Grow Your Potential

Behavior Policy

1. Philosophy

A referral to Grow Your Potential (GYP) is an opportunity for a fresh start, to re-engage students in their learning and personal development and to support them in identifying and beginning to work towards their personal plausible route back to mainstream education.

GYP supports students in reflecting on their past decisions and behaviours that have led to their referral. Through our vigorous mentoring program, we address any barriers to successful re-engagement and transition into the next stage of their learning. GYP identifies, celebrates and re-enforces the positive that all students have.

2. Aims

Through the work of our specialist mentors and wellbeing practitioners GYP will support students in identifying:

• The existing barriers to successful education and engagement
• Their personal strengths, interests and aspirations
• In devising a personalised curriculum that address these interests and needs

 Whilst at GYP students will:

• A safe, secure and positive environment that nurtures and supports students making progress
• Have a flexible and balanced curriculum focused on their individual areas of interest and need leading to appropriate accreditation
• Access to a range of staff offering holistic and personal support and guidance
• An enjoyable, fun learning environment

When students have finished GYP:

• They will have made demonstrable progress against their original barriers to success
• Will be more resilient and skilled in handling future challenges
• Will be ready for a successful return to mainstream schooling or ACE
• Will be ready for transition to the next stage of their learning

3. Statuary powers & guidance

The Education and Inspection Act 2006 introduced new statutory powers for schools regarding behaviour and discipline. These came into effect on 1st April 2007. The new measures include:

• The legal rights to confiscate and retain inappropriate items from students such as mobile phones or music players. Members of staff also have the right to dispose of some inappropriate items of student’s property.
• Statutory powers to discipline students at times when they are not on the premises of the school and not under the lawful charge of a member of staff ‘to such an extent as is reasonable’. Greater legal scope and flexibility in giving students detentions, which may include after school and Saturday detentions.
• A legal duty on schools to make provision for tackling all forms of bullying.

4. Use of Reasonable force

The Education and Inspection Act 2006 strengthens the legal powers for teachers and other school staff to use ‘reasonable force’ to prevent students from committing a crime or causing injury, damage or disruption. Staff receive regular training on this issue and all incidents are recorded and investigated under the safeguarding model and the local authority informed as appropriate.

5. Key principles

• In the event of poor student behaviour, the grievance procedure is to be implemented with a verbal warning. Subsequent breaches of behaviour will result in written warning and final written warning if necessary. Referral agencies should be notified at each stage of the grievance procedure so that preventative measures can be put in place.
• In the event of exclusion, the referral agency must be notified immediately.
• In cases where a young person must be removed from the property to prevent damage or danger to persons or property, the referral agency must be notified immediately and arrangements for collection of the young person by the referral agency or parent/guardian.
• In no case should a young person be removed from the property and sent home, without arrangements being made and referral sources being notified.

Search for and confiscation of inappropriate items

Legislation allows the Head teacher and staff authorised by them if they suspect that the student may have a prohibited item to search students. Prohibited items include:

• Knives or weapons
• Alcohol
• Illegal drugs
• Stolen items
• Tobacco and cigarette paper
• Fireworks
• Pornographic images
• Any article that has been, or is likely to be used to commit an offence or to cause personal injury to, or damage to the property of any person.
• Any item banned by the provision rules e.g. mobile phones and music players
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Designated staff are also entitled to use metal detectors and wands to carry out random, non-intrusive searches of students for any weapon. This power came into effect in May 2007.

Any items found will be confiscated and parents / carers or relevant referral agency informed.  GYP reserves the right to inform the police and other parties where appropriate; illegal items will either be passed over to the police as evidence or destroyed.

Allegations against staff

Adults are also entitled to a safe, secure and supportive working environment and bullying between staff or from staff towards a student is also unacceptable and should be reported immediately to the Safeguarding Team

Malicious allegations of abuse against an adult

When it has been shown that a young person has made a malicious allegation against a member of staff the young person will receive a sanction. In issuing the sanction the following will be considered:

• The nature of the allegation
• What the young person was trying to achieve by making the allegation
• The evidence from the investigation
• The individual needs and previous behaviour record.

Parent / Carers & the referral agency will be kept informed and consulted during this process and their views sought.  When deciding on a sanction, GYP is mindful of both the right of the adult to feel supported and secure in their work environment but also of the student who requires an opportunity to be supported and learn from their mistake.

For allegations and malicious allegations against staff, GYP follows the relevant sections of Luton Safeguarding and Child Protection Procedures; incidents are reported to the central LBC Safeguarding team who will oversee / undertake any required investigations. GYP will not investigate its own staff without external supervision and direction.

Staff Responsibility

• All staff are to be aware of this policy

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Assess policy annually

Supporting Documents

• Grieving Procedure

Success Criteria

As a Provision, GYP will know if our behaviour policy is working because:

• ACE remains a welcoming, safe, calm and positive workplace for all staff and students
• The number of incidents recorded via SIMS and CPOMS remains low
• Incidents that do occur are efficiently and effectively managed
• Feedback from staff, students, parents and visitors continues to be positive

Review Process

The policy is reviewed annually by the Directors and DSL which is available to all parent / carers upon request.