Bradfields School

Excellence & Enjoyment

Staff Handbook

1 2 Contents Page

Introduction to our School 04

Aims and Values 15

Safe Working Practices 18

Child Protection 32

General Information 36

Telephone Extension List 38

Staff & Governor Lists 39

Staffing Structure 43

School Day 44

Staff Meetings & Other Evening Events 45

Our ‘Learning Tree’ 46

Teaching & Learning 47

Staff Development 52

Performance Management 59

Staff Absence Management 62

Leave of Absence 67

Rarely Cover 75

Guidelines on the use of DVDs & AV Resources 77

School Calendar 2012-13 78

EVC Dates for 2012-13 78

Provisional School Calendar 2013-14 79

School Emergency Closure Arrangements 80

Fire Alarm Procedure 81

Staff Welfare & Well-Being 82

Work Life Balance 84

Behaviour Management 86

Update suggestions for next reprint 96

3 Bradfields School

Headteacher Mr Kim Johnson

Address Churchill Avenue Chatham Kent

ME5 0LB Excellence & Enjoyment

Telephone (01634) 683990 Fax (01634) 683571 Email [email protected]

Designation Special Education – Complex Learning Needs MLD / ASD / SLD

No of Places 275 Age Range 4-19

Bradfields School is an innovative and forward-looking Medway LA school which provides education for students who primarily experience complex learning difficulties and disabilities which may include speech, language, emotional, sensory, physical or autistic spectrum secondary.

The school includes a split site 4-14 Lower School and 14-19 Upper School all age day special school on one campus. It delivers the full National Curriculum and Externally Accredited Qualifications via subject specialist teachers, experienced in working with students with special educational needs. The curriculum is planned, delivered and assessed at a pace and level appropriate to individual need.

In addition to the range of SEN detailed above, there is also a cohort of students who are borderline SLD in each Key Stage. They are a discreet group of students and follow an adapted curriculum alongside their peers. As well, there are students who are high functioning in some areas of the curriculum and therefore have the opportunity to access Greenacre School for GCSE Courses.

The school has a high staff : student ratio which ensures that teaching groups are smaller in size. As a result staff are able to deliver a curriculum

4 that includes developing basic access skills, subject specific knowledge/skills, an enquiring mind, independence, positive relationships, self-esteem, confidence and the social/emotional skills to prepare students for both successful participation in their community and access to further education and/or the workplace.

The school prides itself in the quality of pastoral care and support available, which is key to our philosophy that every child matters. A particular strength of the school is the extremely good working partnership between staff, students, parents/carers and the various support agencies. The quality of relationships and trust between staff and students is central to our aim that the provision is supportive, safe, stimulating, challenging and individually targeted to ensure that all students achieve high educational standards relative to their ability.

The school has a good and extensive range of teaching and learning resources that include: tutor bases and subject classrooms; group meeting and recreational rooms; specialist art, design technology, food technology, music, woodland studies, science and information technology rooms ; a drama studio ; a full size gymnasium ; garden, woodland and horticulture areas ; hard court playgrounds ; and, playing fields. All of which are accessible to those with a physical disability.

The school has a commitment to continually developing and upgrading its teaching and learning resources. Recent improvements have been the new KS1/2 Classroom Areas and KS4 Classroom Block for our increasing cohort of complex ASD students. These were part of a £1,5m new build showing the confidence Medway LA has in our quality provision.

The School is split into 4 Zones

KS5 [Years 12-14] Green Zone Upper School KS4 [Years 10-11] Red Zone

KS3 [Years 7-9] Yellow Zone Lower School

KS1-5 Specialist Complex ASD [Years R-14] Upper & Lower School Map of the School :

Awards and Achievements 6 The school has been awarded the following :

1. Comenius Funded Partnerships 2011-3 and 2012-14 2. Arts Mark in May 2012 3. Full International Award in July 2011 ; 4. Bronze Award – How Green is your School Scheme in May 2011 ; 5. Links Mark (Languages) Award in December 2010 ; 6. SSAT : CLDD Research School status in September 2010 ; 7. NCSL Leadership Training School in June 2010 ; 8. Full FMSiS Accreditation in June 2009 ; 9. Arts Mark - Silver in May 2009 ; 10. Intermediate International Scheme Award in March 2009 ; 11. Disability Employment Mark in March 2009 ; 12. Gold Award in the Forestry Commission's Green Tree Schools Award Scheme in February 2009 ; 13. CPD Quality Mark - Gold Standard in January 2009; 14. Inclusive Schools Quality Mark in December 2008 ; 15. FMSiS 'Light Touch' accreditation in Dec 2008 ; 16. Secondary Basic Skills Mark 3 in November 2008 ; 17. GTP Accredited Centre in September 2008 ; 18. Training Status for Masters Degree in Social Work Course in September 2008 ; 19. Extended School Services status in June 2007 ; 20. Foundation International Scheme Award in August 2007 ; 21. Secondary Basic Skills Mark in December 2006 ; 22. Healthy School Status in Sept 2005.

These Awards and achievements indicate the emphasis that the school has wholeheartedly put into school improvement and the pursuit of excellence. The process of aspiring to such high standards and the outcomes achieved have then been validated by the external assessment of these bodies. In short, we have worked hard to raise standards and the awards have validated the school improvement process and culture of seeking excellence in all we do.

Since 2007 Bradfields School has had 2 Young Commissioner representatives on the Medway Youth Parliament. These students are instrumental in raising the profile of young people with disabilities.

Since 2008, Medway Youth Parliament has celebrated the efforts and achievements of young people from across Medway at the Try Angle Awards Ceremony. Bradfields School continually has nominations in the nine categories. This is seen as evidence of the quality of personal development and community engagement achieved by students at Bradfields. Academic Curriculum

7 Bradfields School is aspirational and ambitious for all its students. The curriculum is designed to inspire our students to achieve their very best, to take risks, to develop the skills to tackle new challenges, and raise future aspirations and ambitions.

All students are provided with the opportunity to access and be successful in gaining accredited qualifications, at a range of levels, as appropriate to their stage. These include Entry levels, ASDAN awards, GCSE’s, BTECs and Principal Learning, these are studied both on-site and off-site at Mid Kent College, Catch 22 and Brogdale Cafe.

We are pleased to be offering the following subjects in 2012-13:

KS4 Curriculum :

1. Entry Levels – English, Maths, Applied Science, ICT, ICT OCR National, PE, PSHCE & Citizenship, Music, Drama, RS, Chinese (Mandarin), French, History, Geography, Food Technology, Design Technology [Resistant Materials], Design Technology [Electronics], Design Technology [Fashion & Textiles], Design Technology [Construction], Land Studies, Art & Design, Child Development, Physical Education, Principal Learner & Project, Creative Media & Performance Studies, Motor Vehicle Maintenance, Photography and an Introduction to Hair & Beauty. 2. Level 1 Qualifications – Science, Geography, History, Sports Leadership, Arts Award Bronze and Land Studies. 3. GCSEs – Maths, Science and Design Technology [Resistant Materials] and short course Art & Design. 4. BTECs Level 1 & 2 – Science, Art & Design, Construction, Home Cooking Skills and Textiles. 5. Functional Skills – Maths, English and ICT.

Results 2006-12 :

KS4 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 GCSE 11 18 12 61 35 33 49 Entry Level 130 217 249 224 261 358 366 Other - - 40 39 76 100 71 Total 141 235 301 324 372 491 486

KS5 Curriculum :

1. Entry Levels – Adult Literacy, Adult Numeracy, Work Place Hazard Awareness, Applied Science, ICT, ICT OCR National, PE, PSHCE & Citizenship, Music, Drama, RS, Chinese (Mandarin), French, History, Geography, Food Technology, Design Technology [Resistant Materials], Design Technology [Electronics], Design Technology [Fashion & Textiles], Design Technology [Construction], Land 8 Studies, Art & Design, Child Development, Physical Education, Principal Learner & Project, Creative Media & Performance Studies, Motor Vehicle Maintenance, and an Introduction to Hair & Beauty. 2. Level 1 Qualifications – Science, Geography, Sports Leadership, Healthy Living [Eating & Exercise] , Arts Award Bronze, Land Studies, History ASDAN, ASDAN COPE, Animal Care, Motor Vehicle Maintenance, Acentis Introduction to Horticulture, and Acentis Work Experience. 3. Level 2 Qualifications- Arts Award Silver and History ASDAN 4. GCSEs – Maths, Science, Astronomy, Design Technology [Resistant Materials], and short course Art & Design 5. BTECs Level 1 & 2 – Science, Art & Design, Construction, Home Cooking Skills, Hospitality & Catering Performing Arts and Textiles. 6. Functional Skills – Maths, English and ICT. 7. Additional Qualifications - St Johns Ambulance Basic First Aid and Basic Food Hygiene

Results 2006-12 :

KS5 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 GCSE - - - - 86 52 135 Entry Level 54 67 53 131 114 67 97 Other 5 3 80 39 105 222 264 Total 59 70 133 170 305 341 496

The curriculum delivered at Bradfields is similar to that of any primary/secondary school with the exception that class groups are smaller (4 to 12 in core subjects, and 12 to 15 in foundation subjects) and the curriculum is differentiated to meet the particular and special needs of the students. In addition the PSHCE & Citizenship Course includes developing social and emotional skills (SEALS – Social Emotional Aspects of Learning & EI – Emotional Intelligence) and independent learning and living skills with opportunities for practice in a real life setting, through Work Related Learning and placements.

In addition there is significant community engagement for students in : horticulture (KS4) and sport and recreational club links (KS5). Some subjects are offered as 14-19 options at examination level.

The emphasis throughout the whole curriculum coverage from EYFS to KS5 is to achieve the outcomes of the ECM Agenda and successfully prepare all students for independent living, local community engagement, continued learning, access to recreational opportunity and work place employment.

9 It is clear that as a school we have not only worked hard to increase the number of accreditation opportunities to our students, but we have also increased the success rate. Student pass grades in our school have increased from 200 in 2006 to over 800 in 2011. We await the final figures for this academic year.

All Results 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 GCSE 11 18 12 61 121 85 184 Entry Level 184 284 302 355 375 425 465 Other 5 3 120 78 181 322 335 Total 200 305 434 594 677 832 984

As a result of the 2007-10 successes referred to, our Contextual Value Added (CVA) Scores for 2007 & 2009 were the highest of all Secondary (Mainstream & Special) Schools in Medway.

This CVA figure also put us in the top 20% of all Secondary Schools (Mainstream & Special) in England.

The data from the DfE (previously the DCSF) Secondary School achievement and attainment tables for 2007-10 showed :

Results CVA Measure 2007 Medway Secondary School KS2-4 average 1006,4 2007 Bradfields KS2-4 score 1036,4 2008 Medway Secondary School KS2-4 average 1005.7 2008 Bradfields KS2-4 score 1034.7 2009 Medway Secondary School KS2-4 average tbc 2009 Bradfields KS2-4 score 1053.9 2010 Medway Secondary School KS2-4 average tbc 2010 Bradfields KS2-4 score 1049,8

The Average points score in 110.7 (2010) ; 122.9 (2009) ; 83 (2008) ; 85,3 (2007) and 61,6 (2006) for a Y11 student [Note : the inclusion of two Y11 students with Asperger’s Syndrome (high functioning ASD), who achieved 28 GCSEs, in the 2009 figures clearly impacts on the statistical analysis. If they are removed then the trend is an ‘in year’ rise from 2009-10. The same fact applies to our CVA score.] ;

Ofsted Judgments

10 The school's most recent Ofsted report [March 2012] stated :

Inspection judgements :

Overall effectiveness 2

Achievement of students 1 Quality of teaching 2 Behaviour and safety of students 2 Leadership and management 1

Key findings in OFSTED Report

1. This good school is determined to be outstanding. It is improving rapidly because of outstanding leadership. The school is not outstanding overall because, although the quality of teaching is improving, the proportion of consistently good and outstanding teaching is not yet high enough. Overall effectiveness of the sixth form is good. 2. Students make outstanding progress in relation to their starting points and abilities as a result of good teaching, an outstanding curriculum and excellent pastoral care and support. Attendance is good, and students have productive relationships with staff and say they feel safe. Achievement in the sixth form is good. 3. Teaching is typically good and improving. The exemplary support often provided for students who have more complex needs is not consistent across all classes. Lessons and other activities provide students with memorable experiences impacting well on their personal development. 4. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is typically good and the school is a calm and orderly place. Students’ behaviour is, in the main, managed skilfully, but there are exceptions and some learning time is lost. There are effective arrangements for ensuring students are safe. Students can recognise and respond appropriately to risks they are likely to encounter. 5. The school is led and managed outstandingly well. An ambitious vision for the school is shared by all staff. Priorities for improvement are founded on accurate monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work. Teaching and performance are managed very well and teachers are encouraged and enabled to develop best practice. The curriculum meets students’ needs exceptionally well and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted strongly. 6. The school has very productive partnerships to support students’ learning and development. Despite this, on a few occasions, some parents and carers have felt that the school has not communicated

11 the outcomes of the actions it has taken to address their concerns effectively.

OFSTED Report : What does the school need to do to improve further?

1. Build on improvements to the quality of teaching to increase the proportion of teaching that is consistently good and outstanding by :  fostering greater student independence sharing best practice so that students who have more complex needs are supported and challenged consistently well in all lessons and, as a result,  develop greater resilience and independence.

2. Improve communication with parents and carers to ensure that they are fully aware of actions that have been taken to address their concerns.

The new School Development Plan will target these points during 2013-15.

Future Aspirations

The School has secured a 24k Euros funding from the European Commission (Education & Lifelong Learning Programme – ‘Comenius’ : Multilateral School Partnership Scheme) for each of 2 projects where our school is linked with schools in Croatia, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Estonia and Turkey during 2011-14. It is hoped that these projects will add to the already successful China link which has been active since 2008 and the one underway with Saudi Arabia since May 2012.

There are several challenges ahead of us in the forthcoming new academic year.

They include :

 Establishing the expanding ASD Provision and ensuring a successful transition for new students  Successfully integrating >50 students into our school from September 2012 which is the highest ever single new intake we have ever had  Ensuring that Medway LA carries out a revised audit of student levels and makes good the >£160k shortfall in our budget  Considering the financial benefits in pursuing possible Academy status in the light of the projected >£120k deficit in 2014-15 ; so as to sustain current staffing levels and quality of provision 12  Further developing the standard of teaching to ensure that it is always at least Good [2] and more often Outstanding [1]  Further developing and implementing the Task & Finish monitoring role of the Governing Body  Further developing the quality of Leadership and Management at all levels of the school to impact on standards of Teaching, Learning, Behaviour & Pastoral Support to further our overall effectiveness and aspirations to become an Outstanding School

The Future at Bradfields

The school recognises the current implications of both the UK’s economic developments and decline and the implicit decrease in availability of un- skilled work places over the next 10 years. Bradfields School is committed to developing its Specialist Provision in response to this point ; and, also to ensure that the quality of opportunity afforded for all its students is highly inclusive and varied in content and outstanding in outcome. The ‘Bradfields Curriculum’ is therefore being based around 3 themes : 1. Developing academic potential and the ability of students to transfer those skills to everyday life and work situations. This will include increased access to externally accredited courses on-site in KS4 & 5 and off-site at local schools and colleges. 2. Developing social and emotional skills and levels of emotional intelligence to enable students to present and conduct themselves with confidence and independence in a range of ‘real life’ situations. This will include targeted learning of social skills to develop the student as a more confident and positively engaging member of their family, school and local community. 3. Developing an understanding and awareness of recreational and work-related settings and providing learning opportunities for engagement in both. This will include teaching : the skills for working life ; the value of continued learning ; the skills for independent and group/family living ; the opportunities for engaging in sporting, recreational, artistic, musical, daily travel and adventurous travel ‘real life’ opportunities in the South East of England and beyond.

This work is intended to be completed in the KS5 provision at Bradfields where the curriculum is being continually developed to provide a real life context to the academic and social development of each school student and successfully prepare them for independent living, local community engagement, continued learning, access to recreational opportunity and work place employment. This curriculum model is totally committed to the ‘Getting a Life’ Government Initiative for students and young adults with learning disabilities.

13 Students will be able to transfer out of Bradfields to full-time vocational courses or work-placed careers when appropriate opportunities have been identified and secured.

For further information refer to the School’s Website at :

www.bradfields.medway.sch.uk

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and enhanced criminal record check via the Criminal Records Bureau (for Children & Vulnerable Adults).

We are an equal opportunities employer.

………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………….

It is an exciting time to be a member of staff at Bradfields School. The future changes implicit in the Medway LA SEN strategy, our involvement in the SSAT Research Programme for Complex Needs, the developing 4- 19 curriculum and ever changing challenges of our student population will ensure that there is never a dull day as our outstanding school responds to change. This Handbook is not intended to be exhaustive in its content. I trust it will give you the focus you need to perform you duties as professionally as you can ; emphasise the responsibility, value and respect implicit in your role ; and, give you the reference point for any further questions about how we collectively run our school.

