Pupil Behaviour
It’s good to be green
It is a primary aim of our school that every member of the school community feels valued and respected, and that each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring community, whose values are built on mutual trust and respect for all. The school behaviour policy is therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure.
The school has four core values which are simple and non-negotiable:
- Love
- Trust
- Respect
- Inspire
These values encompass the positive behaviours we expect from our children at all times whether in or out of school, including behaviour exhibited on-line whether within or outside the school day.
The school rewards good behaviour, as it believes that this will develop an ethos of kindness and co-operation. This policy is designed to promote good behaviour, rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour. It is our expectation that children would behave appropriately at all times. Children need to be given every opportunity to raise their own self-esteem, but they also need clear guidance on what is, and what is not, acceptable behaviour. They need to know what will happen if they exhibit bad, or good behaviour.
At St Mark’s CE Primary School, we operate the ‘Good to be Green scheme as an effective way of promoting positive behaviour, rewarding those pupils who consistently behave appropriately, and is a means of being able to track those pupils who find it harder to meet the school’s expected standards of behaviour. Rewards include, ‘Praise Points,’ where children gain tokens to add to those collected by other children in their, House. At the end of each term children in the winning house are all rewarded with an off timetable activity voted for by the school council.
The scheme is very visual, with child friendly resources which allow our pupils to easily see how they are doing in class. We believe that it is important to promote a positive message regarding behaviour management at all times- ‘Good to be Green’ is a means of promoting our high expectations of positive behaviour. If a child has had a bad day, they can start afresh the following day.
Every child starts their day on a positive note with a green card displayed in their pocket of the Class Chart. The card says- ‘It’s Good to be Green!’ and the children soon learn to associate being on Green with a feeling of having done the right thing. If they are still on Green by the end of the day, the child is awarded a House Point.
During the day, in lessons, or at break times, a child has to be warned of inappropriate behaviour, or has broken a one of our values, then a Yellow Warning Card will be displayed over the top of the Green card. The warning gives the child the opportunity to reflect, consider and review their behaviour. If a child is already on a Yellow Warning Card, and they have to be told again of inappropriate behaviour, then they may be given time out within the classroom, if this does not alter the behaviour pathway then a Red Card is issued.
Sometimes, just the suggestion of moving a child onto a Red Card is enough to encourage them to behave appropriately. However, if necessary, the child’s Yellow Warning Cards will be moved to the back of the pocked and the Red Consequence Card will be displayed. There are consequences for both Yellow and Red Cards.
Persistent Red Card behaviour could result in exclusion. A child who is regularly receiving red cards is a cause for concern, and as such their parents/carers would be notified.
Equally, pupils will often display behaviours where they go out of their way to be friendly, welcoming or helpful. Pupils also have the opportunity to be rewarded for very good behaviour by being awarded an unlimited number of praise points on a daily basis. In addition, there are a wide range of school initiatives and programmes which reward good behaviour. These are outlined in the School Behaviour & Discipline Policy. Which can be found on the school website.
Record Keeping:
Red cards and any sanctions must be recorded by the class Teacher. This is to ascertain if there is a pattern to any unrest or if the child in question requires further support from either our ELSA trained teachers or our Nurture group.
Teacher have folders in their rooms and are required to complete them at the end of each day.