The St. Nicholas School approach to discipline is straightforward, direct and simple. In all activities, educational and social, the accent is placed firmly on the need for obedience, punctuality and good effort. Praise is given for success no matter how small or insignificant it might appear to be. When bad manners, disobedience or selfishness occurs sanctions can be imposed by staff - these take the form of straightforward loss of privileges. As far as possible boys are encouraged to accept responsibility for the consequences of their own behaviour. If a boy behaves well this will be duly acknowledged, if a boy behaves badly then it is expected that he will accept whatever disciplinary measure is given to him. Incidents of very bad behaviour will be referred to parents by the Headteacher. If necessary parents will be invited to the School to discuss their child's poor behaviour. Equally parents do have the right to visit the School or speak to the Headteacher should they feel their son is being unfairly treated in some way. Parents will be expected to subscribe to the School's code of conduct and standards.
The school will not tolerate acts of bullying by its pupils. All pupils have the right to feel safe and secure whilst at school and they are actively encouraged to report to staff bullying behaviour which takes place towards them and other pupils. Pupils can also choose to report bullying behaviour in secret by using the ‘Bully Box’ which is kept in the Head of Care’s office. A pupil can write down his concerns and put it into the box in total privacy. The box is checked regularly by Senior Staff to see what particular concerns are being raised by the pupils. In this way it is hoped that the Senior Staff of the school will have a better understanding of what is occurring between the pupils. Pupils who bully are interviewed by Senior Staff and, where appropriate, such pupils will be given support to encourage them to stop bullying others. The parents of the boys who are recognised as engaging in bullying behaviour are also informed by the school as to what is occurring so that they might actively discourage their son from continuing to bully.
Pupils may be punished by being given lunch-time or after school detentions for bouts of poor behaviour, during the school day, such as; being rude towards staff and other pupils; being out of class; disobedience an so on.
The lunch time detention lasts for approximately 20 minutes whilst the after school detentions can last for up to 45 minutes. Pupils who get detentions also lose points off the classroom Points System.
For the safety , welfare and behaviour management of the pupils, the School operates a Mobility Grading system regarding the levels of supervision required for each individual pupil. The system operates across the whole school (during the day and evening) but would not necessarily prevent a pupil from taking part in a bona fide educational activity or outside trip. The Mobility Grading categories are -
Grounded -
A pupil on this grade would not be allowed to participate in out of school activities and is closely supervised by staff at all times to ensure that he is where he is supposed to be.Banned -
A pupil on this grade would not be allowed to participate in off-site activities but may walk freely around the school site.Supervised -
A pupil on this grade is closely supervised by staff on outside school trips and activities.Restricted -
A pupil on this grade does not have to be directly supervised by staff on outside trips and activities. The member of staff responsible for the group may choose to allow boys on this grade to move within clearly defined areas and time limits. A pupil in the Birds Unit cannot go above this Grade.Unrestricted -
A pupil on this grade may be allowed to be unsupervised for reasonable periods of time on outside trips and activities.Maximum Mobility -
Pupils on this grade would be allowed to go out of school for an evening unsupervised on a planned activity e.g. a trip to the cinema. The grade assumes the pupil concerned is completely trustworthy. Only pupils in year 10 and 11 may aspire to this grade.Pupils on a restricted mobility and above, except for pupils in the Birds Unit, may go out of school for a short time but only for a specific reason.
Upon admission all new pupils are placed on the supervised category regardless of their age. Once staff have got to know a pupil, then this grading can be changed following consultation between the Keyworker, Classteacher, Headteacher and Parents. A consent form should be signed by all parents and parents should be informed when mobility grades are changed.
Mobility grades are reviewed at the end of each week by a senior member of staff and are changed according to behaviour reported on senior report slips, taking into account each pupil’s age and the unit they are in.
All parents are requested to support the School in the matter of school dress.
During the day
All pupils in Years 6 - 10 should wear the following during the school day:
Pupils in Year 11 may exercise a choice of clothing which should consist of:
If parents are experiencing difficulties providing the appropriate school dress, they should contact the school.
