Roselyn House School and The RHISE  

Behaviour Policy 

This policy has been written with understanding and reference to: 

Behaviour in Schools – DfE September 2022 

Developing an Attachment Aware Behaviour Regulation Policy – Brighton and Hove September 2018 

This policy should be read in conjunction with other school policies relating to interaction between adults and students. In particular Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service Behaviour Support and Physical Intervention Policy and Safeguarding Policy. 

The responsible people for the implementation of this policy are the Headteacher, Business Manager, Deputy Headteachers and RHISE and RHS Co-ordinators. The policy will be reviewed annually by the Headteacher in consultation with the staff. 

Introduction 

Inappropriate / disturbing / challenging behaviours can be interpreted as a symptom or communication of an underlying need or difficulty.  In order to address such behaviours, we must address these underlying needs / difficulties.  It is crucial to identify, understand and then address/support the underlying factors that impact on children and young people, such as Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties, attachment difficulties, unhelpful thought processes or learning needs. 

Some inappropriate / disturbing / challenging behaviours can be avoided or significantly reduced and managed through proactively promoting and supporting positive social, emotional and mental health.  Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service tolerates a wide variety of behaviours but does not accept them as inevitable and unchangeable.  An individual’s behaviours will be prioritised and through planned intervention and adherence to the rewards and sanctions in the policy, ensure that the consequences to behaviour are specific and limited. 

All systems, teaching and management of the school focus on the promotion, establishment and internalisation of socially acceptable and appropriate behaviours for example, the Roselyn House School and The RHISE Centre Code and individual IEBP’s. 

The objectives may best be achieved by a mutually supportive whole school approach and a whole staff responsibility to work within the agreed parameters of the Behaviour Policy and its procedures. 

Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service endeavours to reinforce the behaviour policy through the valued partnership with parents/ carers and they will be asked to complete behaviour/ emotional literacy profiles to help staff at Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service to develop a greater understanding of their child. 

Whole school approach to behaviour and communicating the policy 

We have a whole school approach to creating an inclusive and positive school ethos around behaviour. We place a strong emphasis on the emotional health and wellbeing of all members of our school community. SEMH needs are central to the effectiveness of our school and an Attachment Aware approach to our Behaviour Policy. 

The NHS and DfE established a National Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce in September 2014 and produced the report: ‘Future in Mind – promoting, protecting and improving our children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing’. This was published in March 2015. This document recognises that attachment relationships have a direct bearing on children’s capacity to succeed in school. It emphasises that relationships and a sense of belonging, are key to good mental health for all, but are essential for children who have experienced multiple relational losses and trauma. The DfE have published Mental health and wellbeing provision in schools October 2018 which outlines the duties on schools to promote and protect the welfare of their students, as set out by Government guidance, ‘Keeping Children Safe In Education’ September 2022 moving to a new updated version in September 2023. There are also duties on schools to ensure students with additional educational needs, including those in relation to mental health, are provided with adequate support to learn, as set out in, ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0-25 years.   

Everyone will always act with courtesy and respect for each other and all students have the right to learn in a safe environment. 

This policy is communicated to all members of our community which is an important way of building and maintaining our ethos and positive culture. It makes beaviour expectations transparent to all involved and provides reassurance that responses to behaviour are consistent, fair, proportionate and predictable. This Policy is available on the school website and is sent to families on induction of a new student. 

At Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service high expectations of good behaviour pervade all aspects of school life including the culture, ethos and values of our school, how students are taught and encouraged to behave. We have these high expectations regardless of the challenges of behaviour or behaviour associated with an individual students’ SEND as we believe this can help a student develop strategies and improve their coping mechanisms from their individual starting points. This is made apparent to anyone joining or visiting the school and everyone should be treated with dignity, kindness and respect. 

The consistent and fair implementation of measures outlined in this policy are central to an effective whole school approach to behaviour across Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service. Even though we are on two sites, we are one school. Consistent implementation creates a predictable environment in order to allow our students to flourish. We appreciate some students require additional support in this area and will reach different points of acceptance at different times.  

By having simple, clear and well communicated expectations of behaviour and providing staff with bespoke training around the needs of our students, we allow our students to thrive, achieve and build positive relationships with each other and staff. These are based on predictability, fairness and trust. 

