encourage and reward good behaviour, as we believe that this will develop and enhance an ethos of kindness and co-operation.

Our schools promote good choices (which lead to good consequences) and talk about choices that are bad (which lead to negative consequences, based around our system of warnings). Choice promotes self-management of behaviour and enables some reflection and discussion around better choices.

Praise is key to nurturing motivated, engaged children who make good choices and consequently build positive relationships.

Roles, Rights and Responsibilities

Refer to Equal Opportunities section, below: these statements are integral to all the responsibilities set out here (See also Appendices).

Pupils

It is the responsibility of pupils to make good choices at all times and with all adults and pupils in school. We expect pupils to follow any protocols and procedures introduced to prevent the spread of infection. These include following school instructions on hygiene – hand washing and sanitising procedures / sneezing, coughing and the disposal of tissues ( ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’), avoiding touching their mouth, nose and eyes with their hands/ telling an adult if they are feeling unwell/experiencing symptoms of coronavirus. Also remembering to only use materials and equipment allocated to them personally, remaining within the area designated by the adult/adults they are working with/playing non – contact games and activities.

This will lead to a safe environment with pupils behaving well and building up and maintaining good relationships. Our reward systems enhance the positive ethos of our schools by promoting and demonstrating friendship, perseverance, endeavour and truthfulness. Our golden rules and core values guide our pupils towards making good choices.

WE ARE KIND WE DO OUR BEST WE ARE A TEAM

Respect Friendship Perseverance Resilience

Fairness Endeavour Responsibility

Truthfulness Community Positivity Empathy

Following the instructions ‘Stop, Look and Listen’ in our schools, children and adults should:

Be silent
Have empty hands
Move their eyes to the speaker

In this way, an atmosphere of mutual respect is created, whereby everybody feels listened to and valued.

We expect children to try their best in all activities. If they do not do so, we may ask them to redo or complete a task.

Class Teacher

All staff in our schools have high expectations of the children in terms of their relationships, choices and behaviour. A key priority is to reward and praise good choices in order to reinforce good behaviour (including following school/class and group rules) and positive relationships.

With these principles in mind, specific responsibilities of the class teacher are to:

Praise children on individual / group basis (public praise is very powerful), making explicit why: what rule they have followed, or what choice(s) they have made
Follow our warning system, making explicit why; always state what rule they have broken, and record serious or repeated incidents
Display in the classroom the consequences of their choices (both with positive and negative aspects) – this can help when you explain why you are praising/warning.
Be consistent with all consequences
Treat each child fairly and with respect and understanding
Apply these principles, roles and responsibilities with their own class and around school
Having followed regular procedures and consequences, seek help and advice from a colleague (e.g. member of Leadership Team)
Liaise with external agencies, as necessary, to support and guide the progress of each child e.g. discuss the needs of a child with the education social worker or LA behaviour support service
Report to parents about the child’s social and emotional aspects of school life, including behaviour and relationships.

Support Staff

It is the responsibility of teaching assistants, office staff and all other adults in school to support the Headteacher and teachers in meeting the above objectives. As with teachers, a key priority is to reward and praise good choices in order to reinforce good behaviour (including following school/class/group rules) and positive relationships. All staff should be proactive in ‘catching’ pupils behaving well and exclaiming about how well a pupil has behaved.

Headteacher

In addition to the above, it is the responsibility of the Headteacher to:

Support the staff by implementing the policy, including the above objectives, and by setting the standards of behaviour
Implementing this policy consistently throughout the school, and reporting to governors, when requested on its effectiveness
Ensure the health, safety and welfare of all children in the school
Maintain records of all reported serious incidents of misbehaviour
For repeated acts of misbehaviour or very serious acts of anti-social behaviour, particularly where the safety of the school community may be at risk, the Headteacher will consider applying external fixed term and / or permanent exclusions of a child; both these actions are only taken after the school governors have been notified
Behaviours that would be considered to be putting the school community at risk would include: spitting; biting; coughing/sneezing directly at another person. The Headteacher reserves the right to include other behaviours to this list where he feels that there has been a deliberate act aimed at contaminating another person or another person’s property.

