Agreed by the Principal:

September 2025

To be reviewed:

September 2026

Aims

Billesley Primary School aims to ensure exemplary behaviour and mutual respect at all times between all children. We recognise that all behaviour is communication and that children’s emotional health and well-being, and their physical safety and well-being, are necessary components of appropriate behaviour. If children feel valued, heard, respected and safe; if they are challenged educationally and love learning; if they feel part of the community and that they are cared for, then instances of poor behaviour are rare. Such considerations are the foundation of our behaviour policy.

• Classroom environments are calm, positive, secure places in which all members of the school community feel valued and safe and can learn without disruption.
• Safe spaces provide refuge and calm for children if dysregulated
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils help create an open culture where pupils feel confident discussing issues and concerns, knowing that they will be listened to and taken seriously.
• All incidents of inappropriate behaviour or bullying are dealt with immediately.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of how their actions affect others. They are clear about the part they can play in making positive, life-affirming choices
• Pupils are encouraged to think and reflect on their values and behaviour through Philosophy for Children.
• The school curriculum provides a deep understanding of the religious beliefs and culture of others and opportunities to tackle issues through P4C, PSHE, RE and assemblies, as well as addressing issues as they arise.
• Pupils and the whole school community are encouraged to report instances of poor behaviour

This policy should be read in tandem with Tackling and Preventing Bullying and Care and Control

Our Behaviour, Vision, and Aims

1. We make good choices, and we think before we act.
2. We aim to do our very best every time.
3. We look after our own, others’ and the School’s property.
4. We keep ourselves and others safe by quietly walking inside the school building
5. We behave appropriately at play times and are respectful to everyone we come into contact with
6. We are always polite and have good manners.
7. We are friendly, kind, share and take turns.
8. We work together respectfully and thoughtfully to solve problems.
9. We respect the rights of others to their own opinions, culture and beliefs and demonstrate this through our words and actions

Positive Behaviour Strategies

1. Follow adult instructions the first time
2. Be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.
3. If lining up, please do so quietly and sensibly
4. Quietly move around school.
5. Try your very best in every lesson, even if it’s hard.
6. Present yourself and your work beautifully.
7. Please work without distracting other people.
8. Keep all areas of the school tidy
9. Always look after your own and others’ belongings.  
10. Always say please and thank you.  
11. Be good friends with each other: play safely and fairly, making sure no one is left out
12. Never hurt anyone with your actions or words.
13. Use everyone’s given name. Name-calling can be very upsetting.
14. Use playground equipment correctly and follow the instructions
15. If there is a problem, talk about it, and if it can’t be solved, ask an adult for help.
16. During wet play, stay in the  classrooms and behave sensibly
17. Ask permission to go to the bathroom, but ideally go at playtime and lunchtime

Incentives and Rewards

Incentives and rewards are used consistently to promote good behaviour, raise self-esteem and celebrate outstanding work.

Class Rewards

• Are decided by the class teacher and the children
• Recorded and displayed in the classroom
• Are earned by working together as a class, demonstrating:

• Appropriate behaviour
• Excellent work
• Making appropriate choices
• Resilience, independence and perseverance
• Kindness, compassion and thoughtfulness

• No green cards for any child all week will result in a whole-class reward.
• Are awarded by the class teacher or teaching assistant

Special recognition

If children impress adults with excellent effort, behaviour or work in lessons, then they may be asked to show their work to the Senior Leadership Team as a celebration.  In these instances, sticker rewards or postcards may be awarded to children for their efforts.

Star of the week:

• Nominated by the class teacher
• For outstanding behaviour or outstanding work that week
• Celebrated in our online Star of the Week assembly
• Children receive a Star of the Week certificate
• Parents will be informed through a text message if their children are the week’s winners
• All winners will be celebrated in our weekly online newsletter.

Team Points:

• All children and staff are allocated a team: Brook, Ford, Mill or Pool
• Team Points are awarded to teams and individuals for excellence in all areas of school life
• Team points are recorded each week by class teachers
• Team Points are awarded for following the school rules
• Team points can be awarded by all adults across the school when instances of excellence are seen.
• Team points are counted each week, and the winners are announced in assembly

Outstanding Awards

• Every child in school has an Outstanding Achievement card.
• There are 6 stages on the card.  Each stage has 30 stars to complete.
• Stickers can be awarded for excellent work or behaviour by any member of staff
• When each stage is complete, the children are celebrated in the following ways:

Stage 1 – Certificate

Stage 2 – Pen

Stage 3 – Bronze badge

Stage 4 – Silver badge

Stage 5 – Gold badge

Stage 6 – Billesley badge

• Outstanding Awards are presented each term

Head Teacher Awards

At times, individual children may receive a Head Teacher's Award. For example,

• Producing excellent work
• Completing extra homework,
• Demonstrating exemplary behaviour
• Taking part in extracurricular activities
• Head Teacher Awards are presented annually

Sanctions

Consequences for poor or inappropriate choices, alongside an opportunity to ‘put things right’, are consistently applied through ‘The Green Card’ system.  Green cards are used to support behaviour from Reception to Year 6. Parents are kept informed of green cards by either their class teacher, TA or a senior leader as deemed appropriate.

