Code of Discipline January 2010

Code of Discipline and Behaviour

(Córas Smachta)

Scoil Cholmcille SNS promotes a whole school approach to the promotion of positive behaviour. A shared ethos, emphasising care, respect, and responsibility is the basis for the following code of discipline and behaviour.

Aims:

  1. The aim of this policy is to ensure that the individuality of each child is accommodated while also acknowledging the right of each child to education in a safe and supportive environment.
  2. Through an understanding of the code of discipline, we hope to develop self-discipline in the pupils based on respect, consideration and tolerance of others.
  3. To maintain good order in the school and in the playground.
  4. Every effort will be made by all members of staff to adopt a positive approach to the question of behaviour in the school.

Principles:

  1. The school recognises the variety of differences that exist between children and the need to tolerate these differences.
  2. It is agreed that a high standard of behaviour requires a strong sense of community within the school and a high level of co-operation among staff and between staff, parents and pupils.
  3. Every effort will be made to ensure that the code of discipline is implemented in a reasonable, fair and consistent manner.

School rules:

(Stated in full in the School Journal).

Safety: For my own safety and that of others-

a) I should be careful coming to and going from school

b) I should always walk while in the school building.

c) I should remain seated at all times in class and while eating lunch

d) I should show respect for my fellow pupils and teachers and show due care while playing in the yard.

e) Bring a note of explanation following absences

f) I should never leave the school grounds without the permission of the Principal.

Caring for myself:

a) I should respect myself and my property, always keeping my school bag, books and copies in good order.

b) I should always be in school by the time the bell rings at 8.50a.m.

c) I should show respect for my school and be proud to wear the complete school uniform every day.

d) I should always be aware of my personal cleanliness.

e) I should always bring a sensible, nutritional lunch to school. Crisps, popcorn minerals, sweets or chewing gum are not permitted. I agree to respect our healthy lunch policy.

f) I should always do my best in school by listening carefully, working as hard as I can and by completing my homework.

Caring for others:

a) I should be kind and respectful to teachers and fellow pupils by being mannerly and polite, by taking turns and by remaining silent and orderly in my class line.

b) I should behave well in class so that my fellow pupils and I can learn. I may do this by doing as instructed to the best of my ability and following the classroom rules.

c) I should always keep my school clean by bringing unfinished food and drinks, cartons, wrappers, etc. home. I should show respect for the property of my fellow pupils, the school building and grounds.

d) Be truthful and honest at all times.

Bullying:

I should never bully others. I should never allow others to bully me and if it happens I should tell my parents and my teacher. Bullying is always unacceptable.

Scoil Cholmcille SNS is a’ bully- free’ zone.

Clár ama na Scoile

Children are collected from the yard at 8.50am.

School Closes: 2.30pm.

Homework

It is the policy of the school to assign homework on a regular basis. Parents are strongly advised to take an active interest in their child’s homework and to sign their homework journal each night (ensuring that it is done).

Children are always encouraged to do their best.

Strategies

(a)Praise may be given by means of any one of the following:

  • A quiet word or gesture to show approval
  • A comment in a pupil’s exercise book
  • A visit to another member of Staff or to the Principal for commendation.
  • A word of praise in front of a group, class or assembly.
  • A system of merit marks.
  • Delegating some special responsibility or privilege.
  • A mention to parent, written or verbal communication.
  • Classroom rules created by the class together with the classroom teacher, displayed in the classroom. These may be signed on behalf of the class by a pupil from the class.

Disciplinary Procedures

The following strategies may be used to encourage good, and discourage unacceptable behaviour:

(The nature of the behaviour will determine the strategy)

  • Encouragement and Praise
  • Reward for effort
  • Reasoning with pupils
  • Reprimand (including advice on how to improve).
  • Loss of privileges at yard time.
  • Prescribing additional work.
  • Communication with Parents.
  • Temporary separation from peers and/or loss of privileges.
  • Referral to Principal/Deputy-Principal.
  • Note to parents
  • Write out
  • Behaviour card
  • Reporting of behaviour to Principal throughout the day.
  • Use of Detention
  • Anticipated use of suspension
  • Referral to Board of Management
  • Suspension

Procedures:

The degree of misdemeanours i.e. minor, serious or gross, will be judged by the teachers and/or Principal based on a common sense approach with regard to the gravity/frequency of such misdemeanours, as follows:

Examples of minor misdemeanours:

Interrupting class work / Arriving late for school / Running in school building / Talking in class line / Leaving seat without permission at lunch time or during class/ Not placing waste in bins and following Green Schools Rules / Leaving litter around school / Not wearing correct uniform in the proper fashion / Being discourteous/unmannerly / Not completing homework without good reason / Not having homework signed by a parent / Endangering self/fellow pupils in the school yard at break time. Not working to full potential consistently

Examples of steps to be taken by teachers when dealing with minor misdemeanours:

Loss of privileges at yard time

Verbal reprimand / reasoning with pupil

Noting instance of yard misbehaviour in yard book.

