St. Columba’s College: Reviewing Behaviour Policies and Strategies

This report presents a discussion and review of St. Columba’s College’s policies on promoting positive behaviour, including strategies for anti-bullying, attendance, rewards, and sanctions. The report highlights the school's hierarchical approach to addressing behavioural issues, emphasizing early intervention and parental involvement. It discusses the importance of rewarding positive behaviour and suggests enhancements to the school's merit system. The report further explores the use of digital technology for educating parents about bullying and gathering feedback to improve behavioural policies. It concludes that the school provides a well-structured framework involving staff, parents, and pupils to promote positive behaviour, with a focus on preventing bullying and fostering a sense of responsibility among students.

Running head: POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
Positive behaviour observations
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
Task 21. Use own knowledge of promoting positive behaviour to contribute to reviews
of behavioural policies, including bullying, attendance and the effectiveness of rewards
and sanctions
Professional discussion
Discussion topics: Bullying, Behavioural policies
Discussion
The following discussion was made between me and the supervisor regarding school’s anti
bullying policy, rewards and sanctions along with attendance policy. In addition, a
personalised review of the effectiveness of these policies and strategies is also discussed.
Anti-bullying policy
Bullying is a common unwanted, aggressive behaviour that is observed in children
and young people. The reason for such behaviour can be various however as a result of this
behaviour the victims face tremendous amount of consequences, which in no way is
encouraged. Our school has extremely strict policies that prohibits the act of bullying in the
school setting. The school has a zero tolerance policy for bullying and have effective
measures to control such inappropriate behaviour. The victims of bullying suffer a lot as a
result of this inappropriate behaviour. For young people as 12 years old, it is often observed
that pupils show signs of bullying without a purpose or intention. Such signs must be handled
with great care and responsibility. The stern actions or measures might effect on pupils mind
for a long term. Therefore, the school setting has adopted some strategies and policies, which
will efficiently handle the inappropriate behaviours without having a negative impact on the
pupils mind.

2POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
The school adopts a hierarchical approach in dealing with behavioural
inappropriateness. The different stages prioritise the severity of inappropriate behaviour of an
individual. The respective class teacher keeps track of different pupils’ behaviour and take
necessary steps accordingly. The action of bullying is recorded in lesson monitor at stage 4
and 5. The stage 4 records the initial stages of bullying or signs of bullying by a pupil. The
steps taken in stage 4 of the behavioural management chart makes sure that the particular
pupil does not repeat such action again. Informing the pupil’s parent to reporting the pupil, in
addition to this, the Head of Year is also informed about the incident and about the particular
pupil. These actions are initiated immediately without any hesitation. The measures adopted
in stage 4 are to keep the particular pupil in check and to avoid further act of bullying.
However, if the pupil continues this act of bullying then it puts him at stage 5 of the chart.
The severity of response for stage 5 is comparatively high. It involves sending letter to
pupil’s parent and in addition to this; it involves parental meeting as well. Moreover, in
extreme cases it may lead to expulsion of the pupil from school. The measures adopted to
avoid and refrain the act of bullying in school setting must not be harsh so that it influences
the minds of the pupil and affect him or her negatively. If the stage 5 actions further exist
then the school has the authority to even expel the pupil on a long-term basis. Such stern
measures are bound to be taken, as the continuous act of bullying is not entertained in school.
The expulsion of student is a stern measure; however, it is essential to be adopted since the
pupil practicing the act of bullying repeatedly may harm others viciously that the school in no
way would be tolerating.
The school follows a set of policies that aims in promoting positive behaviour. The
policies are constructed in consultation with the pupils, in Form class, Student Council and so
on. Therefore, all the policies have a valid reason for its formation. The article 19 ensures that
each child should be protected from any act of violence and this includes bullying in high

3POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
priority. There are universal cases, which evidently states that bullying of any kind have a
strong negative influence on a pupil’s mind as well as physically. The consequence of
bullying have put forward this action as highly inappropriate. Thus, the school have a set of
action plan and policies, which refrain pupils in involving into the act of bullying.
Rewards and Sanctions
The school believes in appreciation of good behaviour as well and this have a positive
impact on pupils moral. The students are rewarded with the help of a charter system where an
act of positive behaviour earn them an achievement point against their name. An achievement
point, a token of acknowledgement always helps a child to achieve and practice a good
behavioural pattern for a long term. These strategies are included for accomplishing the
behavioural policy mentioned in the article 29. The article 29 states that each child should be
encouraged in showing respect to their parents, culture and others culture as well. All the acts
are a sign of a good behaviour and positive moral responsibilities. This can be encouraged by
the means of appreciation. A gesture, appreciation languages are always in practice by the
schoolteachers and other staff members for the purpose of encouragement. In addition,
appreciation of a pupil’s good behaviour on the event of celebration assembly is an efficient
procedure through which the school encourages positive behaviour among student. It is
observed that pupils tend to show positive behaviour more if they are appreciated for their
good behaviour in the first place.
The promotion of good behaviour among children is a responsibility of teachers and
other staff members along with the pupils’ parents and pupils’ as well. The effort put together
in order to promote positive behaviour among students will be successful when everyone
comes together to achieve that goal. Therefore, for the purpose of simultaneous effort a
framework is structured for the staff, parents and pupils as well. The main objective of this

4POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
framework is to provide effective measures and actions to students with the help of which the
pupils are able to achieve good behaviour. This supports the article 3 of the behavioural
policy, which states that all organisations should work simultaneously for promoting best-
suited and appropriate behaviour for a child.
Behaviour Policy
The promotion of positive behaviour in our school follows certain policies and
strategies. The school takes the initiative of recording the incidents in a record monitor. The
school have a set of responsibilities that strive to promote positive behaviour among pupils.
The students in school range from a very tender age and thus, the strategies adopted should
not be such that instead of disciplining them and educating them about positive behaviour,
further, demotivates them. Demotivation of any sort effect on pupils mind negatively. Hence,
it is extremely essential to construct strategies that mildly and gradually improves the
behaviour. The school keeping this in mind has taken the hierarchical behavioural system,
which provides various stages for the purpose of categorising distinctive inappropriate
behaviour. Each stage has a suggested response which the authority or person-in-charge can
take. The segregation made with help of various stages help the authority to analyse and
evaluate the severity of inappropriate behaviour. Sometimes there might be a presence of a
logical reason for the inappropriate behaviour of a pupil. In such scenario, the school
provides support through various professionals. This helps the pupil to overcome his or her
issues and ultimately show progress in his or her behaviour.
Attendance and Lateness policy
The school have a strict attendance policy that encourages students to be regular in
class. This policy aims in achieving high level of punctuality and attendance among pupils.
The school’s aim is to create a sense of responsibility among pupils from early age and this

5POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
could be maintained with the help of attendance policy of the school. The responsibility to
maintain attendance and lateness policy is equally divided among pupils, pupil’s parents and
The Board of Governors. The policy enables students to achieve a sense of responsibility,
self-discipline, and so on. Pupil’s absence is allowed only when it is considered by the Board
of Governors as an authorized absence, which is in case of illness, hospital confinements and
other justified reasons.
Agreed actions
The school should increase the involvement of parents in preventing bullying. The
parents should be informed about the forms of bullying. This will not only help the parents to
detect that if their child is being bullied even so will help them to identify that if their child is
bullying someone. In addition to this, if the parents are able to detect and identify the possible
bullying actions then the school should provide a platform where the parents could
communicate for the concerned issue.
Task 22. Provide clear and considered feedback on the effectiveness of behaviour
management strategies to inform policy review and development
Professional discussion
Discussion topics
 Steps with which behaviour management strategies could be enhanced
 Feedback of schools existing policies
The school’s policies includes satisfactory approach with the implementation of
which pupils would be able to achieve positive behaviour. The school provides merit system
as well with which encouraging and motivating the pupils to practice positive behaviour is

6POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
enhanced. However, apart from providing the reward and sanction system in encouraging
pupils with good behaviour, the school could also take the initiative of arranging programmes
for the students as well as the parents that will educate them about various aspects which
could enhance positive behaviour. Programmes on the subject of Bullying could also be
included in school strategies in order to prevent bullying. It is observed that many times, the
act of bullying goes unrecognised. This happens as a result of inability to identify different
forms of bullying that persist in school setting. The programmes will help educate the parents
about various forms of bullying that exists in the school and will provide ways with which
they could identify these forms of bullying.
The school could include other procedure with which they could enhance the merit
system. Instead of giving pupil appreciation in front of a large mass, a small gesture of
appreciation would be more affective. It is evident in many scenarios that appreciation in
grand way sometimes embarrass the pupil hence, a small gesture of appreciation is sufficient
for such individuals. Appreciation or merit should also be provided to pupils who show
progress in managing their behaviour. This will further incite him towards maintaining a
positive behaviour. Therefore, the school could include a chart system where the pupil would
get a badge of recognition for achieving the required number of badges for his or her progress
in behaviour.
The school could take the route of digital technology as well for the purpose of
preventing bullying and other inappropriate behaviour. The school can use its official website
for alerting and educating parents about bullying. Online programmes will provide the
parents to access with ease. It can also open up a feedback option on its official website
where parents can drop in their feedbacks regarding schools current policies and strategies.
These feedbacks will help enhance and develop even more the behavioural policies of school.

7POSITVE BEHAVIOUR OBSERVATIONS
Thus, it is observed from the above discussion that the school setting provides
appropriate and satisfactory policies and strategies that aims in promoting positive behaviour
among students. The pupils’ age depends a lot in constructing these policies and strategies.
The young age makes it difficult for schools to implement harsh rules and regulations as this
might put a negative impression on pupils’ mental health. A well-structured framework is
provided by the school where every staff members, parents and pupils work simultaneously
to promote and achieve positive behaviour. Various measures are adopted for the prevention
of bullying. As bullying is one of the rising issues that surround our society immensely, it is
extremely important that pupils from a very tender age must be aware about the consequences
of bullying. In addition to this, the action plans and policies are effectively existent for
prevention of bullying and promotion of positive behaviour among children and young
people.