Green card system:

• 1 tick indicates a child has made a poor choice. They are spoken to by their class teacher / TA
• 2 ticks indicate a child has made a second poor choice. They are spoken to by their class teacher / TA
• 3 ticks indicate a child has made a third poor choice. A conversation with their year group leader takes place, and the child may miss 10-15 mins of learning to reflect on their choices.
• 4 ticks indicate a child has made a fourth poor choice.  A conversation with a senior leader takes place, and the child will miss their lunchtime play that day to reflect and discuss their behaviour.
• 5 ticks indicate a child has made a fifth poor choice. A conversation with a senior leader takes place and the child will receive a 30-minute after-school detention.

• In Year 1, children have a conversation with a senior leader, and a meeting with parents/ carers will be arranged to discuss the details further and consider what support, if any, needs to be put in place.

Green card behaviours:

• Interrupting learning (calling out, talking, getting out of seat, throwing resources)
• Not following instructions (not listening, not paying attention)
• Being disrespectful to others (pupils and staff)
• Refusing to follow instructions (actively refusing, ignoring, saying no to adults)
• Leaving the classroom/learning space without permission ( absconding)
• Inappropriate behaviour (verbal or physical aggression to adults or staff, bad language, discrimination)

Guiding principles:

Some children live in difficult circumstances and may need support to adjust to school life. These children are supported through mentoring, consistent expectations and, where deemed necessary, individual behaviour plans.

• Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone deserves the chance to make amends
• In every instance, disapproval is directed at the behaviour,  not the child.
• Children are reminded of the consequences and allowed to put things right
• Every day is a fresh start.
• Restorative justice, accountability and reflection are our guiding principles.

Adults support pupils to make appropriate, correct choices by:

• Providing interesting and engaging learning opportunities
• Providing appropriately challenging learning opportunities
• Giving clear instructions and explanations
• Giving clear reminders of expectations
• Praising and reaffirming positive behaviour choices
• Recognising and rewarding good behaviour
• Adapting the learning environment where necessary
• Clarifying behaviour details on a Green Card to support reflection
• Providing individual behaviour plans for children, where necessary
• Open, honest and timely communication with parents and carers.

Senior Leadership will support teachers and pupils by:

• Being available to support with serious behaviour incidents
• Providing advice and support as needed for class teachers and support staff
• Regularly communicating with class teachers about behaviour concerns
• Communicating with parents and carers when necessary

Process of adults seeking support 

 Low-level behaviour and playground disputes

• Follow the green card system
• At 4 ticks or in instances of inappropriate verbal or physical behaviour, the child should visit SLT accompanied by an adult
• If SLT are not available, contact a YGL

Significant behaviours (repeated refusal, absconding, verbal aggression, physical aggression)

• If an IBP is in place, ensure all actions and sanctions are followed and completed
• Send an adult to seek SLT support
• If SLT are not available, seek Pastoral Team support
• If the Pastoral Team are unavailable, contact a YGL

Emergency

In rare circumstances, an immediate and emergency response may be needed*. This would typically involve children with an IBP and a high level of need. If this is the case:

• Send an adult to seek SLT support
• If SLT are not locatable, make a brief phone call to SLT to request immediate attendance
• During the interim of SLT arriving, the Pastoral Team and a YGL can support

*Any emergency response will be debriefed and reviewed after the emergency has been dealt with to ensure systems are effective and identify potential safeguarding and system refinements.

De-escalation (copied from positive handling strategies below)

Staff are trained in de-escalation strategies to calm stressful situations and ensure problems are resolved quickly.  In the vast majority of instances, de-escalation is successful, providing time for children to calm and manage their emotions in a healthy manner with adult support. Allowing a situation to calm before addressing any poor behaviour choices through debrief and guided reflection is an appropriate and advised strategy.

