Behaviour at school

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Schools celebrate good behaviour. Good behaviour is one of the foundations for successful teaching and learning.

Many schools encourage positive attitudes through reward systems, like class or individual prizes.

All schools should have a behaviour policy that describes:

the school's expectations of pupils
punishments when pupils misbehave
how the school makes sure that the behaviour of any pupil does not affect the learning, safety and progress of others

If problems arise with your child's behaviour at school, the school should discuss it with you.

If you're concerned about your child's behaviour, speak to their teacher, headteacher, tutor or head of year.

If there is a problem between parents and the school, both can contact us for advice.

Your child's behaviour is included in the record of achievement and in references requested by colleges or prospective employers.

How school staff can develop a behaviour policy from the Department of Education behaviour policy

You can contact the Early Help team by:

Schools can legally keep a pupil at school outside of normal school hours to punish poor behaviour. This is called a detention.

Detentions can take place:

You'll get 24 hours written notice of a detention that takes place outside normal school hours.

The notice should tell you why the detention was given and how long your child will have to stay at school.

If your child cannot attend, explain the reasons to your child's teacher or headteacher.

They may reconsider the detention in certain circumstances, like if:

the detention falls on an important religious day for your family
you're concerned about the length and safety of the route between school and home
you cannot reasonably make alternative arrangements for collecting your child from school

If your child does not go to the detention without a good reason, the school may give them a more serious punishment.

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