LIMAVADY CENTRAL PRIMARY SCHOOL
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR POLICY
‘Putting Children First’
Introduction:
The creation and maintenance of an orderly working environment is a pre-requisite to
effective learning and teaching. To achieve this at Limavady Central Primary School,
we will continue to develop our positive ethos which promotes learning and in which
each child is respected.
Reflecting this ethos, our school’s positive behaviour policy seeks to set guidelines
that support our pupils within a caring environment and will lead them to a position of
self discipline and personal responsibility. Therefore, this policy must be considered
within the wider framework of the school’s pastoral role and alongside the Child
Protection, Special Needs, Intimate Care, Safe Handling and Anti-Bullying policies.
Discipline needs to be viewed as a method by which we seek to moderate and improve
the overall behaviour of all our pupils. Therefore, this Positive Behaviour Policy
focuses on behaviour that is desirable by using the approaches of praise,
encouragement, incentives and rewards as well as sanctions for undesirable
behaviour. Our aim is that the pupils will see good behaviour and self discipline as an
understanding of, and a commitment to, their wider role and responsibilities within
our community and society.
Good behaviour results from positive relationships between all who work and learn in
our school where mutual respect, good manners and tolerance of others are
necessary to create an environment where effective teaching and learning can take
place.
The greater emphasis will always be on praise and reward for the behaviours that
the staff in the school is trying to promote. Nevertheless, sanctions must be
available for behaviour that is not acceptable and these will be implemented
according to the severity of the behaviour.
Aims:
In order to achieve an environment that is industrious and conducive to learning, we
aim to:
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create an atmosphere within the school where the children and all staff feel
safe, secure and respected,
develop the children’s understanding of and respect for rules and regulations,
promote a sense of self-worth, self-respect and self-discipline in the
children,
develop the children’s self esteem,
encourage the children to be valuable contributors to their communities and
to society,
develop an understanding of the need for forgiveness and reconciliation and
encourage positive communication between the school and parents so that, by
working together, we can help each child to achieve his/her potential.
Rules:
In order to maintain the very good standard of behaviour that already exists at
Limavady Central Primary School, we have a general set of rules as listed:
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arrive at school on time with all necessary equipment for the day,
wear the school uniform,
show respect to other pupils, staff, other adults within the school and to
visitors to the school,
be truthful, well-mannered and kind,
co-operate with teachers and other adults,
treat others as you would like to be treated yourself,
keep our school clean and tidy, remembering our Eco-code,
do all school work to the best of your ability.
In addition, each class develops their own set of classroom and school rules which
are on display throughout the school year. Generally, though, these rules are around
the four broad themes of following instructions and directions, keeping hands, feet
and objects to oneself, no name calling or bad language and concentrate on school
work. In order to be effective, these rules must be seen to be fair and consistently
applied. They must also be clearly communicated and understood by the children.
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Encouraging Positive Behaviour:
In our ongoing commitment to developing and encouraging good conduct, the children
and teachers have identified behaviours that are worthy of reward and promote the
smooth running of the school.
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Positive Behaviours
(in no particular order)
be kind
share
help others
say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’
listen to others, especially
the teacher
have good manners
keep the school clean
no name calling
put up your hand in class
hold open doors for others
no bullying
work quietly
play fairly and safely
tell the truth
obey adults
no pushing or shoving
be sensible
don’t talk back to adults
walk in the corridors
be respectful
be Eco aware
put litter in the bin
be on time for school
help younger children
say ‘sorry’
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Rewards
(in no particular order)
praise from the teacher
praise from the Principal
sticker
a sweet
table point leading to table prize
certificate
marble in the jar leading to class
reward
Golden Time
extra play time
night off homework
a mark on good manners chart
a mark on the honesty chart
Smart Card
Star of the Week
a happy teacher
do messages for the teacher
help the teacher
sit beside a friend
prize from prize box at the end of
the week
be first in the line
reward pass
a clap from others in assembly
a note home
put name into Green circle on
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line up quickly
don’t hurt others’ feelings
be a good sport
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traffic light system
a stamp on personal reward chart
stamps leading to prize/reward
The emphasis is always on promoting and encouraging positive behaviour that will
help children to grow into responsible adults who will be able to participate
constructively in our society. However, there will be times when sanctions must be
applied for behaviour that undermines the smooth running of the school, is unsafe,
infringes on the rights of others or involves the destruction of property. These less
desirable behaviours lie on a continuum from mild or minor to severe and damaging
and any imposed sanction must reflect this. In addition, a one-off lapse in
conduct will not be dealt with as severely as continual or persistent undesirable
or unacceptable behaviour.
The children and teachers have identified behaviours that require a level of
sanction.
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Minor Behaviours
(in no particular order)
not listening during lessons
lack of manners
running in the corridor
doing work slowly
talking when teacher is talking
not handing in homework
talking during assembly
interrupting others
saying unkind words
shouting out in class
keeping others back from their
work
rough play on the playground
not lining up properly
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Possible Sanctions
(in no particular order)
a ‘look’ from the teacher
a word of warning
speak to the child individually
move to another table
time off from a fun activity
extra homework
scolding by the teacher
lose table/team points
move name into orange/red circle
on traffic light system
moved to back of the line
apologise for behaviour
sit next to teacher’s desk
miss some of ‘Golden Time’
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Moderately Serious Behaviour
(in no particular order)
talking back to the teacher
bad language (swearing)
excluding other children from an
activity or game
dominating games or group activity
lying
name calling
teasing
bad manners
destroying someone else’s work
throwing things in the classroom
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Serious or Persistent Behaviour
(in no particular order)
hitting, kicking, biting, scraping
stealing
emotional abuse/bullying
vandalising school property
defiance
spitting at/on another person
throwing stones
lying
racism/religious taunts
leaving school without permission
bad language/swearing
sexualised language/behaviour
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Possible Sanctions
(in no particular order)
keep child in at play times
send to another class
move name into red circle on
traffic light system
note in homework diary
denial of a privilege
time off art/P.E. or other fun
activity
work instead of fun activity
time off Golden Time
speak to parents about the
behaviour
Possible Sanctions
(in no particular order)
sent to head of key stage/
SENCO/Vice-Principal/Principal
parent to sign a note from the
teacher
ask parent to come into school to
discuss behaviour
no Golden Time
Daily Report sent home
miss out on school trips
sent to another class
stand outside class in supervised
area
Generally, minor lapses in behaviour will be dealt with by the classroom teacher and,
as such, any sanction will be imposed in a fair and consistent manner. There will
always be a need for flexibility in order to take account of a child’s age, the number
of previous misbehaviours and other considerations (such as family events or other
known stressors in the child’s life). Before any sanction is imposed, the child must
fully understand the reason why the behaviour is considered unacceptable.
When the teacher feels that the misbehaviour warrants additional emphasis, he/she
may engage the support of another teacher, a more senior teacher, the SENCO, the
Vice-Principal or Principal. This is not a decision made lightly by the classroom
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teacher and, as such, the child’s behaviour will be dealt with more severely. When
such an action is taken, the child’s name, a record of the incident, date and time will
be recorded in an incident book. This will enable staff to monitor behaviour over
time and have supporting documentation available should it become necessary to
make a referral to an outside agency.
Lunchtime Supervision:
Children are aware of the agreed rules when they are in the school canteen, the
packed lunch area and in the playground. Supervision during this time is provided by
Supervisory Assistants. They give encouragement and praise to the children for
behaving responsibly and for showing good manners. If required for misbehaviour,
the Supervisory Assistants will give a verbal warning with an explanation of potential
consequences if the behaviour continues. One consequence may be to stand to the
side of the dining area or playground for a short period of time. The child’s name
and the reason for being asked to stand to the side will be recorded in a diary. For
very serious incidents, the supervisory assistants may call on the Principal or other
senior member of staff for immediate support. If the misbehaviour continues, it will
be dealt with in the same way as the ‘Moderately Serious’ or ‘Serious’ behaviour
stated earlier in this policy.
However, if the behaviour becomes unmanageable during the lunch time period, then
the Principal, with the support of the Board of Governors, may request that the
child’s parents make provision for the child to be taken out of the school over the
lunch time period. This is usually a short term solution until such time as the child
can make an improvement in behaviour.
