School Development Planning Initiative
Regional Seminar
NEWB Guidelines for Developing A Code of Behaviour
Incorporating NEWB and SDPI materials
Purpose of this session
 Highlight key features of the Guidelines as
a context for Audit and Review of a
school’s Code of Behaviour
 Share good practice in relation to key
issues identified by Guidelines and Audit
instrument
 Outline a planning process
Education (Welfare) Act 2000
Section 23 (2) : A code of behaviour shall specify
(a) the standards of behaviour that shall be observed by
each student attending the school
(b) the measures that may be taken when a student fails or
refuses to observe those standards
(c) the procedures to be followed before a student may be
suspended or expelled from the school concerned
Why Now?
 Change: society, culture & school practice
 Inclusion agenda…national policy
 Partnership….parents & students
 Research re promotion of good behaviour
 Fair procedures
 Whole school ethos…adult leadership
 Effective Planning Process
NEWB Guidelines contain
 Legal Obligations
 Good practice guidance
Approach
 Preventive
 Inclusive
 Whole child approach
 Whole school approach
 Assist and support existing school work
 Professional judgement and responsibility
Structure of NEWB Guidelines
Chapter
1
2
3, 4
5–9
Introduction
Auditing and reviewing existing code
Foundations of an effective code
Developing a code that will enable a
school to manage behaviour
effectively:
setting standards,
responding to inappropriate behaviour,
promoting positive behaviour.
10-12 Suspensions and expulsions
Basic principles
In groups:
What are the basic principles
underpinning an effective code of
behaviour?
Foundations of an Effective Code
Ch. 3: Basic Principles
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Providing clarity
Affirming that everyone’s behaviour matters
Focusing on promoting good behaviour
Balancing needs
Recognising that relationships are crucial
Focusing on personal responsibility
Ensuring fairness and equity
Promoting equality
Recognising educational vulnerability
Attending to the welfare of students
Attending to the welfare of staff
Promoting safety and freedom from threat
p. 22, NEWB Guidelines
Foundations of an effective code
Ch.
4. Learning, relationships and behaviour are linked
Ch.
5. A whole-school approach to behaviour
Ch. 6: Setting standards of behaviour
 Developing a set of standards for behaviour in the
school
 Involving the school community in discussions about
standards
 Involving the students in developing school and
classroom rules
 Modelling the standards
 Teaching students about the standards and how to
live up to them
 Having ways of ensuring that students with special
needs understand what is expected of them
pp.36-39, NEWB Guidelines
Ch. 7: Promoting good behaviour
 A whole school approach
 Strategies for strengthening student and parental
involvement
 Having ways to communicate high expectations for
students
 Having ways to review the quality of relationships
between students and staff
p. 44, NEWB Guidelines
Ch. 8: Responding to inappropriate behaviour
 Developing a policy on how sanctions will be
used to help students change inappropriate
behaviour
 Having an agreed set of strategies for
intervening positively to help students to
change inappropriate behaviour
 Having clearly defined roles and
responsibilities for members of staff in relation
to behaviour and communicating these roles
widely
 Agreeing a standardised way of recording
matters to do with students’ behaviour
p.55, NEWB Guidelines
Ch. 9: Implementing the Code of Behaviour
 Template for a Code of Behaviour p.59
 Teaching the Code
 Records
 Dealing with concerns and complaints
pp. 57–64, NEWB Guidelines
Ch. 10: Suspensions and Expulsions
 Ensuring the school policy and procedures on
suspension and expulsion that are in line with the
NEWB Guidelines and approved by the Board and the
Patron
 Ensuring the policy in widely communicated
 Developing and documenting good practice
 Having fair procedures for investigation and decision
making
 Having procedures informing parents and students
about their right to appeal
 Having a system for regular review by the Board of the
use of suspensions / expulsions
pp. 66 – 87, NEWB Guidelines
Fair Procedures
for Serious Sanctions
The way in which fair procedures are applied will take account of the seriousness
of the alleged misbehaviour and what is reasonable in the context of the school
 The right to be heard – parents and pupil fully informed
and given an opportunity to respond before the
decision is made
 Absence of bias in the decision maker – e.g. parent rep
on Board not present when deciding on sanction for
their child
 Impartiality in decision making – where possible staff
member investigates and reports, Principal then free to
take impartial decision
Auditing and Reviewing
the
Code of Behaviour
2. Auditing and reviewing the code of behaviour
 Auditing an existing code of behaviour: “As a first
step in implementing these guidelines, Boards of
Management are required to arrange for an audit of the
existing code of behaviour. The audit will enable the
school to identify how well its current code reflects good
practice and meets relevant legal obligations.”
