Behaviour and Exclusions Policy

Our Ethos

We are a school committed to raising aspirations and bringing out the best in all students. Our students will strive to attain exceptionally high levels of academic achievement and personal development. All staff will unfailingly reassure students that by working together there are no barriers that they cannot overcome to achieve their full potential. Students will leave Park High School with the skills, confidence and drive to achieve their future aspirations and to make a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live. Our mission is to develop young people with active and creative minds, a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on their beliefs. We stress the total development of each young person: morally, socially, intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Context

The behaviour policy also links with: health & safety policy, safeguarding policy, attendance policy, learning & teaching policy, home-school agreement; single equalities policy and anti-bullying policy. These are all available on the school website or a paper copy is available on request.

The Designated Behaviour Leaders:

Mr Gareth Jackson- Deputy Headteacher- Behaviour

Mrs Cathy Bridges- Assistant Headteacher – Safeguarding and Personal Development

Mrs A Coward – Director of Wellbeing

Student Agreed Rules

Always put 100% into your lessons
Respect others
Dress professionally and be prepared for the lesson
Always approach lessons with a positive attitude

Promoting Good Behaviour and Attitudes to Learning

Complementing the mission statement and aims of the school, the behaviour policy needs to be fair consistently applied and understood by all members of the school community. Such a system includes rewards and sanctions and enables students to understand the consequences of their behaviour. It relies on staff working together with consistency of approach. It requires continuous awareness on behalf of staff of the need for good relationships with students, which guarantee mutual respect and consideration.

The system must recognise the needs of the individual as well as the needs of the students as a whole in that it punishes, deters and improves future behaviour. A number of basic principles underpin the system:

Students must be allowed to learn and teachers to teach
A teacher makes decisions in his or her classroom about the lesson organisation
Students are not entitled to challenge that authority.
Sensible, courteous behaviour is expected at all times in Park High School, in all places and towards all members of the school community.

The need to motivate students through praise and support is essential in developing the kind of relationships which reduce the incidence of disruptive behaviour. The use of the Rewards System, consistently applied will achieve a positive, learning environment at Park High School.

Disruptive behaviour is often prevented by good classroom management and lesson preparation. Discipline is the responsibility of all members of staff and it is important that, as far as possible, teachers deal with disciplinary issues themselves. Even if such issues are referred to a Curriculum Leader or Form Tutor it is essential that the member of staff experiencing the disruption is involved at some point in its resolution.

The recording of disruptive incidents is essential. This can be done using Bromcom and recorded in student Contact Books.

Where appropriate such information should be stored in the student's record file.

Classroom Management and Lesson Routines

The classroom behaviour policy will be effective only if all members of staff consistently apply it. The system is summarised on the Pyramid at the end of this section.

Seating Plans

All classes must have a seating plan decided by the class teacher and these should be available to other members of staff covering the lesson and on request by learning walk and Curriculum Leaders. Seating plans should be changed termly or more frequently if desired.
Groups should always be predetermined by the Class Teacher.

Start of Lessons

All staff must be on the corridors at lesson changeover to ensure a calm and prompt transition.
Teachers must be at the classroom door ready to ‘meet and greet’ their students.
Uniform must be checked at the start of each lesson.
The class teacher must allocate all students a place in the seating plan.
Students must enter in an orderly manner and stand quietly behind their allocated seat.
Students must have their equipment and contact book on their work area before they sit down.
Teachers should greet their class and give an instruction to ‘sit down’ which signifies being ‘ready to learn’.

Lesson Routines

Teachers and Teaching Assistants must be punctual to tutor time and lessons and are therefore able to monitor the punctuality of students.
Lessons should be well planned and have clear objectives and outcomes which are understood by all.
Classrooms must be left tidy and ready for the next group.

End of Lessons

All students must remain with the Teacher/Teaching Assistant until the bell.
The lesson should be dismissed in an orderly and controlled manner, standing behind chairs and checking uniform.
Students uniform must be checked prior to leaving the classroom.
At the end of Prep Time all electronic equipment must be SHUT DOWN, chairs and stools put up on the tables and all windows closed. All staff must remain on school site until 3.35pm.
All staff must be on the corridors at lesson changeover to ensure a calm and prompt transition.

Behaviour for Learning

Positive relationships between staff and students are fundamental to students making good progress. The class teacher is ultimately responsible for the behaviour in their lessons and the completion of homework. Staff will be supported in sanctioning this behaviour, in accordance with the school behaviour policy, however the class teacher will always be a part of the solution.