Our Behaviour Curriculum 

At Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service we model positive behaviour across the whole curriculum. We believe our students should have a readiness to learn, share experiences around individual needs and above all have a mutual respect for everyone in the school community. Positive and acceptable behaviour is taught to all students and encouraged and highlighted over that which is prohibited. We utilise positive reinforcement and reward through learning achievement and positive approaches to learning and conduct. Whilst sanctions are also important, our behaviour curriculum defines the expected behaviours in school rather than just a list of prohibited behaviours. It is centred around what successful behaviour and positives approaches look like. Students are praised and celebrated when they achieve and we follow key routines around school. This may have different approaches across age groups as expectations change and also around the abilities of individual students. 

Routines are used to teach and reinforce the behaviours expected of all students. Repeated practices promote the values of the school, positive behavioural norms and the consequences of unacceptable behaviour. Students are expected to discuss this in Form Time, Mentor sessions and in Student Council Meetings.  

We recognise that adjustments to routines need to be made for some of our students and they may need time away from routines and their peers in order to give them time to meet expectations. This should be planned and by design where possible. Through the community acceptance of individual need at Roselyn House School and The RHISE Centre, students should have respect for these adjustments and without knowing specific reasons accept that this is a matter of course at school.  

Consistent and clear language should be used when acknowledging positive behaviour and addressing misbehaviour. 

The role of school leaders 

Across Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service the leadership team is highly visible with two Deputy Headteachers and two RHISE/RHS Coordinators based at each respective site. The Business Manager and the Headteacher work across both sites and a whole school approach is taken by the SLT who also attend each site. They routinely engage with students, parents/ carers and all staff on setting and maintaining the behaviour culture and an environment where everyone feels safe and supported. 

Our school leaders have a crucial role to play in making sure all staff understand the behavioural expectations and importance of maintaining them. They make sure that all new staff are inducted clearly into the school’s behavioural culture to ensure they understand the rules and routines and how best to support our students in creating the culture of the school. 

Specific training is provided in monthly Twilights which enables staff to meet their duties and functions within this policy. Staff also have complimentary training which deals with certain SEND and Mental Health issues which is specific to our students and highlights how this can sometimes affect behaviour and lead to adjustment. We work within Mental Health and behaviour in Schools Guidance and have wellbeing policies for staff and students. (See SEAL incorporating mindfulness Policy and Wellbeing Policy).  

We work directly with Educational Psychologists, counsellors, therapists and Mental Health support teams. 

The role of teachers and support staff 

Staff have an important role in developing a calm and safe environment for students and establishing clear boundaries of acceptable behaviour. Staff should uphold the whole school approach to behaviour by teaching and modelling expected behaviour and positive relationships, so students can see good habits and are confident to ask for help when they need to. They should be attachment aware yet challenge students to meet our expectations and maintain the boundaries of acceptable conduct. 

Staff should communicate with every interaction, our school’s expectations, routines, values and standards through teaching and supporting students. They should consider the impact of their own behaviour on the school culture and how they too can uphold rules and expectations. We aim to provide staff with clear guidance on their own conduct through Team Leader meetings and Appraisals. (See Shared Practice Policy). 

The role of students 

All our students deserve to learn in an environment that is calm, safe, supportive and where they are treated with dignity despite their starting points and individual needs within their EHCP. To achieve this we believe every student should be made aware of our behaviour standards, expectations, where and how to receive support and what consequences their may be to unacceptable behaviour. They should be taught that they have a duty to follow this policy and uphold school rules which contributes to our school culture. They are asked about their experiences and asked to feedback through discussions and questionnaires. This helps in supporting the evaluation, implementation and improvement of this behaviour policy. Each student should be supported to achieve the behaviour standards, strategies provided and adjustments where necessary. This should include an induction which may be repeated throughout the school year. Extra support should be provided where necessary and adjustments to Timetables where appropriate including Outreach programmes introduced (RHISE Programme). 

The role of Parents/ carers 

The role of Parents/ Carers is crucial in helping us to develop and maintain positive behaviour. To support us, Parents/ Carers are encouraged to get to know this policy and where possible take part in life of the school and culture including Parent’s Evenings, Charity Fun Days and RHISE etc pop up events. They are encouraged to reinforce this policy at home and to support the school’s decisions with regard their child. Where a Parent/ Carer has a concern with management of behaviour they should raise this directly with the school while continuing to work in partnership with us.  

Our whole school approach involves Parents/ Carers and we keep them updated on their child’s behaviour, encourage them to celebrate student success and offer support from our RHISE/RHS Co-ordinators to discuss in more depth this and other policies. 

Where possible Parents/ Carers are involved in any work following misbehaviour and are encouraged to attend return to school meetings, Intervention/ Outreach meetings and Annual Reviews/ Emergency Reviews. 

