Policies

The National curriculum is progressive so each year the curriculum becomes more challenging and builds on the skills the children have learned in the previous year. Your child has to secure all the skills in a year group before they can start to work on the next skills.

The National Curriculum provide statements on what your child, is expected to achieve by the end of the year group. The teachers use these statements to plan an exciting curriculum ensuring the key objectives are taught and your child can evidence that they have secured the skill in a variety of ways.

Whilst pupils are working, teachers are observing them closely, listening to what they are saying and watching what they do. They also provide feedback on the work the child produces. Through discussions with the child, the teacher can provide instant feedback on how well a child has achieved and what they can do next, to improve.

To support the Teacher’s judgments and to prepare your child for formal assessments at the end of Key Stages we also use a variety of standardised tests. NTS (Reading & Maths) and GAPS (Spelling, punctuation and grammar). These are completed over three assessment points across the year. The teachers use the information from these tests to plan the skills that need to be further taught.

Your child’s teacher will record termly how your child has performed using the following language;

• Below (Your child has not secured the skills from a previous year group so they are working in a year group below their current one.)
• Working towards (WTS) (Your child has some gaps in their skills from the year group directly below so they are working on these skills before they move on.)
• Expected (EXS) (Your child has secured the skills for their year group and are exactly where they are meant to be.)
• Exceeding (GDS) (Your child has secured the skills for their year group and are demonstrating a deep understanding of these skills in a variety of ways.)

As the National Curriculum is progressive in skills, it may appear that your child has not made progress because they are staying at the same standard. A child in Year 3 who completes the year group at the expected standard and the same again when they are in Year 4, the child has made progress because the Year 4 standards are more difficult.

When a child is exceeding, they are not working at a standard above their year group they are working at a greater depth within their year group. They have mastered their curriculum and now they are able to apply the skills in lots of different ways very independently.

Each term your child’s teacher will also take part in a meeting to discuss your child’s progress if your child is not meeting the expected standard then actions are put in to place to give your child the best opportunity to make the progress so that they can achieve the expected standard by the end of the academic year.

At Hillary we wish to promote positive attitudes in all stakeholders so that the children can fulfil their potential and make decisions, without prejudice. We seek to fulfil the aims of the school regardless of age, gender, ability (both academic and physical) ethnic origin or background of the child. The school follows the L.A. Admissions Policy, which does not permit sex, race, colour or disability to be used as criteria for admission.

The school will liaise with the L.A. when assessing the needs and providing for children admitted to the school with particular physical disabilities.

Disability Discrimination Act

At Hillary we are committed to providing a fully accessible environment which values and includes all regardless of their education, physical, sensory, social, spiritual, emotional and cultural needs. We are further committed to challenging attitudes about disability and accessibility and developing a culture of awareness, tolerance and inclusion.

1. Introduction

1.1 Our school's aims statement values the individuality of all of our children. We are committed to giving all our children every opportunity to achieve the highest of standards. We do this by taking account of pupils' varied experiences and needs. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum, and have high expectations of all children. The achievements, attitudes and well-being of all our children matter.

This Equal Opportunities Policy extends to adults: staff, parents and carers.

1.2 This policy is in accordance with The Equality Act 2010, which replaced all previous legislation in relation to equal opportunities. In line with that legislation, it seeks to ensure that this school provides equal opportunity for all children and adults, giving due regard to groups with ‘protected characteristics’, in terms of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender reassignment, pregnancy/maternity and marriage/civil partnership, in accordance with the Act.

2. Aims and objectives

2.1 We aim to act positively and have due regard to the need to challenge and eliminate unlawful discrimination – within both our school and our community.

2.2 We aim not to discriminate against anyone, be they staff, pupil or parent, on the grounds of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, level of educational need or background.

2.3 We aim to promote the principle of fairness and justice for all through the education that we provide in our school. We recognise that doing this may entail treating some pupils differently.

2.4 We seek to ensure that all pupils have equal access to the full range of educational opportunities provided by the school.

2.5 We constantly strive to remove any forms of indirect discrimination that may form barriers to learning for some groups of pupils.