Parents and carers

The school works collaboratively with parents so that children receive consistent messages about how to behave. We aim to build a supportive dialogue between the home and the school. We inform parents immediately via e-mail or telephone if we have concerns about their child’s welfare or behaviour – this includes a child displaying a pattern of regularly receiving warnings. Our golden rules/values are displayed externally as well as internally throughout the school so that they can be referred to at any time.

We expect parents to:-

Be aware that we have school rules and to support them
Co-operate with the school
Support their child’s learning and behaviour choices
Support school decisions when consequences are applied to deal with a specific incident or issue
Adhere to the Home School Agreement

If parents have any concerns about the way their child has been treated, they should initially contact the class teacher via e-mail or by telephone. If the concern remains they should contact the Headteacher, and if still unresolved, the school governors (see the schools’ Complaints policy).

Governors
The governing body has the responsibility of setting down these general guidelines on standards of discipline and behaviour, and of reviewing their effectiveness. The governors support the Headteacher in carrying out these guidelines.

The Headteacher has the day to day authority to implement the school behaviour and discipline policy, but governors may give advice about particular disciplinary issues which the Headteacher must take into account when making decisions about issues of behaviour.

Consequences

Positive Consequences

Each teacher and their class develop their own systems of reward and praise, based on the overall school principles set out in this policy. This will include at least individual and class/group rewards to promote the need for teamwork as well as individual self-control.

Some of the positive consequences for the good choices and good behaviour that children show are:

Regular verbal feedback to reinforce positive behaviour
Reference to good role models
Children are congratulated
Stickers/stamps or other small treats.
Special recognition mentions at Achievement assemblies (these may need to be delivered remotely to individual classes/groups). Pupil recognition will include praising actions displaying social and emotional aspects of learning (Jigsaw).
Golden/Reward Time if a class/group has achieved a class/group target
Class/group rewards may be given to children for good choices, good relationships, politeness, co-operation or acts of kindness in school

Assemblies follow our Jigsaw Scheme of Work and explain, promote, reinforce and embed our golden rules and core values.

Achievement Assemblies, are an opportunity to publicly celebrate the good choices children have made in school and share some of the good work they been producing. Teachers choose children based on their school work and relating to our ‘Weekly Celebration’ from Jigsaw (PSHE scheme).

Negative Consequences

Staff at our schools employ a consistent, clear and hierarchical system of negative consequences if a child breaks a school rule. This is to ensure a safe and effective learning environment in which positive, happy, healthy relationships flourish.

Our schools have a series of consequences if someone breaks a rule:

JOHN HAMPDEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

A reminder about behaviour and choices
Five minutes off break time
Missed breaks as needed
Pupil sees Headteacher and parents are informed

TETSWORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL

A reminder about behaviour and choices
A yellow card is given
Five minutes off break time
Parents are informed if a child has received more than 3 yellow cards in a half-term

Serious misbehaviour (e.g. swearing, disrespect to staff, fighting) is rare at our schools. Such behaviour would mean involvement from a member of the Senior Leadership Team or the Headteacher. Any pattern in warnings or consistent warnings means parents are contacted via e-mail and/or telephone. We contact parents to keep them in the picture and to discuss ways to respond and gain a consistent message between home and school.

We do recognise that there are occasionally overriding factors or circumstances surrounding lapses in behaviour, but these are rare and so variation from the system is infrequent. We are also mindful of individuals who find emotional behaviour management very difficult and in these cases individual plans are formulated in conjunction with the pupil, class teacher, SENCo and parents. This is to maintain their effect and impersonal nature i.e. we aim to remove the personal judgement so children understand and accept the school rules. In the event that, having completed a risk assessment, it is felt that a child’s challenging behaviour represents a safety issue in relation to the spread of infection (Covid 19) then parents/carers will be asked to keep that pupil at home. This will not be deemed to be an exclusion at the present time (June 2020). This may be subject to change at a later date.

The safety of the 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 in the rest of the session.

The class teacher discusses the school rules with each class/group, and also creates a Jigsaw Charter for behaviour. This is agreed by the children and displayed on the wall of the classroom. In this way, every child in the school knows the standard of behaviour that we expect in our school.

The school does not tolerate bullying of any kind. If we discover that an act of bullying or intimidation has taken place, we act immediately to stop any further occurrences of such behaviour. (See Appendices)

All members of staff are aware of the regulations regarding the use of force by teachers, as set out in DfE recommendations to Schools: The Use of Force to Control or Restrain Pupils. Staff would only need to intervene physically to restrain children or to prevent injury to a child, or if a child is in danger of hurting him/herself. The actions that we take are in line with government guidelines on the restraint of children. Staff will try to adhere to the latest Covid 19 Government Guidance where possible physical intervention is needed.