Behaviour expectations and students with Special Education Needs and/ or Disability (SEND) 

All of our students have an EHCP with a variety of SEND diagnosis (See SEND Policy). We at Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service consistently promote high standards of behaviour and outcomes for our students who have often previously had negative educational experiences. 

We are aware that some behaviours are more likely to be associated with particular types of SEND such as Autism, speech, language and communication needs and we recognise that the understanding of some verbal instruction can be very different. Behaviour as previously outlined is considered in relation to a student’s SEND but we recognise that not every behaviour is associated with SEND. This is why we get to know our students well and record information within their Personal Learning Plans and are able to take further advice from the SENCO, Deputy Headteachers, RHISE/RHS Co-ordinators and the Headteacher. 

A graduated approach is often used to assess, plan, deliver and then review the impact of support provided. We offer individualised timetables, intervention, Outreach, Alternative Provision, therapy and mentor support. 

We have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to take such steps as is reasonable to avoid any substantial disadvantage toa disabled student caused by policies or practices. 

Maintaining a positive culture requires constant work and is discussed in weekly vulnerable student meetings with the SLTs responsible, along with monthly SLT Meetings. 

At Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service we strive to positively reinforce behaviour which reflects the values of the whole school and prepares our students to engage in learning. Sometimes a student’s behaviour will be unacceptable, this is unavaoidable and students need to understand there are consequences for their behaviour. 

Consistency is achieved by adherence to our school’s graded menu of rewards and sanctions detailed below: 

We believe that praise should outweigh negative comment. 

Responding to good behaviour 

Acknowledging good behaviour encourages repetition and communicates the school community’s expectations and values to all students. Using positive recognition and rewards provides an opportunity for all staff to reinforce the school’s culture and ethos. Positive reinforcements and rewards should be applied clearly and fairly to reinforce the routines, expectations, and norms of our behaviour culture.  

Examples of rewards may include:  

Responding to misbehaviour 

When a member of school staff becomes aware of misbehaviour, they should respond predictably, promptly, and assertively in accordance with this policy. The first priority should be to ensure the safety of students and staff and to restore a calm environment. It is important that staff across the wholes school respond in a consistent, fair, and proportionate manner so students know with certainty that misbehaviour will always be addressed. De-escalation techniques can be used to help prevent further behaviour issues arising and recurring following TEAM TEACH training which staff receive at Roselyn House School and The RHISE Centre. 

The aims of any response to misbehaviour should be to maintain the culture of the school, restore a calm and safe environment in which all students can learn and thrive and where possible prevent or pre-empt the recurrence of such misbehaviour. 

To achieve these aims, a response to behaviour may have various purposes. These include:  

Teachers can sanction students whose conduct falls below the standard which could reasonably be expected of them. This means that if a student misbehaves, breaks a rule or fails to follow a reasonable instruction, they can apply a sanction on that student. (Section 91 (3) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006) 

All staff can issue sanctions any time students are in school or elsewhere under the charge of a member of staff, including on school visits. This also applies when a student’s misbehaviour occurs outside of school. 

A sanction will be lawful if it satisfies the following three conditions:  

a) The decision to sanction a student is made by a paid member of school staff (but not one who the headteacher has decided should not do so) or an unpaid member of staff authorised by the headteacher;  

b) The decision to sanction the student and the sanction itself are made on the school premises or while the school is under the lawful charge of the member of staff; and  

c) It does not breach any other legislation (for example in respect of equality, special educational needs and human rights) and it is reasonable in all the circumstances. (Section 91 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006) 

In considering whether a sanction is reasonable in all circumstances, one must consider whether it is proportionate in the circumstances of the case and consider any special circumstances relevant to its imposition including the student’s age, any special educational needs or disability they may have, and any religious requirements affecting them. (Section 91 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006) 

The Headteacher may limit the power or extend the power to discipline and sanction to volunteers. 

Schools should consistently and fairly promote high standards of behaviour for all students and provide additional support where needed to ensure students can achieve and learn as well as possible.  

A school should not assume that because a student has SEND, it must have affected their behaviour on a particular occasion – this is a question of judgement for the school on the facts of the situation. 

Schools should consider whether a student’s SEND has contributed to the misbehaviour and if so, whether it is appropriate and lawful to sanction the student. In considering this, schools should refer to the Equality Act 2010 and schools guidance. 

The school should also consider whether any reasonable adjustments need to be made to the sanction in response to any disability the student may have. It is also important for the schools to seek to try and understand the underlying causes of behaviour and whether additional support is needed. 

