InspireU behaviour policy

InspireU is an inclusive environment and is supportive by making reasonable adjustments for those with additional needs. InspireU strives to help learners to develop their self-esteem and confidence and realise they are a valued member of our community. Exemplary behaviour is at the heart of productive learning and everyone is expected to maintain the high standards of personal conduct. Our behaviour policy guides staff to teach self-discipline and to develop learners that are respectful and who have the skills and abilities to make a positive move into the next stage of their lives. It echoes our core values with a heavy emphasis on being ready to learn, to be respectful and safe. All our staff following the teaching and delivery of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention(TCI) and the teachings of Paul Dix “when the adults change”. All staff are provided with training and support to implement the strategies identified in these teachings and this policy.

Aims and objectives:

• to create a culture of positive behaviour: for work, learning, for community, and for life
• to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, shown respect and to promote good relationships
• supporting positive conduct whilst challenging inappropriate behaviour
• to help learners self-regulate and be responsible for their own behaviour
• to build a community which values kindness, care, good humour, good temper, discipline and empathy
• to ensure that excellent behaviour is celebrated and normalised
• to reduce exclusion and increase inclusion

Behaviour policy rules

Ready, Respectful and Safe are the three rules which underpin our behaviour policy.

• ‘Ready’ - Ready to learn, ready to listen, ready to participate etc.
• ‘Respectful’ - Respect for themselves. Showing respect to their peers, to adults, to our environment.
• ‘Safe’ - Safe in their learning environment, safe with the people around them and safe in the activities in which they are taking part.

Some examples of what previous learners have identified as “Ready, Respectful, Safe” behaviours have included:

Every behaviour intervention, positive or corrective, must be punctuated with Ready, Respectful or Safe.

Staff must be consistent when referring to the three rules, always pinning behaviour to the same three rules every time. This is a core consistency for all adults working at InspireU.

Reward and recognition

InspireU staff will strive to recognise positive behaviour, attitudes and work ethic at every opportunity. We recognise the importance of learners knowing when they have done well and we aim to build a sense of pride and belonging to our community. Examples of common recognition practices include:

• Well done notes to learners
• Well done postcards to parents
• Positive call home
• Names on the board - in a positive way
• Positive noticing
• Celebrations of behaviour/achievement
• Display good work in the classroom

InspireU staff will reward learners that make excellent personal progress towards the InspireU values, going above and beyond in their studies or to help others. Staff will nominate learners through submitting a case study to the Senior Leadership Team on a quarterly basis who will choose winner and they will be issued with a voucher and a certificate. All learners nominated will receive a certificate to acknowledge their nomination.

Classroom support

Calm and easy on every step with plenty of take-up time. Resist the urge to jump steps.

• Reminder of the rules - Take up time
• Warning - Take up time
• Last chance - Script - Lots of take up time
• Triage - Removal from lesson
• Teacher’s choice - Picking Up Your own Tab

(Quick catchup, restorative conversation, imposition, or natural consequence)

Serious breaches

Learners who commit a serious and dangerous breach will be triaged immediately without support steps. This might include, Actual or threats of physical violence, homophobic and racial behaviour, suspected and actual supply/possession of drugs.

For the vast majority of learners, a gentle reminder or nudge in the right direction is all that is needed. This may be a quiet word or a visual cue in order to correct the behaviour.

Although there are occasions when it is necessary, every minute a learner is out of your lesson is one where they are not learning. Steps should always be taken with care and consideration, individual needs and challenges must be taken into account. Praise the behaviour you want to see, you get more of the behaviour you notice the most.. All learners must be given ‘take up time’ in between steps. It is not possible to leap or accelerate steps for repeated low-level disruption.

A reminder and warning of the expectations for learners referring to the rules of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’ should be delivered privately to the learner. The teacher makes them aware of their behaviour. The learner has a choice to do the right thing. Learners should be given time to respond to this request ‘take up time’.

A clear, verbal, final last chance warning should be delivered privately to the learner making them aware of their behaviour and clearly outlining the consequences if they continue. Learners will be reminded “do you remember when” of their previous good conduct to prove that they can make good choices. It is important to give the learner some time here to have the opportunity to reflect on what you have said and respond appropriately.

Scripted approaches at this stage are encouraged

“I’ve noticed that...You know the school rules ready, respectful, safe. Can you remember when I phoned home when you...and how that made you feel? I expect you to...Thank you for listening”.

InspireU Key 5 Scripts, not to replace Ready, Respectful, Safe

1. I’ve noticed…….
2. I need you to…..
3. Our rule is……
4. This is how we do it here
5. Love that!

Walk away as soon as you have finished and praise learners who are getting it right. Following an incident where a learner has been removed, it is important that the classroom teacher follows this up. ‘Picking up your own tab’ is a key principle here. The classroom teacher has the following options:

1. Catch up

Behaviour that results in a learner being triaged may need no more consequences. However, it is very important, to catch up with the learner before the next lesson, acknowledge that the previous lesson wasn’t good for anyone and that next lesson is a fresh slate.