Monitoring

The Headteacher monitors the effectiveness of this policy on a regular basis and reports to the governing body on the effectiveness of the policy and, if necessary, makes recommendations for further improvements.

The school keeps a variety of records of incidents of misbehaviour. The school records incidents in line with this policy where a serious incident has occurred during break or lunchtimes. The Headteacher keeps a record of any pupil who is suspended for a fixed-term, or who is permanently excluded. Racial incidents must be reported to the local authority; homophobic incidents are also recorded.

It is the responsibility of the governing body to monitor the rate of suspensions and exclusions, and to ensure that the school policy is administered fairly and consistently.

Equal Opportunities

The schools expect every member of the school community to behave in a considerate way towards others. We treat all children fairly and apply this policy without prejudice in a consistent, non-judgemental way. All aspects with regard to the equal opportunities of everyone involved within our school community are referred to in our Federation Equalities Policy.

Policy Reviewed by Senior Leadership Team:

Adopted by Governing Body:

To be reviewed: June 2020

Appendix 1: Anti-Bullying
Bullying can happen in any school. At our schools, it is rare. We have these principles and roles in place to ensure that bullying is quickly addressed and stopped.

Definition

Bullying is denoted by actions that are meant to be hurtful and which happen on a regular basis.

Several

Times

Purpose

Bullying can be direct (physical or verbal) or indirect (e.g. being ignored or not spoken to). There can be specific types of bullying, including homophobic bullying. All are treated extremely seriously at our schools.

Aims and objectives

Our schools are safe and secure environments where everyone can learn without anxiety. Bullying is wrong and damages children’s social and/or emotional health. We therefore do all we can to prevent it by sustaining a positive, happy and healthy whole school ethos in which bullying is regarded as unacceptable.

The role of children

All pupils should know that hurting someone (physically or emotionally) is wrong and that bullying is wrong.
Pupils should tell any adult (school staff or parent / carer) if they are or think they might be being bullied. If bullying persists, they must keep letting people know.
Pupils should tell us their honest views about school in regular feedback sessions e.g. weekly class circle time or Jigsaw (PSHE) sessions, School Council meetings, informal conversations with Class teacher / Headteacher at any time. These views can be specifically about bullying but may also be about how safe they feel at school.

The role of teacher and other staff in school

All members of staff take bullying seriously; they aim to ensure a culture of tolerance and know that bullying is not acceptable at our schools. Teachers and teaching assistants should communicate to children the message that hurting someone (physically or emotionally) is wrong and that bullying is wrong and unacceptable.
If staff witness an act of bullying, they should investigate it themselves (and ensure a member of the Senior Leadership Team is informed) or refer it to the Headteacher or Head of Teaching and Learning.
Adults will fully support the child being bullied by spending time with the child to restore the child’s confidence, happiness and other aspects of health – this will usually be the responsibility of the class teacher, but other senior staff will monitor and check the child’s well-being to ensure that they are being looked after and are safe. The child’s parents/carers will be consulted.
Staff will endeavour to stop the problem. For the child who has conducted the bullying, consequences are put in place (including informing parents/carers); there is also the possibility of some form of exclusion. The class teacher will be central to this role, but other adults will be vigilant about monitoring the child’s choices and well-being.
All teachers and teaching assistant should follow Jigsaw circle times and assembly activities on a weekly basis; dedicated sessions should centre around bullying and how people can stop bullying if there are any signs of someone being bullied in school. On an annual basis, they should participate with their class in national Anti-Bullying Week where awareness is heightened but the topic should be covered on a termly basis in class.
They should follow the principles set out in this policy in order to embed our school climate of mutual support and praise, so making bullying less likely.

The role of the Headteacher and Heads of Teaching and Learning

The Senior Leadership Team ensure all principles and roles set out are implemented.
The Senior Leadership Team follows all principles and roles set out for teachers and other staff (above).
In particular, this includes ensuring that all children in school know that hurting someone (physically or emotionally) is wrong and that bullying is wrong and unacceptable at our schools. This is on a regular basis and may also stem from any signs of bullying. Assemblies are used to communicate this to the whole school on a regular basis.
The Headteacher keeps a record of bullying, including any homophobic bullying; so that incidents can be reported on request.
The Headteacher reports to the Governing Body about the effectiveness of the policy on request.