Promoting Good Classroom Behaviour

To ensure that the school responsibilities around school all times throughout the school day.

When a member of staff is speaking, students are silent and actively listening.
When a student is responding to a member of staff in class, all other students are actively listening.
All students remain silent when registers are taken.
All students to work as a team to ensure active listening.

Failure to follow this policy will seriously hinder the learning of others and will not be tolerated, as such, a breach of this policy will be sanctioned.

The Rewards Policy

Rationale

Rewards are an important aspect of the ethos of Park High School in that the achievement and success of students, at all levels, are noted and given due worth. This helps to build upon individual self-confidence and self-esteem and leads to further personal development.
We believe that, if students are to benefit from education, punctuality, regular attendance and good behaviour are crucial and we, as a school, will do all we can to reward such positive attitudes.
Our school will give a high priority to recognising and rewarding success involving students and parents in ‘striving for excellence’.
We recognise that parents have a vital role to play in promoting a positive attitude to school and, together with the school, celebrating achievement at all levels and in all areas of school life.

Credits

Credits are awarded every week by all teaching staff. The maximum number of credits a student can achieve in a week is 2 for each subject. 1 Credit for good work and as second credit for excellent work, at the teachers' discretion. The credits are totalled and on a Friday students can achieve a bronze, silver and gold award. The number of credits needed to achieve an award will vary from term to term. The award is e-mailed to both students and parents. Prizes are given out regularly through the year linked to the rewards.
If a student does not achieve a credit for a subject, they will not have worked well in that subject. You are encouraged to contact the teacher directly by e-mail to find out the reasons.
Students who do not achieve rewards will be monitored through the house system to ensure they are allocated more credits in future.
The Park Point is awarded for anything that a student does well to support the community, being kind, helping others. This is rewarded separately to the class credit.

Agreed Responsibilities Subject

Teacher

Staff should award credits in line with the credit section above.
Staff will be monitored to ensure all students are receiving appropriate numbers of credits.

To ensure equitability for all students, credits should not be awarded for improvement on substandard behaviour to ‘acceptable’ behaviour. The Contact Book is used to facilitate Form Tutor or Progress Leader report and has additional space to write a comment to parents/guardians

The Student Contact Book

The Contact Book is our main source of communication and visibility between school and home for the vast majority of our students.

All credits and concerns can be seen on the MCAS App. This allows frequent and positive communication with parents/ guardians in the interim between trackers and parents’ evenings. Students will also record their weekly attendance and punctuality in the appropriate boxes.

SPA Assemblies

A termly assembly will reward student achievements. Prizes are awarded for bronze, silver and gold standards. Names of the awards may change from term to term.

Students making significant progress and demonstrating achievement in the wider school community will be rewarded in these assemblies.

Student Commendations

1. Credits given by the teachers once a week for good work (maximum two per subject).

2. Weekly certificates for the number of credits achieved in that week. These are Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The number of credits needed to achieve these certificates will vary from year group and the time of year. Prizes for these certificates happen across the year.

3. SPA assemblies. These are termly celebrations of student effort and achievement. Students can achieve 4 different certificates.

4. Golden letters from the Headteacher.

5. Major celebration events, including awards evenings where prizes are gieven for student effort and subject attainment.

The Sanctions Policy

Rationale

Positive and respectful relationships are vital in promoting a positive attitude to learning and good progress. It is essential that the school behaviour policy is applied fairly and consistently across the whole school to ensure high expectations and consistency.

Misdemeanours-

Misdemeanours are given out throughout the school day for low level and unacceptable behaviours. Staff who see the following issues:

Dropping litter
The use of foul and derogatory language
Not wearing a face mask when required
Chewing gum
Being out of bounds
Wearing incorrect uniform or PE kit
Using an electronic device inside the school building including headphones, unless under the specific instruction of a member of staff
Late to school
Horseplay (dangerous play)

Will note the issue and this will be logged on the system. If a student receives 2 misdemeanours in a week, they are allocated an after school detention for 30 mins at lunchtime with the pastoral team team. Another 2 will lead to another detention. Students who continually offend will follow the school behaviour system.

Lateness - It is the class teacher’s responsibility to sanction lateness to lesson and mark it in the contact book. However it must be recorded as a late on the register so that trends can be identified across subjects and times of the day for the Progress Team to address. If a child is late in the morning they will receive a late mark that will go into the misdemeanour detention system.