2. Restorative conversation

Walk and talk, stack books and talk, clean tables and talk. The Restorative Conversation is so much easier and more productive if it isn’t two people sat at a table making awkward eye contact. Much better to talk while doing something else.

The restorative 5:

• ’What happened?
• What were you thinking at the time?
• Who has been affected?
• What should we do to put things right?
• How can we do things differently in the future?

These are questions for both the adult and the child. The purpose of the restorative conversation is not to build to a climax of apology. Rather to get learners to look in the mirror and see their behaviour from a different perspective. It is a coaching conversation using a recent incident in sharp focus. There is real learning here, most of the time for the learners, sometimes for everyone.

Restorative conversations done well are not easy chat circles, they demand so much more form the learner than that. Restorative conversations must be built on a foundation of relational practice.

3. Imposition

Work that was not done in the lesson taken home, signed by a Parent/Guardian and returned before the start of the next lesson. Impositions are ideal for learners who have not completed work due to their poor behaviour.

4. Natural consequence

Cleaning up the mess, repairing the display, reorganising the classroom, making up with peers are examples of natural consequences. If you can find a consequence that repairs the damage rather than just punishing the behaviour it all makes more sense.

Removal from a lesson is a sanction in itself. Using phrases like: ‘I would like you to come back for 10 minutes at break to complete the missed work’ is much more supportive than ‘leave the classroom’. As part of the resolution you may wish to have a restorative meeting using the ‘The restorative 5’- What happened? What were you thinking at the time? Who has been affected? What should we do to put things right? How can we do things differently in the future?

What happens in triage?

1. Self-regulating space
2. Opportunity to talk, access support and reset
3. Quiet place to study

The area is managed by a team which could include pastoral staff, LSA’s and /or provision managers based in this area rather than their individual offices.

Triage is a no blame, no judgement environment. Triaged is designed to return a learner to the classroom ready to learn.

Repair - self-regulating space

Initial contact with a member of the team to determine whether there needs to be some time in this area. This is a quiet space using sensory aids/headphones/ happiness boxes (for regular attendees) until the learner is ready to talk and access support to help regulate their emotions.

Restore - Space to talk, access support and reset

For most learners the aim is for the repair/restore to take place straight away, if necessary, with the learner staying in the area for only one lesson and returning to their next lesson ready for learning. In some instances, there may be a need to investigate an underlying issue and this may take longer, to allow the learner the time to regulate their emotions. The team would be responsible for the restorative actions and following up with teacher. Also, arranging any further support and/or assessment. Restorative 5 questions.

Return to learn - Quiet space to study

This would be the area where learners would complete the work that they are missing due to being removed from class. There would always be an expectation that the work is completed. Some learners may be placed into this area quite quickly after arriving, if for instance their removal was a one off and by means of being removed from the situation they had calmed and self-regulated. They would then return to their next class ready for learning.

Serious or Gross misconduct

There are some types of behaviour that may not result in the learner being reintegrated into learning. The following are examples of such behaviour:

• Repeated failure to observe health and safety regulations
• Assault, physical or sexual abuse towards learners or staff
• Repeated verbal abuse towards learners or staff (includes racial abuse)
• Repeated Bullying or harassment towards learners or staff
• Committing any criminal offence whilst involved in a InspireU activity
• Serious damage or misuse of InspireU property
• Possession of offensive weapons whilst involved in any InspireU activity
• Accessing, creating or making available to others pornographic or other offensive material whilst involved in any InspireU activity
• Bringing others on to the InspireU site or compromising InspireU security in anyway
• In possession of drugs and alcohol
• Repeated or serious misuse of, or interference with, electronic systems or data

Note: The categorisations above are intended to be illustrative and are designed to set a framework within which staff can make a judgement as to the severity of a disciplinary issue. It should be acknowledged that all situations are unique and that a range of circumstances, including learner needs and challenges should be taken into consideration before making a final judgement.

Official sanctions

Every effort will be made by staff, to follow the steps leading to triage in order to avoid formal sanctions being made. If however, in spite of these steps being followed, learners repeatedly continue to not follow the rules or exhibit serious or gross misconduct, then the sanctions outlined in the learner conduct procedure will be followed.

Appeals

If a learner does not feel that they have been treated fairly in accordance with this policy, this should be raised in the first instance with the Provision Manager for the setting. If they are still aggrieved they should contact one of the Senior Leads identified in their handbook or by emailing the InspireU Principal, Charlotte McHugh charlotte.mchugh@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

If you think InspireU have not met the service expectations or you are still unhappy with the way you have been treated, please use the complaints procedure.