Kim Johnson Headteacher

14th December 2012

School Aims Bradfields School aims to be a leading centre of excellence in the Special Education Sector where students can thrive and fully develop their 14 cognitive, social and emotional skills in order to take a full, active and responsible role in their local community and beyond as Global Citizens and Ambassadors for students with disabilities.

In order to achieve this the staff and governors aim :  To provide the highest standards of teaching and learning ;  To have high expectations of student work and behaviour ;  To develop self-motivation through praise ;  To develop the confidence to be curious, imaginative and take calculated risks ;  To develop personal rights respecting views and responsibility through opportunity and modelling ;  To develop a sense of personal pride and self-worth that can be sustained with increasing confidence ;  To develop and maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle ;  To develop academic potential and the ability of students to transfer those skills to everyday life and work situations.  To develop positive social and emotional skills and levels of emotional intelligence as an integral part of the learning process ;  To develop recreational and work-related skills that are sustainable beyond school ;  To guide and prepare students for each new phase of their life ;  To give each student the opportunity to participate equitably in every aspect of school life ;  To ensure that opportunities for inclusion within the local community are a right for every student ;  To develop a sense of understanding of being a Global Citizen ;  To make all students, parents, staff, governors and other professionals attached to the school feel they have a voice and a view that is valued ;  To ensure that the physical and learning resources are of a high standard for all students and staff ;  To identify, access and implement the intellectual and practical benefits of Professional Learning [INSET & CPD] to advance the quality of education offered and increase the professional advancement of all staff ;  To play a lead role in action research projects with particular reference to : complex learning difficulties and disabilities ; teaching strategies ; and, leadership and management ;  To support other Medway schools in developing accessibility and inclusive practices ; and,  To create a happy, safe and supportive working environment. Values Statement

15 The staff and governors of Bradfields School believe it is important that :

The Students

 Are respected and valued  Can develop their self-esteem  Feel part of a caring community and are safe  Take responsibility for their own actions and develop their awareness of those actions on others  Are happy, purposeful, confident and independent

The Staff

 Are committed to the welfare and education of students at all times  Have high expectations for the behavioural and intellectual development of each learner  Are flexible and able to work co-operatively as part of a team  Are committed to regularly updating their skills  Are perceptive to the needs and concerns of all others in our school community  Are able to deliver an appropriate and quality curriculum  Are excellent role models  Support and motivate each other  Work in partnership with parents and other agencies

The Governors

 Work in partnership with all staff  Are committed to undertaking appropriate training in order to fulfil their legal responsibilities  Develop a high profile within the school, as well as being ambassadors within the local community  Access the daily life of the school and are supportive of the work being performed  Feel well informed and valued members of the school community  Make well informed decisions about the future development of the school based upon good knowledge of its current work and strengths

The Parents & Carers

 Feel welcome at the school each time they visit 16  Can be involved in the life of the school and work in partnership on behalf of their child  Share the responsibility for developing positive learning behaviours in their child  Have high expectations of the work performed at the school

Teaching & Learning

 Is of a high standard  Uses a variety of methods and approaches  Is monitored regularly  Takes place throughout the whole school day  Is sharply focused and includes on-going assessment  Is stimulating and interesting  Gives access to a range of age-appropriate learning opportunities  Is relevant to the needs of each student  Links student learning to real world examples and applications  Recognises and promotes achievements in all areas  Promotes positive learning behaviour and supports it being sustained  Is well planned and recorded  Demonstrates high expectations of the students  Is supported by appropriate levels of learning resources and access to developing technologies  Is accredited to ensure external value, credibility and transferability  Conforms to statute and school policy  Is supported by quality on-going Professional Learning [INSET & CPD].

STAFF SAFE WORKING PRACTICES

CONTEXT and PRINCIPLES

17 ▪ Staff are responsible for their own actions and behaviour, and should avoid any conduct that would lead any reasonable person to question their motivation and intentions.

▪ Staff should work, and be seen to work, in an open and transparent way.

▪ Staff should feel able to discuss with their line manager any difficulties or problems that may affect their relationship with pupils so that appropriate support can be provided.

In the event of an incident occurring, which may result in an action being misinterpreted and/or an allegation being made against a member of staff, the relevant information should be clearly and promptly recorded and reported to the Leadership Team. Early discussion with a parent/carer/colleague could avoid any misunderstanding. This should only be entered into following consultation with a member of the Leadership Team, so the member of staff is fully supported in their response. Records should be made of any such incident and of decisions made/further actions agreed, in accordance with current school policy.

▪ Staff should apply the same professional standards regardless of gender or sexuality. ▪ Staff should know that Mr David Waters is the designated Child Protection Co-Ordinator ; and, they should be familiar with CP arrangements and understand their responsibilities to safeguard and protect children. ▪ Staff should be aware that breaches of the law and other professional guidelines could result in criminal or disciplinary action being taken against them. ▪ The school and all its personnel are committed to safeguarding children and young people.

This policy, following Medway guidance, sets out safe working practice for the protection of children & young adults (4-19 years of age) and all staff (i.e. teachers, teaching assistants, admin & caretaking staff, governors and volunteers [paid and unpaid]) in our Education setting.

18 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Raising awareness of illegal, unsafe and unwise behaviour with all existing and new staff.

1. Duty of Care

All staff are accountable for the way in which they exercise authority, manage risk, use resources and protect pupils from discrimination and avoidable harm. All staff, paid and voluntary, have a duty to keep young people safe and to protect them from physical and emotional harm, through the development of respectful, caring and professional relationships between staff and pupils. Behaviour by staff should demonstrate integrity, maturity and good judgement.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Understand the responsibilities which are part of their employment or role, and be aware that sanctions will be applied if these provisions are breached. ▪ Always act, and be seen to act, in the child’s best interests. ▪ Avoid any conduct which would lead any reasonable person to question their motivation and intentions. ▪ Take responsibility for their own actions and behaviour.

2. Exercise of Professional Judgement

There will be occasions and circumstances in which staff have to make decisions or take action in the best interests of the child which could contravene existing guidance or where no guidance exists. Individuals are expected to make judgements about their behaviour in order to secure the best interests and welfare of the children in their charge and in so doing will be seen to be acting reasonably.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Discuss the circumstances that informed their action or proposed action with a senior colleague to ensure safe practice is employed and reduce the risk of actions being misinterpreted. ▪ Always discuss any misunderstanding, accidents or threats with a member of the Leadership Team. ▪ Always record discussions, and actions taken, with their justifications.

19 3. Power and Positions of Trust

All adults working with children in education settings are in positions of trust in relation to the young people in their care. A relationship between staff and student cannot be a relationship between equals. There is potential for exploitation and harm of vulnerable young people.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff should not use their position to gain access to information for their own advantage and/or a child’s or family’s detriment. ▪ Staff should not use their power to intimidate, threaten, coerce or undermine students. ▪ Staff should not use their status and standing to form or promote relationships with children which are of a sexual nature.

4. Confidentiality

Staff may have access to confidential information about students in order to undertake their everyday responsibilities. Staff may be given additional highly sensitive or private information. They should never use confidential or personal information about a student or her/his family for their own, or others’ advantage. Information must never be used to intimidate, humiliate or embarrass the student. Confidential information about a child should never be used casually in conversation or shared with any person other than on a need to know basis.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff are expected to treat information they receive about children in a discreet and confidential manner. If there is any doubt about sharing information they hold or which has been requested of them, they should seek advice from a member of the Leadership Team.

5. Dress and Appearance

Dress and appearance are matters of personal choice and self expression. However, staff should consider the manner of dress and appearance appropriate to their professional role, which may be different to that adopted in their personal life. Staff should ensure they are dressed decently, safely and appropriately for the tasks they undertake.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Wear clothing which promotes a professional image, is appropriate to their role, is not likely to be viewed as offensive, revealing or sexually provocative, does not distract, cause embarrassment or

20 give rise to misunderstanding. It should be absent of any political or otherwise contentious slogans and not be considered to be discriminatory. . Not wear any denim item or jeans as it is not an appropriate clothing for the ‘normal’ School working day. (The accepted exception being when Staff are involved in a Tag and/or Fundraising Day and such alternate dress code is authorised.) . Not carry handbags or ‘man’-bags around during the teaching day, when teaching or supporting teaching and learning, to prevent interference of such items in the delivery of education and care. . Not wear shoes that are open at the toe or non-strapped to ensure the potential for trip, slip or crush are reduced.

6. Propriety and Behaviour

Staff have a responsibility to maintain public confidence in their ability to safeguard the welfare and best interests of children. They should adopt high standards of personal conduct. An individual’s behaviour either in or out of the workplace should not compromise her/his position within the work setting.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Never behave in a manner which would lead any reasonable person to question their suitability to work with children or act as a role model. This equally applies to their conduct and behaviour both in and out of school. ▪ Never make sexual remarks to a student (including email, text messages, social networking, phone or letter). ▪ Never make (or encourage others to make) unprofessional personal comments which scapegoat, demean or humiliate students (or might be interpreted as such). ▪ Never hand their ID / Entry Access Card over to a student for their independent use.

7. Infatuations

Staff need to be aware that it is not uncommon for students to be strongly attracted to a member of staff and/or develop a heterosexual or homosexual infatuation. All situations should be dealt with sensitively to maintain the dignity of all concerned.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff should report to the Leadership Team any indications (verbal, written or physical) that suggest a student may be infatuated with a member of staff.

21 8. Gifts

Staff should be aware of the school’s policy including arrangements for the declaration of gifts received and given. It is illegal to take bribes, so staff need to take care they do not accept any gift that might be construed as a bribe by others or lead the giver to expect preferential treatment. Small tokens of appreciation to staff at Christmas or as a thank you are acceptable. It is unacceptable to receive gifts on a regular basis or of any significant value. It is inadvisable to give personal gifts to students as it might be perceived a ‘favour’ of some kind is expected in return. Any reward given to a child should be agreed practice within the establishment, consistent with the school’s behaviour policy, recorded and not based on favouritism.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff should ensure that gifts received or given in situations which may be misconstrued are declared. ▪ Staff should only give gifts to an individual child as part of an agreed reward system. ▪ If staff give gifts other than above, ensure that these are of insignificant value and given to all children equally.

9. Social Contact

Staff should not establish or seek to establish social contact with students for the purpose of securing a friendship or to pursue or strengthen a relationship. Even if a child seeks to establish social contact or it occurs coincidentally, staff should exercise their professional judgement in making a response and be aware that such social contact could be misconstrued. Staff should not give their personal details such as home/mobile phone number, home or email address to students unless the need to do so is agreed with Leadership Team . Internal email systems should only be used in accordance with school policy. External Social Networking with students should not occur and can potentially put staff at risk.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff should always approve any planned social contact with senior colleagues e.g. when it is part of a reward scheme or pastoral care programme (After School Clubs etc). ▪ Staff should advise Leadership Team of any regular social contact they have with a student which may give rise to concern, and report and record any situation which they feel might compromise the school or their own professional standing. . There must be absolutely no private phone call, texting or on-line contact between staff and any of the students at the school. 22 . Staff should not use ‘Twitter’ or other social networking sites to make discriminatory, offensive and defamatory comments about each other, pupils, parents/carers, the School & Local Authority. Such comments could constitute gross misconduct which is an act which renders it in inappropriate for the employee to be allowed to remain in their job.

10. Physical Contact

It is crucial that any physical contact between staff and students is in accordance and appropriate to the professional role of the staff. A ‘no touch’ rule is impractical for most staff and may in some circumstances be inappropriate. When physical contact is made with students, this should be in response to their needs at the time, of limited duration and appropriate given their age, stage of development, gender, ethnicity and background and staff should use their professional judgement at all times. Physical contact should never be secretive, or for the gratification of the adult, or represent a misuse of authority. If a member of staff believes an action could be misinterpreted, the incident and circumstances should be recorded in the school’s incident book (Held by Assistant Head – Student Development). Physical contact, which occurs regularly with an individual child is likely to raise questions unless the justification for this is part of a formally agreed plan (e.g. for pupils with specific SEN or physical disabilities). Any such contact should be the subject of an agreed and open school policy ; and subject to review. Where feasible, staff should seek the child’s permission before initiating contact, should listen, observe and take note of the child’s reaction or feelings and use a level of contact which is acceptable to the child for the minimum time necessary. Extra caution may be required where it is known that a child has suffered previous abuse or neglect. If vulnerable children seek out inappropriate physical contact, staff should deter them sensitively by helping them to understand the importance of personal boundaries. Arrangements for children with SEN that require more physical contact to assist their everyday learning, should be understood and agreed by all concerned, justified in terms of the child’s need, consistently applied and open to scrutiny.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Be aware that even well intentioned physical contact may be misconstrued by the child, an observer or by anyone to whom this action is described. ▪ Never touch a child in a way which may be considered indecent.

23 ▪ Always be prepared to explain actions and accept that all physical contact be open to scrutiny. ▪ Never indulge in horseplay, tickling or fun fights. ▪ Ensure that incidents of physical contact are recorded and that the Leadership Team have access. ▪ Refer to the Child Protection Co-Ordinator & Medical Assistant who will provide them on a ‘need to know’ basis, with relevant information about vulnerable pupils, and make staff aware of DfE guidance in respect of physical contact and meeting medical needs of children (contained in School Policies). Our school has such a record.

11. PE & OAA and Other Activities which require Physical Contact

Staff that teach P.E. & Outdoor Adventurous Activities and games or offer music tuition etc. will on occasions have to initiate physical contact with students in order to support a child so that they can perform a task safely, to demonstrate the use of an instrument or equipment or assist them with an exercise. This should always be done with the student’s agreement. Contact should be for the minimum time necessary to complete the activity and take place in an open environment. Staff should remain sensitive to any discomfort, expressed verbally or non-verbally by the child.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must :. ▪ Consider alternatives, where it is anticipated that a student might misinterpret any such contact, perhaps involving another member of staff or a less vulnerable student in the demonstration. ▪ Be familiar with DfE guidance and school policies. ▪ Always explain to a student the reason why contact is necessary and what form that contact will take.

12. Toilets, Showers and Changing

Children are entitled to respect and privacy when toileting, changing clothes or taking a shower. However, there needs to be an appropriate level of supervision in order to safeguard young people, satisfy H&S consideration and ensure that bullying or teasing does not occur. Supervision should be appropriate to the needs and age of the young people concerned and sensitive to the potential for embarrassment.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Avoid any physical contact when pupils are in a state of undress. ▪ Avoid any visually intrusive behaviour; announce their intention of entering the room and leave as quickly as possible.

24 ▪ Staff should not change in the same place as children, or shower with children. ▪ Staff should not use the same school toilet facility as children ; and, on school trips staff should arrange for usage at separate times to children.

13. Pupils in Distress

A distressed child may need comfort and reassurance. This may include age appropriate physical contact. Staff should remain self aware at all times in order that their contact is not threatening, intrusive or subject to misinterpretation.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Consult with the Leadership Team if they have concerns about the need to provide this type of care and reassurance. ▪ Always tell a member of the Leadership Team when and how they offered comfort to a distressed child and record situations which may give rise to concern.

14. Behaviour Management

All students have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. Corporal punishment is unlawful in schools. Staff should not use any form of degrading treatment to punish a student. The use of humour can help to defuse a situation. The use of sarcasm, demeaning or insensitive comments towards student is not acceptable in any situation. Staff should not create situations with pupils and then walk away leaving colleagues to make good student - student or student - staff relationships.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Not use force as a form of punishment. ▪ Try to defuse situations before they escalate. ▪ Keep parents informed of any sanctions and adhere to the school’s behaviour management policy.

15. Care, Control and Physical Intervention

The circumstances in which staff can intervene with a pupil are covered in the school’s Physical Intervention Policy. They are also defined within DfE circular 10/98, Section 550A of the Education Act 1996 and the update in Section 93 of the 2006 Education Act.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ All staff should have read and understood the policy.

25 ▪ All staff should follow the training practice put in place since 2011 [on a rolling programme] in partnership with Team Teach.

16. Sexual Contact with Young People

Any sexual behaviour by a member of staff with or towards a child is both inappropriate and illegal. Sexual activity does not just involve physical contact, it may also include non-contact activities such as causing children to engage in or watch sexual activity or the production of pornographic material. Sexual abuse is defined as ‘forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening’.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they all must : ▪ Be aware that conferring special attention and favour upon a child might be construed as being part of a ‘grooming’ process (to gain the trust of a child in order to manipulate that relationship so that sexual abuse can take place). This is an offence. ▪ Not pursue sexual relationships with children either in or out of school and avoid any form of communication with a child which could be interpreted as sexually suggestive or provocative i.e. verbal comments, letters, notes, email, social networking sites, phone calls, texts or physical contact.

