Behaviour Policy Amendments – September 2020

Children are returning to school after what for many will have been an upsetting and unsettling experience. They may now be expecting to return to a pre-lockdown school experience. Unfortunately, this will not be the case. It is therefore important to introduce the new rules and routines in a calm and reassuring way.

Below is an outline of new routines, habits and systems, including:

• Expectations for arriving at and leaving school
• Hygiene practices
• Lunch and break time routines
• Staff supervision of movement during social times
• Safe use of school spaces and equipment

New Rules and Routines

Routines for the Start and End of the School Day

• Each year group must use their designated entrance/exit point and adhere to all timings.

 

• Upon entering school, children must make their way straight to their classroom and wash their hands immediately.

 

• Staff will be at designated points to ensure social distancing is maintained as much as possible.

 

• Coats must be placed on the back of chairs and packed lunches in the lunch box area (clearly identified within the classroom). Water bottles will be supplied by school and must be placed in the trays at their seating area – cloakrooms are not to be used.

 

• No other belongings are allowed into school. This includes pencil cases and back packs.

 

• Children in Years Five and Six who are walking home on their own may bring into school their mobile phone. This must be placed in a named plastic bag and put in the safe on Upper Floor. Hands must be washed after placing phone in the safe.

 

• Pupils arriving to school wearing a face covering must be instructed on the correct removal. Children must wash their hands and then remove carefully their face mask. Temporary face masks must be placed in the white, lidded bin. Reusable face masks must be placed in a plastic bag (supplied from home). Hands must then be washed again.

Classroom Rules and Routines

• Hands must be washed regularly for 20 seconds. This includes at the start and the end of the school day, before and after playtimes and lunchtimes, after sneezing or coughing and any other time the teacher or teaching assistant feels appropriate.

 

• When washing hands, children to line up socially distanced. When at the front of the queue, teacher to dispense soap onto hands. Child makes their way to the end of the queue, rubbing their hands with the soap until they reach the front again to rinse soap from hands. Or children can be sat in places. Teacher dispenses soap and children rub soap in hands until called to the sink to rinse hands.

 

• Each child (Key Stage One upwards) will have their own designated seating area. The seating areas will make sure children do not face each other.

 

• Children must remain in their designated seating area unless instructed by the class teacher.

 

• Social distancing will be adhered to whenever possible. It is acknowledged this will be easier with the older children.

 

• Each pupil will be supplied with their own stationery equipment. This will be kept in their individual tray in their place.

 

• Children must not share equipment will others.

 

• Any additional equipment used, for example protractors, must be washed in hot soapy water before and after use.

 

• Children must not leave the classroom unless directed to by a staff member. Leaving the classroom without adult consent is considered a serious breach of the school behaviour policy (Refer to Rewards and Sanctions section).

 

• Year Six are allowed their own small bottle of hand sanitiser and tissues. Items must be clearly named. These must not be shared with others.

 

• The children will be regularly reminded of the ‘Catch it, bin it, kill it’

 

• Tissues will be available for pupils to use. Used tissues must be disposed of in the new, lidded white bins.

 

• It is not possible to use a one-way system in schools. Therefore, movement around the building must be limited as much as possible.

 

• If at any point during the school day a pupil feels ill, they must tell an adult immediately. The child will be escorted to one of the isolation rooms and accompanying staff member will wear appropriate PPE. Parents will be contacted immediately.

Playtimes and Lunchtimes

• Each year group, apart from Foundation Stage, will be allocated an individual playtime.

 

• During this time, they may play with the other children in their year group.

 

• Equipment, for example tennis rackets, will be available for each year group. Hands must be washed before and after using this equipment. It is the responsibility of each year group to ensure it is cleaned at the end of each day.

 

• Outside play equipment, for example the climbing frame and exercise equipment, can be used if cleaned thoroughly between use.

 

• During lunchtime, each year group has an allocated eating time and play time.

 

• All children will remain together in their year group during these times. Children will not be able to leave their eating area until their specified playtime or time to return to class. As an example, Year Four will eat their dinner in the hall between 12.15 and 12.35. As a year group, they will leave the hall to enter Upper Playground at 12.35.

 

• When eating, the children will be allocated a place with their classmates on a labelled table. Children must remain in this place until instructed otherwise by a staff member and lunch will be served at their table.

 

• Teachers must escort classes to and from the playground (playtimes and lunchtimes) and out at the end of the day.

 

Rewards and Sanctions

• Children will be reminded of our ‘Be Nice, Work Hard, Never Give up’ ethos and what this means, particularly at this time.

 

• Weekly rewards to continue to be given out – Raffles, Stars of the Week and Lunchtime Awards

 

• Phone calls home to continue for pleasing work and/or attitudes.

 

• Remind children of sanctions for unacceptable behaviour, such as losing part of lunchtimes.

 

• Leaving the classroom without permission from an adult and spitting or coughing at/towards other people are now considered serious breaches of the school behaviour policy and will be dealt with accordingly. Sanctions could include loss of playtimes and/or lunchtimes, increasing to possible exclusion depending on the severity of the incident and/or intent.

Toilet Breaks

• Children will not be able to go to the toilet unaccompanied. Therefore, regular toilet breaks will be built in throughout the school day.

 

• Maximum of pupils allowed into the toilets at one time will be clearly displayed. Hands must be washed and dried thoroughly.

 

Remote learning rules

If pupils are not in school because of shielding or a local lockdown, we expect them to follow all of the rules set out below.

Parents should also read the rules and ensure their children follow them. Parents should contact school if they think their child might not be able to comply with some or all of the rules, so we can consider alternative arrangements with them and support them with their learning.

Children should:

• Be contactable during required times – although take into account that pupils may not always be in front of a device the entire time
• Complete work to the deadline set by teachers
• Seek help if they need it, from teachers or teaching assistants
• Alert teachers if they’re not able to complete work
• Use proper online conduct, such as using appropriate language in messages

Support

Many pupils are likely to need some social and emotional support on their return to school. To allow for this, the daily timetables have been adjusted to allow for mindfulness opportunities and talk time with class teachers.

In addition to this, ‘Rest Easy’ (Recognise Emotions, Stop Think, Engage Awareness and Support Yourself) is being introduced across school to help support children with recognising their emotions and how to deal with them in a more controlled manner.

During the lockdown period, staff undertook training that included:

• how to spot signs of distress and poor mental health
• the importance of a Recovery Curriculum and how to implement this on the return to school

The Pastoral team will also be on hand to identify pupils that require additional support. Referrals will be made for those pupils to the most appropriate outside agencies.

 

Monitoring

Behaviour expectations will be regularly monitored by members of the Senior Leadership Team. This could include monitoring behaviour during transition times, for example as children go out to play, and analysis of the behaviour recording system.

We will review this policy as guidance from the local authority or Department for Education is updated, and as a minimum every four weeks. At every review, it will be approved by governors.

Links with other policies

This policy links to the following policies and procedures:

• Child protection policy
• Behaviour policy
• Health and safety policy