Rewards and Sanctions Policy

ST CATHERINE’S SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT Our Vision To be a school that lives the Gospel values, promotes the dignity of every individual and is committed to excellence. We are a Catholic school where every student, regardless of individual faith: is valued is a member of a thriving, happy community is helped to achieve his/her personal best is given a wide range of opportunities to develop his/her talents is prepared for the challenges of adult life is helped to understand and fulfil his/her responsibilities to self, family and society.

ST CATHERINE’S SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT
Our Vision

To be a school that lives the Gospel values, promotes the dignity of every individual and is committed to excellence. We are a Catholic school where every student, regardless of individual faith:

is valued
is a member of a thriving, happy community
is helped to achieve his/her personal best
is given a wide range of opportunities to develop his/her talents
is prepared for the challenges of adult life
is helped to understand and fulfil his/her responsibilities to self, family and society.

It is the responsibility of all teaching staff to ensure that the school’s policies and code of conduct are applied fairly and consistently, without regard to race, gender or seniority and should be consistent from person to person and from occasion to occasion as far as is possible given that each case is reviewed on its merits.

It cannot be over-stressed that the best way to ensure the highest standards in both behaviour and work is to create a positive ethos where the self-confidence and self-esteem of pupils is promoted by regular praise, congratulation and affirmation. A school culture which is dominated by a mutual respect between pupils and between staff and pupils will lead not only to harmonious relationships but also to the fulfillment of the pupils’ potential both academically and socially.

REWARDS SHOULD OUTNUMBER SANCTIONS

REWARDS

For attainment, effort and progress

Verbal and Written Praise
Merit marks
Work put on display
Phone call to parents
High grades on reports
Comment made in the written report to parents
Headmistress’s commendation
Certificates presented at Assembly
House Cup awarded at Prize Giving ceremony
Individual prizes awarded at Prize Giving ceremony

THE MERIT SYSTEM

Aims:

To encourage every pupil to work to her best ability across the curriculum
To reward a consistently good effort or outstanding piece of work
To raise academic standards in the school by conspicuously valuing outstanding effort and achievement
To encourage every pupil to participate (to her best ability) in and contribute to extracurricular activities
To reward a consistently good effort or outstanding contribution to the extracurricular life of the school.
To enhance the pastoral and extracurricular life of the school and service to the community by conspicuously valuing outstanding effort and achievement

IMPLEMENTATION

A Merit (maximum of one merit except for one-off events e.g. Science Quiz when the maximum is two) is awarded to an individual pupil for :
- an outstanding major piece of work (equivalent to grade 1 on reports or A* at GCSE)
- a consistently good achievement over a number of pieces of work
- a strong contribution to the House activities
- outstanding achievements in extracurricular, cultural or service activities (e.g. swimming gala, music competition)
- a consistently good achievement in an activity over a period of time (min. half term)
- a significant contribution to the School community
- significant progress made over a period of time in a subject or activity (e.g. significantly better HW assignments on at least 3 consecutive occasions)
- a consistently good effort over a period of time in a subject or activity

These latter two categories are envisaged specifically to reward the pupil who would not normally be seen as academically strong or as strong in that activity e.g. not members of the‘A’ team .

On awarding a Merit:
the teacher writes ‘Merit’ in the exercise book, together with the date, a brief comment if appropriate, then signs it.
The pupil records this in her planner. The teacher who awarded the merit initials the entry in the planner.

Alternatively, on awarding a Merit the teacher records this directly in the pupil planner and initials it.

Tutors monitor the award of subject merits at the weekly ‘planner check’ and endeavour to encourage pupils who seem not to be gaining recognition. The tutor raises this at briefing to ascertain if there is a concern. In the event of notable omissions in the award of certain subject merits, the Tutor notifies the Head of Year/Deputy Head. The Tutor is responsible for keeping a record of all merits received.

On receiving 25, 50and 100 merits the pupil informs the Form tutor who passes the names to the Head of House. The pupil is then presented with a certificate at House assembly

Merits (maximum 1 per entrant) may be awarded for other events e.g. Library Quiz.
At the end of the year the House with the most points receives the House Cup at Prize Giving.

It is sometimes pointed out that whilst bad behaviour is clearly punished, good behaviour goes unrewarded. In a sense this is unavoidable – especially if we take good behaviour to be the norm. Nevertheless a record of good behaviour should be noted by the tutor in interim and full reports.

SANCTIONS

Staff are responsible for setting the standards of work and behaviour in their lessons and tutor sessions, and should deal with concerns relating to these. In the case of concerns that need to be referred the correct procedure should be followed.

All Staff are encouraged to use the following informal sanctions, before applying one of the official school sanctions:

Verbal Reprimand
Repeat inadequate work
Report back for work at break or lunch-time.