17. One to One Situations

Staff working in one to one situations with children may be more vulnerable to allegations. They should recognise this possibility and plan and conduct such meetings accordingly. Every attempt should be made to ensure the safety and security needs of both staff and pupils are met. Staff need to consider how appropriate working /meeting with a pupil is on a 1:1 basis ; and, be guided in respect of the use of any areas of the school which place staff or children in vulnerable situations. The Leadership Team should undertake a risk assessment in relation to the specific nature and implications of one to one working. All arrangements should be reviewed on a regular basis. Pre-arranged meetings with students away from the school premises should not be permitted unless approval is obtained from their parent/carer and the Headteacher.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Avoid meetings with students in remote or secluded areas of the school. ▪ Ensure there is visual access and/or an open door in one to one situations.

26 ▪ Inform other staff of the meeting beforehand and avoid the use of ‘engaged’ signs which appear to create an opportunity for secrecy. ▪ Always report any situation where a child becomes distressed or angry to Leadership Team and consider the needs and circumstances of the child or children involved.

18. Overnight Supervision

Staff will not be asked to volunteer to supervise students in their own homes.

What this means is that : ▪ No occasion should occur where students are resident in the home of a member of staff unless a full Health and Safety risk assessment has been undertaken ; and, all members of the household have the appropriate checks made and all the arrangements should be made in partnership/agreement with the student and parents/carers. ▪ It is advisable that all staff avoid any contact with students in/out of school working hours that involves the students being given access to their homes.

19. Transporting Children

In certain situations, staff or volunteers may agree to transport children. A designated member of staff should be appointed to plan and provide oversight of all transporting arrangements and respond to any difficulties that may arise. Whenever possible and practicable it is advisable that transport is undertaken other than in private vehicles, with at least one adult additional to the driver acting as an escort. Staff should ensure that their behaviour is safe and that the transport arrangements and the vehicle meet all legal requirements, the vehicle is roadworthy and appropriately insured ; on a yearly basis. The maximum seating capacity should not be exceeded.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Adults should plan and agree arrangements with all parties in advance, responding sensitively and flexibly to disagreements, ensure that they are alone with a child for the minimum time possible, be aware that the safety and welfare of the child is their responsibility until this is safely passed over to a parent/carer or school. They should report the nature of the journey, the route and expected time of arrival in accordance with agreed procedures 27 and ensure that their behaviour and all arrangements ensure vehicle, passenger and driver safety. They should take into account any specific needs that the child may have.

20. Educational Visits and After School Clubs

Staff should take particular care when supervising students in the less formal atmosphere of an after school activity. During school activities that take place off the school site or out of school hours a more relaxed discipline or informal dress and language code may be acceptable. However, staff remain in a position of trust and need to ensure that their behaviour cannot be interpreted as seeking to establish an inappropriate relationship or friendship. Where out of school activities include overnight stays, careful consideration needs to be given to sleeping arrangements. Students, staff and parents should be informed of these prior to the start of the trip. Health and Safety arrangements require members of staff to keep colleagues/employers aware of their whereabouts. Staff must be aware of and follow all school guidance including Health and Safety, Risk Assessment, First Aid, Medical and Special Needs.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff should always have another adult present in out of school activities unless otherwise agreed with Leadership Team. They must undertake a risk assessment and have parental consent to the activity. ▪ They must ensure that their behaviour remains professional at all times. ▪ Staff must follow Medway & School Educational Visit procedures

The Principles required in establishing Safe Practice are focussed on the requirement of removing/reducing/managing risks :

Activity can go ahead

Yes Yes Yes

Risk Factor Remove Reduce Manage

No No No

Activity does not happen

28 [Refer to your TLR Postholder/Subject Leader for EVC Arrangements when organising any out of school/off-site event or activity.] Note : EVC Dates are on page 76

21. First Aid and Administration of Medicine

Bradfields has trained first aiders and staff should receive such appropriate training before administering first aid or medication. All staff should be fully aware of the Medical Needs Policy. If a member of staff is concerned or uncertain about the amount of type of medication being given to a student, this should be discussed with the appropriate member of the Leadership Team at the earliest opportunity. Parents should always be informed when first aid has been administered.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff should adhere to the school’s safety policy and SEN and Medical Needs Policies. ▪ Staff should make other colleagues aware of the task being undertaken and explain to the child what is happening.

22. Intimate Care

All children have a right to safety, privacy and dignity when contact of an intimate nature is required (e.g. assisting with toileting or removing wet/soiled clothing). A care plan should be drawn up and agreed with parents for all children who require intimate care on a regular basis. Staff giving assistance should ensure that another appropriate adult is in the vicinity and aware of the task being undertaken. As with all arrangements for intimate care needs, agreements between the child, their parents/carers and the school must be negotiated, agreed and recorded. In addition the views and/or emotional responses of children with SEN, regardless of age and ability must be actively sought in regular reviews of these arrangements.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff must adhere to the schools’ intimate care guidelines. They must make other staff aware of the task being undertaken and explain to the child what is happening. ▪ Staff must consult with colleagues where any variation from agreed procedure is necessary, record the justification for this and inform the parents.

29 23. Photography, Videos and other Creative Arts

Many school activities involve recording images and many are undertaken as part of the curriculum, extra school activities, for publicity or to celebrate achievement. Staff need to be aware of the potential for these aspects of teaching to be misused for pornographic or ‘grooming’ purposes. Parental withdrawal of consent for the use of photographic images is recorded and is available in staff rooms or from the school office.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must : ▪ Not take or store any photographs on personal cameras, phones or other digital equipment. Photographs taken to publicise school activities must be taken on school cameras which should be returned to school after use. ▪ Be clear about the purpose of the activity and about what will happen to the photographs when the lesson/activity is concluded. ▪ Ensure that all images are available for scrutiny in order to screen for acceptability, and be able to justify images of children in their possession. ▪ Avoid making images in one to one situations. ▪ Not take, display or distribute images of children unless they have consent to do so.

24. Curriculum

Many areas of the curriculum can include or raise subject matter which is sexually explicit or of an otherwise sensitive nature. Care should be taken to ensure that resource materials cannot be misinterpreted and clearly relate to the learning outcomes identified by the lesson plan. This plan should highlight particular areas of risk and sensitivity. The curriculum can sometimes include or lead to unplanned discussion about subject matter of a sexually explicit or otherwise sensitive nature. Responding to students’ questions can require careful judgement and staff may wish to take guidance in these circumstances from the Leadership Team. Care should also be taken to abide by the Sex and Relationships policy and the wishes of parents. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of any sex education provided.

What this means in practice for all staff is that they must :. ▪ Always have clear lesson plans. ▪ Not enter into or encourage inappropriate or offensive discussion about sexual activity. ▪ Always follow British Board of Film Classification rules in respect of videos, DVDs and other recordings. 30 25. Internet Use

School has a clear policy about access to and the use of the Internet. Accessing child pornography or indecent images of children on the internet and making, storing or disseminating such material is illegal. Using school equipment to access inappropriate or indecent material, including adult pornography, is likely to give cause for concern particularly if, as a result, students might be exposed to inappropriate or indecent material.

Staff must protect their username and password ; as staff are given more access rights than students. There would be serious consequences should a student access information designed for staff only.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff should follow the school policy on the use of IT.

26. Whistle Blowing

This is the mechanism by which staff can voice their concerns, made in good faith, without fear of repercussion. We follow Medway LA’s ‘whistle blowing policy’ which meets the terms of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Staff should acknowledge their individual responsibilities to bring matters of concern to the attention of Leadership Team and/or relevant external agencies.

What this means in practice is that : ▪ Staff must report any behaviour by colleagues that raised concern. They must think ‘What if I’m right’? not ‘What if I’m wrong’ ? ▪ Staff should seriously consider taking the opportunity to discuss any concerns in a Confidential manner ; with the Headteacher, Deputy Head or Chair of Governors should they wish to check through the ‘details’ before the matter is communicated to the relevant agencies outside of school.

27. Review

This section of the document will be reviewed annually by the Headteacher in consultation with the Governing Body, Leadership Team, Child Protection Co-Ordinator and Staff Professional Association representatives.

It may be that other changes are required in accordance with Medway LA and DfE Policy requirements.

[Last review Dec 2012] 31 CHILD PROTECTION

Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator (DCPC) : Mr David Waters (Assistant Headteacher – Student Development)

Additional Staff able to act in the absence of the DCPC : Mr Kim Johnson (Headteacher) Mr Dan Tullett (KS3 Pastoral Manager)

Child Protection Governor : Mrs Margaret Barker

Staff/Governors that have undergone Safer Recruitment Training : Mr Kim Johnson Ms Lesley Osborne Mr David Waters

......

School Policy Introduction

‘Education staff have a crucial role to play in helping to identify welfare concerns and indicators of possible abuse or neglect at an early stage’. Working Together to Safeguard Children – 2006.

Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 puts a statutory responsibility on the Governing Body to have policies and procedures in place that safeguard and promote the welfare of children (that is children and young adults up to the age of 19) that are students of the school.

The school recognises that all adults (paid and volunteers) have a full and active part to play in protecting and safeguarding the children in their care, and that the students’ welfare is our paramount concern.

Procedures and Responsibilities

School procedures for safeguarding children will be in line with Medway Safeguarding Board, Child in Need / Child Protection Procedures.

A copy of ‘What to do if you are worried about a child being abused’ is available to read from the school’s DCPC. A copy may also be downloaded from www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications.

The school has a Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator (DCPC), Mr David Waters who has undertaken basic multi-agency child protection training delivered through the Medway Safeguarding Children Board and the one day DCPC training provided by the Local Authority. The DCPC will attend refresher training every two years provided by the Local Authority. Other members of staff who can act in the DCPC’s absence are Mr. Kim Johnson (Headteacher), and Mr Dan Tullett (KS3 Pastoral

32 Manager). The name and the role of the DCPC will be clearly displayed in the school.

It is the responsibility of the DCPC to ensure that all adults in the school receive a copy of the policy and follow the schools internal child protection procedures, and Medway Council’s record keeping procedures. All child protection records will be kept in a secure place away from school files – in a locked cabinet in the DCPC’s office. It is also the responsibility of the DCPC to make any referrals necessary to Medway Council’s Social Care Service.

All adults who work in schools, whether paid or voluntary, are legally required to participate in child protection training at least every three years. Opportunities will be provided to receive training consistent with Medway Safeguarding Children Board’s standards, in order to develop their understanding of the signs and indications of abuse, and their knowledge about what to do if they feel a child may be suffering abuse.

All members of staff, volunteers, and governors know how to respond to a child who discloses abuse, and they are familiar with procedures to be followed (see below).

If a child chooses to tell a member of staff about alleged abuse, there are a number of things that must be done to support the child:  A free flowing disclosure must not be interrupted ;  Promises must not be made e.g. to keep secrets ;  Remain calm and be available to listen ;  Listen with the utmost care to what the child is saying ;  Avoid questioning, but if necessary do not pressurise the child, and only use open questions ;  Do not put words in the child’s mouth but note the main points carefully ;  Keep a full record – date, time, what the child did, said etc. on the correct form, using a body map if appropriate ;  Re-assure the child and let them know they were right to inform us ;  Re-iterate that the information will now have to be passed on ;  Immediately inform the DCPC.

All parents/carers are to be made aware of the school’s responsibilities in regard to child protection procedures through publication of the school’s child protection policy. Reference will be made to it in the school’s prospectus/brochure and home/school agreement.

The DCPC will ensure a systematic means of monitoring children known or thought to be at risk of harm; they will ensure that representation is made at meetings, and that the school contributes to ‘Assessment of Need’ and ‘Support Plans’ for these children.

33 The school acknowledges the need for effective and appropriate communication between all members of staff in relation to safeguarding students.

The DCPC will ensure a structured procedure within the school, which will be followed by all of the members of the school community, in cases of suspected abuse.

The policy and procedures will be renewed annually and updated by the Governing Body, which will ensure they are in line with Medway Safeguarding Children’s Children Board’s policies and procedures. When renewing and updating the policy, the Governing Body, will consider the views of the Student Body through the School Council.

Supporting Students

The school recognises that a child that has been abused or neglected, who witnesses abuse, or lives in an abusive environment may feel helpless or humiliated. They may blame themselves, have low self-esteem and find it difficult to see the world as a positive place.

The school may provide the only stability in the lives of children who have been abused or who are at risk of harm.

Research shows the behaviour of a child in these circumstances may range from that which is perceived to be normal, to that which is aggressive or withdrawn.

The school will provide, through the curriculum, opportunities, which equip children with the skills they need to stay safe from harm, and to know to whom they should turn for help. We will promote a school ethos that is positive and supportive, and a secure environment, which gives all students and adults a sense of being respected and valued.

Supporting Staff

The school recognises that the staff who have become involved with a child who has suffered harm, or who is likely to suffer harm, may find the situation stressful and upsetting. Support will be given to such staff by the school providing the opportunity to talk through their anxieties with the DCPC, and to seek further support should it be required. This support could be from: the Headteacher ; the School Workforce Team, Medway Council (01634 332471) ; The Occupational Health Service, through the Medway Counselling Service (01622 605539) ; or a Teacher Trade Union representative as appropriate.

Bradfields School understands that staff should have access to advice on the boundaries of appropriate behaviour. The document ‘Guidance on Safe Working Practices for the Protection of Children and Staff in Educational 34 Settings’ provides advice on these, and has been circulated to existing staff, and will be given to new staff when they join the school. Staff will ensure they have read these guidelines to minimise the chance of complaints of abuse being made against staff.

The DCPC and other trained staff should have access to support and appropriate workshops, courses, or meetings as organised by the Local Authority.

Confidentiality

The school recognises that all matters relating to child protection are confidential. Members of staff, however, must never guarantee confidentiality to a student, nor should they agree to keep a secret. Where there is a child protection concern, it must be passed immediately to the DCPC.

The Headteacher or DCPC will disclose personal information, including the level of involvement of other agencies, about a student, to other members of staff on a need to know basis only.

All staff must be aware of their professional responsibility to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children.

Safe Staff

Checks will be undertaken on all adults working in the school to establish the suitability of a person to work with children. Checks will correspond to the Governing Body & Medway Council’s Safe Recruitment procedures. Records of these checks will be kept in accordance with section 4.5 of ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education’ DFES 2006 (now DCSF)

All school staff should take care not to place themselves in a vulnerable position with a child. It is always advisable for interviews or work with individual children or parents to be conducted with, or in view of, other adults.

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and enhanced criminal record check via the Criminal Records Bureau (for Children & Vulnerable Adults).

For further detail: Refer to the School’s Child Protection Policy

35 GENERAL INFORMATION

Staff Briefing Staff Briefing is at 0830 each morning in each Staffroom. Teaching Staff are expected to attend this meeting as it provides the start point for the working day. As TAs do not commence their hours until 0840 the white board holds information for the day ahead. TAs should read this and ask their Link Tutor/Teacher for any additional information.

Assembly Secular assemblies are held throughout the week (refer to staffroom noticeboard) with themes related to Social Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) and other Calendar Events. They are also used for recognising good academic, sporting and community achievement. Tutors and Link TAs are expected to bring their groups to the hall for these occasions and lead on ensuring and supporting their good behaviour throughout.

Security All staff have an ID badge that is to be worn at all times throughout the school day. The ID badge also acts as a swipe key to access and exit the front door. The act of swiping the card is recorded on the admin computer in the reception office to enable safe monitoring of staff in the event of the fire alarm or other building evacuation. Staff are required to ensure they fully comply with this procedure, so they do not put colleagues or the emergency services at risk in the event of an incident and any subsequent ‘search’ for them. Security of property, both of the school and of staff, is the responsibility of individual staff members. Lockers are provided in the Staff & Work Room for valuables or if necessary the school safe can be used. At the end of the school day staff should : check windows are shut and locked ; turn off the air conditioning/heaters ; and leave their classrooms in a tidy state for cleaners to carry out their end of day tasks.

Conduct Between Lessons Staff are responsible for ensuring that the traffic of students between classrooms on lesson changeover is carried out smoothly, quietly and without distraction. Staff are required to be available to monitor and direct this movement of students to ensure standards of behaviour are high and there is minimum distraction to lessons continuing at these times.

Hot Drinks during ‘Working Hours’ Staff should not take hot drinks out of the staff room unless they are on duty and have a ‘covered cup’. At no time should staff have hot drinks in 36 lessons when teaching and learning is taking place ; with the exception of a Food Technology/Life Skills lesson where it is part of the planned lesson. Should staff need hydration then having access to water is acceptable and encouraged, although care in the proximity of electrical items is important.