2.6 We aim to ensure that all recruitment, employment, promotion and training processes are fair to all, and provide opportunities for everyone.

2.7 We aim to challenge personal prejudice and stereotypical views whenever they occur.

2.8 We value each pupil's worth, celebrating the individuality and cultural diversity of our school community, and showing respect for all minority groups.

2.9 We are aware that prejudice and stereotyping are often caused by poor self-image and also aware of the relationship between that and ignorance. Through positive educational experiences, and support for each individual's legitimate point of view, we aim to promote positive social attitudes and respect for all.

3. Racial equality

3.1 In our school we will:

• Strive to eliminate all forms of racism and racial discrimination.
• Promote equality of opportunity, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.
• Promote good relations between people of different racial and ethnic groups.
• Seek to educate pupils in a manner which promotes community cohesion in a multicultural society.

3.2 We do not tolerate any forms of racism or racist behaviour. Should a racist incident occur, we will deal with it in accordance with school procedures.

3.3 We endeavour to make our school and its environment welcoming to all minority groups. We promote an understanding of diverse cultures through the topics studied by the children, and we reflect this in the displays of work shown around the school.

3.4 Our curriculum reflects the attitudes, values and respect that we have for minority ethnic groups. So, for example, in the curriculum topic on religious festivals, the children learn the importance of Diwali to Hindus and Sikhs.

4. Disability non-discrimination

4.1 Some children in our school may have disabilities. We are committed to meeting the needs of these children, as we are to meeting the needs of all within the school. All reasonable steps are taken to ensure that these children are not disadvantaged compared with non disabled children.

4.2 The school is committed to providing an environment that allows disabled children and adults full access to the school premises and to all areas of learning.

4.3 Teachers modify teaching and learning as appropriate for children with disabilities. For example, they may give additional time to complete certain activities, ensure access, modify teaching materials, or offer alternative activities if children are unable to manipulate tools or equipment.

4.4 Hillary Primary has a full Accessibility Policy and ongoing Action plan which is reviewed regularly which states:

• We are committed to providing an accessible environment which values and includes all pupils, staff, parents and visitors regardless of their educational, physical, sensory, social, spiritual, emotional and cultural needs. We are committed to challenging negative attitudes about disability and accessibility and to developing a culture of awareness, tolerance and inclusion. 
• Hillary Primary plans, over time, to ensure the accessibility of provision for all pupils, staff and visitors to the school. 
• An Accessibility Plan will be drawn up to cover a three year period. The plan will be updated annually. 
• The Accessibility Plan will contain relevant actions to:
  • Improve access to the physical environment of the school, adding specialist facilities as necessary. This covers reasonable adjustments to the physical environment of the school for pupils, staff, parents and visitors, and provision of physical aids to access education.
  • Increase access to the curriculum for pupils with a disability, expanding and making reasonable adjustments to the curriculum as necessary to ensure that pupils with a disability are as equally prepared for life as are able-bodied pupils; (If a school fails to do this they are in breach of the Equalities Act 2010). This covers teaching and learning as well as access to the wider curriculum of the school such as participation in afterschool clubs, leisure and cultural activities or school visits. It also covers the provision of specialist aids and equipment, which may assist these pupils in accessing the curriculum.
  • Improve and make reasonable adjustments to the delivery of written information to pupils, staff, parents and visitors with disabilities. Examples might include hand-outs, timetables, textbooks and information about the school and school events. The information should be made available in various preferred formats within a reasonable time frame.
• The Action Plan for accessibility relates to the Access Audit of the School, which is undertaken regularly. It may not be feasible to undertake some of the works during the life of any one Accessibility Plan and therefore some items will roll forward into subsequent plans. A further Audit will be carried out prior to the end of each three-year plan, in order to inform the development of a new Action Plan.
• As curriculum policies are reviewed, a section relating to access will be added to that on Equality and Diversity. The terms of reference for all Governor committees will contain an item on “having regard to matters relating to Access”. 
• This Accessibility Policy and its associated plan will be published on the school’s website. The school’s complaints procedure covers the Accessibility plan.
• Information about our Accessibility Plan will be published in the Governors Annual Report to parents (statutory).
• The Accessibility policy and associated Accessibility Plan will be approved by full Governing body and monitored by the Home School Committee and the Finance and Premises Committee on an annual basis.
• The Plan will be monitored by Ofsted as part of their inspection cycle.
• We acknowledge that there is a need for on-going awareness raising and training for staff and governors in the matter of disability discrimination and the need to inform attitudes on this matter. This will form part of each Accessibility Plan.
• This Accessibility Policy and Plan are drawn up in compliance with current legislation and requirements as specified in Schedule 10, relating to Disability, of the Equality Act 2010. School Governors are accountable for ensuring the implementation, review and reporting on progress of the Accessibility Plan over a prescribed period.
• This policy should be read in conjunction with the school’s Equal Opportunities policy and, where appropriate, our School Improvement Plan, our SEN Local Offer and SEN policy.