The role of parents / carers

Parents/carers have the responsibility of supporting this entire policy on positive relationships, behaviour and its appendices, including this one.
Parents/carers concerned about bullying should contact their child’s class teacher or the Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher straight away. They may contact the school if they suspect their child is being bullied or if, indeed they suspect their child of bullying someone else.
If they are dissatisfied with the response from the school, they should follow our complaints procedure by putting a formal complaint to the Governing body.

The role of governors

The Governing Body supports the school in all principles and roles set out here. It does not condone any bullying at all in school. Any incidents of bullying will be taken very seriously and dealt with appropriately.
It monitors incidents of bullying and reviews the effectiveness of this policy. It requires the Headteacher to keep accurate records of all incidents of bullying and to report to the governors about the effectiveness of anti-bullying strategies.
It will respond to any formal complaint from a parent/carer in line with our complaints procedure.

Appendix 2: Cyberbullying

Definition

“Cyberbullying is the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT), particularly mobile phones and the internet, to deliberately upset someone” DCSF 2007.

There are many types of cyberbullying. Although there may be some of which we are unaware, here are the more common examples:

Text messages that are threatening or cause discomfort.
Pictures/video clips via mobile phone cameras – images sent to others to make the victim feel threatened or embarrassed.
Mobile phone calls: silent calls, abusive messages or stealing the victim’s phone and using it to harass others, to make them believe the victim is responsible.
Emails: threatening or bullying emails – often sent using a pseudonym or somebody else’s name.
Chatroom bullying: menacing or upsetting responses to children or young people when they are in a web-based chatroom.
Instant messaging: (IM) unpleasant messages sent while children conduct real-time conversations on-line using MSM (Microsoft Messenger) or Yahoo Chat (although there are others)
Bullying via websites: use of defamatory blogs, personal websites and social networking sites e.g. Bebo, MySpace, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

How is cyberbullying different?

Bullying is bullying wherever and however if takes place. Cyberbullying is a method of bullying that uses ICT to upset, threaten or humiliate someone and has the following key characteristics:

Cyberbullying can take place at any time, in any location; technology allows the user to bully anonymously
Cyberbullying can occur on a vast and rapid scale
Electronic content is very hard to control; it can never be guaranteed to be removed totally from circulation
Bullies can take actions to attempt to be anonymous and can feel ‘distanced’ from the incident
‘Bystanders’ can easily become perpetrators
The ‘profile’ of a cyberbully or a target varies – age/size is not an issue
Cyberbullying incidents can be used as evidence
Cyberbullying can occur unintentionally often due to a lack of awareness/empathy – ‘It was only a joke’
Cyberbullying leaves no physical scars so it is, perhaps, less evident to a parent or teacher, but it is highly intrusive and the hurt it causes can be very severe.
Young people are particularly adept at adapting to new technology, and an area that can appear to be a closed world to adults (e.g. the numerous acronyms used by young people – POS – Parents Over Shoulder, TUL – Tell You Later); this makes it difficult for adults to recognise potential threats.

At our schools, we take this bullying as seriously as all other types of bullying and, therefore, will deal with each situation individually. An episode may result in a simple verbal warning. It might result in a parental discussion. Clearly, more serious cases will result in further sanctions including contacting the police if necessary.

Key Advice to Pupils
Adapted from DfE guidance, the following points are taught to pupils on a regular basis, especially when teaching about internet use:

Always respect others – think about what you say online and what images you send / post
Remember that anything you publish online can be made public very quickly and you will never be sure who may have seen it; once something is posted you lose control
Treat your password like a toothbrush: never share it with anyone and only give your personal information like mobile phone number or email address to trusted friends
Learn how to block or report online bullies or anyone behaving badly!
Don’t retaliate or reply
Save the evidence – test messages, online conversation, pictures etc.
If you’re worried, always make sure you tell an adult you trust or contact someone like Childline, the service provider e.g. Website, mobile phone company , school or police
If you see cyberbullying taking place then support the victim and report the bullying

There’s plenty of online advice on how to react to cyberbullying. For example, www.kidscape.org.uk and www.wiredsafety.org have some useful tips.

