Statement of Behaviour Principles

Cerne Abbas CE VC First School, Duck Street, Cerne Abbas, Dorset, DT2 7LA

‘The Small School with the Big Heart.’

Tel: 01300 341319         e-mail:office@cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk         Website: www.cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk

CERNE ABBAS CE VC FIRST SCHOOL

Statement of Behaviour Principles 

Cerne Abbas CE VC First School is a Church School supported by the Salisbury Diocese Board of Education. Christian principles of good behaviour inform the School’s expectation of the way in which staff and pupils interact. The whole school community – staff, children, parents and governors have chosen six Christian aspects of good living - friendship, trust, peace, joy, courage and forgiveness and use them as prime guiding values for behaviour. These illuminate the Christian character of the school

‘Our vision is to be the best that we can be.’

‘We are committed to nurturing every child, allowing them to thrive in a safe and engaging environment based on our Christian values. We strive to develop happy and confident learners ready to face the changes of their next steps.’

Maintaining good behaviour will be integral to the School vision and the Head Teacher supported by the Governing Body will ensure that Cerne Abbas CE VC School will apply the following principles:

The school will be a happy place where children enjoy learning and are encouraged to be confident and industrious individuals celebrating the development of their traits and personalities.  We are a Trauma Informed School and this will lead the management of all behaviours.

1. The School will be maintained as a safe place for learning. There are comprehensive policies for the Safe recruitment of staff, for e-safety and for managing visitors to the school which will always be followed. Staff will be vigilant in noting and reporting any anxieties that they may have about safety in relation to a child, to a staff member, to a visitor or to the school environment.

2. Staff will uphold the ethos of the School and demonstrate the chosen core values (friendship, trust, peace, joy, courage and forgiveness) by the manner in which they conduct themselves and their lessons.

3. The School will function inclusively with due care taken to involve parents in the professional assessments of their children and the recommended strategies to optimise learning progress. Parents and carers will be encouraged to help their child’s education.

4. Complaints from any source will be reported to the Head Teacher and dealt with according to the school Complaints policy.

5. Staff and pupils alike will have equal opportunities for learning and self improvement regardless of race, gender or disability.

6. The delivery of the curriculum will uphold Christian values and include respect for others and their learning needs. Pupils will be encouraged to make assessments of their own work and to be open and honest about mistakes without embarrassment. Learning from mistakes will be celebrated equally with achievement. Progress will be rewarded.

7. Staff will be willing and able to offer reasoned explanations for school rules and regulations.

8. Disruptive behaviour will be managed calmly and the impact of disruptive behaviour on others and on the learning environment discussed with the child.  There will be an agreed policy for  managing persistent disruptive behaviour which is delivered with consistency and fairness.  In extreme cases of disruptive behaviour where there is danger of physical injury, the School has a policy for the Use of Reasonable Force to restrain a child. Staff have been trained in the PACE (Play, Accept, Curious, Empathy) model of intervention which helps children reflect on their behaviours.

9. Exclusion of pupils on the grounds of disruptive behaviour will be strenuously avoided and only used as a last resort.

10. The child voice will always be listened to both individually and collectively.

11. The staff will support and assist a child-led School Forum.

12. Bullying, verbal or physical, will not be tolerated and will always be fully investigated and dealt with appropriately