Context for joining Behaviour Hubs
Esteem North Academy (ENA) is an alternative provision Academy for permanently excluded pupils from Reception age to KS4. We are a member of the Esteem Multi Academy Trust.
We converted to become an academy in August 2019. The most recent inspection (February 2024) judged the school as “Good”. It was previously deemed to require improvement in its inspection in 2019. The Headteacher, Janine Dix, has been in post since April 2022.
ENA had 80 pupils on roll in April 2022 and now has 326 pupils on roll. We are over capacity by 106 pupils. We plan to increase possible capacity for 24-25 to 380. We have 3 sites spread across the north of Derbyshire and we are actively seeking a fourth site due to increasing numbers.
ENA has 70% boys and 30% girls, 18% with an EHCP and typically 65% PP entitled.
Joining the Behaviour Hubs programme was a proactive step from school leaders to implement positive behavioural culture change across Esteem North Academy. The academy had undergone significant change over the previous 18 months, and we required a consistent, one-academy positive ethos from all 3 sites.
Behaviour challenges and goals
We wanted an academy with staff who were aware of our behavioural expectations with a clear emphasis on their part in that. We wanted a team ethos where all staff could take responsibility.
We had 3 sites with different site leads. One site Lead had been employed for around 15 years under poor leadership themselves and this presented as a challenge on our largest site. The challenge was ensuring that staff worked as a team to reinforce expectations. Another challenge was around a new leader at the new primary site where there were also capability concerns.
New staff joined regularly due to constant and significant pupil number increases. This meant that there needed to be constant cycle of new staff induction around all areas including behaviour.
Pupil numbers were rising with no new additional site to educate them in, therefore we had increased numbers at one site. A big challenge was ensuring we had the capital spend available to develop the site environments to make them more inviting without being easily damaged and having longevity.
Solutions to behaviour challenges
The Behaviour Hubs programme helped us as leaders to by supporting our judgements where other middle or senior leaders were ineffective. From this, staff were supported with informal capability plans or moved to other more suitable roles.
The Behaviour Hubs programme reinforced that the environment is vital to pupils respecting the site and raising expectations.
Site Leads now complete an end of day site check and work with their team to rectify damage.
We used bespoke timetables at primary and for the fourth site pupils to reduce the number of pupils on site.
We were supported with implementing our behaviour curriculum by Hardingstone Academy (our Behaviour Hubs Lead School) to make clear expectations for staff and pupils.
The Headteacher supported more capital spend on pictures for the secondary sites. This was financially viable through the Behaviour Hubs programme funding. The funding also enabled us to purchase super strength wands to screen pupils on arrival. This helped to support arrival routines. The programme also enabled us to purchase books (by Paul Dix and Marie Gentles, for example) to support a staff library.
For the constant stream of new staff, we were encouraged to record videos of CPD to have a library for new staff, saving SLT time.
We utilized Pete and Sarah from Perryfields Primary PRU (a Behaviour Hubs Lead School) to deliver whole academy CPD around neurodiversity and the importance of a strong team culture.
Amendment to the behaviour policy to provide more clarity about searching, screening and confiscation. All staff are scheduled to complete online training on this to increase knowledge. Both secondary sites now have the same arrival routines where all pupils are screened and hand in vapes and phones outside. This is to try to prevent vaping on site and in the building and therefore to prevent fire alarms and increase learning time
Letters to parents to remind them about vaping on site and that this is prohibited. A £25 fine for deliberately setting off the fire alarm was implemented which reduced the number of fire alarms. Parental letter to explain that if a pupil was caught vaping and handed this in, that it was not returned. If a pupil deliberately vaped and refused to hand it in that this would result in a suspension. As a result, initially pupils revolted against this at one site, and we saw a significant rise in suspensions. This was part of the site’s re-set in expectations and leadership. This came at the same time that the site lead was absent long-term sick.
At primary a revised curriculum was implemented with amended timings. There are now 7 groups rather than 3. The site staffing structure was amended from an AHT and 3 teachers, to 2 primary leads plus 2 teachers. The primary pupils now have the option of bespoke blended timetable packages which can include offsite AP, at home 1:1 tuition and seesaw online learning. Also, part days on site and part at home. This is meeting the needs of a wide variety of pupils. Ofsted fed back positively about the primary site.
Impact on behaviour
- Introduction of a behaviour curriculum with clear roles for staff and pupils at various points of the day including arrival, break and movement between lessons
- 76% of pupils agree there is a culture of recognising and celebrating positive behaviour at school (data collected from Behaviour Hubs Questionnaire or ENA termly Behaviour and attitude questionnaire
- 83% of staff feel empowered to consistently apply the behaviour rules across the school environment (data collected from Behaviour Hubs Questionnaire or ENA termly Behaviour and attitude questionnaire
- All staff are involved with screening, this is not the responsibility of SLT or middle leaders. This reinforces the one team ethos
- 70% of staff believe leaders and managers monitor and analyse behaviour data and take swift, reasonable action to address issues. 94% of pupils feel safe in school
- An increase in the number of positive behaviour points awarded due to a more consistent approach
- 80% of staff understand how to apply the behaviour rules consistently and fairly across the school environment. 94% of pupils agree they like the rewards system at ENA
- 85% of pupils agree school staff build positive, respectful and supportive relationships.
Next steps on your behaviour journey
- To continue the momentum we have built and drive staff consistency and site team expectations
- To continue to reinforce our one academy ethos
- To reduce the numbers of those vaping on site and the disruption to learning through fire alarms
- To have less site damage
- To continue to improve the academy environment.