Corporal punishment by school staff is illegal in all circumstances. Including deprivation of food and drink, withholding medication, medical or dental treatment, wearing distinctive or inappropriate clothing and any sanction with the intent to humiliate or ridicule. 

A detention is a commonly used sanction, often used as a deterrent to future misbehaviour. It is typically a short period where the student is required to remain under supervision of school staff when their peers have been allowed to go home or to break. 

When used, it should be done so consistently and fairly by staff. This process should be well known to all students and staff. This should not impede on other student’s transport arrangements and alternative transport arrangements should be made for the students involved in detention which could include Parents/ Carers picking their child up if appropriate. 

What the law allows 

Teachers have authority to issue detention to students, including same-day detentions. At Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service that detention (including detention outside of school hours) can be used as a possible sanction if authorised by the Headteacher or a Deputy Headteacher.  

A detention outside normal school hours will be lawful if it meets the following conditions:  

There are circumstances when it is appropriate for staff in schools to use reasonable force to safeguard children. The term ‘reasonable force’ covers the broad range of actions used by staff that involve a degree of physical contact to control or restrain children. ‘Reasonable’ in these circumstances means ‘using no more force than is needed’. 

Members of staff have the power to use reasonable force to prevent students committing an offence, injuring themselves or others, or damaging property and to maintain good order and discipline at the school or among students.(Section 93 of Education and Inspections Act 2006) 

Headteachers and authorised school staff may also use such force as is reasonable given the circumstances when conducting a search for knives or weapons, alcohol, illegal drugs, stolen items, tobacco, fireworks, pornographic images or articles that they reasonably suspect have been or are likely to be used to commit an offence or cause harm. Force may not be used to search for other items banned under the school rules (Section 550ZB of The Education Act 1996) 

When considering using reasonable force staff should, in considering the risks, carefully recognise any specific vulnerabilities of the student, including SEND, mental health needs or medical conditions and where possible refer to the Behaviour Management and Positive Handling Plan. Emergency intervention that is proportionate and necessary may have to be used on occasion. 

Searching, screening and confiscation 

Detailed guidance for schools can be found in Searching, screening and confiscation at school. 

School staff can confiscate, retain or dispose of a student’s property as a disciplinary penalty in the same circumstances as other disciplinary penalties. The law protects staff from liability in any proceedings brought against them for any loss or damage to items they have confiscated, provided they acted lawfully. Staff should consider whether the confiscation is proportionate and consider any special circumstances relevant to the case (Section 94 of Education and Inspections Act 2006) 

Removal from classrooms  

Removal is where a student, for serious disciplinary reasons, is required to spend a limited time out of the classroom at the instruction of a member of staff. This is to be differentiated from circumstances in which a student is asked to step outside of the classroom briefly for a conversation with a staff member and asked to return following this or planned to work away from a class group. The use of removal should allow for continuation of the student’s education in a supervised setting. The continuous education provided may differ to the mainstream curriculum but should still be meaningful for the student. (See Behaviour Support and Physical Intervention Policy) 

Removal should be used for the following reasons:  

a) to maintain the safety of all students and to restore stability following an unreasonably high level of disruption;  

b) to enable disruptive students to be taken to a place where education can be continued in a managed environment; and  

c) to allow the student to regain calm in a safe space. 

Removal should be distinguished from the use of separation spaces/ positive outcome zones for non-disciplinary reasons. For instance, where a student is taken out of the classroom to regulate their emotions because of identified sensory overload as part of a planned response. 

The Headteacher should:  

a) make clear that removal may be used as a response to serious misbehaviour as part of this policy;  

b) maintain overall strategic oversight of the school’s arrangements for any removals, as set out in this policy;  

c) make sure the reasons that may lead to students being removed are transparent and known to all staff and students;  

d) outline in the principles governing the length of time that it is appropriate for a student to be in removal through support from a member of SLT to advise staff and monitor the situation;  

e) ensure that the removal location is in an appropriate area of the school and stocked with appropriate resources, is a suitable place to learn and refocus, and is supervised by trained members of staff- this would normally be a quiet area or positive outcome zone which are situation across both sites; and  

f) design a clear process for the reintegration of any student in removal into the classroom when appropriate and safe to do so- on the SLT approval.  

At Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service we shall collect, monitor and analyse removal data internally in order to interrogate repeat patterns and the effectiveness of the use of removal. We will make data-based decisions to consider whether frequently removed students may benefit from additional and alternative approaches or whether specific departments or teachers may require more support.  

