Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions
Pupils at Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School demonstrate a high level of responsibility and are expected to respect all others in our community and beyond.
Rewards and Sanctions
Rewards and sanctions are awarded in line with the school’s Behaviour for Learning Policy. In lessons, teachers will follow the school’s Actions and Consequences, as outlined in the Home School Agreement. Parents / carers and pupils sign a copy of this on starting at Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School.
Achievement and Rewards
Pupil achievement is recognised in a variety of ways throughout the year. For day to day achievements, contribution and effort in classwork and homework, teachers and form tutors issue positive behaviour points. Teachers will also send postcards home for pupils’ positive contributions towards their work in a subject or towards the whole school. Heads of Year, Heads of Department, and the Senior Leadership Team can also award pupils positive behaviour points for making a significant contribution to school or community life. Individual departments may also run systems of reward and recognition, including postcards home or contribution in sports activities. In this way, achievement, progress, and making a contribution to the school or wider community are seen to be valued and at the heart of school life. They are also within the reach of every pupil and motivate each to give of their best.
We expect to reward:
- good or improved school work
- good or improved behaviour
- positive effort
- excellent attendance
- commitment to extra-curricular activities
- contribution to Inter-Form or House events, charity activities etc.
- contribution to the positive ethos of the school e.g. care shown for others
Full details of the school’s Reward and Praise system are published in the Pupil Planner.
Sanctions
Visitors to our school frequently comment on the calm and purposeful learning atmosphere that is created and maintained by all that attend the school.
Pupils are expected to be prompt for school and lessons bringing with them all of the correct equipment for that day’s learning. Pupils are expected to wear their uniform correctly at all times including to and from school.
Behaviour at the school is excellent. Pupils are rewarded for their achievements both inside and outside of the classroom. Where behaviour falls below the expected level, it is rectified using the Actions and Consequences document. This shows all staff and pupils the opportunities for rewards and the consequences of falling below the school’s behaviour expectations.
In lessons, teachers will issue negative behaviour points as a result of having to give a verbal reprimand or classroom sanction. Accumulation across a period of time will result in sanctions being applied as per the Actions and Consequences system.
Within a lesson, a teacher may give a detention. This could be at lunchtime or after school (parents / carers will be notified in advance in the latter instance). An afterschool detention will be a maximum of one hour in duration on a Wednesday. A lunchtime detention will be set for that day usually and is of 20 minutes duration. If a pupil’s behaviour requires their removal from the lesson (known as an ‘On Call’), an automatic, one hour detention will be given.
If a pupil is involved in an incident at break time, lunchtime or afterschool, these will be investigated by the Head of Year and depending upon the incident, the sanction will be in line with Actions and Consequences and our Behaviour for Learning Policy. These could include an Internal Exclusion, Fixed Term Exclusion or Permanent Exclusion.
Other Sanctions
Lateness to school: pupils who are late to school without a valid reason will receive a lunchtime detention (20 mins) on that day. If this is missed, this is escalated to an afterschool detention on a Wednesday; if this is missed, the sanction is escalated to an internal exclusion the following day.
Failure to complete homework: this will result in a Homework Referral being issued for that day of 20 minutes duration.
Uniform / Hair / Jewellery / Make-up and Nail varnish: these will be dealt with as per our Actions and Consequences system
Mobile Phones: these will be confiscated if seen in use during the school day for 2 school days
A full list of Actions and Consequences can be found in the Behaviour Rewards and Sanction section of the Pastoral page on the website and in the Pupil Planners.
Attendance and the Education Related Penalty Notices Regulations 2007
Parents/Carers must be aware that if their daughters accumulate 15 or more unauthorised absence sessions (one day is equivalent to 2 sessions) a fixed penalty notice / fine could be issued.
This notice would require parents/carers to pay a penalty of £60 within 21 days, rising to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days. Each parent/carer is liable to pay a separate penalty and penalty notices are issued for each pupil to whom the absence relates.
Payment of any fine enables the discharge of any liability for the offence for the period in question of failing to ensure their daughter’s regular attendance in school (Section 444, The Education Act 1996).
Failure to pay the penalty would mean parents/carers are liable to prosecution, by summons to appear before the local Magistrates’ Court. On conviction they may be liable for a fine of up to £1000 per parent. This is a criminal offence which carries a criminal record. The Local Authority, who instigate these proceedings, will also ask for costs of £125 to be awarded against the parent/carer.
Further Information
For more information on our school policies regarding behaviour and code of conduct, please check our Policies page here.
– Behaviour for Learning
– Pupil Code of Conduct
