Behaviour, Attendance & Welfare

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Behaviour

Our behaviour policy works towards ensuring all adults and children at St Stephen's are able to thrive in an environment which not only provides the emotional and physical safety we all need but also offers the support, nurture and guidance we each need to be the best we can be.

Underpinning this policy are three key principles:

  1. How we behave comes from our sense of belonging. The school's Christian ethos of inclusive Love inspires and underpins this. 
  2. Every person is an individual. Understanding them and establishing a positive relationship is the first step to enabling them to be the best they can be.
  3. Behaviour is a communicator of emotion and we must always fully consider and address the underlying feelings that are preventing someone from behaving positively.

We share three expectations which we call ‘The Golden 3’:Try Your Best (represented by the lion), Listen Carefully (represented by the elephant) and Be Kind and Respectful (represented by the owl). Rooted in our core values, these three simple expectations are maintained and celebrated in line with our Behaviour Policy.

Pupils are actively encouraged to follow their role as set out in the School Vision. Positive behaviour is valued, recognised and celebrated through class and whole school reward systems which include stickers, Achievement Awards, Shout-Out Cards, Achievement Assembly and positive phone calls home.

Attendance

As a school we strive for maximum attendance and punctuality, as we believe:

  • Every lesson in school is important in ensuring that our children achieve their potential.
  • Attendance and punctuality are valuable life skills

We are committed to providing high quality, engaging experiences and learning opportunities which enable all pupils, no matter what their strengths, to achieve their potential. In every lesson, every day, we aim to develop pupils’ skills and understanding, carefully building on their prior knowledge and giving them the tools to succeed. Absence from any of these lessons or experiences can cause anxiety for the child, as they feel that they have fallen behind or missed out, and may have an impact on a child’s ability to succeed in the task that has been set. Frequent absence, or absence for blocks of time, will have a long lasting effect through the learning ‘gaps’ that are created in a child’s understanding.

Furthermore, at our school we believe that attendance and punctuality are life skills, which demonstrate an individual to be reliable, responsible and organised. It is the responsibility of the school and parents to prepare children for the future and we believe that attitudes to attendance and punctuality developed at school will resonate throughout life.

Getting On Together

We are committed to everyone at school being “safe, happy and working well together.”  However, we do recognise that bullying sometimes occurs in our school as in all others. When any incidents of bullying behaviour occur, we have a clear policy to which all staff and governors have agreed.

Medical Needs

Medication is only permitted in school when the child’s doctor or qualified practitioner deems it to be essential and prescribes it, and no medication will be administered unless written consent and instructions to do so have been given by the parents or carers. Under these circumstances, all pupils will be enabled to administer their own medication under a level of supervision appropriate to the child.

All medication must be given in to the school office for close supervision and appropriate secure storage. Emergency medication will accompany a child whenever s/he leaves the school during the day. A few medicines, which need to be used regularly or in an emergency, such as asthma inhalers and Epi Pens, will be kept readily available to pupils and therefore cannot be locked away.

Children in the school are not permitted to bring in, or take, any non-prescribed medication whether or not it has been authorised by the child’s parent or carer. This includes cough sweets, painkillers such as Calpol and homeopathic remedies.

If you have any uncertainty, or requests, concerning medication then please do ask at the office where we will be happy to advise you in line with our Policy for Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs.