Source: http://stgeorgeschool.bg/?page_id=9430
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 12:09:24+00:00

Document:
At St. George International School and Preschool we operate on the belief that all students have the right to learn. To do so means that each learner works towards creating a climate that is positive and productive. No learner has the right to choose behaviour that infringes upon the rights of others. We also believe that students should be given the support and encouragement they need to learn and demonstrate positive behaviour.
SGIS further believes that the home and school must share the responsibility for teaching children appropriate behaviour. By working together, we can increase the probability that students will learn responsibility and respect for others.
We are expected to show consideration, courtesy and respect to others and their property.
We are expected to attend classes regularly and on time.
We are expected to abide by rules which may be established during the year which will help to maintain a positive learning environment at SGIS.
We are expected to promote a safe, secure unpolluted environment.
We are expected to exercise self-control, self-restraint and self-discipline at all times in school.
School wide behaviour will be monitored by Classmasters and Heads of Stage and the policy implemented by all staff at the school.
The Classroom Rules will be communicated to and taught to the learners, by classmasters and supported by Subject Teachers, in the first weeks of operation of the school.
Standardized Classroom Rules will be signed by the learners, posted in the classroom (A3) visibly, in English and Bulgarian, and frequently referred to. This is the responsibility of the Home Room/Form Tutor and Subject Teachers.
Heads of stage will monitor the implementation of the rules. Teachers who fail to comply will initially be mentored by their Head of Stage. Ultimately, failing teachers may be sanctioned according the Internal Labour Regulation code of SGIS.
The main instrument through which good behaviour will be taught will be the consistent modelling of such behaviour by staff. At least one CDP session each year, at the start of the school year, will be devoted to discussion of the standards of behaviour expected from staff and students, and how these standards should be maintained. The support that SGIS makes available to help members of staff enforce the rules will also be explained.
Continual positive reinforcement from staff for students who are following the school rules will be powerful in gaining the required standards of behaviour from all students.
Parents will also be invited to help their children achieve and maintain the standards expected through informing them about SGIS behaviour policy and expectations. These standards will be explained at parents’ meetings and on the SGIS website. The school puts a high priority on informing parents if there is evidence that their child is consistently falling short of the standards required, inviting them to help in solving any problems, and, if necessary, inviting them into school to discuss the problem with the Head of Stage to identify possible solutions and strategies to achieve them.
SGIS is proud that almost all students at the school are pleased to be members of the school community and are highly motivated to conform to the rules and standards of behaviour required by the community. However exceptionally high standards of behaviour, for example in helping fellow students or working on collective school projects and charities, or playing a particularly constructive role as a member of the Student Council, may be rewarded by recognition at a form or school assembly, in communication to parents, or by the award of a school prize or honour at the end of a term or the school year.
Teachers are encouraged to recognise good academic work, either in class or homework with special comments, and reports to Heads of stage, who may also contact parents. Classmasters will also make positive comments about students who consistently wear uniform smartly and correctly.
Although the school believes in a positive approach to behaviour management, on occasion sanctions may need to be applied. It is the responsibility of all staff to deal with such incidents wherever they occur around the school. This is for the mutual benefit of all learners and staff.
Members of staff need to work together by supporting the Senior Management Team and ensuring that the rules are adhered to both in and out of the classroom. The benefit of an effective sanctions policy should be to encourage greater consistency in addressing incidents of unacceptable behaviour/poor standards of work. Below are the steps for sanctions.
Before teachers start using the Behaviour Tracker, make sure the student understands the rules and expectations. The student should be given the chance to correct the non-productive behaviour before escalation.
The online behaviour tracker allows teachers and managers to track and monitor behaviour in real time.
An entry on either the Primary or Secondary Tracker is called a ‘sanction’. The sanctions system aims to give a quick and meaningful rebuke for unwanted behaviour. One or two sanctions are not taken further, but are simply entries on the behaviour tracker. Three sanctions or more result in further action. A member of staff giving a sanction must record it on the Behaviour Tracker and add a descriptive comment. Sanctions are entered into the behaviour tracker according the four 6 categories: Homework (H), Behaviour (B), Lateness (L), Work (W), Organisational (O) and Uniform (U).
Each primary classroom will have a traffic light display on the wall of the classroom. The display should have laminated photographs or names of each student on the class. At the start of each lesson, all students should be placed on ‘Orange’. If any student displays poor behaviour, they should receive a verbal warning. If the behaviour persists, the student should move their own name/photo to the ‘red’ section of the traffic light. The teacher should add the correct code (HBL or U to the Primary Behaviour tracker, and write a short note in the student’s planner. If a student exhibits positive behaviour they can move their name to ‘Green’, and may be awarded a merit point in their planner.