Students who are late in the morning with no reason will complete a late detention on the same day. Persistent late students will be challenged by tutors.

Truancy - In the instance of internal truancy, it is the class teacher’s responsibility to ensure that time is made up in an appropriate detention when a student has truanted a lesson. Anyone who truants will be allocated a space in Turning Point at the next available time.

Smoking/ E-cigerattes - Students caught smoking should be recorded on Bromcom and referred to Director of House. On the first offence students will be searched and any smoking associated material is confiscated. On the second offence parents will need to sign a contract with the Director of House access help to stop smoking. Further offences will involve the governor student behaviour panel including a meeting with the governor panel. Smoking offences include on the way to school and on the way home.

The school will search all pupils who are under suspicion of taking tobacco and/or carrying or dealing Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes. All such things which are found will be destroyed. A refusal to be searched or not staying where directed and leaving the area is an admission of guilt.

Illicit substances (Drugs and Alcohol) - Students who are caught in possession or taking drugs or alcohol on the way to school, on the school site or on the way home for school will be referred to the Governor Student Behaviour Panel. This will lead to an immediate fixed term penalty and time in turning point. Students and parents will have to sign a contract with governors with agreed targets, including regular searches of students property by a member of SLT.

A further offence would be referred to the Governor Behaviour Panel for permanent exclusion.

All E-Cigarettes will be confiscated, tested for drugs and destroyed.

Any student found to be supplying drugs or alcohol would be referred to the Governor Behaviour Panel for permanent exclusion.

The school will search all pupils who are under suspicion of taking, carrying or dealing illicit substances. A refusal to be searched or not staying where directed and leaving the area of supervision is an admission of guilt.

Selling items in school (Sweets, drinks etc.)

The student will be searched. Any items will be confiscated. The students parents would be informed and the schools sanction policy would be applied. All items will not be able to be collected from school.

Behaviour on Corridors - Inappropriate behaviour on corridors must be recorded on an incident sheet and handed in to reception for logging on Bromcom by the admin team. Two misdemeanours within 1 week will lead to a lunchtime school detention

(see Misdemeanours for further details.)

Sanctions

Sanctions are needed to respond to inappropriate behaviour. Sanctions include: loss of free time - breaks or lunchtime, after-school detentions, isolation in Turning Point, and fixed term exclusion from school.

For serious offences, strong sanctions will be imposed. Park High School will not tolerate students endangering the welfare or safety of staff or other students by dangerous or criminal activity. In particular, students selling drugs on the school premises or bringing weapons into school will be at risk of permanent exclusion.

Phases:

Phase 1

Classroom Management Strategies

Phase 2

First Verbal warning to pupil –not recorded

Phase 3

Second verbal warning to pupil (recorded on Bromcom ). Detention issued by teacher.

Phase 4

Curriculum Leader/Progress Leader Intervention

Phase 5

SLT support/Internal exclusion (Turning Point)

Phase 6

Fixed Term exclusion/Governor Meeting/Pastoral Support Plan

Phase 7

Permanent Exclusion Very serious behaviour problems

Phase 1 - Classroom Management Strategies

Phase 2 – 1^st Verbal Warning

This is the first verbal warning given to a student after the class has been formally requested to be "silent and settled". This is not recorded in the Contact Book but the teacher must make it clear to the student that they have entered the system e.g. “You are now at Phase 2 of the Behaviour Pyramid”

Phase 3 – 2^nd Verbal Warning (recorded in contact book and Bromcom) 10 minute meeting issued at break or dinner with the member of staff.

The student fails to respond to the first verbal warning and their behaviour continues to cause concern. The teacher then issues a second verbal warning. This is logged on Bromcom. The student is then placed into T&L detention by the subject teacher. The subject teacher records the detention in the Contact Book.

A student failing to attend the 10 minute meeting will be followed up by the class teacher and Curriculum leader and moved to Phase 4.

Through daily T&L monitoring and the Weekly Behaviour Reports, Form Tutors will intervene to monitor a students’ behaviour on a Form Tutor Report. At this point Form Tutors will contact parents and set targets for the student to meet. AtL in every lesson will be monitored in the Student Contact Book. A sticker must be stuck into Contact Book and the student must report to the Form Tutor daily.

