Ickleford Primary

Behaviour

Pupils live up to the high expectations that adults set for them. Their behaviour is exemplary. Adults teach them how to behave well and respect others as soon as they start school. This means that pupils get on well with each other and are polite and courteous. They grow and leave the school as confident and compassionate young people.

Ofsted 2022

 The themes of learning, praise and forgiveness run throughout our approach to supporting behaviour.

Our school has an approach to behaviour management that prioritises the prosocial experiences and feelings of everyone within the school community. Staff place an emphasis on consistency; on teaching internal discipline rather than imposing external discipline; and on care and control, not punishment. Our school approach uses techniques to de-escalate a situation before a crisis occurs and, if a crisis does occur, it adopts techniques to reduce the risk of harm.

All staff are expected to seek out, recognise and praise examples of positive behaviour as the main method of teaching children about Ickleford Primary School’s high expectations for behaviour. It is the responsibility of the class teachers to ensure that our clear expectations and the Golden Rules are adhered to by their pupils, that pupils behave in a manner that facilitates learning for all during lesson times and ensure safe transitions and movement around school.

 

‘Classrooms are calm and orderly. Lessons are rarely disrupted, which means that pupils can concentrate on their work. They have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy overcoming challenges when teachers make them think hard about their work.’

Ofsted 2022

We expect that the behaviour of parents and carers reflects Ickleford Primary School’s Golden Rules when on school premises. We expect parents and carers to refrain from using aggressive, intimidating or unreasonable behaviour towards members of staff or children either face to face, on the telephone, via email communication or through the use of social media. By accepting their child’s place at our school, parents and carers agree to the school’s values, ethos and the principles outlined in our policies.

Below are the answers to frequently asked questions about behaviour at Ickleford Primary School.

What are the school's expectations?

Pupils are expected to:

  • be kind, polite and helpful to all
  • show awareness of other people’s feelings
  • always tell the truth
  • listen carefully to others without interrupting them
  • look after their own and other people’s belongings
  • follow any reasonable instructions given by all adults in school
  • try their best, work hard and learn from mistakes
  • not give up and find another solution
  • be resilient - bounce back quickly from a difficult situation
  • treat others the way we would like to be treated
  • offer an apology for antisocial behaviour choices
  • willingly accept an offered apology and show forgiveness
  • always be on time and ready for learning
  • walk around the school building in a safe and quiet manner
  • report bullying to a ‘trusted adult’
 

What are Golden Rules?

At Ickleford Primary School, a set of positively phrased, clear and highly visible golden rules are displayed in each classroom, playground and in the dining hall. Our Golden Rules are part of our positive school vocabulary.

Our Golden Rules are:

  • We are kind, polite, helpful and aware of other people’s feelings.
  • We listen carefully to others without interrupting them.
  • We look after our own and other people’s belongings.
  • We try our best, work hard and learn from our mistakes.
  • We treat each other the way we would like to be treated.
  • We always tell the truth.

Staff refer to these Golden Rules to promote positive behaviour expectations, praise prosocial behaviour choices and are used to reflect on low-level disruption or unsocial behaviour choices.

 

What is the school's attitude to rewards and consequences?

A variety of rewards are given to help pupils make choices for their prosocial behaviour  and attitudes to learning which they should demonstrate around school. Class teachers will clearly set out their preferred class reward systems at the beginning of each academic year at our Class Welcome Meeting for parents and carers. Expectations will be routinely and consistently exemplified by teaching staff to pupils throughout the year.

Any consequences for unsocial behaviour must be obvious and proportionate. When considering whether a consequence is logical and reasonable, section 91 of the “Education and Inspections Act”, 2006 says it ‘must be reasonable in all circumstances and that account must be taken of the pupil’s age, any special educational needs or disability they may have, and religious requirements affecting them.’

Please refer to our Positive Behaviour Policy for a list of rewards and sanctions.

 

How does school report behaviour related incidents?

Class teachers keep parents regularly informed about their children’s behaviour through reports, consultation meetings and informal communication. We endeavour to initiate supportive dialogue between school and home so we will always inform parents and carers immediately, if we have concerns about their child’s welfare and behaviour.

All staff have been trained in de-escalating low-level disruption, unsocial and anti-social behaviour. Staff know how school expects this behaviour to be reported and recorded, and know when the issue needs to be escalated to the Headteacher. Persistent unsocial behaviour or antisocial, difficult and dangerous behaviour incidents are recorded and monitored on school’s internal recording system, CPoms.

 

What is the school's stance on bullying? 

‘Pupils know about bullying and the different forms it can take. They are clear that it rarely happens in school. If they do have a problem, pupils know that there is always an adult they can talk to who will help them out. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of how to stay safe. Older pupils know the risks they face as they grow up, and what they can do to keep safe, especially when online.’

Ofsted 2022

Ickleford Primary School is a place where every person has the right to be themselves, to be included and to learn in a safe and happy environment. Everyone at our school is equal and treats each other with respect and kindness.

No form of bullying will be tolerated and all incidents will be taken seriously.

The safety, welfare and well-being of all pupils and staff is a key priority. We take all incidences of bullying seriously and it is our duty as a whole school community to take measures to prevent and tackle any bullying, harassment or discrimination.

All staff will be alert to the signs of bullying, will act immediately to it and will alert senior staff to such issues through the steps set out in our Anti-Bullying Policy.

For more information, refer to:Anti-Bullying Policy 2024

 

How does the school address parental concerns?

The school aims to work closely with parents, and we hope that parents who have any concerns will, in the first instance, raise these with the class teacher. We find that nearly all concerns or potential complaints can be resolved happily through discussion. If a matter is not addressed sufficiently, the headteacher should then be approached to resolve the matter.

For general complaints and matters to do with special educational needs the governing body have adopted a policy which follows procedures recommended by the HCC. The governing body have arrangements in place for considering formal complaints.

Please refer to:School Based Complaints Policy

 
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