 Reviewing an existing code of behaviour: “When the
audit identifies aspects of the code that need to be
reviewed, the Board of Management, together with the
Principal, should prioritise areas for review.”
Auditing your Code
An audit is an examination of every area of
the content and operation of the code of
behaviour to check for completeness and
compliance with legal requirements and
good practice as set out in the Guidelines.
Follow up REVIEW of specific aspects
of the code identified in the Audit
 Describe current practice
 Evaluate its effectiveness
 List options for improvement
 Devise action plans for improvement and
implementation
Workshop
 Examine the ‘Audit Checklist’:
Setting Standards of Behaviour (second page) or
Implementing the School Code of Behaviour (third page)
 Identify the responses which most schools might be likely
to give to each question
- ‘Yes’ - ‘Maybe’ - ‘No’
 In the case of any one area, share school experiences:
What is working well in your own school?
What might be the focus of your follow up review?
What next steps might a school take in revising the
Code and its implementation?
Sample of Questions from the Audit
Setting Standards of Behaviour
 Does the school have clear standards of behaviour for
everyone?
 Does the school have a range of ways of
communicating these standards to students, staff and
parents?
 Were students involved in developing the school
rules?
Sample Questions
Setting Standards of Behaviour
 Are students involved in developing classroom
rules?
 Does the school have ways of ensuring that
students with special needs understand what is
expected of them?
Sample of Questions from the Audit
Implementing the School Code of
Behaviour
 Does the school have a range of ways of
communicating the Code of Behaviour to staff,
students and parents?
 Does the school have a written Code?
 Apart from giving parents the written code,
does the school do anything else to help
parents to understand and support the code?
 Are there lesson plans and programmes to
help students to learn the skills and knowledge
they need in order to behave well?
Sample of Questions from the Audit
Implementing the School Code of
Behaviour
 Does the school monitor patterns of behaviour
in the school?
 Is there a standard system in the school for
keeping records about behaviour?
 Are there recognised ways for staff, students
and parents to raise concerns about behaviour
or to make complaints?
 Has the school advised parents about how
they should notify a child’s absence from
school?
Review
Sample Issues
 Does the school have a range of ways of
communicating these standards to students, staff
and parents?
 Are students involved in developing the school
rules?
 Are there recognised ways for staff, students and
parents to raise concerns about behaviour and
raise complaints?
Review - Discussion
 How would you proceed to review?
Use a sample issue from the checklist:
‘Are students involved in developing the
school rules?’
CoB Task Group
Establish Current Practice
Consult staff:
Are there ways in which staff members consult /
discuss rules with students?
Has the school any practice of consulting students
about issues?
Have students given any feedback about rules?
Are these practices effective? How do you know?
Consider the rationale for consultation (next slide)
CoB Task Group
Rationale for action
 What might consultation of students about
school rules achieve?
 What concerns might arise about doing
so?
 Are there safeguards that would ensure
that it is was a positive exercise?
CoB Task Group
Proposals for Action
 How might the students be consulted?
 Should a variety of ways be employed?
 How will representativeness be ensured?
 Who will manage consultation?
 What questions would focus the exercise?
CoB Task Group
Action Plan – Approved by BoM
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What
How
Who
When
Aims – success criteria
Monitoring of implementation
Evaluation of results
Evaluation of consultation
(See SDPI website for sample templates)
Suggested Next Steps
1. Board of Management decision to initiate Audit
2. Establish an ‘Audit Team’ – Principal, staff members,
Parents’ Association, Student Council….?
Involve and engage partners throughout audit process
3. Staff briefing on key issues in Guidelines,
use Audit Checklist to focus on selected areas,
generate ideas for follow up.
4. Similar appropriate briefing for Parents’ Association,
Student Council
5. Audit Team prepares report on Staff, Parent, Pupil
consultations
6.
Audit Team conducts thorough audit to examine
whether the current code complies with legislation
and good practice as specified in Guidelines
7.
Identify the changes needed
8.
Where necessary conduct specific review of areas
identified
9.
Develop draft Action Plan in relation to proposed
changes
10. Seek Board approval for Action Plan and proposed
changes to Code
11. Communicate changes to school community and
implement revised Code
12. Evaluate effectiveness of revised Code
Conclusion
Has your Board delegated to the principal
the authority to suspend in accordance
with NEWB Guidelines?
www.newb.ie
www.sdpi.ie