Phase 4 – Curriculum & Progress team intervention and the faculty Safety Net

The student continues to cause concern. They are moved to another room in the curriculum area in accordance with the faculty safety net. Curriculum Leaders, Directors of House and Lead Practitioners will be the main receivers. The student must be debriefed by the subject teacher and the receiving member of staff at the earliest opportunity on the same day. All students that are removed from class and placed in the Safety Net should be issued a detention by the Class Teacher. Directors and Assistants will monitor On Call Logs. Repeat offences will lead to Phase 5 Turning Point isolation.

Where a pattern of poor behaviour is preventing the learning of others in the class, Curriculum Leader can use the Faculty Respite referral for time in the Enrichment Room. This agreed fixed period of lessons is supported with work from the subject teacher and referred through Heads of Faculty.

Failure to improve behaviour in lessons will lead to the student being placed on class teacher report. This is kept with the class teacher. Students are on report for a minimum of 2 weeks. Any student on two class reports with be placed on form tutor behaviour report. This is managed by the Director of House. Any student on three class teacher report will be placed on the Director of House report.

Phase 5 – SLT support and Turning Point isolation

SLT will refer students into Detention and for serious incidents where the student requires isolating from other students to work, will be referred into the Turning Point room. The internal exclusion room (Turning Point) will be manned by the Inclusion Manager/ SLT and Wellbeing Team. Students can only be placed in Turning Point by a member of SLT.

Students will be required to follow the Turning Point rules that will be prominently displayed in the room.
Students will be given formal warnings when students are not following the rules. A third formal warning leads to the student repeating the day in Turning Point.
Key Stage appropriate work will be provided by all faculties and departments.
Students will be expected to do whatever is provided without question.
Students will spend the full day in Turning Point (8.40-4.40pm).
During this time the Turning Point staff will work with the student through a restorative justice package.
Students who break the Turning Point rules may be moved to fixed term exclusion (Phase 6) and parents contacted. If this happens they will be re-admitted into Turning Point until a successful day has been completed.
A formal letter will be issued to parents and students and be placed on the student records.

On the rare occasions where students are failing to meet the targets on Progress Leaders Report and after a parent meeting, they may be referred onto the SLT. students would be placed on a pastoral support programme with the governors. Failure to meet the agreed targets could lead to permanent exclusion

Phase 6 – Fixed Term Exclusion

This is at the discretion of the Headteacher and will be for serious behaviour problems only. A meeting of either the Governors' Pastoral Committee or The Governors' Discipline Committee will be convened depending on the number or type of exclusions accrued and in line with LEA policies and procedures. A Pastoral Support Plan (P.S.P.) should be instigated at a meeting of the pastoral committee when it was felt that a student was in danger of long term or permanent exclusion. (see Exclusion section)

Phase 7 - Permanent exclusion

This is at the discretion of the Head Teacher and will be for very serious behaviour problems only or a serious incident that is deemed to effect the safety of staff or students in school.

Detentions

Park High School has a legal power to put students under 18 in detention. Parental consent is not required for detentions. However, staff must act reasonably. With lunchtime detentions, staff should allow reasonable time for the student to eat, drink and use the toilet. Park High School staff should not issue a detention out of school hours where they know that doing so would compromise a student's safety. Staff issuing the detention should consider: Whether the detention is likely to put the student at risk.

Whether the student has known caring responsibilities which mean that the detention is unreasonable.
Whether parents ought to be informed of the detention. In many cases it will be necessary to do so; notice may not be necessary for a short after-school detention where the student can get home safely.
Whether suitable travel arrangements can be made by the parent for the student. It does not matter if making these arrangements is inconvenient for the parent.

Detentions

Students that collect 2 misdemeanours within one week will be referred into the next available Detention.
Students are placed in the Subject Teacher Detention for behaviour issues directly by Classroom Teachers. The Classroom Teacher will record this in the student Contact Book or issue a notice letter.
Classroom teachers will place students in Homework Detention for failing to complete homework or completing to a poor standard.
Students will be entered into the Bromcom detention for the next available detention.

Detention Timing

Class Teacher Detention will take place in the faulty base from 3.10 to 4.10 pm.
Whole school detention is in the LSDR from 3.10-4.10pm and 2.40 until 3.40 on a Friday.
Homework Detention will take place in the Subject Teachers room or bubble area.

