Context for joining Behaviour Hubs
Friarage School is located in one of the highest areas of deprivation along the North Yorkshire Coast.
The school deprivation indicator is in quintile 5 (most deprived – bottom 20%) of all schools nationally.
The school has 51% Pupil Premium and 48% English as an additional language of which 20% are new to English. Twenty-Five different nationalities are represented in the school.
The school is well below average for pupil stability. In year arrivals for 2023 2024 were 39 and departures 37.
Our School Motto is ‘Together we can’.
The School was placed in ‘Special Measures’ in October 2018 and was judged as ‘requires improvement’ in January 2024.
Behaviour challenges and goals
- For pupils, staff and parents to understand all expectations and routines and implement them consistently.
- For all staff to feel confident in teaching and managing behaviour.
- Ensuring that all stakeholders had buy in and were consistent in implementing the new systems and routines and doing so with fidelity.
- Pupils not having a clear understanding of school expectations regarding behaviour.
- Staff being unsure if the new systems were suitable for pupils with SEND
Solutions to behaviour challenges
Ensuring all stakeholders had buy in and were consistent in implementing the new systems and routines and doing so with fidelity.
– Regular half termly CPD was delivered to staff to introduce, establish and remind staff of new routines and systems. Recap sessions were given so that no ‘slippage’ against the expectations occurred. Staff were explicitly told the expectations, and a clear behaviour manual was created to support staff. A one-page guide was also created, to give to any cover/supply staff who worked in the school on arrival. The implementation was then checked regularly by leaders.
– All new staff have CPD as part of their induction process.
– A culture of ‘friendly challenge’ was established where everyone reminded each other if an expectation or routine was not being followed. This was evident when after a routine of ‘quiet corridors’ was implemented, a child whispered to the headteacher who was having a conversation with another staff member ‘remember Mrs Cappleman, quiet corridors please’.
Pupils not having a clear understanding of school expectations regarding behaviour.
– Leaders simplified the school rules into the ‘Friarage Four’.
– We work hard, we are safe, we are kind, and we are respectful.
– These have become embedded in the school language and are consistently referred to, praised and acknowledged around school when pupils demonstrate these behaviours and also discussed when they break the rules.
– Loss of breaktime was introduced as a consistent consequence for pupils who had demonstrated unacceptable behaviour, the format for this was developed with Tom Bennet’s research in mind, the ‘detention’ would be 15 mins of sitting in silence with a member of SLT or middle leader, this would act as the deterrent which would be followed up by a scripted threshold conversation. After an open day visit to Spring Grove School in Huddersfield, where we were shown some effective resources, we created our own script for this ‘threshold conversation’ by adapting some of their resources, in particular using a circle of control image.
– Half termly assemblies focus on the new rules and on new routines that are being established with regular recap assemblies. Rules and reminders are visible throughout school.
– All classes have reminders of school and class expectations at the beginning of every half term and teachers are explicit in their communication of these to the children and are consistent in implementing them e.g. good listening means, eyes on the person speaking and empty hands.
– Clear consequences were introduced (positive and negative) and staff are expected to use these consistently across school with all pupils unless it is written into a child’s EHCP that a different approach is required.
Staff being unsure if the new systems were suitable for pupils with SEND
– CPD from the Behaviour HUB resources, the Lead School’s advice and feedback and additional podcasts/ webinars from Tom Bennett enabled all staff to gain clarity and understanding that clear and consistent rules and routines are even more important for pupils with SEND.
Impact on behaviour
Pupils were not able to recall the school rules previously as there were simply too many. All pupils can now articulate the new ‘Friarage Four’ and understand the expectations of each one.
As a result of explicitly teaching behaviour and having high and clear expectations, behaviour has improved. This has also had an impact on the children being more ready to learn and having a better attitude to learning. Books show pupils are making good progress and now have more pride in their work. KS2 outcomes have improved by 20%.
Monitoring of behaviour shows that the school’s policy is being followed consistently across school by all staff including lunchtime staff.
All visitors to the school comment on how calm and welcoming the school is.
Supply teachers are now more consistent and in line with school policy when managing behaviour. Incidents of poor behaviour when these adults are covering classes has decreased.
Ofsted
Ofsted January 2024 Ofsted judged the school as ‘good’ for behaviour and attitudes. The report contains the following quotes
‘Pupils are polite and kind to others. They understand the fundamental rules of the school, the Friarage 4’.
‘Pupils understand the behaviour systems that leaders have put in place. The new behaviour policy has had a positive impact on pupil’s behaviour throughout school’.
Parent View Ofsted
92% of parents agreed the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved, with 6% of parents saying they didn’t know.
Staff Survey
95% of staff said that pupils understood what will happen if they don’t meet expectations.
100% of staff said that the school rules were easy to follow.
Other
The school has been asked by ‘Pathfinder Teaching School’ to be a delegate school for it new Behaviour program, Friarage has been asked to showcase introducing routines and developing an inclusive and welcoming culture.
The headteacher has also been asked to deliver behaviour sessions to Initial Teacher Trainees for the ‘Scarborough Teaching Alliance’.
Next steps on your behaviour journey
- To introduce a points-based reward system that is consistent, fair and easy to manage.
- To develop the provision for the pupils in school with significant needs