Introduction
This policy was formulated after consultation between all staff, Principal, Deputy Principal (Teachers & Classroom Assistants) with all staff members contributing to its development and implementation throughout the school.
Scoil Eoin /Coláiste Eoin is a special school that caters for students with mild learning difficulties and students with disadvantaged backgrounds. The ethos of the school emphasises the importance of enabling students to work to the best of their ability within a positive and happy school environment.
Rationale
This policy hopes to foster a strong sense of community and co-operation between staff and pupils. This is necessary to ensure a coherent and consistent policy throughout the school, helping to form a strong sense of social cohesion. We aim to create an atmosphere where each child is treated equally and with the same respect.
Relationship to Characteristic Spirit of the School
A structured and consistent discipline policy will create a positive school ethos where children can “ learn, love and live” ( see leaflet)
Aims
This discipline policy aims to :
- provide a positive learning environment that will benefit every child.
- create an environment where all members in the school community ( pupils, teachers, parents and ancillary staff) feel safe, respected and valued.
- help the pupils to grow independently towards self-discipline and good behaviour.
- have guidelines in place to help the smooth running of the school and for dealing more efficiently with discipline problems.
Content – Guidelines
The following is a list of Strategies and Sanctions to be implemented at the teachers discretion to suit varying misbehaviours and their seriousness.
Minor Misdemeanours
- Verbal reprimand by teacher in charge- discuss reason with child, give warning and advice.
- Separation of student from their peers within a class, another class or yard.
- Deprivation of privileges.
- The student be given extra work/weekend work which must be signed by the parents and checked by the teacher the following day.
- Student receives an “X” in their personal profile.
Serious Misdemeanours
- Verbal reprimand by the teacher on duty.
- Supervised detention during lunchtime.
- Student receives an “X” in their personal profile and the serious offence is recorded on their serious offence sheet which is kept in the students file.
- A pupil writes a note of explanation about their behaviour, which is then signed by the teacher, principal and parents. This note is kept on file. A follow up call to parents may also be necessary.
- Pupils are excluded from treats and school incentive trips.
- Child placed in another class to do his / her work.
- Referral to principal who contacts parents to discuss child’s behaviour or set up a parent / teacher meeting to discuss same.
- Suspension will be considered to deal with continuously disruptive pupils / pupils in breach of discipline.
- Should the behaviour continue, the matter will be referred to the Board of Management.
For all serious offences whether suspension has been enforced or not the child is expected to :
- Accept responsibility for their actions, apologise and make an effort to improve their behaviour.
- Progress of this is monitored by all concerned – teachers and parents
A list of the various situations that may arise throughout the school day in the
class, yard, toilets and while the pupils are moving through the school and behaviour outside of school ( during sports, swimming, trips etc)
Look at the behaviours under each of the above headings and then the strategies and sanctions to be implemented for each.
Success Criteria
The success of this policy will be recorded in the following ways:
- General observation of behaviour displayed throughout the school and specific observation of the behaviour of specific students where necessary.
- Monitoring of weekly profiles ( which shows a record of the positive and negative behaviour displayed by the pupils throughout the week)
- A decrease in the number of pupils on lunchtime detention and an increase in the number going on incentives trips would show a successful implementation of the policy.
Movement of pupils through the school
- Pupils line up in classroom/yard and informed of expected behaviour while on route to the school.
- Pupils should be in view of teacher at all times while moving through the building.
- Movement on stairs. If another class coming, wait until all pupils are down before proceeding up/down the stairs. Pupils should stop at midway landing and again at the bottom and wait for instructions to further points – lunch/bus/assembly.
- No Running on stairs.
- No Disturbing other classes (loud talking/shouting). While moving through the school.
- Walk in orderly fashion through the corridor.
Roles and Responsibility
All school staff (Principal/Deputy Principal, Teachers & SNAs) will take responsibility for the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the policy and will be supported by parents and the Board of Management.
Communication, Monitoring and Review
This policy will be communicated to staff and the school community as appropriate and will be monitored and subjected to regular review.