Management

Students will sit at separate desks and are expected to complete work during this time.
Students failing to attend school detention will be added to the next detention or repeat offenders may be isolated in Turning Point or do Headteachers detention on a Friday Night.
At the end of the detention the register must be completed.
If any student in the detention room behaves inappropriately they will complete the detention the following evening or be placed in Turning Point.
Any student misbehaving and removed from detention will spend the next day in Turning Point and parents will be contacted. If the behaviour is considered severe then the student could be moved to Phase 6 or above.

Exclusion

The Headteacher at Park High School decides whether to exclude a student, for a fixed term or permanently, in line with the school’s behaviour policy, taking into account all the circumstances, the evidence available and the need to balance the interests of the student against those of the whole school community. When considering either fixed term exclusions or permanent exclusions the headteacher will give full regard to the DCSF guidance on exclusions (Improving Behaviour and Attendance: Guidance on Exclusion from Schools and Student Referral Units Sept 2008). In instances of children with Special Educational Needs full regard will be given to DFE circular 9/94 (The Education of Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties), and DfEE circular 1998 (Meeting Special Educational Needs: a programme of action).

Parents have the right to make representations to the governing body (or discipline committee) about an exclusion and the governing body must review the exclusion decision in certain circumstances, which include all permanent exclusions. Where a governing body upholds a permanent exclusion parents have the right to appeal the decision to an independent review panel.

Park High School has a duty to provide suitable full-time education for an excluded student from the sixth school day of any fixed period exclusion of more than five consecutive school days. Local authorities are under a duty to provide suitable full-time education from the sixth school day of a permanent exclusion.

Park High School will endeavour to set and mark work for all excluded students during the first five days of any exclusion (although there is no legal duty to do so).

On-call Policy

Rationale

To support positive relationships between staff and students
To support the agreed Park High School Responsibilities
To be proactive, leading intervention in the key problem areas isolated through behaviour analysis
Provide quality data for behaviour analysis

Agreed Responsibilities

On-call Staff should continually circulate the school, challenging all students who are on the corridor.
Classes who have cover lessons need to be visited in the first half of the lesson, and again in the second half of the lesson.
Requests for On-call should be responded to quickly and efficiently. If there are too many issues to attend to additional support can be found can be found by contacting the reception.
All students must have an out of lesson pass, if they do not then they should be taken back to class.
Students are only allowed to be left on corridors for an initial period of 5 minutes to cool off. If the situation is not resolved in this time on-call must be alerted. This is done through calling 609.
On-call will try to reintroduce the student back into the lesson. If this is not possible they will be isolated in the safety net lesson.
It is vital we have as much information as possible regarding behaviour at all times in the school day.
Staff calling on-call must log the on-call on the behaviour area on Bromcom with a description of the incident.
All students that are removed from class and placed in the Safety Net should be issued a detention by the Class Teacher.
Progress Leaders will monitor On Call Logs. Repeat offences will lead to Phase 5 Turning Point isolation.
In very serious behaviour circumstances contact a member of SLT.

Safety Net Policy

Rationale

To provide a safe and supervised mutually agreed lesson where students who have been removed from a lesson can complete their work. This is agreed on a faculty basis.
To ensure any removals have been logged on T&L.
To ensure all incidents are resolved with the member of staff.

Agreed responsibilities

The Head of Faculty must agree a safety net room for each period of the day. Small faculties may join with larger faculties to facilitate this e.g., Red Block may include Maths and MFL.
The list of rooms must be issued to SLT so they can be published in the On-call folder.
The member of staff On-call must place the student in the safety net and an incident sheet must be filled in.
A resolution meeting between the member of staff and student must take place as soon as possible after the isolation.
All Students who are removed from class and placed into the Safety Net will be referred into a detention by Class teacher or if Safety Net is unsuccessful referred to SLT.

Logging behaviour incidents on Bromcom (MIS)

Rationale

Ensure all behaviour issues and trends are tracked and monitored.
To provide evidence for intervention strategies
Ensure students are accountable for their behaviour trends over a period of time and reward improvements Provide data for behaviour system review.

Agreed responsibilities

It is vital that we have all behaviour incidents logged on the system to identify areas for pro-active work e.g., particular classes, time of day, particular duty areas, etc. However, logging an incident on Bromcom does not automatically result in a follow up by the pastoral system.
Please ensure that all information has been entered into the system. You must enter Activity Type, Location, Time, a brief statement and Status. If you want additional support from your Curriculum Leader or, in some circumstances, the Progress Leader, tutor or SLT, you can send a message to the member of staff.
As a form tutor you will be expected to follow up issues highlighted on the bar chart behaviour box on your homepage.