Separately, we will analyse the collected data to identify patterns relating to students sharing any of the protected characteristics and the removal policy is not having a disproportionate effect on students sharing particular protected characteristics. (See Single Equality Policy) 

When dealing with individual removal cases, headteachers and teachers should:  

a) consider whether any assessment of underlying factors of disruptive behaviour is needed;  

b) facilitate reflection by the student on the behaviour that led to their removal from the classroom and what they can do to improve and avoid such behaviour in the future;  

c) ensure that students are never locked in the room of their removal. There may be exceptional situations in which it is necessary to physically prevent a student from leaving a room in order to protect the safety of students and staff from immediate risk, but this would be a safety measure and not a disciplinary sanction and is covered in the Behaviour Support and Physical Intervention Policy;  

d) ensure that the Children and Families Act 2014, the Equality Act 2010 and regulations under those Acts are being complied with;and  

e) if a student has a social worker, including if they have a Child in Need plan, a Child Protection plan or are looked-after, notify their social worker.  

If the student is looked-after, ensure their Personal Education Plan is appropriately reviewed and amended and notify their Virtual School Head.  

It may be felt more appropriate that a student have an individualised timetable, reduced hours or Outreach to work towards a positive change. This would be agreed by the Headteacher and Deputy Headteachers (s)/ Co-ordinators and involved parties before actioned. 

Behaviour outside school premises 

Schools have the power to sanction students for misbehaviour outside of the school premises. This would be specifically if it involved other students from the school and online conduct. 

The decision to sanction a student who is under the control or charge of a member (s) of staff at the school whilst off site or on a visit/ trip/residential would follow similar procedures to those on site. Staff wear ID badges which have information for the public as to the nature of our students and why physical intervention may be required in the event of an incident. 

Preventing recurrence of misbehaviour 

We pride ourselves at Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service for catering for individual and specific need which can some times prove challenging as we have a no exclusion policy. We look at adapting the educational offer to our students which will match their needs and can be flexible at different times in their school career. This is achieved by consistent discussion, tracking and recording on CPoms which is fed into regular meetings for vulnerable and more difficult to reach students. 

We build individual programmes through our RHISE Service which may include a mixture of classroom/ 1:1/ 2:1 learning, Outreach, Vocational studies/ Alternative provision, specific interventions. 

This helps in students understanding behavioural expectations and allows them to have positive experiences; often bringing out the best in them educationally, personally and preparing them for life beyond oursschool. We recognise that some students need more support than others at times and this needs to be provided as proactively as possible. We use a graduated response which is used to assess, plan, deliver and review. We set timescales for these programmes which could be for a week or for the academic year. We record, monitor and report back to the LA. Regular review meetings are held and programmes are implemented through agreement of all parties involved, including the young person.  

When we have increased concerns we trigger early help assessments and sometimes statutory assessments which go beyond educational need.(See Working Together to Safeguard Children and Early Help Assessment Offer) Our programmes can also include therapy both onsite or with outside providers. We aim to ‘get it right’ for our students. This includes if it is the appropriate time to reintegrate a student back into the main body of the school. For some of our students they may remain on individualised programmes. There are RHISE programmes for all age groups, all needs and based at Roselyn House School and The RHISE Centre. 

Behavioural monitoring and evaluation 

We have a clear monitoring and evaluation cycle which includes weekly, monthly, termly and annual analysis. This assists with developing an accurately reported behaviour culture and is carried out by SLT. 

We collect data on: 

School leaders and staff analyse data being objective and from differing perspectives; at school level, group level, and individual staff and student level. We pose questions and identify possible factors contributing to the behaviour, system problems or failure to provide appropriate support. This includes analysing data by protected characteristics. 

Conclusion 

By applying Attachment Aware principles and DfE guidance to our Behaviour Policy, we aim to encourage an inclusive approach which achieves better outcomes for our students at Roselyn House School and The RHISE Service. This will empower staff to respond in a way that is empathetic but is within appropriate boundaries, firm but kind. We should not confuse empathy with sympathy or condone/avoid consequences for negative behaviours. When young people feel heard, understood and cared about they begin to express emotions in a more positive way. This benefits staff and student wellbeing and Mental Health and provides a more positive culture within the school where learning can take place. 

S Damerall   

Reviewed: June 2023 

 Student Behaviour Management Guidance for Staff 

Behaviour should be viewed in relation to its antecedents within the four main areas.