Contact with Parents

Parent/Guardian asked to make regular contact with school to check on situation.

Behaviour Card to monitor progress.

Yellow Card/Red Card System

Examples of steps to be taken when dealing with regular occurrences of minor misdemeanours

Phase 1 (within the classroom)

  • Write story of what happened Or one copy of school rules Or relevant rule to upper limit of 20 times—all to be signed by parent
  • Note in homework journal to be signed by parent
  • Temporary separation from peers
  • Sending to another teacher
  • Denial of participation in some class activity.
  • Warning to pupils whose name appears in yard book more than three times
  • Note to parents concerning further misbehaviour in yard
  • Lose time off yard by standing on line.
  • Report behaviour to Principal during the day

[Misbehaviour in yard consists of any action that puts the safety of self/other pupil at risk]

Phase 2:

1) Send to the Deputy Principal or Principal

2) Send to Principal

3) Class teacher meets one/both parents

4) Principal/D-Principal meets one/both parents concerning yard behaviour.

Examples of serious misdemeanours

Constantly disruptive in class / Telling lies / Stealing / Damaging other pupil’s property

Bullying / Disrespectful interactions with a teacher or member of staff / Frequenting school premises after school hours without appropriate permission / Leaving school premises during school day without appropriate permission.

Not working to full potential consistently / Using unacceptable language / Bringing weapons to school/Deliberately injuring a fellow pupil or staff member/ intentionally damaging school property.

Examples of steps to be taken when dealing with serious misdemeanours:

1) Send to Deputy Principal or Principal

2) Send to Principal

3) Principal sends note in Journal to be signed by parent and/or calls Parent/Guardian

4) Principal meets with one/both parents-Pupil sent home with Parent.

5) Chairperson of Board Of Management informed and parents requested to meet with Chairperson and Principal

6) If after suspension the child continues to display inappropriate behaviour a shortened school day may be considered. The child will attend School for a shorted school day which may be extended when consistent improvements are noted in behaviour.

Teachers will use Disciplinary Procedures sensibly and flexibly taking into account the individual circumstances and the seriousness of the misbehaviour, abiding by the principles of justice and fair play and Department of Education Guidelines.

All children have the right of reply and will be listened to. The children will be made aware of their rights and what responsibilities come with these rights. It is one of the aims of the schools to produce responsible individuals.

When a pupil complains that he/she has been unfairly treated it should first be taken up with the teacher concerned where in the vast majority of cases the problem is righted. If however, it is not, then parents may request for the Principal to intervene.

Teachers should keep a written record of all instances of serious misbehaviour as well as a record of improvements in the behaviour of disruptive pupils.

The school recognises the variety of differences that exist between children and the need to accommodate these differences wherever it is possible within the confines of larger classes.

Examples of Gross Misdemeanours

Setting fire to school property / deliberately leaving taps running/fire hose turned on

Aggressive, threatening or violent behaviour towards a teacher/pupil

Strategies for dealing with Pupils with extremely difficult behavioural problems

In the case of a pupil with an extremely difficult behavioural problem or where a pupil presents a real threat to the safety of another pupil or member of staff the following strategies shall apply:

  1. Removal of offender from area of difficulty, e.g. class, playground etc. (On the occasion where the child is seen as a danger to themselves or others, the pupil may need to be restrained.)
  2. Parent/Guardian to be contacted immediately and requested to remove offending pupil.
  3. School will receive an acknowledgement that behaviour was unacceptable and an undertaking that it will not be repeated.
  4. Parent/Guardian may be put on notice that suspension/expulsion will be a real possibility if offending behaviour continues.

Suspension and Expulsion

Before serious sanctions such as detention, suspension, or expulsion are used, the normal channels of communication between school and parents will be utilised. Where it is proposed to detain a pupil after school hours, the parents or guardians will be notified. Communication with parents may be verbal or by letter depending on circumstances.

For gross misbehaviour or repeated instances of serious misbehaviour, suspension may be considered. Parents concerned will be invited to come to the school to discuss the child’s case. Aggressive, threatening or violent behaviour towards a member of staff or pupil will be regarded as serious or gross misbehaviour.