Conduct outside the school gates.

Park High School has a statutory power to discipline students for misbehaving outside school premises. Headteachers have a specific statutory power to regulate students' behaviour in these circumstances 'to such an extent as is reasonable.'

Subject to this policy, the teacher may discipline for any misbehaviour when the student is:

Taking part in any school-organised or school-related activity or
Travelling to or from school or
Wearing the school uniform or
In some other way identifiable as a student at the school.

Park High School may also discipline for misbehaviour at any time, whether or not the conditions above apply, that:

Could have repercussions for the orderly running of the school or
Poses a threat to another student or member of the public or could adversely affect the reputation of the school.

Training

The Governing Body and Headteacher will ensure that appropriate high quality training on all aspects of behaviour management is provided to support the implementation of the policy.

Involvement of Outside Agencies

Park High School works positively with external agencies. It seeks appropriate support from them to ensure that the needs of all students are met by utilising the range of external support available.

Review

All Stakeholders will inform the behaviour policy via regular student focus groups, parental surveys, LPAQ, lesson observations, weekly behaviour data.
The Headteacher, in consultation with the staff, will undertake systematic monitoring and conduct regular reviews of the behaviour management policy and procedures in order to evaluate them to ensure that the operation is effective, fair and consistent. The Headteacher will keep the governing body informed, reporting to them annually.
The governing body will regularly review this policy and associated procedures, to ensure it’s continuing appropriateness and effectiveness. The review will take place in consultation with the headteacher, staff and parents. The Code of Conduct will also be reviewed by the school council to give students a voice in it. The outcome of the review will be communicated to all those involved, as appropriate

Anti- Bullying

Park High school is committed to ensuring that all students and all staff are able to learn and work in a supportive caring and safe environment without the fear of being bullied. Bullying is an anti-social behaviour and affects everyone; it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Park High School.

Designated Anti Bullying Leaders:

Mr G Jackson (Deputy Headteacher Behaviour, Assistant DSL)
Mrs C Bridges (Assistant Headteacher and DSL)
Mrs A Coward (Director of Student Progress Assistant DSL)

For further guidance please refer to the separate Anti Bullying Policy that can be found on our website.

Confiscation of Inappropriate Items

Park High School staff will insist that students hand over inappropriate items on request. If this is not adhered to, the student and their property will be searched in the presence of, at least, two members of staff. Weapons and knives and extreme or child pornography must be handed to the Police. Staff will search without consent for 'prohibited items' including: Please note all will be destroyed and cannot be collected.

Knives and weapons

Alcohol

Illegal drugs

Stolen items

Tobacco, cigarette papers and e-cigarettes

Pornographic images

Any article that has been or is likely to be used to commit an offence, cause personal injury or damage to property

Any item banned by the school rules which has been identified in the rules as an item which may be searched for.

Power to use Reasonable Force (non-statutory advice)

What is reasonable force?

The term ‘reasonable force’ covers the broad range of actions used by most teachers at some point in their career that involve a degree of physical contact with students.
Force is usually used either to control or restrain. This can range from guiding a student to safety by the arm through to more extreme circumstances such as breaking up a fight or where a student needs to be restrained to prevent violence or injury.
‘Reasonable in the circumstances’ means using no more force than is needed.
Schools generally use force to control students and to restrain them. o 'Control' means either passive physical contact, such as standing between students or blocking a student's path, or active physical contact such as leading a student by the arm out of a classroom. 'Restraint' means to hold back physically or to bring a student under control. It is typically used in more extreme circumstances, for example when two students are fighting and refuse to separate without physical intervention.
Park High School staff should always try to avoid acting in a way that might cause injury, but in extreme cases it may not always be possible to avoid injuring the student.

Who can use reasonable force?

All members of school staff have a legal power to use reasonable force.
Reasonable force can be used to prevent students from hurting themselves or others, from damaging property or from causing disorder.
In a school, force is used for two main purposes – to control students or to restrain them.
The decision on whether or not to physically intervene is down to the professional judgement of the staff member concerned and should always depend on the individual circumstances.
The following list is not exhaustive but provides some examples of situations where reasonable force can be used. o remove disruptive students from the classroom where they have refused to follow an instruction to do so; o
To prevent a student behaving in a way that disrupts a school event or a school trip or visit;
To prevent a student from attacking a member of staff or another student, or to stop a fight in the playground; and
To restrain a student at risk of harming themselves through physical outbursts.