Duty Teams The Senior Staff have created a Duty Rota to support safe practice and care of pupils at ; the start of the day ; mid-morning break ; lunchtime ; and, end of the day. These rotas are available and on display in the staffroom. Staff have a responsibility for ensuring they know when and where they are on duty and that they are prompt in arriving to ensure full safety and security of students. Staff should be active in their duty to encourage safe and productive play and social opportunities for all pupils present. This will require them engaging with pupils and at times directing activities and managing the behaviours to ensure appropriate standards are maintained. In the event of any difficulty they should refer the matter to the respective Pastoral Manager (Tutor/Pastoral Managers Yellow, Blue, Red & Green Zones). This will require them following the School Behaviour policy and practice. In the event that a member of staff is absent due to INSET/CPD then they should engage a colleague in a swap of duty to ensure the duty team has its full number of staff available. In the event that a member of staff is absent then the duty will be nominated to the internal cover or supply teacher covering them on that day. There is an ‘On-Call’ rota for staff to refer to should they need assistance in exceptional circumstances.

Car Parking Staff should only park within allocated spaces [this does not include ‘Visitor Spaces’] at the front of lower and upper school or alongside the upper school playground and in the small enclosed car park, so as to keep access available to visitors, taxis and deliveries.

School Uniform All students are expected to be wearing school uniform. Staff have a responsibility for ensuring students are compliant in wearing school uniform items during the teaching day. Should there be a problem with them wearing other items it is the responsibility of tutors to contact home via Contact Books / Office. Persistent cases of non-compliance should be referred to the respective Pastoral Manager or respective AHT.

37 TELEPHONE EXTENSION LIST

School : 01634 683990 01634 683571 [Fax]

Name Extension

Headteacher (KJ) 531 AHT Curriculum (MSw) 532 AHT Pastoral (DMW) 546 AHT Red & Green Zones - Upper School (DJ) 540 AHT Yellow Zone – Lower School (FB) 565 AHT Blue Zone – ASD (NZ) 569 Pastoral Manager Blue Zone (TG) 537 Pastoral Manager Yellow Zone (DT) 564 Pastoral Managers Red Zone (EH) 533 Pastoral Managers Green Zone (SFe) 533 Lead Practitioner Primary [Blue Zone] (NHi) 568 Outreach Team (JEd) 564 Exams & Data (JHd) 526 Gym Area – Upper School 545 Business Manager (LO) 539 HT’s PA (GE) 530 Finance (NKh) 534 Reception – Upper School (EM) 538 Reception – Lower School (PA) 561 Home School Support (EMD) 562 Medical Room – Upper School (TK) 542 Medical Room – Lower School (APn) 563 Aiming High Co-Ordinator (SHo) 536 ICT Area (WP) 543 ICT Technician (SBn) 543 Staff room- Upper School 535 Staff room – Lower School 566 Technology 541 Kitchen – Upper School 544 Kitchen – Lower School 567 To access voicemail dial 555 On answer enter your password (1234 default)

Other useful numbers: Medway LA (Gun Wharf) 01634 306000 Medway Hospital 01634 830000 Medway Police Station 01622 690690 Medway Education HR 01634 334093

38 Bradfields School Teaching Staff Team

Headteacher :

Johnson, Kim * (KJ)

Assistant Heads : Responsibility / Subjects Taught

Waters, David * (DMW) Student Development & Inter-Agency Liaison ; Maths Member of Senior Leadership Team

Sweetlove, Marie * (MSl) Curriculum - Quality Standards ; Humanities Member of Senior Leadership Team

Jenkins, Diana * (DJ) Upper School [KS4&5] ; RE & English Member of Senior Leadership Team

Zarkowska, Natalia * (NZ) ASD Provision [EYFS & KS1-5] & CLDD Developments ; Polish Member of Senior Leadership Team

Bradbrook, Fi * (FB) Lower School [KS3] ; PE & OAA Member of Senior Leadership Team

Teaching Staff : Responsibility / Subjects Taught

Abdullah, Mohammed (MA) Maths Allison, Keith (KA) Forestry, Land Studies Benson, Elizabeth (EB) ICT Benson, Simon (SBe) General Subjects Biggs, Anthony (AB) Science Billingham, Lee # (LBi) Subject Leader : PE & OAA ; PE & OAA Bolton, Chris (CBn) English, ICT Brilhante, Christine # (CBe) Subject Leader : Sci & Technology ; Sci & Technology Brook, Margaret (MB) Science Byrne, Noreen # (NB) Subject Leader : PSHCE & Citizenship ; PSHCE & Cit Davis, Rachael (RD) General Subjects Edwards, Jeremy # (JEd) AST : Outreach Support ; PE & OAA Elmaghrabi, Rameses (REl) Outreach Support Elfidh, Joe (JE) PE & OAA, Healthy Living Fernandez, Sue # (SFe) GZ Pastoral Manager ; PSHCE & Cit, General Subjects Fitzgerald, Michael (MF) Maths, Enterprise, Photography Gee, Tyler # (TG) BZ Pastoral Manager ; Humanities Green, Lisa (LG) KS1&2 Provision General Subjects Gurtenne, Barbara (BG) English Hall, Jacqueline # (JH) AST : Art ; Art

39 Head, Elaine # (EH) RZ Pastoral Manager ; PE & OAA Hicks, Stacey # (SHi) Subject Leader : Maths ; Maths Higham, Nicoline # (NH) Subject Leader KS1&2 Provision ; General Subjects Hitchings, Susie # (SHg) Subject Leader : Hums, MFL & RE ; Hums Hodsall, Becca (BH) Arts Award, Art & Creativity, Textiles Horton, Fiona (FH) PSHCE & Cit and Child Care (& Prog 1) Hughes, Jonathan (JHu) Arts Award, Art & Creativity Johnson, Dawn (DKJ) English & General Subjects Knott, Nicola (NKn) Maths & General Subjects Lucas, Amanda (AL) KS1&2 Provision General Subjects Molloy, Ita (IM) Music & Creative Arts Newlyn, Claire (CN) ICT & Control Technology / Website Lead Practitioner Ogwezi, Rex (RO) General Subjects Pratt, Wendy # (WP) Subject Leader : ICT ; ICT Pullen, Justine (JP) Food Technology Rose, Paul (PR) Maths Saunders, Helen (HS) General Subjects Scott, Edith (ES) French Smeeton, Jon (JSm) English & Geography Thompson, Lindsey # (LJT) Subject Leader : English and Drama ; English & Drama Tullett, Dan # (DT) YZ Pastoral Manager ; PE & OAA Vella, Jane (JV) Food Technology & Textiles Walker, John (JW) Design Technology, Construction, ICT Wei, Margaret (MW) Mandarin Chinese & Textiles Wheeler, Sally (SW) Maths & General Subjects Wilkinson, Anne (AW) English Williams, Gillian (GW) PSHCE & Cit

* Leadership Team [LT] # Middle Leadership Team [MLT]

Beadle, Caroline (CB) GTP Placement [Arts Award, RE] Stevens, Mary (MS) GTP Placement [Outreach Support]

Qiaohua Zheng, Bella (QZ) FLA Chinese Mandarin

Governing Body

Lead Members of Governing Body

Chair of Governors Mr Peter Martin (PMa)

Vice Chair of Governors Mr Iain Hamill (IH)

Clerk to the GB tbc

Staff Governors Mrs Wendy Pratt (WP) Mrs Stephanie Day (SD)

40 Teaching Assistant Team

Bentley, Jemma (JCB) Biggerstaff, Pat (PBi) Bourne, Nicola (NBo) Bridges. Lorraine (LBr) Brown, Sharon (SDB) Bryan, Teresa (TB) Chadwick, Bruce (BC) Champian, Jenny (JAC) Cornwell, Vicki (VC) Cywinska, Monika (MC) Day, Stephanie (SD) Diamond, Amy (AD) Esther, Cherilea (CE) Ewen, Susan (SPE) Finn, Sarah (SF) Hicks, Danielle (DH) Hilton, Maria (MHi) Honour, Marian (MH) Howrihane, Todd (TH) Jones, Sam (SJ) Kingston, Nicola (NK) Lesniewicz, Carl (CL) Ludlow, Donna (DLU) Marinelli, Bruno (BM) Marinelli, Sophie (SM) Mayne, Deborah # (DM) Lead TA & Member of MLT Monk, Lee (LM) Nind, Janet (JN) Palmer, Linda (LP) Pearson, Clare (CP) Rollinson, Miranda (MR) Sawyer, Alison (AS) Sherman, Coral (CS) Sheepwash, Naomi (NS) Shade, Samantha (SS) Sherwood, Liz (ESS) Skingley. Teresa (TS) Smith, Diana (DS) Smith, Julie (JKS) Smith, Maria (MSm) Snow, Kayleigh (KS) Swift, Frances (FS) Ticehurst, Mandy (MT) Ward, Joanne (JWd) Webb, Samantha (SJW) Wornham, Gail (GWO)

Admin & Support Staff Team

Business Manager : Osborne, Lesley *(LO) Member of Senior Leadership Team

Administrative/Finance Ellen, Gill # (GE) Office Manager & Member of MLT Allenby, Pat (PA) Khan, Nabilah (NKh) Morley, Elaine (EM) Young, Mel (MY)

Exams & Data Assistant Haden, Jill (JHd)

Medical and Welfare Assistant: Kennedy, Tina (TK) Lead Practitioner Pattison, Mandy (APN)

41 Play Therapist Music Therapist Burton, Julie (JB) Hannah Smith [HSm]

Counsellor Creasey, Andrea (AC)

Student Social Worker [on placement] Owens, Kirstie (KO)

Speech & Language Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Assistant: Stears, Tracy (TSt)

ICT Network Manager Bains, Sid (SBn)

ICT Technician Marriott, Doug (DMa)

Parent & Carer Partnership Manager McGregor Davies, Emma # (EMD) P&C Partnership Manager & Member of MLT

Aiming High Co-Ordinator Howrihane, Sue # (SHo) Member of MLT

Site Mananger Caretaker Harris, Paul (PH) Mayne, Roy (RMa)

Assistant Caretaker Groundsman Holland, Glen (GH) Still, Tom (TSL)

Cleaners Crouch, Jackie (JCr) Goldsmith, Sandra (SG) Bridges, Dan (DB) Harris, Kelly (KH) Spokes, Lynda (LSp) Whibley, Jeanette (JWh) Aouchiche, Rachid (RA)

Catering Burton, Laura (LBu) Bustuitil, Jane (JBa) Fenech, Marlene (MFe) Margineanu, Monica (MM)

Bradfields School

Staffing Structure Excellence & Achievement Headteacher

In/Outreach Team

Assistant Head Assistant Head Assistant Head Assistant Head Assistant Head Business (Lower School) (Upper School) (ASD/CLDD Provision) (Care, Guidance, Behaviour (Curriculum & Quality Standards) Manager & Attendance) Curriculum Leaders ICT Co-Ordinator Pastoral Team English & Drama Subject Leader Blue/Yellow/Red/Green Zone Maths Subject Leader Pastoral Managers Science & Technology Subject Leader P&CP Manager, PE & OAA Subject Leader Admin Site Manager SLOTP, Humanities, MFL & R.E Subject Leader & Finance Medical Assistants PSHCE & Citizenship Subject Leader Staff Counsellor Art & Music Subject Leader Therapists Data & Primary Lead Practitioner Exams Clerk Cleaning & Caretaking Form Tutors Teaching Staff Staff

IT Support Staff

Teaching Assistant Staff

43 SCHOOL DAY

Please note different start and end of the day between Upper & Lower School sites. This allows for Transport drop-off and collection to be staggered. The length of the day on both sites is the same. All other timings are identical.

Upper School Lower School

08.30 Staff Briefing 08.30

08.40 Duty Team Commence 08.45 Transport ‘Drop-Off’

08.50 In from Playground 08.55

08.55 Registration & Assembly 09.00

09.20 Lesson 1 09.20

10.15 Lesson 2 10.15

11.10 Break 11.10

11.25 Lesson 3 11.25

12.20 Return to Tutor Groups 12.20

12.25 Lunch 12.25

13.20 Lesson 4 13.20

14.15 Lesson 5 14.15

15.10 Return to Tutor Groups 15.10

15.15 END OF DAY 15.20 Transport ‘Pick Up’ Commences

44 Staff Meetings Times as shown

Teaching/Tutor Staff Tuesdays - Weekly 3,30-4,30pm (*)

Pastoral Team Wednesdays – Every 2 weeks 3,30-4,30pm (*)

Middle Leaders Wednesdays - Monthly 3,30-5pm (*)

Leadership Team Fridays - Weekly 1-4pm (*)

KS Solutions Meetings Mondays – Last in each term 3,30-4,30pm (*)

CPD Extended Sessions Tuesdays – Terms 1, 4 & 6 3,30-5pm (*)

Parent & Carer Evenings 6-9pm (*)

Year 14 Year 13 Tues 26 March 2013 Year 12

Year 11 Tues 29 Jan 2013 Year 10 Tues 25 June 2013

Year 9 Tues 29 Jan 2013 Year 8 Tues 7 May 2013 Year 7 Tues 25 June 2013

Year 6 Year 5 Tues 6 Nov 2012 Year 4 Year 3 & Year 2 Year 1 Tues 21 May 2013 Year R

Options Evenings 6-9pm (*)

Year 9 for KS4 Tues 5 Feb 2013 Year 11 for KS5 Tues 5 Feb 2013

Open Evening 6-8pm (*)

Prospective & Current Parents & Carers Tues 16 April 2013

(*) refer to School Diary

45 Bradfields School

‘Our tree of learning’

Be thoughtful Be happy, and sociable excited and have fun

Be disciplined Be kind and and safe caring

Be a challenge Be willing to learn and seeker and a use the knowledge courageous learner well

Be positive in Be a seeker of your answers and a contribution to solver of your school and problems community

Be responsible Be an achiever and show and use the initiative skills wisely

Be healthy and Be honest and energetic trustworthy

Be curious and Be punctual and imaginative well presented

Be confident in Be willing to yourself and experiment and trusting in explore others Be generous in your giving and grateful in your receiving

46 TEACHING & LEARNING

The implementation of an effective teaching and learning policy ensures that :  the quality and breadth of learning experiences offered to all pupils remains high  classroom organisation and existing practices are regularly reviewed  there is an agreed focus for monitoring the curriculum-in-action  consistent approaches are used throughout the school  good practice is maintained and developed  staff have opportunities to develop their skills and expertise  expectations of students are maintained and challenged  high attainment by students is facilitated, irrespective of racial background, gender, cultural heritage or special educational need

All other policies, guidelines and schemes of work will reflect the teaching and learning policy.

Guidelines

Key Characteristics of Teaching & Learning will always be underpinned by the core principles of the Every Child Matters agenda with lessons:

a) Providing the opportunity for students to learn in a physically safe environment with good order and an emotionally safe environment where students can express their thoughts, feelings and opinions and have these challenged and explored. Teaching and Learning will also help students develop the skills to keep themselves and others safe in the environments in which they engage. b) Provide the opportunity for students to make a positive contribution within class, the school community and the wider communities within which they belong. c) Provide the opportunity for students to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding to develop an emotionally, physically and socially healthy approach to all aspects of their life. d) Providing the development of the knowledge, skills and understanding to take as economically active role in society as possible within their needs.

Fundamentally all teaching and learning in Bradfields School will give all students the opportunity to enjoy and achieve in all aspects of their education.

47 Specifically the following aspects of Teaching and Learning are relevant:

1. The Learning Experiences

The learning experiences offered to all students, at a level appropriate to their needs, should be such as to enable them to :  gain and develop self esteem  increase independence  develop knowledge, understanding, skills and expertise  develop positive behaviours  make choices  express preferences  be active participants  develop communication skills  broaden their horizons  gain access to a wide variety of resources including ICT and multimedia  develop awareness of themselves and others  have expectations of themselves and others  have opportunities for developing social skills  develop their citizenship

2. The Learning Environment :

The whole school, mainstream integration schools and the wider community, provide students with an environment in which their learning is reinforced and enhanced - that is, there are realistically high expectations of students. This is characterised by : a) The Staff Staff will ensure that they strive to :  share their understanding of an individual student’s needs and difficulties  share their intentions about curricular aims, priorities for individual students, classroom management issues and teaching approaches  share the development of skills, interests, awareness, expertise and collaborative attitudes between all members of staff  share their interpretation of professional roles, responsibilities and lines of management b) The Classroom This should be organised effectively :  to promote a feeling of safety and security  to create a cheerful, welcoming but purposeful atmosphere in the room

48  with rules and routines which are made very clear to pupils  so that available space and learning resources are used to best advantage  with, so far as possible, bright, attractive furnishings appropriate to the needs of the students  with easy access to equipment by the students, labelled appropriately c) Resources These need to :  be of high quality because of their implicit association with high expectations  be age appropriate and accessible to students  be easily cleaned, hygienic and meet safety requirements  be in good repair, working and complete  reflect all areas of the whole curriculum, including the National Curriculum and that for students following exam courses  be differentiated throughout the phases of the school d) Display These need to be:  an extension of the ongoing work which, when appropriate, is labelled (text and symbols) to offer access to students and / or to show ownership  designed as a visual aid which is clear and set at the appropriate height  a reflection of the needs of the students  relevant to students work and changed frequently to relate to the work being undertaken  designed for student involvement and participation as far as possible  a teaching tool - for example, visual or tactile displays  include reference to student success in behaviour and citizenship/school community support. e) Key Strategies / Skills Staff need to ensure that they :  assess the learning implications of each student’s special educational needs  value students’ contributions on a regular basis  take account of the views of other professionals (including those from other agencies and services)  forge and maintain effective partnerships with parents  teach effectively in a variety of settings, including 1:1, small group and whole class group. The balance of these settings will need to be judged appropriately

49  match teaching approaches and grouping to both individual needs and subject matter being taught  take into consideration the needs of all students from all three areas of the school  use a range of teaching styles and approaches  establish pace, challenge, continuity and progression in their delivery  demonstrate an all round understanding and detailed knowledge of their pupils  relate assessment to planning and future learning  plan coherently for groups and individuals  plan and support inclusion opportunities for students within and beyond Bradfields School  specify clearly identified learning outcomes  make regular assessments during lessons of knowledge, skills and concepts  include regular reference to personal, spiritual, moral, social, emotional and cultural issues  include reference to skills knowledge and understanding being referenced to the world outside of school (local, regional national and international)  apply a wide range of methods for recording progress according to their purpose  plan work co-operatively with a variety of other adults including a close working partnership with TAs and other support staff  plan work so that adults can work flexibly, responding to individual needs as they arise  plan opportunities in lessons for students to make choices and work independently  develop their subject knowledge and expertise within the whole curriculum, including the National Curriculum schemes of work and those of the External Examination Boards  contribute to the curriculum development process within the school  communicate actively with students and other adults  start lessons on time  start and conclude lessons appropriately  motivate students to attempt challenges  allow students opportunities to make mistakes and to recognise that staff do too !  work in conjunction with the Middle Leadership Team and Leadership Team to review, develop and evaluate Teaching and Learning  ensure that all we do is in pursuit of Excellence & Enjoyment

50 Implementation, evaluation and review

This policy is a working document and will be evident throughout the day to day work of the whole school. The policy will be monitored as an ongoing process by all staff, and formally by the Leadership team.