Official Sanctions (All of which must be recorded.)

1. A phone call home to parents (Recorded on official form kept in staffroom. A copy to be given to the Head)

2. Order Marks (recorded in Pupil Planner)

An order mark may be given for:

Minor behavioural offences

On awarding an Order Mark the teacher writes the reason in the pupil’s planner, together with the date then signs it.

Tutors monitor the award of Order Marks at the weekly planner check. When a pupil has received 5 Order Marks she receives an automatic Lunchtime Restriction. The Tutor should notify the Head of Year/Deputy Head. The Tutor is responsible for keeping a record of all Order Marks received.

3. Sanctions

5 order marks – lunchtime restriction Friday 1.30 with MF
5 more order marks – school detention

Planners not signed for one week – order mark and note in planner
Planners not signed for two consecutive weeks – lunchtime restriction
Planners not signed for 3 weeks – pass on to Head of Year

Heads of Year/Deputy Head

2 lates – lunchtime detention Friday 1.05pm JG/MC
4 lates – Friday after school detention until 4.30pm MF
8 lates – Friday after school detention until 5.00pm and parents contacted

4. Lunchtime restriction (recorded in file kept in staffroom):

For minor behavioural offences (generally outside lessons) e.g. dropping litter, scruffy uniform despite reminders) which can be given by all staff.
It takes place on a lunchtime supervised by the Deputy Head and will normally involve some form of community service e.g. litter picking or some other practical chore.
Pupils may postpone until the next Lunchtime Restriction due to House/School commitments only with the agreement of the Deputy Head. Non-attendees will be given a School detention by the Deputy Head.

5. School Detention (entered in file kept in staffroom):

For more serious academic or behavioural offences (including regularly arriving late to registration/lessons/activities, regularly not being properly equipped for a lesson/activity, regularly late HW i.e. 3 in a half term despite subject/dept detentions) which can be given by all staff. However, for misbehaviour in class or failure to produce work in class, a member of staff may not put more than three pupils in at a time without consulting with his/her Head of Department, Director of Studies or the Deputy Head first.

To take place on a Tuesday after school (4:00-5:00pm) supervised by the teacher on duty.

The teacher who gives the detention is responsible for ensuring that the pupil and the parents are informed at least 24 hours in advance by means of a standard letter (copies kept in the Staff Room). If the pupil fails to return the signed detention slip to the tutor on the morning of their detention, another detention will be given by the tutor.

(If a detention is issued on the Tuesday itself, the teacher who has issued the detention may phone the parents on the day to notify them of the detention and get a verbal agreement. In this case the teacher should indicate this clearly on the detention record sheet and initial it.)

The teacher giving the detention should set his/her own work – sufficient to occupy the pupil for 1hr.

Pupils who turn up late to the detention will automatically be given a second detention.

Pupils may not change the time once entered in the detention file. If absent on the day of the detention the pupil is expected to attend the detention the following week.

Non-attendees will be chased up by the Deputy Head via Tutors and will serve an additional detention.
Tutors should keep a record of all detentions given.

6. Extended School Detention (entered in file kept in staffroom):

For very serious academic or behavioural offences or a series of normal School detentions (three in a half-term). These can only be given by the Deputy Head/Director of Studies/Head of Year.

The Tutor is responsible for informing the Head of Year/Deputy Head if three detentions are received in a half-term.

They take place on Tuesday (alongside the normal school detention) from 4.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. and will be supervised by the teacher on duty. They take priority over any other event.

A standard letter home should be sent by the Heads of KS 3 & 4/ Director of Studies/Deputy Head. Suitable work (of either an academic or practical nature) should be organised by the Head of Year/ Director of Studies/Deputy Head.

Clashes between detentions and other activities

If, as a result of incomplete/substandard/late/no homework, a pupil is asked to see the teacher at a time when the pupil has an extra-curricular activity, work takes priority. Pupils committed to play in an inter-school match or in a School Concert or School Play must fulfill this commitment if a replacement cannot be found.

Exclusion from Class

It is only ever appropriate to exclude a pupil from your class if their behaviour is seriously damaging the discipline of the classroom. On these occasions the pupil concerned should be sent immediately to either the Head of Department or Head of Year. They should have their work with them. Pupils should never be left simply standing outside a room (or working outside a classroom). A pupil excluded from a class will be given a School detention automatically.

Weekly Report – Green Card System

These should not necessarily be seen as sanctions, but rather as a way of providing more constant monitoring of a pupil who is not performing at their best academically. They are only issued by the Heads of KS3 & 4 /Deputy Head. They must be signed each period by the member of staff teaching the lesson. They should also be signed each night by parents. They must be checked daily by tutor and Head of Year . The length of time any pupil is on report is determined by her progress and motivation and will be done in consultation with the Head of Year (the minimum time is likely to be a fortnight). The report sheets should be retained by the Head of Year/Deputy Head.

