Behaviour and Attitudes

We have the highest aspirations for our school and every member of our school community. By promoting a culture of Ambition, Support, Perseverance, Integrity, Reflection and Empathy, we strive to Aspire, in all that we do.

 

Our school is founded upon high standards and high expectations of students’ attitude to learning. We expect a commitment from all students to the Gildredge House Way in being Ready, Respectful, and Safe.

The school's aim is to create an ethos and an environment which celebrates diversity and how every child is unique. As a result of this, all students feel safe and can learn to interact respectfully, sensibly and maturely with others. The development of personal qualities and social skills, and the fostering of socially acceptable behaviour, are therefore integral aspects of the school curriculum.

At Gildredge House, we understand that relationships are key. We have staff who work incredibly hard every day to develop strong relationships with students and parents to ensure they are supported, inspired, and motivated to Aspire in all they do.

 

 

Primary Phase

Classroom management

Class teachers pride themselves on getting to know all students in the class, their learning style and strengths. These positive relationships establish a supportive environment in the classroom where learning time is prioritised and successes celebrated.

Primary Ready to Learn Behaviours

As a school we recognise and promote exemplary behaviour, having high expectations for all. In the Primary phase, we are aware of our responsibility to foster and encourage positive and pro-social behaviours, whilst teaching our students how actions have consequences.  This ethos echoes our core aims and values with emphasis on respectful relationships as well as compassion and support to all. 

Staff create calm and purposeful learning environments ensuring that students are ready to learn and that they are able demonstrate ownership and awareness of their behaviours. Where appropriate and reasonable, adjustments may be made to routines within the curriculum to ensure all students can meet behavioural expectations in the curriculum.

 

Responding to misbehaviour

Our policy is built on establishing positive relationships and takes students age and needs into consideration when addressing behaviour. Verbal reminders of expected behaviours are used before following up with a reminder of consequences if appropriate. Students are expected to accept their consequences for misbehaviour.

Staff may use time outside the classroom to talk to students and have restorative conversations with individual or groups of students. Parents/Carers will be informed of behaviour incidents via Edulink and are encouraged to discuss students behaviour with the class teacher.

 

Uniform

Any student not wearing correct uniform will be identified by their class teacher. Contact home via EduLink or a phone call or conversation at Pick-Up. Uniform is expected to be worn correctly and with pride throughout the school day.

 

 Secondary Phase

Ready to Learn Routines

We have a set of clear routines which enable all staff to help support positive behaviours across the school.

Start of Lessons - Teachers are to be at classrooms as quickly as possible when moving rooms between lessons.

Meet & Greet at the door - Greeting students at the door, positively reinforcing expectations of learners walking down the corridor and checking uniform.

Retrieval Task - Ready on the board for learners.

Equipment – Students to put their Pencil Case on their desk.

Register - To be taken in the first 10minutes of the lesson.

 

Classroom management


Teaching and support staff are responsible for setting the tone and context for positive behaviour within the school.

 Staff will:

  • Create and maintain a stimulating environment that encourages students to be engaged

  • Share our expectations of Ready, Respectful and Safe.

  • Develop a positive relationship with students, which may include:

    • Greeting students in the morning/at the start of lessons

    • Establishing clear routines

    • Communicating expectations of behaviour in ways other than verbally

    • Highlighting and promoting good behaviour

    • Concluding the day positively and starting the next day afresh

    • Having a plan for dealing with low-level disruption

    • Using positive reinforcement

 Responding to misbehaviour


When a student’s behaviour falls below the standard that can reasonably be expected of them, 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 students 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 students will be treated equitably under the policy, with any factors that contributed to the behavioural incident identified and taken into account.

 

The school may use one or more of the following sanctions in response to unacceptable behaviour:

  • A warning and reminder of the expectations of behaviour

  • Sending the student out of the class for a reflective conversation

  • Relocating a student to a different classroom

  • Expecting missed work to be completed at home, or at break or lunchtime

  • Reflection Detention at break, lunchtime, or after school

  • Loss of privileges – for instance, the loss of a prized responsibility

  • School-based community service, such as tidying a classroom or litter picking

  • Referring the student to a senior member of staff

  • Email or phone call home to parents/carers

  • Use of report cards to monitor behaviour

  • Transfer - Removal of the student from the classroom

  • Suspension

  • Permanent exclusion, in the most serious of circumstances

 Uniform

A student not wearing the correct uniform will be identified during uniform checks at morning registration by their Form Tutor. Contact home via EduLink or a phone call is required and if the student / parent(s) fails to address the uniform anomaly, a stepped sanction approach will follow from the Form Tutor or Head of Year. This will result in further contact home and a meeting with the parent(s), if required. A severe breech of the school's Uniform Policy could involve a student being in the Reflection Room until the problem is resolved.

 

Rewards

The school believes that good behaviour is dependent on high self-esteem and that a consistently applied system of rewards is fundamental to achieving this. The school want students to feel proud of their achievements and to thrive in a positive and rewarding environment. Teachers act as role models using positive language and actively seeking opportunities to reward students. Effort is the driving force behind the majority of rewards.

When a student’s behaviour meets or goes above and beyond the expected behaviour standard, staff will recognise it with positive recognition and rewards. This provides an opportunity for all staff 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 with:

  • Verbal and Non-Verbal praise
  • Recording ASPIRE points on EduLink
  • Communicating praise to parents/carers via a phone call or written correspondence
  • Certificates, prize ceremonies or special assemblies
  • Positions of responsibility, such as senior student status or being entrusted with a particular decision or project
  • Green Learning Walks
  • Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Award badges

Green Learning Walk is a positive visit to the classroom – a member of staff may want Transfer staff to come and see a piece of work or section of a lesson that is over and above or deserves recognition.

 

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones are part of modern society and the majority of students, particularly in the secondary phase,  will now own a mobile phone. We understand that for safety reasons students will carry a mobile phone in order to contact parents/carers after school/before school. However, mobile phones can lead to several problems in school, for example bullying, disruption to lessons and inappropriate web usage. As a school we strongly encourage our students to talk to each other and develop friendship groups at break and lunchtime, as opposed to using their mobile phones. As a result, the use of mobile phones during school hours is forbidden. Students found using their mobile phone without permission will be dealt with in accordance with school policy.

 

Recognising the impact of SEND on behaviour

Gildredge House recognises that students’ 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 student’s SEND, although we recognise that not every incident of misbehaviour will be connected to their SEND. Decisions on whether a student’s SEND had an impact on an incident of misbehaviour will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

 

 

 

Integrity