P.E. Kit
Pupils should be provided with the following items:
After School
pupils are expected to wear their own casual wear and they should be provided with appropriate clothing taking into consideration the varying weather conditions and activities that boys may take part in. We would request that parents ensure that their son brings into school the following:
Pupils are permitted to wear:
one ear-stud only which must be a 'stud' and not a 'loop' or any other type of design. NO OTHER FORM OF BODY PIERCING IS ALLOWED, i.e. eyebrows, nose, etc.
Pupils should remove jewellery during P.E, Games or Craft lessons and evening activities or during any other session where it might constitute a hazard.
Parents should be aware that all ear piercing should be done so professionally.
Parents are expected to ensure that their son’s hair is cut on a regular basis in a reasonable and appropriate style i.e. skinhead type or excessively long hair are not appropriate.
Parents should be aware that clothing that displays drug related/ inappropriate logos or labels is not permitted.
The Governors and Headteacher reserve the right to decide if a boy's clothing is appropriate and it is the expectation that all parents will support the School's dress code.
The viewing of videos is carefully monitored by staff and the British Board of Film Classification Ratings are adhered to. The pupils are only allowed to watch videos which are considered to be legally suitable. This policy is also applied to films which are taped from the television and if there is any doubt as to the film’s classification, the children would not be allowed to view it. The British Board of Film Classification Rating are as follows:
U - Universal - Suitable for all.
PG - Parental Guidance - General viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
15 - Suitable for PERSONS OF 15 YEARS AND OVER. This film may have a fairly adult theme. It may have some scenes of sex or violence or some bad language.
18 - Suitable for PERSONS OF 18 AND OVER.
We request that parents respect this policy and these classifications when sending videos in with their children.
Due to the dangers and possible misuse of aerosols, pupils are not permitted to bring in any form of aerosol container to school. Whilst the use of deodorants and anti-perspirants is encouraged, only roll-on or pump action sprays are allowed.
All valuables and personal possessions brought into school are the responsibility of the pupils and the school cannot be held responsible for any losses or damage. Parents should take this into consideration particularly when boys are bringing in expensive items such as; televisions, stereos, computer games and expensive items of clothing, etc. All boys are provided with a locker and key on admission to the school to enable them to store valuable or personal items securely. If they lose this key a new one will only be issued upon receipt of a payment to cover the cost of a replacement.
Due to problems of storage and for safety, boys are not permitted to bring in bicycles, roller skates or skateboards or similar items.
Smoking by pupils is not permitted and the dangers of smoking will be highlighted during Health Education lessons, etc. Any pupils caught smoking will be given a detention and any cigarettes and/or lighters or matches found will be confiscated and handed to the Headteacher. If a pupil persistently flaunts this school rule and is regularly in detention for smoking the Headteacher will write to the pupil’s parents informing them of the schools concerns
USE OF RADIOS / WALKMANS AND MOBILE PHONES
Pupils are allowed to use such items before and after school. A pupil may be allowed to use a Walkman or Radio with earphones at bedtime providing they are used quietly and with due consideration to the other pupils in the dormitory area.
Parents should be aware that it is a matter of school policy that in cases of non-accidental damage to school property (e.g. boys deliberately breaking windows; damage to furniture) parents will be asked to make a contribution towards the cost of repair of the damage. In cases where parents refuse to make a contribution it has been agreed by the Governors that the pupil concerned will not be allowed to participate in any school subsidised activity until the debt has been cleared. Obviously if any parents are facing real financial hardship the school will deal sympathetically with the situation if they inform the Headteacher of their circumstances.
Parents should be aware that in cases where a pupil is involved in an act of criminal behaviour/activity (e.g. assault against another pupil; criminal damage) the police may be involved and criminal charges preferred.
Boys are allowed to bring in electrical items such as, T.Vs, Games Computers but they must be electrically tested at an approved centre, and be provided with a test certificate to show that this has been carried out. These test can be carried out by local electrical stores at a modest charge. Equipment which has not been tested will not be allowed in school for safety reasons.
PARENTAL CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL FUNDS
The school organsises many educational and recreational trips out for all its pupils at significant costs to the school budget. We therefore ask the parents to make a voluntary contribution of £10.00 per term to assist with the cost of these trips. Without such contributions, some trips would not be able to go ahead.
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