Choice, Chance, Reflection: Year 8 Behaviour Policy Amendments

From Monday 26^th June we will be trialling an amendment to our behaviour policy with Year 8 students.

Why are we doing this?

We have reviewed our current behaviour policy as we do every year at this time and we wanted to address the following areas:

We wanted consequences for in lesson behaviours to be immediate for students as opposed to waiting 24 hours. We feel this will help students clearly understand why their actions and choices led to a consequence. We want to coach students about how this will affect their life chances and the life chances of others and instil the school’s values. It also means we can make a fresh start much faster.
We wanted to introduce a fairer consequence system that better reflected the range of choices students make. e.g. There would be a different consequence for disturbing the learning of others and affecting the life chances of themselves and others in a lesson in comparison to a student not following a reasonable request to tuck their shirt in outside of the classroom.

We wanted to trial any changes we are planning to make with our students to gather their feedback before we implement any whole school changes.

What will remain the same?

Every aspect of our current behaviour policy will remain the same, including ensuring every student is issued a chance and choice for in lesson behaviours.

What will change?

From Monday 26^th June (FOR YEAR 8 ONLY)

Students will no longer be required to go to a Correction Room (another classroom) when they have been issued a correction for in class behaviours.
Instead students will make their way to a ‘Triage’ Room. The Triage Room will be staffed by a Senior Leader at all times. In the Triage Room students will be able to talk to the senior leader about the incident. Senior Leaders will use their professional judgement at this point to support students to make good choices, make reasonable adjustments in line with agreed plans and ensure the student is ready to go into the Reflection Room.
Once the Senior Leader is happy that the student understands the reasons they have been sent to the Triage room they will escort them into the Reflection Room.
Students will spend 3 consecutive lessons in the reflection room with an additional 30 minutes at the end of the same day. For example: This means if a student is removed to go to the reflection room in session 2. They will complete the remainder of session 2, session 3 and 30 minutes at the end of the day. They would then attend the Reflection room for PREP time, session 1 and 2 the following day. The student would attend session 3 the following day as normal.

This is to ensure that students recognise the importance of supporting their ‘team mates’ in lesson by following the perfect climate and taking responsibility for the choices they make so everyone including themselves can learn and have the best life chances. The consequence is immediate and also supports children to not repeat the same behaviours in the correction room or other lessons throughout the day.

At Little Lever, we believe in disruption free learning as we want to help all our students achieve things they never thought they could and leave Little Lever with the best life chances. The 3 consecutive lesson reflection period is to ensure students clearly understand the importance of both their own learning, and the learning of their peers and the reasons they have been removed from the classroom. It also allows for the consequence to be completed immediately and allows the student to make a ‘fresh start’ as soon as they enter the next lesson they attend.

Parents will receive a phone call from a member of staff to inform them when their child has been removed from lesson and explain that their 3 consecutive lesson period in Reflection is about to begin.

Teachers are also expected to contact parents when a student has been removed from their lesson to the Reflection Room. This is to help parents work effectively with the school to prevent the same behaviour from happening again.

What does the Reflection Room look like?

The Reflection Room is set out as any other classroom would be. Students will sit at a desk in rows. Every student will have access to a Google Chrome book.

Two members of staff will be in the room to support students. If a student who receives Teaching Assistant support is placed in the Reflection Room, then their TA will remain in the room with them for the allocated time they would be timetabled to support the student.

What will students do in the Reflection Room?

Students will follow their online curriculum on their Google Chromebooks. Currently students will cover English, maths and science in the three lessons they are in the Reflection Room
Students will complete a restorative conversation
Students will have the opportunity to independently read
Students will complete a re-integration form before they return to their lessons

Any planned interventions that have been arranged for a student will take place as normal and students will be able to leave the Reflection Room to complete these interventions.

YEAR 8 students will have a separate Reflection Room which will just be for Year 8 students through the period of the trial.

Please find below a step-by-step guide of how the new changes will work over the trial period.

What happens if students choose not to follow the Perfect Climate in lessons? Chances…Choices…Reflection
If students choose not to follow the Perfect Climate, then it is exactly that… it is a choice they have made. Teachers will reference the Perfect Climate with every task they set so it is clear.

If a student has made the choice not to follow the Perfect Climate, they will be given a Chance. This is a warning to remind them that their behaviour has disturbed the learning of others and themselves. The student now has a chance to change their behaviour in order that they and the rest of the class can learn effectively.

If a student again makes the choice not to follow the Perfect Climate, they will be given a final choice. This is a final reminder that their choices are affecting the learning of others and themselves and if they continue to do this they will be removed from the session. We will ‘front load’ the choice for students in our language and our actions. We will do this by taking the student’s planner from them as a tangible reminder that they have not yet received a Correction but will do if they do not make the right choice and change their behaviour.

If after two opportunities to change their behaviour the student continues to make the choice to not follow the Perfect Climate, they will then be sent to the Reflection Room. At this point they will be asked to leave the classroom and go to a ‘Triage Room’ (office opposite the Year 8 Reflection Room). It is the student’s responsibility to go to make their way to the Triage Room and they must arrive within four minutes.

When students have been removed to the Reflection Room, they will complete 3 consecutive lessons in the Reflection Room, with an additional thirty minutes at the end of the school day.

This means if a student is removed to go to the reflection room in session 2. They will complete the remainder of session 2, session 3, 30 minutes at the end of the day. They would then attend the Reflection room for PREP time, session 1 and 2 the following day. The student would attend session 3 the following day as normal.

At Little Lever, we believe in disruption free learning as we want to help all our students achieve things they never thought they could and leave Little Lever with the best life chances. The 3 consecutive lesson reflection period is to ensure students clearly understand the importance of both their own learning, and the learning of their peers and the reasons they have been removed from the classroom. It also allows for the consequence to be completed immediately and allows the student to make a ‘fresh start’ as soon as they enter the next lesson they attend. Parents will receive a phone call from a member of staff to inform them when their child has been removed from lesson and explain that their 3 consecutive lesson period in Reflection is about to begin. Teachers are also expected to contact parents when a student has been removed from their lesson to the Reflection Room. This is to help parents work effectively with the school to prevent the same behaviour from happening again.

What happens if a student does not arrive at the Triage Room, or refuses to enter the Reflection Room?

The student will be suspended for 1 day. At Little Lever, we expect our students to ‘take responsibility’ for their behaviour. In line with the current behaviour policy students will complete 3 consecutive sessions in the Reflection Room and an additional 30mins at the end of the day on return from suspension.

A student may be removed to the Reflection Room immediately by a member of staff for any behaviours that are intentionally unsafe. This will be down to the professional judgement of the teacher:

Examples could include:
- Throwing an object
- Threatening or intimidating another student
- Walking out of class without permission
We wanted to trial any changes we are planning to make with our students to gather their feedback before we implement any whole school changes.
What happens if students do not follow Corridor Climate, a reasonable request or are out of bounds a break or lunch?
As the previous policy states students will complete a Correction. However, in line with the recent changes we have communicated with parents and carers these corrections will be completed at Lunch Time each day.

Parents and Carers will be informed via a text message as normal but the 25-minute correction will be completed at lunch time the following day.

Students will have the opportunity to get their lunch in the first 5 minutes of their lunch break or alternatively a cold lunch will be provided in the correction for those students who may not have had time to gather their lunch.

We hope the proposed changes allow us to establish a fairer consequence system and also provide an immediate response to those students who choose not to follow the Perfect Climate. This is to enable all children in every classroom to learn and achieve things they never thought they could whilst effectively supporting those students who have made the wrong choice to make better choices next time.

22nd June, 2023