Park High School staff may physically separate students found fighting or that if a disruptive student refuses to leave a room when instructed to do so. Park High staff will make reasonable adjustments for disabled students and students with special educational needs (SEN) in the above circumstances. Park High school staff knows and understands that it is always unlawful to use force or physical acts as a punishment.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Park High Governing Body is responsible for setting general principles that inform the behaviour policy. The Governing Body consults the Headteacher, school staff, parents and students when developing these principles. The Governing Body is aware of its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to promote equality of opportunity and to reduce discrimination.

The Headteacher decides the standard of behaviour expected of students at Park High and how that standard will be achieved, the school rules, any disciplinary penalties for breaking the rules and rewards for good behaviour. The

Designated Behaviour Leaders:

Mr G Jackson (Deputy Headteacher Behaviour)
Mrs C Bridges (Director of Safeguarding and Personal Development)

Home-school Agreement

Park High School asks parents to sign a Home School Agreement that outlines the responsibilities of the parent and the school including those around behaviour and attendance. Parents are under a legal duty to ensure that their child (aged 5-16) receives a suitable full-time education either at a school or by making other suitable arrangements.

Attendance to PRU’s

For Park High School students attending Student Referral Units (PRUs), parents must ensure that their child attends punctually and regularly. If they do not, the school or local authority may ask them to sign a parenting contract or may issue a penalty sanction of £50 (rising to £100). The local authority may also prosecute a parent who fails to ensure their child’s regular school attendance or apply to the courts for an education supervision order in respect of the student himself/herself.

Parents have a clear role in making sure their child is well behaved at school. If they do not, the school or local authority may ask them to sign a parenting contract or may apply for a court-imposed parenting order.

Parents must take responsibility for their child, if excluded, and ensure that they are not in a public place without good reason during school hours within the first five school days of any exclusion. If they do not, the school or local authority may issue a penalty sanction of £60 (rising to £120). [These have been increased as of 1st Sept 2012]

Parents must also ensure that their child attends the suitable full time education provided by the school governing body or the local authority from the sixth day of any exclusion.

Parents are expected to attend a reintegration interview following any fixed period exclusion of more than five days from secondary school. Failure to attend may make it more likely that the local authority will apply for a Parenting Order.

School Support Systems

Park High School will endeavour to support students and their families who show consistently disruptive behaviour and do not respond to the usual range of rewards and sanctions in place. This may include links with SEN/Inclusion and/ or alternative provision. This may also include support for parents.

Park High School will consider whether the behaviour under review gives cause to suspect a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, considerable harm, in which case the safeguarding policy should be consulted. Park High School will consider whether the behaviour might be the result of unmet needs, in which case a multi- agency assessment should be considered.

Park High School governing body has the power to direct a student off-site for education to improve his/her behaviour. This would take place after consultation between the Headteacher, Governor Discipline Committee and Parent and usually after the completion of a P.S.P.

Consultation, Monitoring and Evaluation

This policy was updated Sept 2023 and is due to be reviewed September 2024. It is published on the school website for access by all stakeholders. It is agreed that it will be reviewed annually.

Complaints Procedure

Park High School’s full Complaints Procedure can be found on our website. Concerns or complaints relating to any of the following are not covered by these procedures, as separate procedures apply.

Child Protection
Collective Worship
Freedom of Information Access
Functions of the County Council
National Curriculum
Pupil Exclusions
School Admissions
Services provided by other organisations on the school site or through the school*
Sex Education
Staff grievance
Special Educational Needs assessment and statementing procedure
Whistleblowing by an employee

Serious complaints or allegations relating to the abuse of children, assault, criminal or financial matters are also subject to separate procedures.

If you have a concern about a member of staff you can contact us by telephone, in person or in writing. If any of these are difficult then you can ask a friend or advisor to speak on your behalf.

In summary

The first stage of the complaints procedure (informal) is to refer to a Middle Leader, who is not the subject of the complaint, for example a Curriculum Leader or Director of House.

The second stage (formal) is to refer to the complaint to the Headteacher. If the Headteacher is the subject of the complaint then it will referred to the Chair of Governors via the school.