5. Gender equality

5.1 We recognise that nationally, there is an unacceptable discrepancy in the achievement of boys and girls. We are committed to seeing all individuals and groups of pupils making the best progress possible in our school.

5.2 We have put in place a number of measures to raise the achievement of the boys, in literacy in particular. These may include:

• Ensuring that early literacy skills are promoted in all activities in the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Ensuring that the starting points for writing activities capture the interests and imagination of boys and girls alike.
• Removing gender bias from our resources and ensuring, for example, that fiction books capture boys’ interest.
• Employing a variety of activities, and include a kinaesthetic element.
• Making sure that our school environment promotes positive male role models, in relation to learning and achievement.
• Minimising male stereotyping.
• Providing challenge, competition and short-term goals.
• Valuing and celebrating academic achievement in ways which will motivate boys.

5.3 If our analysis of pupils’ attainment data indicates areas where girls achieve less well than boys, for example in mathematics or science, we will take measures to address this discrepancy. These may include:

• Ensuring that boys do not dominate certain lessons, for example by answering the teacher’s questions more readily.
• Ensuring that mathematical and scientific subject matter is relevant to real life situations and problems.
• Beginning lessons by clarifying the learning intentions, and giving the 'big picture'.
• Minimising female stereotyping and learning about female role models, for example, in the realms of science, technology and sport.
• Using praise and celebration of girls’ achievements in those areas where they may traditionally achieve less well than boys. 

5.4 We realise that although gender is one of the key factors affecting educational performance, it affects different sub-groups of boys and girls in different ways. Social class, ethnic origin and local context are all strongly linked to the relative achievement of boys and girls. We also seek to ensure that policies designed to improve the attainment of one gender group does not do so at the expense of the other.

6. The role of the class teacher

6.1 Class teachers recognise the possibility of their own prejudices, but do their best to ensure that all pupils are treated fairly and with respect. We do not knowingly discriminate against any child.

6.2 When selecting classroom material, teachers strive to provide resources which give positive images, and which challenge stereotypical images of minority groups, or of boys and girls. All staff ensure that the language they use does not reinforce stereotypes or prejudice.

6.3 We seek to implement this policy when designing schemes of work, both in our choice of topics to study, and in how we approach sensitive issues. So, for example, history topics include examples of the significant contributions women have made in this country's history. In geography, the teacher attempts to counter stereotypical images of Africa and Asia, and to show the true diversity of development in different parts of the world.

6.4 All our teachers and support staff challenge any incidents of prejudice or racism. We record any incidents in the school log book and draw them to the immediate attention of the headteacher.

7. The role of the headteacher

7.1 It is the headteacher's role to:

• Ensure that the school's policy on Equal Opportunities is implemented effectively.
• Ensure that all staff are aware of the school policy on Equal Opportunities, and that teachers apply these guidelines fairly in all situations.
• Ensure that all appointments panels give due regard to this policy, so that no one is discriminated against.
• Promote the principle of equal opportunity when developing the curriculum for pupils, and in providing opportunities for professional development for staff.
• Promote respect for other people in all aspects of school life; in school assemblies, for example, respect for other people is a regular theme, as it is also in displays around the school. Respect is of the key Christian values adopted by the school.
• Manage all incidents of unfair treatment, and any racist incidents, with due seriousness, and in line with this policy.