Monitoring of Standards

Lesson Planning is monitored by MLT members 6 times each year and they report to the AHT [Curriculum] on Standards at MLT Meetings.

Lesson Observations are conducted by the HT as a formal monitoring and SEF related activity against OFSTED standards. This occurs twice during the calendar year.

Other observations to monitor and evaluate standards within our school are carried out throughout the school year by the AHTs and MLT members with subject responsibility.

This process assists with judgements about our effectiveness, required INSET/CPD and coaching/mentoring to support outstanding practice.

These events are published in the school calendar.

51 STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Introduction

We believe that adults and students learn more effectively if they have high expectations together with high levels of self-confidence and motivation and that creating a purposeful learning environment enables this. The staff (teaching and support) of Bradfields School is its most valuable resource. Therefore, we undertake to provide development opportunities, with necessary guidance and support, to enable individuals to realise their true potential.

We recognise that continuous development of our employees is essential in helping this school to achieve greater effectiveness. Although Professional Development will almost always be intrinsically linked to the school’s Development Plan, sensitivity to the specific needs of an individual will be encouraged.

Professional Development & Career Planning

Guidelines

The encouragement of professional excellence, within the framework of the school’s aims and ethos, should produce enthusiastic and committed members of staff. However, within that framework there will exist freedom for individuals and teams/departments to contribute to the aims and values of Bradfields School.

We will continue to develop a culture in which there is continuous interest in the process of change and where all members of staff feel that they are respected and valued as individuals.

The sharing of good practice and expertise will always be encouraged.

We will provide a supportive framework for all new members of staff. Equally, we will encourage and support those members of staff who wish to gain necessary skills and experience to further their own careers.

Linking the needs and targets for an individual member of staff with the school’s Development Plan is a feature of Bradfields School’s Performance Management programme.

Staff training days will be used to further support targets within the school’s Development Plan.

52 Professional Development Activities

We need to maximise the opportunities for Professional Development in situations other than the traditional one–day course during term time. Although such courses can be valuable, the disruption to the learning process for the students cannot be ignored. The range of alternatives is considerable and includes: liaison with other schools, shadowing, distance learning, team teaching, peer coaching, networking, mentoring, role swaps, and school based INSET, out of term-time courses, delegation and team/department meetings. This list is not exhaustive and we always welcome fresh initiatives.

In addition, some of the annual training days will be allocated to professional development.

Identification of Needs

Departments/teams should identify development needs annually. These needs should then feature in the relevant development plans.

All members of staff are invited to complete a questionnaire about their own professional developments. Furthermore, a member of staff can discuss personal needs with their line manager, mentor or Assistant Headteacher.

All performance management reviews include a separate section devoted to the specific development needs of the member of staff.

Information from these sections is collected and then used to influence future INSET provision.

Cascading

Members of staff who attend courses are expected to:  Inform relevant colleagues of any key points.  Share new skills. This sharing can take place at department/team level or by a presentation to the majority of staff at a staff meeting or a training day.

Occasionally, a member of staff may be asked to make a special presentation to the governors.

Monitoring and Evaluation

As part of the Governing Body’s Value for Money Strategy, there is a detailed evaluation document (Appendix B. for In-House and Appendix C. for External Courses- Available from Miss Sweetlove) that needs completing. Once completed, this document provides clear details of the 53 rationale for such an activity and documentary evidence for Governors, OfSTED and other interested parties.

Initial Teacher Training

At Bradfields School we believe in the importance of training new recruits to the profession of teaching. This is always a two-way process because new entrants bring with them fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

The partnership between schools and teacher training agencies is continually evolving. There is an ever-increasing responsibility for existing staff to take a high profile in this important activity. Nevertheless, it is always important that due care is taken to ensure that:  Students and other professional colleagues are not suffering.  Students are not unduly losing continuity with their regular teachers.  No unreasonable demands are made on colleagues. The number of trainee teachers in school in any one year will be closely monitored by the Leadership Team. Wherever possible, partnership time for use by the subject/teacher mentor will be built into the annual timetable. Graduate Teacher Programme [GTP]

We welcome the opportunity to help graduates with a degree from an English or Welsh University to achieve QTS. The length of the training programme varies from three to twelve months. The minimum period of three months will only be considered for applicants with at least two years’ previous teaching experience.

We will provide the necessary supervision, support, mentoring and assessment. There will also be opportunities to observe other experienced professionals in action. A dedicated mentor will organise regular meetings for discussion and review and will also ensure that the trainee is fully acquainted with all of the professional matters appertaining to a fully qualified teacher.

Newly Qualified Teachers [NQTs]

Newly qualified teachers are required to complete an induction period of six school terms. At Bradfields School we welcome the opportunity of working with NQTs. We will make every effort to help them develop sound professional practices that will enable them to derive the maximum benefits from their chosen challenging careers. The induction process starts on the day of appointment to Bradfields School and heralds the beginning of a programme of continuous professional development.

54 Each NQT will be allocated a “mentor”. The mentor will be an experienced teacher who is:  Fully cognisant of the requirements of the induction period and of the competencies required of a fully qualified teacher.  Capable of making fair and rigorous judgements on performance.  Sympathetic to the needs and concerns of NQTs.

The mentor will make a lesson observation during the first four weeks in post. This will be followed by regular observations, approximately every six weeks, for the remainder of the induction year. Occasionally, another teacher will make a lesson observation with a professional interest. There will also be regular timetabled meetings with the mentor. The purpose of these meetings is to provide quality time for reflection, evaluation and discussion of general issues. In addition, there will be three formal assessment meetings between the NQT, the Headteacher (or the Business Manager) and the mentor. These meetings will normally take place towards the end of terms 2, 4 & 6. The final meeting assumes greater importance because at this one the Headteacher will determine whether or not the NQT has satisfactorily met all of the requirements of the induction period. Official forms will be completed and forwarded to the appropriate body within 10 working days. The NQT will be invited to add, in writing, any comments to the form. Copies will be made for the NQT and the Headteacher. It is then the Headteacher’s responsibility to report the outcome to the Governors.

If the NQT has accrued more than 30 days’ absence during the induction year, the period of induction will be extended accordingly. Similarly, a NQT who interrupts his/her induction year with statutory maternity leave will have her induction period extended accordingly, unless she decides not to return to his/ her post.

Except for the absences described, there will not normally be any extensions to the induction period.

All NQTs will be given a copy of the school’s Induction Programme at the time of appointment (Appendix A)

New Members of Staff

Newly appointed members of the teaching staff will be given a similar level of support as that provided for NQTs. Newly appointed members of the support staff will follow an induction programme specific to the responsibilities of the post.

55 Fixed Term Opportunities

It is the firm belief of governors and the Leadership Team that significant enhancement to the quality of professional performance has resulted from this programme. Furthermore, in terms of total curriculum development and contribution to the philosophy of continuous learning, the scheme has proved itself to be particularly cost effective. Nevertheless, budget considerations will always be a determinant factor with regard to the number and levels of salary enhancements to be made available in any one financial year.

Essentially, we aim to identify, annually, a range of one-year opportunities covering many aspects of school organisation and management. Each opportunity identified may carry with it an additional payment* for work beyond the normal school hours for teachers and for support staff a salary enhancement of at least one point on the NJC Scale. Although some opportunities will require applicants to have already demonstrated their management ability (eg a one year appointment to the School Leadership Team), the majority of opportunities will be open to all members of staff. This scheme affords members of staff the chance to undertake fresh challenges. Experience gained can then lead to a possible change in career direction or recognition that such a post would not bring long-term job satisfaction.

Sometimes, teachers indicate a desire to gain experience in working in a different type of school. Wherever possible, attempts will be made to facilitate the request by organising an exchange with another teacher from the sector or type of school chosen. Generally speaking, such exchanges bring benefits not only to the teachers in the exchange but, equally importantly, to the two schools involved. The teachers involved would remain on their existing contracts but would be answerable to the host Headteacher for the duration of the exchange. Headteachers and senior members of staff from both schools will interview all prospective candidates for the one-year exchange programme.

The above is not an exhaustive explanation of the full range of one year opportunities. Fresh ideas are always welcomed and, if practical, attempts will be made to incorporate them into the overall scheme.

(* This payment will be in addition to any other existing/substantive Management Allowance/Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) allowance.)

Advanced Skills Teachers [ASTs] / Excellent Teacher scheme

The AST pay scale was introduced for outstanding teachers who do not necessarily wish to seek promotion to Deputy Headship or Headship and 56 the Excellent Teacher Scheme, introduced in September 2006, allows opportunities for teachers who have been at UPS3 for at least two years to gain additional professional status. Aspiring ASTs/Excellent Teachers will be required to satisfy a set of essential criteria as defined by the DfE. The intention of the schemes is to allow ASTs/Excellent Teachers to develop and share their professional expertise. For ASTs this sharing of expertise will necessitate a commitment to some “out-reach” work in other schools for one or more days a week as well as “in-house” work with colleagues in Bradfields School.

Teaching Schools

We have partnership links with the 2 Teaching School Alliances in Medway and others in the South East England. These provide varied opportunities for staff to :  Access formal training and professional development both with/without academic qualifications implicit in the course  Access professional links and partnerships with professionals in similar roles to further skills, knowledge and understanding  Contribute to the development of other staff and thereby increase their own personal coaching/teaching skills.  Develop leadership & management opportunities through short or long term placements. Further details are available through the AHT [Curriculum]

......

Bursaries

Applications from members of staff for a bursary will be given sympathetic support. Bradfields School offers bursaries to employees who have registered for degree credit and professional body courses under the terms and conditions below.

Basic Eligibility

The bursary programme is available to :

 All full-time and part-time staff with at least half-time appointments who have completed two years continuous service to the School by the first day of the academic session for which the bursary is awarded.

57 Courses covered  The bursary programme applies only to those courses and programmes related to gaining Qualified Teacher Status / Professional Certification.  A member of staff must have been admitted to such a course or programme to be eligible for the bursary.

Value  The value of the tuition bursary benefit is reviewed annually.  For the 2012-13 academic year, the value of the bursary is remaining at the 2011-12 figure: a maximum of £2000 for a full degree course ; £1000 to a maximum of £1500 for certificate courses ; and, up to £500 for courses and programmes of 1-3 terms duration.  The bursary awarded should now also be used to assist with costs of travel, subsistence, books and other materials required for the course.  The bursary benefit will not be credited for charges for courses that are cancelled by the student.

Procedure  Application forms for Bursaries are available from the AHT Curriculum & Quality Standards.  Completed applications for 2013-14 are to be returned to the Business Manager prior to the start of Term 5 [i.e 16th April 2013].  Should an employee cease employment with Bradfields School, the recipient will retain the bursary to the first of the following dates coincident with or immediately following the end of employment i.e.: December 31, April 30, or August 31.

Review Of Staff Development Policy & Practice

Judgements about the quality of Staff Training and Professional Development will be made by all staff involved in working at the school.

In July each year the Leadership Team will compile a report and present it to the Governing Body to evaluate the progress made and value added by staff development.

The Governing Body will receive regular reports and be asked to change the policy, as appropriate, in the light of developments within the school and any new employment legislation.

58 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

1. Introduction

In our school we are committed to performance management

 To develop all staff  To improve the quality of teaching, learning & behaviour  To raise the standards of achievement for all pupils  To enable staff to develop themselves professionally

The policy and practice covers all staff and commenced in September 2007. It sets the framework for all staff to review and agree priorities and objectives within the context of the last OFSTED Inspection [2012], School Development Plan and their own professional needs.

2. Rationale

Performance management means shared commitment to high performance. It helps focus attention on more effective working practices and monitoring to raise the quality of teaching/learning/support and to benefit pupils, teachers and the school. It means providing appropriate training and development to ensure job satisfaction, a high level of expertise and progression of staff in their chosen profession.

We want to improve performance by developing the effectiveness of all staff, both as individuals and as teams. The evidence is that standards rise when schools are clear about what they want to achieve. That is why performance management is important.

We will implement our performance management arrangements on the basis of :

Fairness. We all need to be aware of the potential for unconscious discrimination and to avoid the assumptions about individuals based on stereotypes ; and,

Equal Opportunity. All teachers should be encouraged and supported to achieve their potential through agreeing objectives, undertaking development and having performance assessed.

3. Roles

Performance management is a shared responsibility. The governors have a strategic role in agreeing the school’s performance management policy and through powers delegated to the Headteacher ensuring that the

59 performance of all staff is regularly reviewed and monitored. The Headteacher is responsible for implementing the school’s performance management policy and ensuring that performance management reviews take place.

4. Responsibility for Reviews

We have carefully considered the practical arrangements for performance management in the school. A SIP Consultant will be appointed by the Governing Body to carry out the performance management review for the Headteacher. The Headteacher will carry out the performance management reviews for the Leadership Team, who in turn will then act as ‘PfM Team Leaders’ for each middle leader/teacher who will also then in turn act as ‘PfM Team Leaders’ for other teachers/TAs/Admin/Support Staff on the basis of responsibilities for learning in the school, a judgement about who has the best overview of the member of staff’s work and the ability to provide support to staff. In doing this the Headteacher has delegated responsibility to an appropriate PfM Team Leader to assist with the process of ensuring that each reviewer is responsible for a limited number of reviews. Current UK good practice shows that reviewers do not have more than six reviewees.

5. Timing of Reviews

The review cycle operates on a continuous one year cycle. The Headteacher has considered the current workload commitments and how the cycle will best fit the school’s other planning arrangements. As such the performance management timings are phased in over the next twelve months.

Our timetable will be :

[a] Objectives set in Term 1 by 11th Oct (T) & 8th Nov (TAs) in 2012

These will be linked to the current stage in developing our school’s academic, pastoral, finance and admin developments. They will inform and support our school management policies for future financial and academic years. We will take account of professional development objectives in setting the school’s overall priorities for staff development.

[b] Monitoring and feedback

Where applicable, there will be at least three workplace observations per PfM cycle for each member of staff with feedback. In addition other objectives will be monitored and mid-year meetings set up during Term 4 to provide feedback.

[c] Formal Reviews & New Objectives set the following Term 1 in 2013

60 We will take account a range of measures in considering staff progress and achievement. They will collate an evidence base for themselves and refer to it in the End of Year Review Meeting. We will set new objectives and discuss future professional development. A new individual plan will be completed for each teacher.

The review process will inform our school management policies and the School Improvement Plan for future financial and academic years.

[d] The process outlined in [a] to [c] continues annually

Stage 1 Stage 3 Planning : Review : Agree Objectives End of Year PfM And complete an Review of Progress Team Leader Individual Plan

Stage 2 Monitoring : Tasks in progress during the year

Refer to the Policy Documents for a) Teaching Staff b) Teaching Assistant Staff c) Admin & Support Staff for more detail on the process of PfM at Bradfields School

6. Confidentiality

The individual plan and the review documents are personal and confidential documents. They are to be kept securely in the Headteacher’s office and are subject to the Data Protection Act 1988.

7. Evaluation of Policy

The Headteacher will provide an annual report to the Governing body on how the performance management procedures have been implemented.

