1. What is Discipline? Discipline is training that develops self-‐control. It involves both instruction (communicating, teaching; leading, directing the growth of the child) and correction (taking action when a child knows your expectations but doesn’t follow them). Exercised properly, discipline is positive and encouraging. ‘To discipline’ shares the same root as ‘to disciple’; it is to impart a set of moral principles for life. Rules function as restraint, guide and mirror. They restrain evil and protect the community, theyguide us as to how we are to live, and – when broken – they reflect our true nature. Broken rules are therefore an opportunity for instruction, exposing problems of attitude –selfishness, pride, defiance or arrogance, for example – and allowing moral development to be promoted. The aim of discipline is to teach heart obedience to moral principles – an end in itself, not merely a means to academic development. Reward or punishment is therefore accompanied by instruction and placed within the context of relationship. Discipline should always be motivated by a desire for the highest good of the one disciplined, as well as of those affected by his or her behaviour. Poor behaviour is destructive of relationship, and discipline should therefore provide opportunity for restitution (making good the damage) and genuine apology so that the relationship with the injured party is restored. 2 Principles of Discipline Discipline should always be clear, consistent and fair. Young people need strong leadership and thrive in an atmosphere where boundaries are clearly demarked and consistently and fairly enforced. 1. In order that discipline is CLEAR, students are told what College expectations are, why they are as they are, and what will happen if expectations are not met. All students are issued with a copy of the College Core Values which undergird all rules and sanctions. This is supported by a Rules Declaration that parents sign upon registering their child for College. Students’ Study Files and Sixth Form Academic Diaries carry a statement of College rules, a tudent behaviour code and a summary of punishments for misbehaviour. At the heart of every rule at Emmanuel is the principle of respect: respect for God, respect for others, respect for oneself, and/or respect for one’s environment. Some rules are moral rules – straightforward matters of right and wrong which require little explanation: ‘don’t abuse drugs’, for example. By contrast, House rules relating to uniform minutiae, classroom etiquette, etc are not moral absolutes but the application of moral principles in our specific context. House rules benefit a community by promoting an orderly and constructive working environment in which learning can take place efficiently. When a House rule is willfully broken the most serious moral principle at stake is obedience to authority. Whilst it is right that staff be willing to provide reasons for rules, students must understand that obedience is not conditional upon their approval of the reason, and compliance must precede discussion. 2. In order to be CONSISTENT, staff are expected to keep their word at all times, avoiding warning of a consequence that is not carried out, and never leaving a promise unfulfilled. They are also expected to be role models to students. Whereas each child is unique, and the approach to poor behaviour must therefore be skillfully tailored to the
individual, sanctions should be applied consistently from one day to the next and from one child to another. Consistency from one classroom to the next is achieved by a common framework of expectations across the teaching staff. Whilst expectations and sanctions are used consistently across the staff body, each teacher is encouraged to exercise his or her different style. 3. In order to be FAIR, staff are required to ensure that any punishment is proportionate, applying clearly published disciplinary policy and procedures. To humiliate a child is always a disproportionate, and therefore unacceptable. Neither is any child ever disciplined ‘to make an example of them’. The deterrent function of discipline arises naturally as discipline is exercised clearly, consistently and fairly. To be fair a child’s previous record is taken into account when determining the consequence of an action. Whereas a fresh start is granted after a misdemeanour is dealt with, if a student’s subsequent actions show that they have not yet learnt from their mistake then sanctions are escalated. 3 Preventative Action Attention to relationship, instruction and environment will minimise the need for correction. 1. The RELATIONSHIP of teachers to students at Emmanuel College is characterised by authority, love and insight. A teacher is ‘in loco parentis’ (in the place of a parent) to students and has therefore both the right and the responsibility to tell children what to do. He does not need to earn respect before doing so; his office demands it. However, this authority is exercised in love – a desire for the highest good of all the children in his care. This naturally requires insight – an informed knowledge of each child as an individual. The exercise of authority, love and insight are costly in terms of time and energy. There are no shortcuts to building a proper teacher-‐child relationship, but the outcome amply repays this investment: a teacher impacts a child for life. 2. INSTRUCTION seeks to teach students respect as the principle underpinning every rule within College. The most powerful instruction a teacher can provide arises from his own example. Children learn far more from what they see their teacher do than from what they hear their teacher say. The College’s core values therefore apply in the first place to staff, who regard themselves as role models to students. The exercise of discipline must therefore be consistent with our core values: discipline is exercised in a spirit of humility and compassion, followed through with courage, determination and integrity, and honourable throughout, in that the teacher has the student’s best interests at heart and is willing to be held accountable for his own actions. 