Policy for Positive Behaviour and Discipline


Appropriate behaviour can be learnt. It is part of our job to teach the children what we consider to be appropriate behaviour in the various situations that occur at our Centre.

Aims

1. We want visiting children to achieve a sense of well being and fulfilment at our Centre, i.e. to be happy, secure and eager to learn.
2. We value and respect all children as individuals.
3. The work at our Centre is based on mutual respect, honesty, trust and fairness.
4. Together with visiting teachers and parents, we aim to provide an example that children might use as a reference for positive behaviour.
5. We aim to provide the children with a wide range of experiences and activities appropriate to their age and individual needs.
6. We expect everyone to work towards achieving his or her potential in all aspects of Centre life, and acknowledge that everyone has a contribution to make.
7. We want visiting children to have opportunities to experience and learn about the taking of responsibility.
8. We encourage the children to develop a growing awareness of other people’s needs and achievements.
9. We encourage the children to develop thoughtful and caring attitudes toward the environment.
10. We are committed to the principles of equal opportunity for both sexes, all races and creeds and all the physical and intellectual abilities of children visiting our Centre.

Discipline

1. a) We believe that there should be a shared responsibility for good discipline.
b) The children have a key role to play in demonstrating that they can display good discipline in their own interests and in the interests of others.
c) The example that we set for children is crucial to good discipline.
d) We encourage children to care for others and share as much as possible. We also encourage children to care for their own image of themselves in relation to their peers and the wider community.
e) Children are encouraged to feel and show respect for every other visitor to the Centre; older, younger or classmate.
f) Self-discipline requires judgements to be made and we try to encourage and educate children to deal with such problems in an appropriate manner.
g) Members of Centre Staff or the Centre Manager will always be willing to discuss any aspects of discipline with visiting teachers or parents.

Rules

On the whole we operate a set of Centre community principles that help to enable us to judge whether any action is right or wrong. For instance ” If I do this, will it disturb someone else?”

Statement on Bullying

Hurting anyone is not permitted whether it is physical or mental. We will deal very firmly with any incidence of this. Any form of bullying is absolutely forbidden. We never want any child to feel the need to ‘hit back’. Instead we want to know immediately if any child has been mentally or physically hurt and we will deal with the incident straight away. Similarly, social or personal cruelty cuts right across our ethos.

Every child has the right to a happy time at our Centre, free from interference. Equally, every child should learn the discipline that helps to safeguard this principle for others.

Procedures for Dealing with Disciplinary Matters.

1. Record Keeping
2. a) The office holds a record book in which to record significant matters of discipline. This book will be kept in a secure place.
3. b) A record must be kept when specific sanctions are taken and when children display inappropriate behaviour. Visiting Teachers and parents have a right to see all such records kept about their child.
4. c) If records need to be kept then it is good practice to notify the visiting group leader of the difficulty at the time. If parents are to be notified, always discuss the matter with the Centre Manager first.
5. d) We are careful to avoid allowing an impression to develop about any individual child that their behaviour is becoming the stuff of legend.
6. Helping Children who Misbehave.
7. a) Much “misbehaviour” occurs because children have not yet learnt that what they are doing is inappropriate. Learning appropriate behaviour is developmental and should be seen as part of our everyday responsibility to teach. It might take some children a number of occasions to tune their behaviour appropriately. We do not make a meal of dealing with routine behavioural matters.
8. b) Because we treat discipline and behaviour as a whole Centre responsibility, it is imperative that we all deal with matters of discipline routinely and as briefly as possible at the time they occur. It does not matter whether or not the children are from our own class or group although the relevant Group Leader must always be informed. Discipline is a joint responsibility.
9. c) Some behavioural matters can be dealt with easily by immediately talking to a child or group about an incident and then treating it as “closed”.

However if you do this then it is important that:

1) you have heard and been seen to understand the circumstances described to you by the child or children,
2) you should be satisfied that the children understand your disapproval, and
3) you must always convey the substance of the incident to the relevant Group Leader.
4) Almost all inappropriate behaviour can be effectively dealt with “on the hoof” by members of the Centre community expressing carefully controlled disapproval at the time if the incident. Once the incident has been dealt with it is vital that the children involved also believe the incident to be closed. This means that the children will be left understanding clearly what they have done that is considered inappropriate and why it is so considered. An incident can only be properly considered closed if the children have been enabled to learn from it.
5) If children are left harbouring non-understanding or other bad feelings after their particular behaviour has been identified, this can breed greater difficulties in the future.
6) If you feel that an incident was not or cannot be properly closed, try to recognise this fact and convey a message to the child’s Group Leader or the Centre Manager or Assistant Manager of Centre as soon as possible, but definitely before the end of the same day.
7) We must try to ensure that all members of staff in relation to similar incidents treat children fairly and in a consistent way.
8) Above all, children must not come away from any incident thinking that we “do not like them” as a result of what has happened or because of the manner in which we have dealt with the situation.
9) As far as possible, children should go home secure in the knowledge that the matter is under control and that their Group Leader understands the problem, including their side of things.
10) No matter what the gravity of the behaviour as it seems to us at the time, we will never belittle a child in the process of dealing with an incident.
11) Deal with the issues, not the personalities involved.
12) Never threaten a child. The consequences of misbehaviour are dealt with as part of a carefully controlled discussion with the child, weighing up the positive and negative elements in the incident(s).
13) If you feel emotionally inclined at the time of picking up an issue, place the child or children in a holding situation and call for a colleague, or preferably the child’s Group Leader.
14) Issues relating to the behaviour of an individual child or group of children should always be conveyed to the child’s Group Leader at the earliest opportunity. If the Group Leader is not available then contact either the Centre Manager or Assistant Manager.
3. Rewards for Behaving Appropriately.
4. a) Positive comments should be used to recognise appropriate behaviour at every opportunity. Children should feel that their efforts at doing things properly would almost invariably be noticed or recognised.
5. b) Other incentives for positive behaviour may be arranged with a child or group by Centre staff, the Centre Manager or Assistant Manager. The effects should be closely monitored.
6. Physical Restraint
The need to use physical restraint should be extremely rare.
The following extract is from, “Framework for the use of Physical Restraint”, This document should be read in conjunction with DfES Circular 8/94) These documents are located in the Child Protection Information File held in the centre office.
The general legal rule is that any person who touches another person without his or her consent commits an unlawful act. But a member of staff who has used physical restraint will have a good defence to any legal action against them if:
i.> the purpose of the physical intervention was to avert an immediate danger of injury to any person, or an immediate danger to the property of any person (person includes the pupil) AND
ii.> no more force was used than was reasonably necessary in the circumstances.
5. Sanctions.
6. a) All sanctions taken by a member of Centre Staff during an activity must ensure the safety and well being of the individual and group, while being in line with the above policy.
7. b) Sanctions available to members of staff include
~ A simple reprimand, this should indicate to the child the reasons for being reprimanded.
~ Sitting the child out of an activity for a specified time period, the child should know why and for how long. In addition the child must know that the incident is closed when they return.
~ Not allowing the child to take any further part in an activity. This should only be used where the session is unable to continue for safety reasons. This should be discussed with
the member of school staff before invoking.

1. c) Sanctions available to the Centre Manager and Assistant Manager include;
~ After discussion with the group leader a child may be prohibited from taking part in specific activities. This would be at the result of their actions either to others within the Centre community or at the request of a member of Centre staff.
~ In the case of serious breaches of discipline the Centre Manager and Assistant Manager may, after consultation with the group leader, curtail the visit of a child. It is the responsibility of the group leader to arrange for the child to either be collected by their parents or taken home by a member of school staff.