As part of our ongoing commitment the Governing Body will update and amend the documentation and the process as required, to incorporate any updates felt applicable to our school.

61 STAFF ABSENCE MANAGEMENT

1. INTRODUCTION

This is a model absence management policy to assist the Headteacher & Governing Body in managing staff absences and should be read in conjunction with the leave of staff absence policy.

This policy covers all absences from the school work place.

The policy applies to:  all employees of the school, including the Headteacher;  staff who are centrally employed by the local authority (LA) and who work solely at the school;  staff employed in units or bases that are attached to a school

The procedure does not apply to:  peripatetic staff who are centrally employed by the LA;  school meals staff employed by LA Catering Services or by an external contractors  employees of external contractors and providers of services. (Such staff are covered by the relevant procedures of their employing body)

2. PURPOSE SCOPE & PRINCIPLES

 It is acknowledged that staff will be absent due to illness and the integrity of such absence is not intentionally questioned.  All sickness leave of absence will normally be on a paid basis, unless otherwise specified.  The operational needs of the school will be paramount and, except in emergency circumstances, adequate notice of absence must be given.  The responsibility for exercising discretion on behalf of the Governing Body is the Headteacher’s, in accordance with the professional duties defined in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document.  Any dispute or grievance about an absence or payment during leave of absence will be dealt with through the Schools Grievance Procedure.  A principal purpose in setting out this Policy is to ensure that staff are dealt with fairly and consistently.  Bradfields School wishes to support its workforce in maintaining good health and full attendance. 62 3 ABSENCE OF EMPLOYEES COVERED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

For support staff that have a contract for 52 weeks per year, the absence management process is the same for their ‘working time’ as it is for Teachers and TAs in Section 4 below.

4 TEACHERS’/TAs WORKING TIME

A Teacher/TA employed full-time must be available for work for 195 days in any school year.

190 of those days must be days of which he/she may be required to teach/support pupils and perform other duties and 5 days must be days on which he/she may only be required to perform other duties. The same applies for a Teacher/TA employed part-time, except the number of hours he/she must be available for work must be a proportion of full-time hours.

In addition to the hours a teacher/TA is required to be available for work, he/she must work such reasonable additional hours as may be necessary to enable him/her to discharge effectively his/her professional duties.

These provisions do not apply to deputy head teachers, assistant head teachers, advanced skills teachers or teachers in receipt of an acting allowance for carrying out the duties of a head teacher, deputy head teacher or assistant head teacher.

5 WORKING PRACTICE

The School’s policy as agreed by the Governing Body is :

5.1 Reporting Absence

Staff should report their absence by no later than 8am on the first day of their illness absence. This requires them, or a relative/friend, contacting the Main School Office (Main School & Fieldview Staff) or FEC Office (FEC Staff) school to give detail on :  name of staff member  date sickness commenced  anticipated length of absence (to allow school to plan cover for duties)  reason for absence

The Line Manager at School (or a delegated person) will call back within 3 hours to offer pastoral support and clarify 63 circumstances to allow the school to provide its full operational procedures.

5.2 Reporting Continued Absence or Return to Work

In the event that the absence continues  Staff should report their continued absence by no later than 4pm on the first day of their illness absence and likewise each day thereafter ; unless signed off work by a Doctor, in which case the expected return date should be specified. This allows the school to make the necessary cover arrangements.  Staff should report their expected return to work the day prior to return and no later than 4pm on that date. This allows for absence cover arrangements to be discontinued and reduces the cost implications of Supply Agency Staff.

Note : The importance of staff following the Points 5.1 & 5.2 above, will assist the school in achieving the principles of ‘Rarely Cover’ as put into practice from September 2009.

5.3 School Actions from the time of an ‘Absence’ being reported

When the phone call is received, then the office staff are responsible for recording the detail in Part A of the ‘Sickness Self-Certification Form’ [Blue]. This form should then be passed to the respective Line Manager for the call back (unless already spoken to directly).

5.4 School Actions on Return from Absence

When the member of staff returns from absence they should be seen by their Line Manager within 48 hours, in order that :  the ‘Sickness Self-Certification Form’ [Blue] can have Part B & C completed and be signed accordingly in a meeting with the member of staff on their return.  the Line Manager can complete the ‘Return to Work Interview Form’ [Beige] with the returning member of staff in this meeting. For the purposes of administration of this policy the Line Manager role is performed by :

Whole School : Business Manager

64 All forms should be sent to the Main School Office for processing by the Admin Team.

5.6 Prolonged Absences

In the event that  an absence is for more than 7 days ; the member of staff will require a Doctor’s Certificate of Absence. This should be sent to the School Office as soon as possible.  the member of staff (having been absent for more than 7 days) is then claiming to be fit to return to work ; the member of staff will also be required to get a Certificate stating they are ‘fit to return to work’ from their Doctor.  the absence has been due to surgery or serious illness, then the School will initiate an Occupational Health referral to establish the requirements to support the member of staff to full duties. It may also be necessary to consider whether any changes or support is necessary: e.g. review health and safety risk assessment, Disability Discrimination Act adjustments etc..

5.7 Return to Work Plan

In the event that a member of staff is returning from a significant absence and an Occupational Health referral has resulted, then a meeting will be convened to make appropriate decisions about successfully returning the member of staff to work.

This plan can include reduced duties and a phased time return. It is expected that the phased return will last for no longer than a six week period. The exception being in the case that any DDA requirements involve changes to working practices. The Headteacher will chair such meetings. It is normal for Medway HR to be present and the returning member of staff can have a ‘friend’ or trade union representative to support them.

6 MANAGEMENT OF CONTINUED & FREQUENT ABSENCE

The School considers it important to manage absence in a supportive manner to ensure  the operational needs of providing consistent and high quality education to the students can be maintained 65  staff present in school are not burdened by tasks normally provided by their absent colleague(s)  the principles of ‘rarely cover’ are working practice  absent staff feel they are still part of the school community  staff absent due to illness are supported on their return to school

As such, in the event that a member of staff has more than 8 days absence in a twelve month period there will be a meeting convened with the Headteacher to discuss their general health and well-being, absence level and patterns. The Headteacher or Business Manager will chair such meetings. It is normal for Medway HR to be present and the member of staff can have a ‘friend’ or trade union representative to support them.

The meeting may involve the following outcome(s) :  a referral to Occupational Health  the setting of future attendance targets for the member of staff, with a time frame and scheduled review meeting.

7 MANAGEMENT OF LONG TERM & FREQUENT ABSENCE

In the event that absence levels continue to be of a high level then the Headteacher may consider referring the matter to Medway HR and the Bradfields School Governing Body, to determine whether or not the member of staff is fit to perform their contracted duties and whether or not they should continue in the employment of the school.

8 ‘OUR STAFF TEAM’

The first principle in this whole practice is recognizing that the main and most valuable resource of our school is the staff team and as such it is vital to support them in maintaining their good health and well-being so they are fully able to provide quality education and care.

66 LEAVE OF ABSENCE

1. INTRODUCTION

This is a model leave of absence policy adopted by the Governing Body for use by the Headteacher in making decisions about requests for leave in accordance with legal, contractual and moral obligations.

This policy covers annual leave, family leave and miscellaneous leave.

The policy applies to:  all employees of the school, including the Headteacher;  staff who are centrally employed by the local authority (LA) and who work solely at the school;  staff employed in all zones of our school and all parts of our extended day provision.

The procedure does not apply to:  peripatetic staff who are centrally employed by the LA;  school meals staff employed by LA Catering Services or by an external contractor  employees of external contractors and providers of services. (Such staff are covered by the relevant procedures of their employing body)

2. PURPOSE SCOPE & PRINCIPLES

 Annual leave and occupational sick leave will be in accordance with the relevant conditions of service for teachers and support staff.  Other leave of absence will normally be on an unpaid basis, unless otherwise specified.  The operational needs of the school will be paramount and, except in emergencies, adequate notice of a request for leave of absence must be given.  The responsibility for exercising discretion on behalf of the Governing Body is the Headteacher’s, in accordance with the professional duties defined in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document. The Headteacher will, however, seek advice from or on behalf of the Governing Body, when appropriate.  Any dispute or grievance about a request for leave of absence or payment during leave of absence will be dealt with through the Schools Grievance Procedure.

67  A principal purpose in setting out this Policy is to ensure that requests are dealt with fairly and consistently.

3 ANNUAL LEAVE ENTITLEMENT FOR EMPLOYEES COVERED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

For support staff that have a contract for 52 weeks per year, the leave entitlement is dependent on grade and continuous Local Government service. [See Medway Regulations.] This leave will normally be taken during the school holidays and must be agreed with the Headteacher or nominated person in reasonable time, prior to the leave being taken. Only in exceptional circumstances and with the express consent of the Headteacher, can leave be taken at other times. Support staff may carry forward leave to the next annual leave year [in accordance with Medway Regulations], provided this is done with the Headteacher’s consent and leave is taken prior to 31st May.

Note : Staff will not be permitted to take leave during the term unless express consent from the Headteacher has been given. If leave is granted, this will be unpaid for term-time only staff.

4 TEACHERS’/TAs WORKING TIME

A Teacher/TA employed full-time must be available for work for 195 days in any school year.

190 of those days must be days of which he/she may be required to teach/support students and perform other duties and 5 days must be days on which he/she may only be required to perform other duties. The same applies for a Teacher/TA employed part- time, except the number of hours he/she must be available for work must be a proportion of full-time hours.

In addition to the hours a Teacher/TA is required to be available for work, he/she must work such reasonable additional hours as may be necessary to enable him/her to discharge effectively his/her professional duties.

These provisions do not apply to the head teacher, deputy head teacher, assistant head teachers, advanced skills teachers or teachers in receipt of an acting allowance for carrying out the duties of a head teacher, deputy head teacher or assistant head teacher.

68 5 SPECIAL OCCASIONAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE

The School’s policy as agreed by the Governing Body is :

5.1 Time off for a sick child The first day is normally paid to allow the employee to make arrangements for child care. Any further absence should be unpaid except in exceptional circumstances e.g. hospitalisation.

5.2 Compassionate, Emergency or Exceptional Leave Staff will normally be granted up to 5 days paid leave in compassionate, emergency or exceptional circumstances, such as the death or serious illness of a close relative or equivalent. The leave is to deal with the immediate issues and to sort out long term arrangements if necessary. In some cases a longer period of absence may be approved on an unpaid basis. Paid leave of absence for funerals only applies to immediate family relatives.

5.3 Other personal reasons Exceptionally, there may be other personal reasons for requesting leave of absence. Examples might be attendance at a child’s graduation ceremony or ‘once in a lifetime’ visit to relatives overseas. Such leave, where granted, will normally be unpaid and subject to adequate notice so that replacement staff can be employed if necessary.

5.4 Extended leave of absence Requests for longer periods of leave will be considered on an unpaid basis, for example, in the case of a lengthy period of caring for a chronically sick, disabled, or terminally ill, dependent relative. Extended leave can be for up to a year’s duration. Sufficient notice that allows the appointment of a replacement should be given wherever possible.

5.6 Moving house Up to 1 day paid leave may be granted.

5.7 Service with Auxiliary Forces Volunteer members of UK Armed Forces are allowed two weeks paid leave to attend an annual summer camp. Teaching staff are only granted paid leave if the force’s unit cannot arrange exercises during holiday periods.

5.8 Mobilisation When reservists are needed to fulfil their part of the UK’s defence strategy, they are ‘mobilised’ or ‘called out’ into full

69 time service with the regular forces or military operations. While the reservist is mobilised the school does not have to continue to pay them, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will pay their salary. For further information on mobilisation, please refer to the SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers) website: www.sabre.mod.uk

5.9 Carry over of annual leave The School expects employees who are covered by Local Government terms and conditions of employment to take their full entitlement of leave in each leave year, which runs from April to March. Where this is not possible, with the knowledge of and by arrangement with the Headteacher, employees may carry forward leave to the next annual leave year [in accordance with Medway Regulations], provided this is taken prior to 31 May.

5.10 Religious Festivals Where staff can show that they are bona fide adherents of any organised religion and that they require leave for the purpose of an official holy day, the Governing Body will allow up to 1 day paid leave. Staff taking such leave are expected to make up this time at a later date.

5.11 Sporting Events Up to 10 days paid leave per year may be granted for staff who represent their country in recognised sporting events.

5.12 Attendance at Court Proceedings

5.12.1 Jury Service Staff required to attend for jury service should arrange for the loss of earnings certificate to be forwarded to the school’s payroll team. The certificate will be returned to the member of staff completed to show to what extent the salary will be stopped during their absence. The amount will then be claimed from the court.

5.12.2 Witness summonses and subpoenas Staff subject to a witness summons or subpoena should be allowed paid time off work to attend court.

5.13 Public Duties

School employees may be granted up to 10 days per annum paid leave to carry out the duties of the office of Leader, Mayor, JP or Chairman of Local Authorities. For employees

70 who are School or College Governor’s, up to 3 days per annum will be paid, In addition to this, unpaid leave can be granted for employees carrying out public duties [at the discretion of the Headteacher]. 5.14 Study/Examination Leave

For employees who are sitting examinations relevant to their current post or career, providing the employer is paying the fees, half a day study per examination plus half a day per examination will be paid.

5.15 GCSE Duties & Activities

For Teachers who are engaged in activities for examining groups, please refer to appendix II of the Burgundy Book, Memorandum of Agreement for the Release of Teachers.

5.16 Time off for Trade Union duties

The school recognises the legal requirement for employers to allow reasonable time off work for the school’s elected representatives of recognised trade unions to carry out their duties. Duties that warrant time off with pay include:

 consultation on terms and conditions of employment or the physical conditions of work;  consultation on recruitment and selection policies, redundancy and dismissal arrangements;  meetings with school management or LEA officers on matters of joint concern;  representing a union member at grievance, capability or disciplinary interview;  attendance at relevant training courses organised by the trade union.

The Council has a separate agreement with Trade Unions and Professional Associations to provide paid time off for their county representatives. The nominated county representatives are allowed time off each week to carry out their duties and the school is reimbursed from a council budget.

5.17 Bad weather conditions

There may be circumstances when the employee is unable to attend work due to bad weather, but the school remains open as usual. All reasonable effort should be made to attend 71 work. Alternative arrangements may be agreed with the Headteacher, e.g. working from home or at a different location. Where this is not possible, non-attendance will normally be treated as unpaid leave.

5.18 Time off for medical/dental appointments

School employees are expected to make appointments out of school time. Where this is not possible, reasonable paid time off will be allowed to a limit of 3 days in a twelve month period. Any further time in that period will have to be taken as unpaid leave. Where the amount of time required is significant then a referral to Occupational Health will be made and any special circumstances established for future leave of absence consideration.

6 MATERNITY, PATERNITY, ADOPTION, CARERS LEAVE & ANTENATAL CARE

There are specific entitlements for maternity, paternity, adoption, carer’s leave and antenatal care contained in the Carer’s Guide for Schools.

A copy of which can be obtained from the school office.

6.1 Carer’s Leave :

6.1.1 Eligibility Employees have a right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid leave to deal with incidents involving a dependant (See section 6.1.2 for definition).

6.1.2 Definition of Dependant A dependant is defined as:  A husband or wife who reasonably relies on the employee  A child who reasonably relies on the employee  A parent who reasonably relies on the employee  A person who lives in the same household as the employee (except lodgers and other non-dependants).

A person can be said to reasonably rely on an employee if the employee is likely to be the sole or major provider of care.

6.1.3 Rights to time off The employee has the right to take time off in order to take necessary action in the following circumstances:

72  To provide help when a dependant falls ill, gives birth, or is injured or assaulted;  To arrange care for a dependant who is ill or injured;  Where the arrangements for care of a dependant are unexpectedly disrupted or terminated;  When a dependant dies;  To deal with an incident involving the employee’s child which occurs unexpectedly when he/she is at school.

This can initially be paid and thereafter may be unpaid [at the discretion of the Headteacher].

6.1.4 Notice of Leave Request The employee should notify his/her Headteacher that they need time off as soon as reasonably practicable and, in any event no later than one hour prior to their normal start time. They should also state the reason why time off from work is necessary and give an indication of how long they expect to be away. Consideration should be given to methods of taking time off which may not result in loss of pay for the employee e.g. annual leave, flexible working where available, compassionate leave. Immediate release can be agreed where an emergency arises during the course of the working day.

6.1.5 Records It is the Headteacher’s responsibility to inform payroll of the adjustments needed to pay, on a PMC 002 form as soon as possible.

7 INTERVIEWS

The Governing Body recognises the increasing tendency for prospective employers to require interviewees to attend for more than one day, especially for school management posts. There is also a growing tendency to expect prospective candidates to undertake a preliminary visit before the formal interviews.