3. Teachers have the responsibility to create a classroom ENVIRONMENT which is temptation-‐free, safe and attractive. The expectations in 4.1 below are designed to ensure that this is done consistently across all classrooms. 4 Corrective Action Despite the most careful attention to relationship, instruction and environment, from time to time students will break rules and it will be necessary to exercise correction. For low-‐level infractions corrective action should be escalated using first non-‐verbal and then verbal communication. Many disciplinary situations can be dealt with without the need for further action: Non-‐verbal action includes the use of silence, eye-‐contact, signals and physical proximity. An experienced teacher will employ these actions instinctively to recall a child’s attention without interrupting the flow of his teaching. If a child persists in the undesired behaviour then the child is spoken to. Further action follows a gradated series of interventions as detailed below. The more serious the offence, and the longer the history of defiance, the further down the list it will be necessary to go. The aim of punishment is a change of attitude and restored relationships, and never mere compliance. The Classroom Teacher (Head of Department in support)
BLUE mark as detailed below [not Sixth Form] • Note in Study File/ Academic Diary • Detention given • Head of Department referral • Departmental Support Sheet • Departmental Detention • Cause for Concern Form The Pastoral Team/ Sixth Form Staff Team (Vice Principal in support) • Parental meeting and letter on record • Central or holiday detention/ loss of privileges/ duties around site • College Support at Stage 1, 2 and then 3 [not Sixth Form] • Isolation within the Pastoral Office Referral Room Vice Principal (Principal in support) • Brief suspension • Lengthy suspension • Specific final warning Principal (Directors in support) • General final warning • Individual Behaviour Plan [not Sixth Form] • Expulsion 4.1 The Classroom Teacher Staff at Emmanuel enjoy strong support from parents, who endorse the high standards of College and back College rules consistently. In return the highest standards of professionalism are demanded of all staff at all times. The following lists of expectations upon students and staff are not exhaustive but are given to ensure that consistent standards of behaviour are found within all classrooms: In the context of discipline, teachers are expected to: • plan lessons carefully, with varied and engaging content complementing considered classroom management • decide upon the seating plan (for example, sitting students in boy-‐girl pairs) • endeavour to be at the classroom before students arrive • begin lessons by taking the register in silence • challenge students arriving late, ascertaining the reason and marking late as appropriate • insist on high standards of presentation and challenge any graffiti whatsoever • ensure the highest standards of health and safety, particularly in a workshop or laboratory • retain students under their supervision at all times • keep an accurate record of disciplinary intervention • inform parents of concerns through a student’s Study File or by giving a detention or Support session • dismiss the class in an orderly way • step into the corridor between lessons to check that movement around College is calm and efficient • check classrooms regularly to ensure students do not damage desks or other College fabric Students are expected to: • arrive promptly and properly equipped for lessons • line up quietly and smartly before they enter the classroom • enter silently and stand behind their desk facing the teacher until invited to sit down • drink pure water only, and only during the register and with their teachers’ permission • take off their blazers only when agreed by the teacher • refrain from shouting out and put up their hands to speak • present homework and classwork promptly and to a high standard • tidy up quietly, stand behind desks and wait to be dismissed in an orderly manner
BLUE Marks Low-‐level disruption and disobedience are addressed by recording the following BLUE Marks: B Behaviour e.g. failing to respond to request for silence L Lateness arriving a minute or more after other students without good reason U Uniform e.g. tie too short, top button undone, skirt rolled up E Equipment e.g. pen or book missing A detention is given for three BLUE Marks in a particular category (e.g. being late three times), and the record is then wiped clean. At the end of each term the record is wiped clean. Teachers are encouraged to use the Study File to communicate concerns to parents and tutors at an early stage. If there is a clear record of a student failing to respond to this low level intervention then they are referred to the Head of Department. Detentions and Support Sessions It is important to differentiate between bad behaviour and disorganisation. The former must be punished whilst the latter needs to be dealt with in a more supportive manner. If disorganization becomes a problem, staff alert the Individualised Learning Coordinator, and support on personal organisation