Key advice for parents / carers

Adapted from DfE guidance, the following points are frequently communicated to parents/carers in newsletters:

Be alert to your child being upset after using the internet/phones – they may be secretive, change relationships with friends
Your child is just as likely to be a bully as a target
Talk to you child and understand how they are using the internet and their phone
Use safety tools and parental controls – if you’re not sure how, contact your service provider. Please note tools are not always 100% effective
Remind your child not to retaliate
Keep any evidence of cyber bullying – emails, online conversations, texts etc.
Report the cyberbullying
Contact the school so they can take action if it involves other pupils
Contact the service provider e.g. website, phone company etc.
If the cyberbullying is serious and a potential criminal offence has been committed then consider contacting the police

Appendix 3: Anti-Racism
Like bullying, racism can exist in any school, even those where its pupils are made up of one ethnicity. At our schools, it is rare. However, our schools are part of a multi-cultural community and we have these principles and roles in place to ensure that racism can be quickly stopped.

Definition

The Stephen Lawrence Enquiry Report defines racism as: ‘conduct or words which advantage or disadvantage people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin’. A racist incident is defined as ‘any incident which is perceived as racist by the victim or any other person’.

Racist behaviour is any hostile or offensive act or expression by a person of one racial/ethnic origin against a person/group of another racial/ethnic origin. It can also be any incitement to act or express themselves in such manner that would interfere with the peace and comfort of a person/group, regardless of whether that person/group is present or not.

Racist behaviour is an educational institution can include:

Physical assault because of colour and / or ethnicity;
Derogatory name-calling, insults and racist jokes;
Racist graffiti;
Provocative behaviour e.g. wearing racist badges/insignia;
Bringing racist materials e.g. leaflets, magazines into school;
Verbal abuse/threats;
Incitement of others to behave in a racists way (whether or not the ethnic group are aware of not);
Racist comments in the course of lessons;
Ridicule of cultural differences e.g. food, music, dress etc.;
Refusal to cooperate with other people because of their colour and/or ethnicity.

Aims and objectives

Our schools are safe and secure environments where everyone can learn irrespective of their nationality, ethnic background or faith. It is not possible to achieve this is anyone faces prejudice or hostility. Racism is wrong. We therefore do all we can to prevent it by sustaining a positive, happy and healthy whole school ethos in which equal opportunity is fundamental (see Ethos and Mission Statement and Equal Opportunities Policy).

We want to:

Make our school safe and welcoming for all pupils, parents and staff;
Sustain an environment in which racist assumptions, attitudes and behaviour are challenged;
Sustain an environment in which we all recognise and celebrate our similarities and our differences;
Provide a curriculum which emphasises the positive aspect of all cultures and of a multi-cultural society;
Give all pupils, parents and staff the confidence that racism can and must be eradicated from our society;
Ensure staff are always aware of implicit racism and issues surrounding the use of correct terminology, customs, language etc.
Ensure staff intervene directly when they are aware of racist incidents.

The role of children

All pupils should know that racism is wrong
Pupils should tell any adult (school staff or parent/carer) if they know of any racism in our school. If bullying persists, they must keep on letting people know.
Pupils should tell us their honest views about school in regular feedback e.g. Circle Time or Jigsaw sessions, School Council meetings, informal conversations with staff during lunch. These views can be specifically about racism but may also be about how safe and welcome they feel at school.