In order to maintain a fair balance between the operational needs of the school and to minimise the burden on other staff, and to be fair to employees who will be seeking to further their career, the Governing Body will grant leave of absence for interviews as follows:

a) The Headteacher is empowered to approve up to a maximum of 6 days paid leave of absence for interviews, to cover both 73 formal and informal stages of the process, during any one academic year. b) Further leave of absence for this purpose will normally be agreed and will be on an unpaid basis. c) For support staff any days beyond the initial 6 days could be made up during holiday periods, instead of being on an unpaid basis, provided that their work can be carried out during holiday time.

8 INSET AND CPD

The school values the opportunity for its staff to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of the 11-19 curriculum and specialist SEN practices. As such, it encourages staff to identify and apply for training courses and continuing professional development opportunities. In addition it recognizes the benefit of Subject Leader Meetings and Leadership Team role Meetings with other colleagues working both within Medway LA and nationally.

In order to maintain a fair balance between the operational needs of the school and to minimise the burden on other staff, and to be fair to employees who will be seeking to further their professional performance the Governing Body will, as far as is practicable and affordable, grant leave of absence for such attendance particularly in the case of identified Performance Management targets.

9 REQUESTING LEAVE OF ABSENCE

In the event that a member of staff wishes to apply for leave of absence then they should go to their Line Manager and discuss the circumstances. If their Line Manager agrees, in principle, with the request then they will give them an ‘Absence Request Form’ [Yellow] or ‘Inset & CPD Application Form’ [Purple]

This Form is to be used in advance to request absence from work, including course bookings. At least 5 working days notice is required.

10 UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE

If an employee takes leave of absence without the prior consent of the Headteacher this may warrant an investigation under the School’s Disciplinary procedure.

74 RARELY COVER

Since the start of the national WAMG agreement our school has been working towards reducing the hours of ‘cover’ provided by teachers for absent colleagues.

Our definition of rarely cover is ;

 Providing lesson cover in an emergency situation where without doing so, the health, safety and well-being of students and/or staff are at risk  Exceptional absence of staff that cannot be pre-determined (outside the analysis of trends, e.g. staff absence)  When all the school’s strategies for providing cover for absent teachers has been exhausted (all Cover supervisor staff deployed, regular Cover teacher deployed and no agency supply teachers available)

We are aware of the need to continue to reduce the amount of cover for absent teachers provided by our teaching staff to fulfil the objective that  teachers should only ever rarely cover for absent colleagues. This policy has been developed in accordance with the conditions outlined in the school  teachers’ pay and conditions document 2010 and applies to all teaching staff in the school that are not wholly or mainly employed to provide cover.

Our school has been committed to the introduction of the ‘rarely cover’ condition from September 2009. This depends on staff being organised about the need for cover and giving the requisite notification.

Specific Conditions of Cover

Our school  recognises that providing cover is not an effective use of a teacher’s time.  is committed to exhausting all other reasonable strategies for providing cover before having to ask a member of teaching staff.  will maintain a record of cover undertaken by teachers to inform planning and monitor.  will guaranteed PPA time of teachers at a school as it is part of the legal conditions of employment  will aim to keep the rarely cover actual figure below 8 hours ; as it did for all staff in each and every year since 2008-9.

75 Where the need for cover is identified, we will deploy the following resources :  Supply/cover teachers  Upgraded TAs

The headteacher will take account of the following key factors when deciding to use cover supervision :  The extent to which continuity of learning can be maintained  The length of time a particular group of pupils would be working without a teacher  The proportion of the total curriculum time affected in a specific subject area over the course of the term.

Policy Monitoring and Evaluation

The Business Manager will monitor the effectiveness of these strategies for providing cover on a termly basis (ie : x3pa) to ensure that the quality of supervision and student progress and behaviour are as required.

Policy Review

The Headteacher and School Governing Body will carry out a review of this policy on an annual basis. The review will be informed by termly statistical updates of cover data.

Practice for 2012-13

To secure success in the Rarely Cover initiative we need to be able to calendar the dates required for :

 Attendance at Subject Leader Meetings  Medway/Kent Sporting Activities  Curriculum Related Special Activities / Trips (in/out of school)  University/UQT/GTP Course requirements  INSET/CPD

Please note the dates used as deadlines to secure cover arrangements :

For Term 4 by no later than Friday 8th February 2013 For Term 5 by no later than Friday 22nd March 2013 For Term 6 by no later than Friday 17th May 2013 For Term 1 by no later than Friday 12th July 2013 For Term 2 by no later than Friday 11th October 2013 For Term 3 by no later than Friday 6th December 2013

Clearly the earlier you can supply dates, then the greater the chance you will have in securing release from your normal/planned timetabled day.

76 GUIDELINES ON THE USE OF DVDs & AV RESOURCES

Audio Visual (AV) resources (including TV programmes, DVDs, and films) have the potential to provide a positive and constructive role to play in developing student’s knowledge, skills and understanding.

It is important to recognise that the use of all audio visual resources should follow the following set of principles :

a) If the resource has an age restriction classification (for example a BBFC 15 rating) then this must be adhered to at all times.

b) The resources should be previewed and planned to be used; this means that in the majority of cases a whole film/ TV programme would not be shown.

c) After previewing the resources it still may be inappropriate for the resource to be shown for example if it contains, for example, swearing, and scenes of a sexual nature or horror scenes.

d) Staff should be content that the showing of the resource meets clear, appropriate learning objectives.

e) The use of audio visual resources should not be passive, they should be stopped and students questioned about what they have seen and heard or structured work should be given to complete alongside the use of the resource.

f) Any use of a film outside of a lesson should be reported on the relevant forms in the staff room as part of the public licensing agreement.

g) At all stages the Special Educational Needs of the students should be taken into account in making appropriate decisions.

h) If staff are unsure whether a resource is appropriate or not they should consult with the Headteacher or Senior Assistant Headteacher.

These guidelines are offered in addition to the Professional Expectations of staff as laid down by the GTC, Professional Standards and the Staff Safe Working document and Teaching and Learning Policy.

77 DATES FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013

A) Term Dates :

Term Open Close

1 Tues 4 Sept 2012 Fri 26 Oct 2012 Please note that all staff return to School on Monday 3 rd September 2012

2 Tues 6 Nov 2012 Thurs 20 Dec 2012

3 Mon 7 Jan 2013 Fri 15 Feb 2013

4 Mon 25 Feb 2013 Thurs 28 March 2013

5 Tues 16 April 2013 Fri 24 May 2013

(Nb. May Day is on Monday 6th May 2013 School is closed on this day)

6 Tues 4 June 2013 Tues 23 July 2013

B) Training Days (School Closed to pupils)

Mon 3 Sept 2012 Mon 5 Nov 2012 Fri 21 Dec 2012

Mon 15 April 2013 Mon 3 June 2013

Notes :

1. Dates were re-published to staff on 10th January 2012 2. Points 1-3 for Academic Year 2011-12 also apply 3. Bold dates signify changes from those previously published in 2011.

EVC DATES FOR 2012-13

Please note the dates used as deadlines to get clearance for authorised trips/outings are as follows :

For Term 4 by no later than Friday 8th February 2013 For Term 5 by no later than Friday 22nd March 2013 For Term 6 by no later than Friday 17th May 2013 For Term 1 by no later than Friday 12th July 2013 For Term 2 by no later than Friday 11th October 2013 For Term 3 by no later than Friday 6th December 2013 78 Clearly the earlier you can process the requests, then the greater the chance you will have in securing clearance for your trip/outing.Refer to your Subject Leader or Mrs Di Jenkins or Mrs Gill Ellen for assistance.

Provisional Dates for the Academic Year 2013-2014

A) Term Dates :

Term Open Close

1 Weds 4 Sept 2013 Fri 25 Oct 2013 Please note that all staff return to School on Tuesday 3rd September 2012

2 Weds 6 Nov 2013 Fri 20 Dec 2013

3 Mon 6 Jan 2014 Fri 14 Feb 2014

4 Mon 24 Feb 2014 Thurs 3 April 2014

5 Tues 22 April 2014 Fri 23 May 2014

(Nb. May Day is on Monday 5 May 2014 School is closed on this day)

6 Mon 2 June 2014 Weds 23 July 2014

B) Training Days (School Closed to pupils)

Tues 3 Sept 2013 Mon 4 Nov 2013 Tues 5 Nov 2013

Fri 4 April 2014 Mon 30 June 2014

………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………….

Notes regarding Term Dates & Training Days :

1. Part-Time Staff are required to attend Inset pro-rata to their contracted working week. [i.e. 3dpw would mean 3/5 of Inset Days.]

2. As Bradfields School is committed to the professional development of all staff, it would ask part-time staff to attend all 5 sessions ; and, they will be paid supply rate for the extra day(s) worked.

79 3. TAs only work 4 Training Days as 1 is given in lieu of time allocated elsewhere in the Academic Year to meet with Teachers and plan for support of Teaching & Learning.

SCHOOL CLOSURE ARRANGEMENTS

Each Academic Year the office will provide you with the detail for Emergency Closure of the School due to for example : adverse weather conditions.

This detail shows that the decision for closing the school is made by the Headteacher, who then contacts Senior Staff with that decision. There will be an automated text message then sent to staff triggered by the Headteacher. As such it is the responsibility of staff to ensure they have registered their mobile telephone number with the office.

The information provided to parents and carers in monthly newsletters states :

In the event that there is a heavy snow fall and school has to be closed, then the news will be broadcast on radio as follows :

o Heart Kent [formerly Invicta FM Radio] ( 103.1 FM) o BBC Radio Kent (1035kHz, 1602 kHz and 96.7 FM) o KM FM (107.9 FM & 100.4 FM)

If you are not sure and have not heard anything on the radio then you can contact the Customer Services call centre at Medway Civic Centre between 8am and 5,15pm (Mon-Fri) on 01634 332299.………...and you can contact school itself (School – Upper & Lower : 01634 683990).

If we are open then you will get the information directly……... if we are closed due to heavy snow, but someone has got in to ‘man’ the phone, then they will advise you accordingly…..if nobody has got in ……then the ‘silent phone’ will be your ‘answer’.

In the event that there is a heavy fall of snow during the day we will make arrangements to call transport and contact you so we can get pupils home safely.

Of course every effort will be made to keep our school open as normal.

80 Please note that in the event the school is closed then you WILL be only contacted by the automated message. The same ‘text system’ will apply to advise you as to when the school will be opened.

Please remember that it is your responsibility to be available to receive both a School Closure and School Open decision by text message.

Should you have any further queries then you should contact your respective AHT. BRADFIELDS SCHOOL FIRE ALARM PROCEDURE

This poster is displayed in each classroom

In the event that the fire alarm sounds everybody should leave the building and go to the designated playground area.

Staff are responsible for leading pupils from the building in an orderly and calm manner.

Office Staff will take the Registers, Visitors Book and Staff & Pupil Signing-Out Books to the playground.

Assistant Heads & Pastoral Managers will organise their tutor teams to carry out a roll call and cross reference with Office Staff and the Registers/Signing Out Books.

Assistant Heads & Pastoral Managers should then notify the Head of the roll call outcome.

Head will take on the role of 1. Leading the organisation of the evacuation and subsequent ‘roll call’. 2. Identifying zone activated and establishing if reset and return to class is both safe and appropriate.

In the event of a false alarm Assistant Heads & Pastoral Managers will be asked by the Head to organise the orderly return of their teams to classrooms for lessons to reconvene.

81 In the event that there is a fire then the Head will organise phoning the Fire Brigade and the evacuation of the school site.

Please follow this procedure. Do not panic. Be Safe and Live Longer !

THE PROMOTION OF STAFF WELFARE

We want to offer all our School staff the opportunity for a happy and fulfilling life at work.

We want all our members of staff to have their unique contribution to the successful educational provision at Bradfields valued and recognised. We believe that it is important to nurture a working climate, which is supportive, purposeful and happy.

We will make every effort to achieve these aims in a way that recognises the demands which working in a dynamic, challenging educational environment places upon all staff. We will ensure that we make a pro- active and appropriate response to the dangers posed by stress at every level of the school in order to protect the well being of each member of our staff team.

Implementation

We will make our working ethos, organisational structure and routine supporting procedures as transparent, appropriate and responsive, as we are able to. We will keep our administrative and managerial working practices under constant review. We place a significant emphasis on strategic and advance planning which enables all members of staff to better prepare for and shape their working lives.

We will provide all staff with the ‘tools to do the job’ :  resources, technology or other equipment ;  advice and support (whether from within or beyond the school) ;  additional staff time ;  back up from colleagues (e.g. administratively and professionally).

We endorse completely the 2002 STRB Special Review of approaches to reduce teacher workload together with the subsequent guidance and action from the DCSF in response to this report. We will provide a well- staffed General Office that offers all members of staff high quality and comprehensive administrative and financial support which is fit for purpose.

82 We will work hard to :

 make full use of ICT in terms of enabling teachers to teach and streamlining our planning, assessment, recording and reporting practice. We will support and maximise the benefit of any schemes giving staff access to laptops.  recognise stress in the workplace as a routine issue and use staff/meeting time (particularly in respect of our Leadership Team) to address this difficult issue. We routinely work in a collaborative manner and we use teamwork at all levels to enable us to be successful in our joint educational enterprise.  keep our school site(s) in a well-maintained state (both internally and externally). More specifically, we will ensure that our Staff Room, Staff Resources Room and Staff toilets are well appointed and well equipped.  continue to develop our site and facilities in order to offer our staff a high-quality working environment. We will offer members of staff a free and nutritious midday meal of high quality when they directly supervise pupils.  discover and pursue any source of additional funding or professional advice that can enrich or contribute to the overall level of resources or staff expertise at Bradfields in a determined and creative manner.  support and promote the professional development of all our staff in as creative a manner as possible, subject to the availability of resources. We are fortunate in having a Governing Body and Leadership Team, which prizes professional development opportunities and sets generous budgets accordingly.  promote and support new initiatives that can ‘add value’ to the opportunities available for any members of our staff team as long as they do not detract from our core functions. Such initiatives include the NOF ICT training, the Training Schools initiative, the Graduate Training Programme (GTP), Advanced Skills Teachers (ASTs) and others as circumstances allow.  actively encourage all staff to gain further qualifications and accreditation in as many fields as possible (e.g. NVQs, post- graduate studies, the Best Practice Research Scholarships etc.), offering financial support from our Professional Development budget where possible. We also recognise that these generate additional work for the individual concerned and seek to offer practical and moral support to enable the successful completion of such studies/projects.  offer staff opportunities to demonstrate their own initiative within a supportive, trusting environment.  offer additional opportunities to enable each member of staff to recognise, reduce and (if possible) eliminate stress in the 83 workplace through the provision of specific advice (books for staff or reference texts in our Staff Library) beyond our routine advice and support structures available. Examples of this additional support will include the provision of opportunities funded from our Standards Fund allocation and other revenue sources.  reduce after school meeting times and ensure they are focused on pre-prepared agendas.  provide the opportunity for dedicated leadership time for staff with leadership and management responsibilities to meet, plan for and perform their roles.  provide staff with clear job descriptions detailing role and responsibility ; and, give them a clear indication of their line management.  establish an emotionally literate workplace.  work with professional associations to reduce and/or remove any workplace difficulties.  encourage staff to use all the informal and formal (e.g. colleagues, line managers, performance reviewers etc.) support channels and networks, which exist within our organisation in order to maintain their well being at work.  provide regular informal and formal opportunities for all staff to offer their feedback/feelings in response to all the aspects of this policy.

WORK LIFE BALANCE

Bradfields School is committed to supporting its staff in achieving an appropriate Work-Life Balance for all the staff.

To that end :

1. Staff are encouraged to identify a WLB target in their PfM. 2. Meetings and out of school hour commitments are reduced to a minimum ; with the usual format of no more than one meeting of an hour after school closure per week. 3. Strong and sustained success in ‘rarely cover’ and reduced admin tasks have been established. 4. Staff are secure in receiving PPA and dedicated leadership time in keeping with their roles and responsibilities. 5. The Leadership Team of the school have not prescribed the 1265 hour total figure for teaching staff in the belief that the current figure of directed time (which is considerably below 1265 hours) secures the quality of teaching commitment they require and the hours currently not used are available to teaching staff to organise

84 their professional activities as they see fit ; and indicate a marked respect of their professional commitment to the School. 6. Staff are encouraged only to take work away from the workplace that fits within the following categories : small completions or planning outlines or reading and thinking times. 7. Where staff have personal or professional difficulties their line manager is available as a mentor and/or support. 8. Where staff need additional support then the school will signpost them to the appropriate place. 9. Senior Staff work hard to overcome any difficulties between staff so as to maintain the core purpose of our school in delivering quality educational and care outcomes to its pupils.

The school recognises the adverse impact of stress :

Stress is ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them’. Such demands and pressures may be placed upon people both by their domestic activities and responsibilities and through their work activities and responsibilities.

Stress therefore may be caused by either domestic pressure or work pressure and is frequently caused by a combination of both.