Where there are repeated instances of serious misbehaviour, the Chairperson of the Board of Management will be informed and the parents will be requested in writing to attend at the school to meet the Chairperson and the principal. If the parents do not give an undertaking that the pupil will behave in an acceptable manner in the future the pupil may be suspended for a period. Prior to suspension, where possible, the Principal may review the case in consultation with teachers and other members of the school community involved, with due regard to records of previous misbehaviours, their pattern and context, sanctions and other interventions used and their outcomes and any relevant medical information.

Suspension will be in accordance with the Rules for National Schools and the Education Welfare Act 2000.

In the case of gross misbehaviour, where it is necessary to ensure that order and discipline are maintained and to secure the safety of the pupils and staff, the Board may authorise the Chairperson or Principal to sanction immediate suspension for a period not exceeding three school days, pending a discussion of the matter with the parents.

Expulsion may be considered in an extreme case, in accordance with the Rule for National Schools and the Education Welfare Act 2000. Before suspending or expelling a pupil, the Board shall notify the Local Welfare Education Officer in writing in accordance with Section 24 of the Education Welfare Act.

It should be noted that these lists consist of examples only. It is not meant to be a totally comprehensive list of misdemeanours and procedural steps.

Special Educational Needs Pupils

  • The code will be flexible enough to allow for implementation of individual behavioural management plans but, in the case of gross misbehaviour or repeated instances of serious misbehaviour when the safety and duty of care to others is at issue, the code takes precedence.

Grounds for Suspension

  • Proportionate response to behaviour that is causing concern
  • Seriously detrimental effects on education of other students
  • Threat to safety
  • Serious damage of property
  • One single incident of serious misbehaviour may be grounds for suspension

Grounds for Expulsion

  • Behaviour is persistent cause of significant disruption to the learning of others or to the teaching process.
  • Continued presence of pupil constitutes a real and significant threat to safety.
  • Pupil responsible for serious damage to property.
  • BoM may impose automatic expulsion for certain prescribed behaviours or in exceptional cases for a first offence
    • Actual violence or physical assault
    • Serious threat of violence against another pupil or member of staff.

Procedures in respect of expulsion

  • Detailed investigation carried out under direction of the Principal
  • Recommendations by Principal to BoM
  • BoM considers Principal’s recommendations and holds hearing
  • BoM decision is expulsion appropriate.

EWB informed, 20 day cooling off period

  • Educational Welfare Officer arranges consultations
  • Confirmation of decision to expel.

Fair procedures based on the principles of natural justice

  • The right to be heard
  • Right to know what alleged misbehaviour is being investigated.
  • Right to know how issue is being decided
  • Right to respond
  • If possibility of serious sanction, right to be heard by BoM
  • The right to impartiality
  • Right to an absence of bias in the decision maker

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School Policy on Bullying

Scoil Cholmcille SNS does not tolerate bullying.

Bullying is repeated aggression, verbal, psychological or physical conducted by an individual or group against others.

A) Indications of Bullying / Behaviour:

a) Anxiety about travelling to/from school

b) Unwillingness to go to school

c) Deterioration in educational performance

d) Pattern of physical illnesses

e) Unexplained changes in either mood/behaviour

f) Visible signs of anxiety/distress

g) Possessions missing

h) Increased requests for money

i) Unexplained bruising

j) Reluctance and/or refusal to say what is troubling him/her

B) Procedures for noting and reporting incidents:

a) All reports of bullying should be noted, investigated and dealt with by the class teacher so that pupils will gain confidence in telling. Records shall be kept of any disclosures.

b) Serious cases should be referred immediately to the Deputy Principal and then to the Principal

c) Parents should be informed by the Principal earlier rather than later.

d) Parents must be informed of the appropriate person to whom they can make their enquiries regarding bullying

e) Pupils must understand that reporting is not ‘telling tales’

f) Individual teachers should record and take appropriate measures in accordance with policy

g) Non-teaching staff should be encouraged to report incidents. Discretion is important.

C) Procedures for investigating and dealing with bullying:

a) Calm, unemotional problem-solving approach

b) Incidents best investigated outside the classroom situation

c) Teacher should speak separately to the pupils involved

d) Answers should be sought to questions of What, Where, When, Who and Why

e) Members of a group should be met individually and as a group

f) Meet parents of parties involved.

D) Programme for work with pupils:

Learning strategies should allow for the enhancement of each pupil’s self-worth – Cf. Stay Safe Lessons

Fr.Gary Darby

Chairperson

Date Formulated: October 2007

Reviewed: March 2009

Reviewed: September 2009

Reviewed: February 2010