is given. It is clear, however, that students must overcome disorganisation as they grow older. It is also clear that willful forgetfulness can become a deliberate act of bad behaviour in older year groups. When circumstances necessitate an after-‐College detention, parents are given 24 hours notice by wayof a blue detention slip, signed by the subject teacher and counter-‐signed by the student's tutor. Students on detention are fully supervised throughout, and it is expected that they spend this time completing written punishment tasks, relevant to the reason for them being detained. Students who miss a detention must reschedule it with the original teacher, and parents will be sent a warning letter by the Pastoral team: if a further detention is missed following the warning letter, then an hour’s detention with a Pastoral Head will be added to the original hour’s detention; missing detentions beyond this point may lead to a requirement to attend College on Saturday morning or during a school holiday. Departmental Detentions are issued to any student required to attend a third detention within the same department in any term. Central Detentions, run by Senior College staff, are issued to any student whose behaviour is causing concern across several departments and/or is gaining a significant number of detentions. They may also be issued as a result of a single, more serious, disciplinary issue. Study Support sessions are arranged and supervised in a similar way to detentions, but parents are advised by the completion of a white Study Support slip. Support sessions do not carry the stigma of a detention but a record is kept of the number of Support sessions each child receives as well as the number of detentions. The total of each is reported to parents on their annual report. It is essential that Study Support sessions are used as an opportunity to help students with their understanding of the subject in which the support has been offered and the session should therefore not consist of punishment tasks. It is the responsibility of the Pastoral Team, and the Senior Tutor in particular, to identify students who have received a significant number of detentions or support slips and to instigate further action as appropriate. This will involve parental liaison and escalation either of disciplinary measures or of strategies for organisational support. 4.2 The Head of Department The Head of Department will act to support any teacher whose disciplinary interventions with aparticular child have not put things right. To this end, the Departmental Student Support Sheet requires a student to present their
teacher’s written comment on their progress to the Head of Department on a weekly basis. If there is insufficient improvement after three weeks the matter is escalated either to the Pastoral or the Individualised Learning Department. 4.3 The Pastoral Team Referral to the Pastoral Team is triggered by one of three causes: • Departmental Support is not working after three weeks • Departmental Support is instigated in three or more subjects • Any act of defiant disobedience or serious misconduct 4.4 The Vice Principals and the Principal If a student does not respond to the support given by the Pastoral Team then the Vice Principals, and ultimately the Principal, become involved following referral from the Senior Tutor. 4.5 The Form Tutor The system above ensures that the tutor is alerted to concerns at an early stage, and the tutor should feed background information to the teacher concerned in response. The tutor should refer a child to the Pastoral Team where there have been concerns expressed from a number of directions. 4.6 Prefects In supporting staff, Sixth Form prefects who are disobeyed when giving a reasonable instruction to another student may punish the disobedient student by insisting that the Rules and Punishments are copied from the Study File once and submitted to the Head Prefects’ office. The prefects keep record of any such punishment and inform the Senior Tutor of any such instances on a weekly basis. 5 Rewards In the long term, a strong work ethic and a positive attitude bring their own reward. However, extrinsic rewards are a valuable way to encourage good patterns of behaviour, especially with younger children. In Years 7 to 9 students receive merit marks, the acronym GOLD defining the main reasons: Generosity/helpfulness Outstanding work/effort Leadership/positive attitude Determination/courage Merits contribute to the House Competition, and the tally is recorded within each student’s annual report. Extrinsic reward for students in all years include a Pastoral Award and a Principal’s Award. These consist of a certificate together with vouchers. Staff are encouraged to nominate students for these awards on the basis of exceptional merit in any of the above categories. Exceptional work from any student may be passed by the teacher to the Senior Board link person for their department, and he or she will see the student individually to congratulate them, following up with a letter home. Exceptional attendance is also rewarded with a certificate and vouchers. Presentation Evening provides an annual opportunity to reward outstanding achievement or progress publicly. Many more opportunities for tangible reward exist, and staff are encouraged to look out for opportunities to reward students, especially where there is true excellence or significant improvement.
As with discipline, the impact of a reward is magnified many times in the context of a strong relationship. Simple words of praise, from the heart by a member of staff a student respects, can be truly inspirational.