8. The role of governors

8.1 In this policy statement, the governing body has set out its commitment to equal opportunities and accessibility, and it will continue to do all it can to ensure that all members of the school community are treated both fairly and equally.

8.2 The governing body collects, analyses and evaluates a range of school data. We check that all pupils are making the best possible progress and that no group of pupils is underachieving. To do this we monitor:

• Admissions.
• Attainment.
• Exclusions.
• Rewards and sanctions.
• Parents' and pupils' questionnaires.

8.3 The governing body seeks to ensure that people from the ‘protected groups’ as defined by The Equality Act 2010 (see section 1.2 above) are not discriminated against when applying for jobs at our school. The governors welcome all applications to join the school, whatever background or minority group a child may come from.

8.4 The governors take all reasonable steps to ensure that the school environment properly accommodates people with disabilities.

8.5 The governing body ensures that no child is discriminated against whilst in our school on account of their gender, religion or race. So, for example, all children have access to the full range of the curriculum, and regulations regarding school uniform will be applied equally to boys and girls. If a child's religion has a bearing on school uniform, then the school will deal with each case sensitively, and with respect for the child's cultural traditions.

9. Monitoring and review

9.1 It is the responsibility of our governing body to monitor the effectiveness of this policy. The governors will therefore:

• Monitor the progress of pupils from minority groups, comparing it with the progress made by other pupils in the school.
• Monitor the staff appointment process, so that no one applying for a post at this school is discriminated against.
• Require the headteacher to report to governors annually on the effectiveness of this policy.
• Take into serious consideration any complaints from parents/carers, staff or pupils regarding equal opportunity.
• Monitor the school's Behaviour Policy, and the numbers of exclusions, to make sure that pupils from minority groups are not unfairly treated.

This policy will be reviewed by the governing body every three years or sooner if it is considered necessary.

Please click to view and download our e-safety policy:

Health & Safety Statement of Intent

We will meet all the requirements set out in the corporate health & safety policy and actively promote the safety and health of our school staff and students as an equal objective to our other school objectives.

We will adopt a planned and systematic approach to the local implementation of the corporate health & safety management standards through this statement of intent and we will:

• Ensure that health & safety is embedded into all our activities and that effective health & safety management systems, including a health & safety plan, are in place.
• Ensure that suitable risk assessments and controls are in place to minimise risk and to prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health.
• Consult our employees on matters affecting their health & safety.
• Promote a positive health & safety culture where employees and their representatives are able to raise health & safety issues and are empowered to work safely.
• Provide information, instruction and supervision for employees to enable them to do their work safely.
• Ensure all employees are competent to do their tasks, and are given adequate training.
• Provide and maintain safe plant & equipment and ensure that substances are handled and used safely .
• Provide an environment in which staff can work without fear of violence, intimidation or threats.
• Regularly review our health & safety performance by monitoring and auditing. We are committed to continuous improvement in health & safety and will develop policies, systems and procedures to achieve this aim.

We are also committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for staff and pupils; this will be achieved by:

• Effective leadership by governors, the Head Teacher and senior staff.
• Participation of all employees.
• Open and responsive communication.

The successful implementation of this policy requires total commitment at all levels. Every employee will be made aware of this statement. Hard copies will be available and electronic copies will be available on the internet. It will be monitored and reviewed regularly and, if necessary, revised in the light of legal or organisational changes.

At Hillary Primary School, we pride ourselves in offering children a rich and varied curriculum that both broadens and enhances children’s academic progress. We recognise that learning does not only take place in school but in every aspect of their lives. We acknowledge that experiences children have outside of school (family outings, clubs, events, bedtime stories) contribute hugely to the development of our children to become well rounded individuals who can contribute to society in a positive way.

It is for this reason that our homework policy has been designed to ensure that children, their parents and school can work collaboratively to enhance the life chances of all our pupils. It has been designed to ensure that work set does not negatively encroach on family time.