Reflection

As an inclusive school, we have many children with differing needs, some with bespoke IBPs tailored to them as individuals and understood by staff coming into direct contact with the children. Please bear this in mind when witnessing any behaviour incidents. Additionally, in line with our Team Teach training, please ask if a member of staff needs support before becoming involved, as sometimes our best intentions can escalate or complicate a situation.

Mentoring and Pastoral Care

The Pastoral Team regularly mentors children who require a little extra care and support to make the right choices.  Children may be referred to the Pastoral Team in different ways:

• Behaviour concerns
• Friendship issues
• Parental request
• Child request
• Social care request or intervention

• All mentoring programmes and pastoral support begin with completion of a ‘Three Houses’.
• Mentoring records are maintained and monitored to measure impact.
• Mentoring may take the form of informal chats, playing board games, artwork, and PE activities
• Occasionally, it may be decided that children would benefit from support from an external provider, such as an art or play therapist, to support their behaviour. In such instances, parents and carers would be contacted beforehand to discuss.

Monitoring and Reporting

All Green cards issued to children are monitored and recorded every week by the Pastoral Team. This enables any trends in behaviour to be identified and supportive measures to be put in place.  Where deemed necessary, parents and carers will be contacted to discuss matters further

Individual children’s developing trends of poor and challenging behaviour, which are becoming a concern, are recorded on Myconcern to enable further support, family engagement and early help through our universal offer. The Senior Leadership and Pastoral Teams review Myconcern logs daily and meet to agree on actions and next steps.

Parental Involvement

Parental support is essential in securing high standards of behaviour for our children. It is rarely true that instances of poor behaviour at school are not mirrored at home, so we aim to work closely with parents to agree on actions to improve children’s behaviour both at school and at home.

Parents are involved as soon as a child's behaviour is deemed to be of concern, for example, if particularly disruptive or frequent. A discussion will take place, and strategies to improve behaviour will be agreed. This may include an individual behaviour plan, behaviour chart, a behaviour log or pastoral mentoring.

Sometimes parents may be concerned about how other children are behaving towards their child. Staff are always available to listen to parents and will ensure action is taken immediately to resolve the issue

Under no circumstances must parents take action against another child or parent, either physically or verbally. Such behaviours could result in a site ban or, if warranted, Police involvement

Serious, persistent, challenging behaviour

Serious, persistent or challenging behaviour will trigger an initial meeting between parents and carers, and either the Principal, Vice Principals, Assistant Principal,  Teacher or Learning Mentor.  Any such meeting is seen as a supportive measure to enable the child to improve their behaviour as quickly as possible.

Behaviour Chart:

To support children to improve behaviours such as disrupting learning or frequent playground disputes, behaviour charts are sometimes introduced. A child on a behaviour chart is met by a member of Senior Leadership or the Pastoral Team 3 or 4 times a day to reflect on their behaviour choices. This provides an opportunity for children to reflect on their choices and discuss how they are feeling.  It is also a time to celebrate positive choices made that day.

Individual Behaviour Plans (IBP):

It may be decided that to support a child with improved behaviour choices, where a behaviour chart has not been successful, an Individual Behaviour Plan is required. An IBP is usually the result of persistent behaviour (ranging from low level to serious) that has not been rectified through the green card system or a behaviour chart. Class teachers create IBPS with the support of more senior members of staff and then finalise them at a meeting with parents and carers.  Once the desired behaviour aims have been met, the IBP will be discontinued

Behaviour logs

To help us understand children’s behaviour choices and emotional dysregulation, a bespoke behaviour log may sometimes be created and tailored to the child’s specific areas of need.  Logs are then maintained by the Assistant SENDCo, helping to identify any pertinent trends that may be causing upset, e.g. times of day, particular lessons, special events. This information enables us to tailor our support and ensure any disruption is addressed quickly and effectively.

Internal suspension:

An internal exclusion may be deemed necessary if a child has behaved poorly within school or on an educational visit.  Internal exclusions are designed to safeguard other children and offer the child the opportunity to reflect in a safe environment.