In the Canteen, the children will follow the “LUNCHES” rules:
• LINE up quietly and sensibly with no queue jumping
• USE good manners – “Please and Thank-You”
• NO walking around while eating and NO throwing food
• CHAT quietly
• HAVE respect for each other
• EVERYONE takes responsibility for their own behaviour
• SORT your tray and cutlery in an orderly manner
Serious and Persistent Misbehaviour:
Children whose behaviour is difficult to manage may be placed on the Special Needs
Register at Stage 2 under the category of Social, Emotional and Behavioural
Difficulties. An individual behaviour/education plan with reasonable targets will be
put into place and evaluated after period of time to determine whether or not the
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specific interventions put into place have led to an improvement in the behaviour. In
line with the Special Needs Policy, if there are two consecutive education plans
where the targets have not been met, then the child will be placed at Stage 3 of the
Code of Practice which involves agencies from outside the school. This could include:
 for young children, up to Primary 4, a referral to the Western Education
Support Team who will come into the school and provide advice and support to
the teacher and may work with the child on behaviour issues. This requires
parental consent.
 a referral to the Behaviour Support Team. The Behaviour Support Team will
visit the school, observe the child, make recommendations and provide advice
on the most effective way to manage the most difficult behaviours. This is a
referral that requires parental consent.
 a referral to the Educational Psychology Service. An Educational Psychologist
will visit the school, assess the child and make observations. He/She will make
recommendations regarding the most effective way to manage the child’s
behaviour and may also make a referral to a Behaviour Support Unit which the
child would attend on a part-time basis for up to three terms. Such referrals
require parental consent.
 a request to Western Education and Library Board for statutory assessment
at Stage 4 of the Code of Practice if the support services on offer at Stage 3
have proven unsuccessful in making positive changes in the child’s behaviour.
This may result in the child being issued with a Statement of Special
Educational Need. Parental consent is required to undertake this process.
The quality of education and the safety of all the children in the school will be the
over-riding consideration for the Board of Governors. Should this be jeopardised,
they have the power to suspend a pupil from school for very serious or persistent
misbehaviour or misconduct. They may also expel a pupil, following the relevant
guidelines from the Department of Education for Northern Ireland.
In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education for Northern
Ireland and with the support of the Board of Governors, Limavady Central
Primary School reserves the right to impose sanctions on pupils for incidents
that are directly related to school but which occur off the school premises or
outside school hours. Incidents of this nature may include bullying or fighting on
the way to or from school or may involve verbal abuse or attack on any pupil from any
school, parents, other adults, staff or a member of the Board of Governors.
Roles and Responsibilities:
The Board of Governors at Limavady Central Primary School will:
 ensure that an up to date Positive Behaviour Policy is in place,
 set general guidelines on standards of discipline and behaviour,
 support the Principal regarding suspensions and expulsions and
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support the Principal in the overall implementation of this policy.
The Principal of Limavady Central Primary School will:
 implement the school’s Positive Behaviour Policy,
 report to the Board of Governors regarding the effectiveness of the policy,
 keep records of all serious or persistent incidents of behaviour,
 ensure that the health, safety and well-being of pupils and staff is paramount,
 give fixed-term suspensions to pupils for serious acts of misbehaviour or
misconduct and
 following procedure, expel a child with the support of the Board of Governors.
The Class Teacher will:
 plan lessons that are interesting and engaging with clear aims and
objectives involving differentiation where required to meet pupil need,
 have high expectations for good behaviour,
 be consistent and fair when dealing with behaviour issues,
 treat all children with respect and understanding,
 praise pupil achievement regardless of ability as often as possible and
 reward good behaviour both in and out of the classroom.
Pupils at Limavady Central Primary School will:
 be cooperative and well-mannered,
 work diligently and to the best of their ability,
 respect others and contribute positively to school life,
 become familiar with the behaviour expected while at school and
 remember that they are pupils of the school with behavioural expectations,
even when they are off-site.
Parents of pupils at Limavady Central Primary School will:
 ensure that their child/children attend school regularly and punctually,
 ensure that their child/children is wearing the required uniform,
 check that homework is completed to the best of the child’s ability,
 inform the school of situations at home that may have an impact on
learning and/or behaviour in school and
 attend meetings with teachers and/or the Principal when required or make
such an appointment when there is a need to do so.
All those associated with the school should work together to promote the positive
behaviour so that the children can achieve to the best of their ability.
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PATHS Programme
To help address social and emotional issues the school has introduced the PATHS
Programme from P1 – P7.
This provides teachers with a systematic developmental procedure for enchancing
social competence and understanding in children.
It addresses the following goals:
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Increased self-control ie the ability to stop
and think before acting when upset or confronted with a conflict situation.