Purpose of Homework

• To provide an opportunity for parents to become involved in the academic development of their child.
• To consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding, particularly with basic skills and the inspiring curriculum we provide.
• To incorporate resources for learning, of all kinds, at home.
• To provide an effective and purposeful supplement to class work.
• To extend school learning, for example, through additional reading or times tables practice.
• To encourage pupils as they get older to develop the confidence and self-discipline to study independently and further their knowledge and skills.

Pupils with Special Education Needs

Children with special educational needs should be set homework that reflects their ability. Any tasks that are set should be differentiated to the specific needs of the child and appropriate for helping the children to make progress.

Teachers will ensure that homework is explained to the children clearly, where needed, further instructions will be passed, through effective communication, to parents. Any children who are on an EHC plan may have homework set that is different to the general basis of this homework policy. In some cases, structured homework will not be set as it will not contribute to the child’s development; however, communication between the teacher, SENCO and parents will be based on the next steps for the child.

Homework in Nursery and Reception (EYFS)

Nursery

Children will receive number formation rhymes and practice sheets, as well Read Write Inc phonic sounds. These pieces are for use and practise at home; they are not required to be returned to the child’s teacher.

Reception

The children are given a homework leaflet, sent on a Friday, that details a range of activities and games that can support progress and learning within the classroom. The leaflet also informs parents of upcoming learning, so that children can begin to investigate the concepts and ideas before looking at them in detail within the classroom.

Reception children will also be given a piece of Literacy and Maths homework each week, on a Friday, and it is expected to be returned to the class teacher by the following Wednesday.

Reading

Children will receive a library and bedtime story book which can be shared with the family and should be read daily; these books are changed each week. When children have begun to blend words they will be set a home reading book and reading record; it is important that the children read this book for ten minutes daily. It is appreciated by staff if parents or other adults within the home can write a few comments on how the child has read, this helps inform decisions that are taken with regards a child’s next steps.

Homework in Key stage 1

Spellings

Children are not directly set spellings each week, however they are expected to be practising the year one and two spelling word list and Read Write Inc focus words. The year one and two spelling list is sent home in September for practise throughout the year. There may be occasions where a teacher may feel more practise is needed on a specific set of these words; on these occasions a list will be compiled and sent home for more focused practice.

Reading

Year one and two children will have a reading book and reading record sent home. We strongly encourage parents, or other adults at home, to find ten minutes each day to listen to your child read the set book and comment on the children’s progress in their child’s reading record. Feedback from parents is used by teachers to support decision making with regards to a child’s next steps. Children are also given access to the school library (at least fortnightly) where they can borrow books of interest; we strongly recommend that the children are given opportunities to explore and read these books at home with another adult. 

Chillies

Children have to complete three pieces of ‘Chillies’ homework that incorporate creative or problem solving tasks based on English, Maths and INSPIRE (a culmination of Science and all foundation subjects). Children have to complete a task from each of the three zones. Within each subject, children can choose between a one chilli task (the most simple) to a four chilli task (the most complicated); children are rewarded with the relevant number of chillies and receive rewards according to how many they have collected. This homework is set fortnightly and usually given to children on a Friday; the deadline for returning the homework is usually the Wednesday of the second week. There are a few occasions where the due in date might be different, however the new date will be clearly stated at the top the homework page. On some occasions, teachers will hand out additional chillies for consistent effort, this is at the teacher’s discretion.

Homework Club

The school provides a key stage one homework club for any children on a Friday lunchtime. When it is recognised that some children may need further support, individual children can be put forward by their teacher to join an after school homework club that is run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Parents are able to liaise with teachers to find out if there is availability or if the provision is suitable to their child’s needs.

Homework in years 3, 4 and 5  

Spellings

Spellings are set in every class each week. These spellings can be based on the national curriculum spelling rules, common exception words or encountered vocabulary based on English/INSPIRE work. The children will be tested on these spellings the following week.

Reading

All children will receive a reading book and reading record to take home. Children need to read this book with an adult for approximately ten minutes daily. Comments from the adult should be written into the reading record so the teacher is informed of their progress; these comments are valued by the teacher as they form part of our continuous assessment process.