Fixed-term suspension:

Fixed-term exclusions may be considered if a situation is deemed sufficiently serious.  Fixed-term suspensions are issued by the Principal but are discussed with all appropriate staff members involved to ensure a broad, fair and balanced viewpoint.  In the event of a fixed-term suspension being issued, a return-to-school strategy will be written and agreed with parents or carers in a meeting on the return-to-school date.  Fixed-term suspensions will always be confirmed in writing.  Fixed-term exclusions may be issued for:

• Physical violence against pupils or staff
• Property damage
• Significant inappropriate behaviour
• Inappropriate behaviour during educational visits or extracurricular activities

Permanent Exclusion:

Permanent exclusion from school may be considered,  in line with statutory guidance, in extreme circumstances or significant breaches of the school’s behaviour policy. Consideration would be made whether allowing the pupil to remain in school would significantly harm or risk harming the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school. Extreme circumstances may include:

• Serious bullying incidents, including homophobic, racist or sexist incidents
• Bringing a weapon into school
• Significant violence to children or staff
• Persistent and repeated violence to others and/or property
• Repeatedly and persistently refusing to follow the instructions of the staff
• Repeated or persistent behaviours which put themselves at harm or risk of harm

Positive Handling Strategies - Use of Reasonable Force

Staff are trained in de-escalation strategies to calm stressful situations and ensure problems are resolved quickly.  In the vast majority of instances, de-escalation is highly successful, providing time for children to calm and manage their emotions in a healthy manner with adult support.

• If a child’s behaviour escalates, staff use a range of de-escalation strategies to calm the situation. Such strategies include

• Distraction
• Humour
• Clear instructions
• Limited choices
• Physical space
• Time in

• Allowing a situation to calm before addressing any poor behaviour choices through debrief and guided reflection is an appropriate and advised strategy.

Sometimes it is appropriate and necessary for staff to use positive handling strategies and reasonable force to safeguard children from hurting themselves, others or causing property damage. All staff receive positive handling training to ensure that the best interests of the child are always put first and the dignity and well-being of the child are paramount.

• ‘Reasonable’  means using no more force than necessary
• ‘Reasonable force’ covers a broad range of actions involving a degree of physical contact to control or restrain children for their or others' safety. This may include:

• Passive physical contact, such as standing between pupils or blocking a pupil’s path
• Active physical contact, such as leading a pupil by the arm out of the classroom.
• Breaking up a fight by separating the children
• Restraining a child to prevent violence to self, others or property

• Before using reasonable force, staff consider the risks carefully and carry out a dynamic risk assessment to ensure the most appropriate course of action. Our priority is always the safety of all concerned.
• When it is decided that positive handling and reasonable force are required, staff make clear their intentions to children, offering them a chance to change their behaviour and stop putting themselves or others at risk.
• When positive handling strategies and reasonable force are used, staff inform children of reasons for the strategy (to keep them safe) and explain what behaviours would need to stop before the strategy is discontinued. Typically, positive handling strategies are employed for 5 minutes or less
• After an event of positive handling, children debrief and reflect with a member of staff on the reasons for the strategy to support their reintegration and emotional well-being
• All incidents of positive handling are recorded in a bound and numbered book, countersigned by the Principal. This information is also recorded on Myconcern and ScholarPack  - internal school systems
• Parents and carers will be contacted to discuss the incident and next steps.

Further information is in the Safeguarding Policy.

Government guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-reasonable-force-in-schools

Searching pupils and property

In rare circumstances,  the Principal may consider it necessary and proportionate for a search of a child or their property to be required to maintain standards of behaviour and/or mitigate a potential safeguarding risk.

Such items that may be deemed necessary to search a pupil or their property for are listed below.

• Mobile phones
• Smartwatches
• Cigarettes/vapes
• Weapons

All instances of a search of a pupil or property would be taken extremely seriously and would be conducted with careful consideration and in line with the DFE guidance here

Child-on-Child Sexual Violence and Harassment

Billesley Primary School takes matters of sexual violence or harassment very seriously. Such behaviours are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.  We are committed that no incidents or behaviours are ever deemed as simply ‘banter’, children ‘having a laugh’, or as ‘part of growing up’. Safeguarding children is our priority both inside and outside School.

Any reported instances of sexual violence or harassment will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by three or more members of the senior leadership team with DSL status using their professional judgement and seeking the support of CASS (Children’s Advice and Support Service) and the Police as required.

Please read Strategy for Tackling and Preventing Child-on-Child Abuse and Bullying 

Monitoring and Reporting

All Green cards issued to children are monitored and recorded every week by the Pastoral staff. This enables any trends in behaviour to be identified and supportive measures to be put in place.  Where deemed necessary, parents and carers will be contacted to discuss matters further.

Individual children’s developing trends of poor and challenging behaviour, which are becoming a concern, are recorded on behaviour charts, behaviour logs or Myconcern ( as outlined above) to enable further support, family engagement and early help through our universal offer.

Instances of positive handling are recorded in the Bound and Numbered Book, Myconcern and ScholarPack

The Senior Leadership and Pastoral Teams review Myconcern logs daily and will meet to agree on actions and next steps to address concerns logged pertaining to children’s behaviour, emotional health and well-being.