DISCIPLINE
amended July 3, 2005

1. AIMS

to develop self discipline in all pupils which will be evident and mature by year 11;

to help pupils develop a self-respect which will enable them to meet situations in later life with clarity and confidence;

to create an orderly environment for learning which is in harmony with the values which St Peter's holds dear.

2. PREAMBLE

Discipline problems are better avoided than solved. Good lesson planning, where subject matter is well chosen to suit the requirements of the group, where learning techniques are varied and effective, and where style is friendly and purposeful, often leads to fewer discipline problems than poor lesson plans, where work is stale and repetitive, or unsuitable for the group.

Troublesome individuals should not be allowed to sit together.

Sanctions available for the punishment of poor behaviour include: an oral reprimand; 'community service', eg litter collection; detention at lunchtime, or, in specific, more serious cases, after school; withdrawal from specific lessons; placing pupil 'on report'; attaching pupil to head of school or member of SMT for a specific period; parental interview; interview with 11-16 management team; interview with governors; exclusion; suspension; expulsion. Refusal to accept a disciplinary sanction should be treated seriously.

In all disciplinary matters staff should try to ensure that the pupil does not feel cornered; that the self-respect of the pupil is not damaged in public; that public conflict is avoided; that the 'punishment fits the crime'.

The best discipline comes from good personal relationships.

3. OBLIGATIONS REQUIRED BY POLICY

iii The leadership team should

be available at all times to support serious behavioural problems encountered by teachers;

offer support to teachers who are experiencing difficulties with specific groups;

be available to discuss disciplinary procedures with staff who want to find sanctions for poorly behaved pupils;

be available to supervise pupils whose behaviour warrants their temporary exclusion from a particular class.

iv Heads of key stage should

offer support to heads of department concerning pupils' serious behavioural problems, or where discipline problems are clearly not confined to one subject;

try to ensure that the relationship between pupil and teacher survives disciplinary procedures and doesn't unhelpfully deteriorate;

keep tutors fully informed about disciplinary measures taken;

use assembly time where required to establish rules for good behaviour;

liaise with heads of department and with heads of year over work problems;

decide when behavioural problems have become serious enough to involve the school's leadership team.

v Heads of department should

act in the first instance to support staff having discipline problems with individuals or groups;

vi All staff should

expect courtesy and good manners from all members of the school.

vii Teachers should

never send pupils out of the class, simply to stand outside;

refer all disciplinary problems, in the first instance, to the head of department;

ensure that sanctions imposed on pupils are suitable and meaningful.

and Tutors should

take their rôle in the discipline of the school seriously and follow the guidelines laid down in the policy on the pastoral system.

4. The execution of this policy shall be monitored by the leadership team.