Chillies

Children have to complete three pieces of ‘Chillies’ homework that incorporate creative or problem solving tasks based on English, Maths and INSPIRE (a culmination of Science and all foundation subjects). Children have to complete a task from each of the three zones. Within each subject, children can choose between a one chilli task (the most simple) to a four chilli task (the most complicated); children are rewarded with the relevant number of chillies and receive rewards according to how many they have collected. This homework is set fortnightly and usually given to children on a Friday; the deadline for returning the homework is usually the Wednesday of the second week. On some occasions, teachers will hand out additional chillies for consistent effort, this is at the teacher’s discretion. There are a few occasion where the due in date might be different, however the new date will be clearly stated at the top the homework page. On some occasions, teachers will hand out additional chillies for consistent effort, this is at the teacher’s discretion.

Homework Club

The school provides a key stage two homework club for any children on a Friday lunchtime. When it is recognised that some children may need further support, individual children can be put forward by their teacher to join an after school homework club that is run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Parents are able to liaise with teachers to find out if there is availability or if the provision is suitable to their child’s needs.

Home work in year 6

Spellings

Spellings are set in every class each week. These spellings can be based on the national curriculum spelling rules and common exception words . The children will be tested on these spellings the following week.

Reading

All children will receive a reading book and reading record to take home. Children need to read this book with an adult for approximately ten minutes daily. Comments from the adult should be written into the reading record so the teacher is informed of their progress; these comments are valued by the teacher as they form part of our continuous assessment process.

English

All children will be set one piece of English homework each week. This homework needs to be returned on the date given by the teacher. This homework can be based on grammar, punctuation and spelling; writing development or reading comprehension. To support preparation for SATs, the school also offers a revision book that can be purchased at a reduced rate, this book can be used by pupils to help revise the covered topics.

Maths

All children will be set one piece of Maths homework each week. This homework needs to be returned on the date given by the teacher. This homework will be based on the work being covered in class, it can include: number, addition and subtract, multiplication and division, fractions, ratio and proportion, algebra, measurement, geometry and statistics. To support preparation for SATs, the school also offers a revision book that can be purchased at a reduced rate, this book can be used by pupils to help revise the covered topics.

Homework Club

The school provides a key stage two homework club for any children on a Friday lunchtime. When it is recognised that some children may need further support, individual children can be put forward by their teacher to join an after school homework club that is run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Parents are able to liaise with teachers to find out if there is availability or if the provision is suitable to their child’s needs.

Parents and Carers are understandably often concerned about the use of Physical Intervention at Hillary Primary School.  Thankfully, physical restraint is a rare occurrence, but we do understand that this is something about which you may well want some reassurance.

The Education Act – 1996 allows the use of reasonable physical force in relation to pupils.  Where the behaviour of a pupil is threatening their own safety, that of others or could cause significant damage to equipment or property, it may be appropriate for staff to intervene physically. The Law also allows for physical interventions to be used where a pupil's behaviour is threatening the "good order of the school" and also indicates that this can take place anywhere a teacher is in charge of pupils, even away from school premises. 

It is important to know that in most cases a range of strategies will have been tried before the need for a physical intervention has arisen.   All staff at Hillary Primary School are trained in a wide range of non-aversive techniques for supporting pupils physically and we adopt the following guidelines.

• Our interventions follow a gradient system where the minimal amount of support to help a pupil regain self-control is used for the minimum amount of time.
• Wherever possible, situations will be talked through and pupils will be given clear guidance about their behaviour and the likely consequences of it.   This is dependent on the pupil being in a receptive state of mind. 
• Appropriate physical intervention will not include slapping or hitting a pupil, or striking them in any other way.
• It is an accepted fact that pupils will often "play up" to an audience and as a result we either remove the pupil from the audience or remove the audience from the pupil. 
• Pupils as far as possible will not be alone in a closed room with one adult whilst physical intervention is in progress. Either the door will be left wide open or other adults will be present. This minimises risks to all concerned.
• Whilst all members of staff have the right to defend themselves there is a clear expectation that they will adopt the principles outlined above.
• Incidents involving physical intervention will always be recorded.

If you have any questions about the use of the Physical Interventions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

DCSF - Use of force guidance.