The tracking system will also operate on a ‘traffic light’ system

Green:

Used in the first instance of any problem being highlighted
The Heads of KS 3 or 4 will ring home to inform parents that their daughter has been placed on the tracking sheet and the reason why
If the tutor sees a problem with the report card they should send the student to Heads of Year who will take the appropriate action
Pupils may remain on the report card for more than one week.

Yellow:

Used where problems have persisted on the Green card or for more serious initial incidents
The Heads of Year will ring home to inform the parents that their daughter has been placed on the tracking sheet and the reason why.
Pupils on a Yellow tracking sheet will spend 1.05 – 1.35pm in detention either with the Head of Year.

Red:

Used where problems have persisted on the Yellow card or for very serious initial incidents
Director of Studies or Deputy Head will ring home to request parents come in to discuss why their daughter has been placed on the tracking sheet.
Pupils on a Red tracking sheet will spend break and lunch under the supervision of a member of SMT. They may also be required to work after school.

After School Support

Some pupils may be asked to attend After School Support. After School Support takes place , Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday for one hour led by the Deputy Head and Heads of Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. This is to support those pupils who find it difficult to meet homework/coursework deadlines due to specific learning difficulties or other pastoral issues. Pupils will attend this until it is felt they are back on target.

Coursework

It is essential that the deadlines for coursework are strictly adhered to. Please do not extend deadlines.
If coursework is sub-standard, incomplete or not done by the interim deadline. There may be two or three separate deadlines with specific consequences for missing them.

Interim 1 – progress review

At this point staff will be checking that appropriate progress has been made and they are confident that at this point the student is on course to complete the coursework to a suitable standard on time.
If a student either misses this deadline or the work is not of a standard that makes the teacher believe the coursework will be completed and of an appropriate standard then the following actions will be taken:

The teacher will send the interim 1 letter (copies in staff room) to the parents, a copy of this should go to the Headmistress and Director of Studies..
The teacher will have the student in at lunch time and / or after school to bring the work up to scratch – individual members of staff will be responsible for supervising these and assisting the student to improve / complete their work.
An after school detention will be given as a punishment. Again the individual member of staff must ensure that the student can use this time effectively on their coursework.

Interim 2 – final piece

This deadline should be about a week before the coursework is finally due. At this point the coursework should be almost complete and just require a few finishing touches.
If a student either misses this deadline or the work is not of a standard that makes the teacher believe the coursework will be completed and of an appropriate standard then the following actions will be taken:

The teacher will send the interim 2 letter (copies in staff room) to the parents, a copy of this should go to SP and JSk.
The teacher will have the student in during lunch time and / or after school to bring the work up to scratch – individual members of staff will be responsible for supervising these and assisting the student to improve / complete their work.
An extended after school detention will be given for the work to be completed, this will be supervised by the individual member of staff concerned so that any necessary guidance can be given.

Final deadline:

If the above procedures have been carried out properly all work will be ready to be handed in on this deadline and will be of an appropriate standard.
Extensions must not be granted at this stage; otherwise other coursework will be affected.

If a student does not hand their work in on this date they will be given an after school detention as punishment. This will become a yellow report card and a week of lunch time detentions if the work is not submitted next day, the individual subject teacher concerned will need to assist in supervising to ensure the work is completed.

Absence:

If a student is absent for a deadline then the following action should be taken:

The letter sent should be sent as described above explaining that due to an absence the student has missed the deadline and if the work is handed in upon the student’s return there would be no problem.
If the work is not handed in upon the student’s return all the consequences as described above should be followed – including another letter.

Staff must take a proactive approach in monitoring student’s progress and must be responsible for supervising and guiding students when their work is not on track. Staff are also responsible for keeping the Director of Studies informed of any emerging problems.

Lines

The use of repetitive or mindless punishments such as writing out lines is not permitted.

Fines

A pupil may be fined a sum of money (maximum £50) if a pupil is caught smoking or in possession of cigarettes. Fines are imposed by the Deputy Head. In addition, the pupil is given an automatic Extended School Detention. This money will be sent to a charity such as Cancer research. Repeated infringements will lead to suspension.

Suspensions

Suspensions may be given by the Headmistress for either repeated acts of indiscipline or for a single serious breach of School Rules. A pupil suspended will be sent home for a specified period of time. A pupil given a ‘Reverse Suspension’ will be required to be at school at a time when she would normally be free to go home (e.g. over the weekend or in the holidays)

Expulsion

A pupil may be expelled if the Headmistress is satisfied that the pupil’s conduct (whether on or off the school premises or in or out of term time) has been prejudicial to good order or school discipline or to the reputation of the school.

Reviewed: November 2011
Next Review Date: November 2013