The role of teachers and other staff in school

All staff take racism seriously; they aim to ensure racism is seen as unacceptable. Teachers and teaching assistants should communicate to all children, other staff and to parents the message that racism is wrong and unacceptable at our schools and in society.
All racist incidents will be dealt with not matter how trivial they may seem to be.
If staff are aware of racism, they should refer it to the Headteacher or Head of Teaching and Learning directly.
Adults fully support the victim of racism. Time is spent to restore the victim’s confidence, happiness and other aspects of health. For children, this will usually be by the class teacher, but other adults will monitor and restore the child’s well-being through checks to ensure that they are being looked after and are safe. The child’s parents/carers will be consulted.
They also aim to stop the problem. For the child who has been racist, consequences are put in place (including informing parents/carers); there is also the possibility of some form of exclusion. Time is spent with the pupil who has been racist to explore attitudes and reasons and to make clear that his/her actions are unacceptable – as above, this will usually be led by the class teacher, but other adults will be vigilant about monitoring the child’s choices and well-being.
For a member of staff who has been racist, disciplinary procedures will be pursued.
For a parent/carer, legal advice will be sought.
All teachers and support staff should equip themselves with skills and awareness e.g. through available CPD, policy reviews.
All teachers and teaching assistants should follow our Jigsaw and Circle Time activities regularly; these sessions and other teaching should not shy away from discussing racism, how unacceptable it is and how people can stop it if there are any signs. Where most effective term topics should promote community cohesion and how to make a positive contribution to society.
They should follow the principles set out in this policy in order to continue our school climate of mutual support and praise, so making racism less likely.
See Support (below).

The role of the Headteacher and Heads of Teaching and Learning

The Senior Leadership Team ensure all principles and roles set out are implemented.
The Senior Leadership Team follow all principles and roles set out for teachers and other staff (above).
In particular, this includes ensuring that everyone in school knows that racism is wrong and unacceptable. This is on a regular basis and may also stem from any signs of racism. Assemblies are used to communicate this to children.
In the case of serious incidents, an assessment must be carried to find out whether the whole school community must be informed i.e. whether teachers must explain circumstances to pupils in order to reduce distortion and backlash and whether parents/carers should be informed. Serious incidents are reported to the police.
If there is an allegation against a member of staff, it should be dealt with under the Oxfordshire Human Resources Disciplinary Procedures (adopted by our school).
Racist graffiti must be removed/deleted as soon as it is evident; if this is not possible, advice will be sought and pupils, parents and staff are made aware of this situation; movement around the school may be re-directed. Issues surrounding racism and its unacceptable nature are made very clear to all.
The Headteacher monitors the effectiveness of staff in promoting community cohesion and positive relationships, and in providing support for victims of racism.
The Headteacher reports to the Governing Body about the effectiveness of the policy on request.
The Headteacher has overall responsibility for dealing with racist incidents and recording the action taken including reports to the local authority any incidents of racism on a termly basis.

The role of parents/carers

Parents/carers have the responsibility of supporting this entire policy on positive relationships, behaviour and its appendices, including this one.
Parents/carers concerned about racism should contact their child’s class teacher or the Headteacher/Head of Teaching and Learning straight away. They might be worried that their child is a victim of racism, but they should also contact school if they suspect their child may have been racist to someone else. If they are dissatisfied with the response, they should use our complaints procedure by putting a formal complaint to the Governing Body.

The role of Governors

The governing body supports the school in all the principles and practice set out here. Any racist incidents will be taken very seriously and dealt with appropriately.
The governors monitor incident occurrence and reviews the effectiveness of policy and practice. This requires the Headteacher to keep accurate records and report to governors on the effectiveness of strategies used to counter racism.
It will respond to any formal complaint from a parent/carer in line with our complaints procedure.

Support

It is recommended that victims of racism may be fearful of the consequences of reporting an incident. However, our system of support is robust as leadership, staff and governors will respond in a caring, sensitive and thorough way in order to reduce the effects of distress from such incidents.

Appendix 4: Fixed term and Permanent exclusions

Only the Headteacher (or the acting Headteacher) has the power to exclude a pupil from school. The Headteacher may exclude a pupil for one or more fixed periods for up to 45 days in any one school year and may also exclude a pupil permanently. It is also possible for the Headteacher to convert a fixed term exclusion into a permanent exclusion, if the circumstances warrant this. The Headteacher informs the local authority and the governing body about any permanent exclusion, and about any fixed term exclusions beyond five days in any one term.

If the Headteacher excludes a pupil, the parents are informed immediately, giving reasons for the exclusion. At the same time, the Headteacher makes it clear to the parents that they can, if they wish, appeal against the decision to the governing body. The school informs parents of how to make such an appeal. A committee made up of three governors considers any exclusion appeals on behalf of the governing body. This committee considers the exclusion in the light of the circumstances leading to the exclusion, any representations that are made and whether the pupil should be reinstated. A ruling by the committee to reinstate must be complied with. The governing body itself cannot either exclude a pupil or extend the exclusion period made by the Headteacher.

Positive Relationships, Behaviour and Discipline Policy

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