It is important to appreciate that there is a distinction between the beneficial effects of reasonable pressure and challenge which can be stimulating, and stress which is the distressing reaction to demands or pressures that the person perceives they cannot cope with at a given time. The school recognises that the ability to cope with such pressures will vary from person to person. Leadership & MLT members recognise that an individual’s own perception that they cannot cope at work is the potential trigger for stress. They will support and advise staff as to best practice within the working day ; with a view to any such working condition that may be impacting in such a way as to create stress being reduced as far as is practicable.

Access to support and advice :

1. Teacher Support Network 08000 562561 2. Medway Counselling Support 0800 174319 ‘Care First’ 3. Samaritans 08457 909090

85 4. Medway Occupational Health : via Headteacher referral.

Remember...... you are never on your own, so speak to a colleague !

BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

All of the students at Bradfields have been assessed as needing a statement of SEN. The statement is a legal document which outlines the individual educational needs of the young person and also the best provision to meet those needs. Statements are reviewed each year and often need updating to reflect changing needs. The students at Bradfields School have all been identified as having complex learning difficulties and associated complex needs as their primary special need. Some have additional or secondary special needs such as : autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ; physical disability ; speech and language difficulties ; behavioural, social and emotional difficulties ; hearing impairment ; and, visual impairment. These may or may not be related to their difficulties in being able to develop and practice appropriate levels of consistent behaviour.

The code of practice for SEN describes students with BESD as having :

“…emotional and behavioural difficulties which substantially and regularly interfere with their own learning or that of the class group, despite having an individualised behaviour management programme…” DfES (2001) 6.64

Many of these are ‘low-level’ behaviours (e.g. talking in class) which occur frequently. It is worth remembering that everyone has moments when their behaviour is not perfect and that sometimes schools can make a student’s difficulties worse. Students are recognised as having BESD when their inappropriate behaviours are frequent and when these undesirable behaviours do not respond to interventions from their teachers and schools.

The students at Bradfields have varying levels of difficulties with their behaviour, learning and with their ability to relate to others. However, none of our current pupil population has a statement deeming the child to have BESD as their primary SEN.

The causes of Behavioural Difficulty

There are many approaches to working with students with identified behavioural difficulties and staff have to make decisions about which strategies are the most likely to succeed. In order to make these decisions, it is helpful to have some understanding of possible causes of the difficulties.

a) Issues to do with the family, which could contribute to a child’s difficulties, 86  A history of trauma, or periods of distress and disturbance within the family.  The stresses of living in poverty.  A feeling of being rejected by parents or family members. b) Issues to do with school, which could contribute to a child’s difficulties,  Difficulties with developing basic skills which have prevented access to learning.  Extended periods of absence which have made it difficult to achieve continuity of learning.  Poor relationships with school staff.  School structures and routines which do not recognise the student as an individual.  Poor teaching which has resulted in pupils feeling bored. c) Issues to do with the child, which could contribute to a child’s difficulties,  Physical learning difficulties such as dyslexia or ADD/ADHD.  Feeling tired, hungry, frightened.  Patterns of behaviour which have become a ‘habit’ and are difficult to change.  Low expectations of themselves e.g. “ I’m thick, I can’t change”.

In reality, there are lots of overlapping factors which impact on our behaviour and many other influences.

The underlying principles of Bradfields’ strategies for behaviour

 Behaviour can change – their behaviour is not fixed.  Students should be encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour by seeing clear consequences for their actions.  Staff are continually demonstrating appropriate behaviour and responses in their interactions with students and each other.  Students need clear explanations of acceptable behaviour and consistent boundaries.  Students are individuals and the school’s structures and routines have ‘rubber boundaries’ which recognise this.  Acceptable behaviour needs to be taught in the same way as any new skill.  Emotional issues impact on behaviour, but do not excuse it.  Students respond best to an environment which is fair and equitable to all.

Bradfields’ whole-school strategies for impacting on behaviour

Link with Home

As student behaviour is the primary responsibility of parents and carers, Bradfields School aims to work in partnership with them to develop the progress of student behavioural skills and attitudes. At the start of each year there is a Home – School agreement signed between the school and parent/carer. This establishes the principles of working in partnership. (See Policy Appendix 1.)

In addition there is a Behaviour Contract that establishes the ‘ABCDE’ of Behavioural Expectations being made of every student at the school. 87  Always follow teachers’ instructions  Be polite and respectful at all times  Complete all work to the best of your ability  Do bring the correct equipment/books/materials to all lessons  Ensure your uniform is smart and correct The contract itemises the skills, attitudes and actions that we expect every student to follow in lessons, during lesson changeover and at break/lunch times. When a student achieves these he/she can expect to be praised and rewarded. The contract also itemises the attitudes and actions it deems to be wrong and therefore will result in some consequence. This contract is signed by each student and their parents/carers. (See Policy Appendix 2.)

Teaching and Learning

There are specific taught sessions that arise in PSHCE & Citizenship lessons and the SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) work carried out in Tutor time. All staff reinforce and deliver further teaching of positive social, emotional and behavioural skills and attitudes throughout the teaching day. As our students have a significant learning difficulty, it is acknowledged that consistent and regular repetition of positive behavioural skills and attitudes will be required.

Tutor groups, Tutors and link Teaching Assistants

Students are members of a tutor group in each Key Stage. These Tutor Groups are usually single NC Year groups and as such students are all about the same age. The Tutors and link Teaching Assistants spend time with their group at the beginning and end of each half day and have primary responsibility for the pastoral well-being of their tutor group members, as well as for any behaviour target-setting.

The aims of this strategy are :  To create a sense of belonging for each student, to allow them to experience being part of the team.  To foster good relationships with staff and peers.  For Tutors and link Teaching Assistants to develop in-depth knowledge of individual students and through the Pastoral Manager and/or Home School Support Worker develop links with the child’s family or carers.  To facilitate effective target-setting for behaviour, with the possibility of individualising rewards.

Classroom Management

The primary management of behaviour in the school day rests with the member of staff leading that particular session. He/she is responsible for the delivery of the principles established following a Staff Development Day (Jan 2007) and subsequent follow up Student Development Meetings (Term 3 2006-7).

The detail on the Behaviour Contract [mentioned above in section 6.1] itemises the skills, attitudes and actions that we expect every student to follow in

88 lessons, during lesson changeover and at break/lunch times. When a student achieves these he/she can expect to be praised and rewarded.

In practice this means that :

1. Students should be rewarded for excellent effort and attainment in their work - Praise, Mention in Tutor time & Assemblies, Referred to Senior Staff, Letters home, Merits & Academic Progress Awards. 2. Students should be rewarded for excellence in developing positive behavioural relationships – Praise, Mention in Tutor time & Assemblies, Referred to Senior Staff, Letters home, Merits & Behaviour Progress Awards. 3. Students should be rewarded for positively supporting the school community - Praise, Mention in Tutor time & Assemblies, Referred to senior staff, Letters home, Merits & School Community Contribution Awards. 4. The Student SEAL Tracker Database and On Report System should provide summative and formative information that enables targets to be set and behaviour monitored. 5. The Behaviour Contract also itemises the attitudes and actions it deems to be wrong and therefore will result in some consequence. The principle consequences of negative behaviour should come from class teachers. They can include :

Warning 1 = end of lesson talk to teacher

Warning 2 = lose 5 minutes of break

Warning 3 = lose 10 minutes of break

No more warnings .

The Pastoral Manager or a Senior Member of Staff will be sent for. A letter will be sent to the student’s home. The member of staff may also choose to place the child in the detention in addition to ensuring they lose 10 minutes of break. Staff will give appropriate levels of time between each of the warnings so as to give students time to self correct and take control of their own behaviour. Only in rare and serious occasions would the time span from warning 1 to 3 be short. This format is displayed in every teaching area. (See Appendix 3.) 6. All staff must have ownership of managing behavioural issues. This should include liaison with the student’s tutor and may require reference to the Subject TLR Postholder, Pastoral Manager/Senior Staff. 7. All serious incidents of behaviour should be recorded on the ‘Incident Sheet’ form. (See Appendix 4.) In the event that there has been a need to use Restrictive Physical Intervention to care for and control a student then a ‘Restraint Recording Form’ (see Appendix 5.) should be completed. Both forms should be completed and handed to the respective Assistant

89 Headteacher (AHT) or the Pastoral Manager in the same day that the event took place. 8. The student management systems are flexible enough to cater for the specific needs of all students and for individual crises.

Individual Behaviour Targets

Students and their tutors (and link teaching assistants) have allocated time at the start of each day to set a daily target and another opportunity at the end of the day to review it.

Tutors and link teaching assistants are responsible for establishing the individual behaviour targets for their students. These targets should pinpoint an aspect of behaviour causing difficulty and suggest alternative behaviours, as well as strategies to achieve this change. Tutors and link teaching assistants have the opportunity to develop individualized reward systems for their students to support these targets and to monitor them closely. The individual behaviour targets are monitored by the Assistant Head (Student Development [AHT (SD&IAL)] and reviewed approximately three times each year.

The aims of this strategy are :

 To start the process of students reflecting on their own behaviour and how it can change  To help students identify small aspects of behaviour which are causing them a problem and also to identify replacement behaviours  To work alongside students to find strategies which will help them internalize new behaviours  To provide evidence of progress in small aspects of behaviour

SEAL Skills Tracker

This is a new strategy and has been in place since January 2008.

It is difficult to accurately measure behaviour, however it is important for pupils, parents/carers and staff that there is concrete evidence of progress. It is also important to identify the occasions when there has been little or no progress and to take some action. The AHT (SD) will work alongside tutors and link teaching assistants to complete a behavioural checklist for each student. The checklist is an adapted version of one originally produced by QCA and is used extensively by mainstream and special schools as well as many behaviour support services. The results of the checklist will be shared with students as appropriate and will inform the target-setting process in addition to demonstrating progress throughout the year.

The aims of this strategy are :  To support staff and students in identifying strengths and difficulties with behaviour.

90  To provide opportunities for direct comparisons to demonstrate progress.  To provide concrete evidence of progress for student, parents/carers and staff.  To demonstrate what has been ‘added’ during a students time at Bradfields.

Bradfields’ individualized strategies for impacting on behaviour

Rewards / Consequences

Rewards and Consequences can be useful reminders to students that there are implicit outcomes to their actions. The ultimate aim for all our students is the internalization of rewards and consequences, so that they are able to modify their behaviour for reasons which make sense to them.

The most effective rewards and consequences are those that motivate individual students. The whole school behaviour system incorporates some basic rewards and consequences, but staff are encouraged to be creative in individualizing them.

Some suggestions :  Incorporating rewards/consequences into the lesson – reward time, change of activity.  Collecting ‘points’ towards a group reward.  Individual/small group time with staff for particular activity.  Additional homework when work is not completed in lessons.  Individual detention/time with staff when work is not completed in class.  After discussion with classteacher/tutor a phone call or letter home.  Appropriate forms of ‘restorative’ consequences (e.g. cleaning up own mess, apologizing to person offended or hurt).

An end of the day a de-briefing meeting can often be the best place to decide appropriate and effective consequences for behaviour. By this time there has been time for staff to reflect on what happened and to identify possible causes. There should also be opportunity to discuss this with colleagues. It is also important that the tutors have a good overview of daily events within their tutor group. It is equally important that the Subject TLR Postholder also has an overview of behaviour in their subject area.

The ultimate sanction of excluding a student from school is a decision which can only be made by the headteacher and this decision may also involve a discussion with Senior Staff. This decision is usually made at the end of the day and communicated to parents/carers by telephone. In exceptional circumstances (e.g. potentially dangerous situations), parents/carers may be contacted during the school day and an agreement reached about sending the student home early.

The aims of this strategy are :

91  To ensure that happiness, relationships and learning are not adversely affected by poor behaviour.  To ensure that the atmosphere in classrooms is not damaged by the anti- social actions of others.  To ensure that the Rewards System acts as a means of encouraging and rewarding positive behaviour.  To help student understand that there are consequences to their actions and the choices they make.  To ensure that there are appropriate procedures and consequences in place when anti-social behaviours occur.  To ensure that acts of bullying and racism are reported and seen to be dealt with in accordance with school and Medway LA policy.  To ensure that students have a contact person and experience trust and security in the relationship.  To support students as they develop their own sense of ‘intrinsic’ rewards.

Merits, Progress & Contribution Awards

a) Merits : These can be awarded by any member of staff for the following :

* Good Classwork * Good Homework * Sporting Achievement * Helping Others * Community Engagement * Promoting Positive Behaviour * Displaying Positive Behaviour

The Merit slips (see Appendix 7.) are completed by the member of staff then handed to the student. The student is responsible for handing them to their Tutor who then records the detail on the Tutor Group Noticeboard. Each fortnight the Tutor informs the AHT (PD) as to who has achieved a certificate standard and therefore needs to receive the award (see Appendix 8.) in a full assembly.

The certificate standards are : Bronze Award for 50 merits Silver Award for 100 merits Gold Award for 150 merits Platinum Award for 200 merits Headteacher’s Award for 250 merits Governor’s Award for 300 merits Outstanding Achiever Award for over 400 merits Each September the scheme starts afresh. As such the totals achieved are for one year only.

b) Progress Awards Teaching staff (in consultation with their Teaching Assistants) will nominate a student in each class for a Subject Academic Progress Award (see Appendix 9.) at the end of terms 2,4 and 6. Where applicable the TLR Postholder will coordinate this process.

92 Tutors (in consultation with their link Teaching Assistant) will nominate a student in their tutor group for a Behaviour Progress Award (see Appendix 10.) at the end of terms 2,4 and 6.

Pastoral Support Team and Senior Staff will nominate a pupil in each year group for a School Community Contribution Award (see Appendix 11.) at the end of terms 2,4 and 6.

Principles and Guidelines

The key issues are as follows : a) All students, parents/carers, staff, governors and visitors can clearly see from the Home-School Agreement and Behaviour Contract which behaviours are implicit in our teaching and learning programme and subsequently expected during our school day. b) All areas where incidents are likely to occur are adequately supervised  Start of day/arrival at school  Morning break  Movement between classes  Lunch time  Other non-structured times of the day  End of day/departure from school c) Behaviours are recorded on Incident Sheets and the respective Tutor is informed as to  the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ’when’  the action taken i.e. : advice/censure/consequence/other action d) Acts of Bullying / Racism are reported to the AHT (SD). e) Recorded incidents are notified to parents. f) Victims of bullying/racism are supported by staff. g) Staff should not have to deal with incidents in isolation  colleague support is important  the Subject TLR Postholder is a reference point  a member of the Leadership Team to be always available h) Physical Intervention/Restraints are recorded and passed to the respective senior member of staff. i) Pastoral Support Staff are available to provide ‘crisis intervention’ j) Exclusion Policy is in accordance with DfE & Medway LA Guidelines k)Subject/Tutor Detentions to be given/taken by staff to resolve behavioural/work issues. l) Referral to School Detention if teacher not satisfied with outcome. m) INSET opportunities to be identified as appropriate and in response to  Specific Incidents / Issues  Target Setting  Performance Management n) Positive use should be made of PSHCE & Citizenship lessons/tutor time/assemblies/School Council meetings to develop moral awareness and behavioural development. o) Students should be allowed to learn from their mistakes. As a school we need to remain mindful that our students have significant learning difficulties that

93 may impact periodically on their ability to develop and sustain consistently appropriate behaviours. Where they are so challenged we need to be philosophical and seize the presenting teaching and learning opportunity.

The work of the Pastoral Support Staff and Multi-Agency Support

The Pastoral Support Staff (Home School Support Worker & Psychodynamic Therapist) are an integral part of the specialist provision at Bradfields. They work in partnership with other school staff to support the families and carers of our students. They provide advice and help for parents/carers and make additional links to support agencies such as social services, mental health services and the school’s attached Educational Psychologist. They can also offer very practical advice on behaviour management outside of school.

Specialist Support (Therapeutic, Psychiatric & Psychological) can be called upon from outside agencies.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

Judgements about the quality of behaviour will be made by all staff involved in working at the school. The AHTs will use this detail alongside formal monitoring completed by the Headteacher and LA/OFSTED Inspection reports to evidence the progress being made. In December, March & June each year the AHTs will compile a report and present it to the Leadership Team to evaluate the progress made and value added by staff deployment, INSET and purchase of resources. A formal report will be presented to the Governing Body each July by the AHT (SD).

This policy document is reviewed each July.

The aim is

to move each student from imposed discipline to self discipline

The ethos of the school can be encapsulated in the philosophy of

‘do unto others as you would want done unto you’

If this philosophy is followed then we will create a climate where students are in a safe, friendly environment where they can thrive educationally, socially, morally and independently.

95 Handbook Content Updated : Amended Version 11th December 2012

If you have any ideas about additional information you believe could be of use to staff and therefore could be included in this Staff Handbook, thenI believe please that write the the following detail below information and then could return prove this useful page to staffKJ. if inserted into the Staff Handbook : It can then be included in the update for September 2013.

96 Name : ______Date : ______97