Lessons in this area also teach identification of problem situations through
recognition of “upset” feelings.
Attributional processes that lead to an appropriate sense of selfresponsibility.
Increased understanding and use of the vocabulary of logical reasoning and
problem-solvin,g eg “if…then” ad “why...because.”
Increased understanding and use of the vocabulary of emotions and
emotional states; eg excited, disappointed, confused, guilty, etc.
Increased use of verbal mediation.
Increased ability to recognise and interpret similarities and differences in
the feelings, reactions and points of view of self and others.
Increased understanding of how one’s behaviour affects others.
Increased knowledge of, and skill in, the steps of social problem-solving:
stopping and thinking; identifying problems and feelings; setting goals;
generating alternative solutions; anticipating and evaluating consequences;
planning, executing and evaluating a course of action; trying again if the
first solution fails.
Increased ability to apply social problem-solving skills to prevent and/or
resolve problems and conflicts in social interactions.
Conclusion:
We recognise that the behaviour of the pupils at Limavady Central Primary School
is exemplary and this document is intended to confirm this. We acknowledge that
maintaining this very positive behavioural ethos will require a continual reappraisal
of this policy and of the relationships that exist in our school. The development of
this policy endeavours to provide a framework for dealing with behaviour that
causes concern and may interfere with the smooth running of our school. It is the
intention of the Board of Governors and the staff that the school continues to be
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a place that provides a safe, secure, happy and structured environment for
learning.
Monitoring and Evaluating:
This policy will be reviewed annually and will be updated as and when it becomes
evident that changes are required.
The Board of Governors will have access to the Behaviour Incident Book that
annotates children’s serious misconduct as required but at least annually.
________________________ (Chairperson of the BOG) Date: _____________
________________________ (Principal)
Date: _____________
Appendix:
In general, we have these expectations of pupil behaviour in and around our school:
In the classroom:
 Do stay in your seat and work quietly when the teacher has asked you to.
 Do ask permission to use the toilet.
 Do put up your hand and wait quietly to answer a question or if you don’t
understand the question.
 Do share and treat school equipment and books with care.
 Do be responsible for your own belongings.
 Do bring a note if you have been absent, must stay indoors during break times
or if you are unable to participate in a school activity such as swimming.
 Do leave toys etc. at home where they can’t be lost or broken.
 Do knock and excuse yourself when visiting another classroom.
 Do try your very best at all times.
 Do try to keep your desk and belongings tidy.
Travelling to and from school:
 Do wait for your parent/carer to collect you from school. Come back into
school and tell an adult if there is no one there to collect you.
 Do wear a helmet and wheel your bicycle when in the school grounds.
 Do stay on the paths when coming to and going home from school.
 Do use the designated classroom doors when entering and leaving the school
building.
 Do wear a seat belt when coming to school by car.
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Do be careful when opening car doors and getting out from the vehicle.
Do wait for the supervisor and listen to her instructions before getting the
bus home.
Do use the main carpark and refrain from using the staff car park inside the
gates. Do keep the main entrance into school free.
Do follow the one way traffic signs when using the car park.
In the school:
 Do walk when inside the school building.
 Do walk on the left side of the corridor.
 Do speak using a quieter voice inside the school building.
 Do wear our uniform with pride.
 Do have your name on all items of clothing.
 Do try to get to school on time.
 Do wipe your feet on the mats provided before entering the school building.
 Do try to do your best at everything you do in school.
 Do your homework to the best of your ability.
 Do remove jewellery and tie back long hair when doing P.E.
 Do conserve energy by turning off lights that are not needed.
 Do refrain from bringing chewing gum to school.
 Do save trees by using all types of paper carefully.
 Do remember to bring a healthy break to school and that only water is allowed
in your water bottle.
 Do vacate the building by the appropriate emergency exits on hearing the
school alarm.
Towards others:
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Do be friendly and kind to each other.
Do display good manners at all times.
Do be courteous to any visitors in school.
Do be honest with each other and tell the truth.
Do say nice things to each other.
Do say “please” and “thank-you.”
Do remember that bad language will not be accepted.
Do share any problems you might be having with your teacher, the Principal or
another adult.
Do resolve arguments by talking to each other rather than fighting.
Do stand back to let an adult through a door first and hold the door for them.
Do set a good example by your own behaviour.
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