Short summary

All school staff members have a legal power to use reasonable force to prevent pupils committing a criminal offence, injuring themselves or others or damaging property, and to maintain good order and discipline.

Staff members can sometimes be worried that using force will lead to false   allegations of unreasonable or unlawful conduct in the form of a complaint or legal action. But if the force used is reasonable all staff will have a robust defence against any accusations. This guidance is intended to help staff feel more confident about using force when they think it is right and necessary.

Whether the force used is reasonable will always depend on the particular circumstances of the case and the test is whether the force used is proportionate to the consequences it is intended to prevent. This means the degree of force used should be the minimum needed to achieve the desired result.

In schools force is generally used for two different purposes – to control pupils and to restrain them.

• Control can mean either passive physical contact (e.g. standing between pupils or blocking a pupil’s path) or active physical contact (e.g. leading a pupil by the hand or arm, or ushering a pupil away by placing a hand in the centre of the back).
• When members of staff use “restraint” they physically prevent a pupil from continuing what they were doing after they have been told to stop. The use of restraint techniques is usually used in more extreme circumstances, such as when two pupils are involved in a fight and physical intervention is needed to separate them.

Some examples of situations where reasonable force might be used are:

• To prevent a pupil from attacking a member of staff, or another pupil, or to stop a fight between two or more pupils.
• To prevent a pupil causing deliberate damage to property.
• To prevent a pupil causing injury or damage by accident, by rough play, or by misuse of dangerous materials or object.
• To ensure that a pupil leaves a classroom where the pupil persistently refuses to follow an instruction to do so.
• To prevent a pupil behaving in a way that seriously disrupts a lesson.
• To prevent a pupil behaving in a way that seriously disrupts a school sporting event or school visit.

The power may be used where pupils (including those from another school) are on school premises or elsewhere under the lawful control or charge of the staff member (for example on a school visit).

An effective and credible use of force policy is essential to a well-run school.

The policy should be communicated to all staff, pupils and parents.

Schools should never seek to inhibit the ability of staff to use force by adopting a ‘no contact’ policy. The power to use force helps ensure pupil and school safety  and the risk with a no-contact policy is that it might place a member of staff in breach of their duty of care towards a pupil, or prevent them taking an action  needed to prevent a pupil causing injury to others.

Because the use of force should only be a last resort, schools should minimize the possibility of force being needed by creating a calm, orderly and supportive school climate that lessens the risk and threat of violence of any kind.

The judgment on whether to use force and what force to use should always depend on the circumstances of each case and – crucially in the case of pupils with SEN or disabilities – information about the individual concerned.

Schools may need to make individual risk assessments where it is known that   force is more likely to be necessary to restrain a particular pupil, such as a pupil who’s SEN and/or disability is associated with extreme behaviour.

Schools need to make their own decisions about which staff require training in   the use of force, and what that training should be. Schools will want to opt for   suitably accredited training, where trainers can be expected to have achieved a given level of expertise. Local authority advice and guidance can also help schools to develop a well-targeted and appropriate training programme.

From September 2010, governing bodies must ensure that a procedure is in place for recording each significant incident in which a member of staff uses force on a  pupil, and for reporting these incidents to the pupil’s parents as soon as practicable  after the incident. Governing bodies must take all reasonable steps to ensure that staff follow the procedure. This is to ensure that parents are kept informed of serious events at school concerning their child. If reporting the incident to a parent would be likely to result in significant harm to the pupil, then the incident must be reported to the local authority where the pupil normally lives.

Whether an incident is significant will vary on a case by case basis, but in determining whether it is, schools will need to consider factors such as the pupil’s behaviour and the level of risk presented at the time, the degree of force used and whether it was proportionate in relation to the behaviour together with the effect on the pupil or member of staff.

Members of staff should not put themselves at risk. An individual would not be seen to be failing in their duty of care by not using force to prevent injury, if doing so threatened their own safety.

It is always unlawful to use force as a punishment. This is because it would fall within the definition of corporal punishment, which is illegal.

You can download this publication online at:

www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications

Search using the ref: DCSF-00376-2010

ISBN: 978-1-84775-751-7

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