Teachers will use the Behaviour Tracker to monitor classwork and homework. Students not working in class, but who take on a passively resistant attitude will have a W entered in the tracker. Homework not handed or not completed will be noted as H in the tracker. Teachers need to state what work/homework was not done. This information is important for the standardized letter that Class teachers send out later.
Secondary students who receive a B or a W may receive additional homework from their class teacher to ensure that they do not fall behind the rest of the class. This will be written down in the student planner and expected to be completed within one week. Failure to complete this catch-up work will result in parents being informed and escalation to report card.
1st non submission of homework, within a 3-week period for any subject = Green.
The subject teacher needs to write in the planner that homework was not handed in. This way it is clear that offence is being recorded and communicated to the parents.
2nd non submission = Yellow.
The Head of Stage informs the parents that homework is not being completed via email.
3rd non submission = Red.
Student is invited to complete homework during lunchtime ‘homework club’, to be organised by Head of Stage by prior arrangement.
The infringement is noted in the tracker.
The infringement is noted in the tracker. Persistent organisational and/or uniform violations will result in parents being informed and asked to ensure their children attend school with the correct uniform and/or equipment for study.
If following a sanction being recorded in the tracker, the negative behaviour continues, the class teacher may decide to invite the student to RBC.
The goal of RBC is to act as a deterrent to not following school policy and as a consequence. RBC should not be humiliating or stressful, however it should provide the opportunity for a student to understand how their behaviour impacts others, and provide the stimulus for future positive behaviour. A weekly RBC list should be distributed to teachers by Heads of Stage.
RBC will take place once a week during the second half of lunchtime.
If a student is absent on RBC day, they will sit RBC the following week.
Pupils should sit where they are told by the member of staff on duty.
Work completed during RBC should be related to the behaviours which resulted in an RBC invitation being issued.
Primary learners – copy out the school rules.
Secondary learners – write an essay on a given topic, set by the teacher who gave the sanctions.
Help out in the library in rearranging books.
Make a poster showing the different types of uniforms and when they should be worn. (Official, Daily and Sports Uniform). This may be displayed in the student’s classroom.
It is important that RBC should not be fun for the students. This might have the unintended consequence of children deliberately misbehaving to get into RBC.
If students have accumulated over 15 minutes of lateness in one week, they will be invited to attend Late Club. Late club will take place on Friday afternoons. Students will spend one minute in late club for every minute they have been late over the previous week.
In case of a serious breach of discipline, students may go straight to a Level 5 (see paragraph 11) in the Sanctions as determined by SMT.
The case must be immediately referred to the Head of Stage and they will investigate each case. The incident needs to be noted in the Behaviour Tracker. When emailing the Head of Stage please inform them that the incident has been noted in the tracker – as it can create confusion.
A student will be placed on Behaviour Report if they accumulate 3 or more ‘B’s’ on the tracker within a one-week period and be invited to a Restorative Behaviour Club session.
A student starts on Green. If the student is able to avoid accumulating 3 more B’s in a week, then they will be taken off report. If they accumulate 3 or more B’s, then they progress to the next level.
Green report cards should be signed by the Classmaster at the end of each day and scores below ‘3’ should be discussed with the student.
Orange report cards should be signed by the Head of Stage at the end of each day and scored below ‘3’ should be discussed with the student. A student being placed on Orange report should have a meeting with their parents and Head of Stage to discuss strategies for managing their behaviour.
If a student escalates to Red, they will report to the Principal at the end of each day. The Principal should email the parent outlining any negative behaviours, or positive achievements at the end of each day to enable behaviour to be supported at home. The school will provide support to the student through the school psychologist.
If the student does not demonstrate significant improvement after Red report, the student will be subject to sanctions as detailed below.
If the behaviour does not improve after the use of a Report card (i.e. a student ‘fails’ Red), the learner is transferred to another class. If there is no other class, then the suggestion escalates to consideration of a transfer to another school in Level 5. The decision to transfer a student to another class involves SMT and Pastoral Care.
Every teacher can propose a penalty for students according to art. 199. para.1, p. 2 of the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law on Public Education – “Transfer to another class in the same school”.
– Illicit substances and weapons.
For each procedure for imposing a penalty art.199 para. 1. pt. 3 a rapporteur is assigned. The rapporteur is a teacher of the learner.
To clarify the facts and circumstances of the case not only the learner who committed the violation may be invited to be heard but also teachers who teach him/her and other students.
In pursuance of Art. 204, para. 1. From the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law on Public Education the Director organizes the notification of the respective territorial structures for child protection.
During the Pedagogical Council the student’s’ Class master or teacher who teaches the learner reports the infringement. The Pedagogical Council may hear the learner in the presence of his parents. Then the Pedagogical Council votes on the proposed punishment in the absence of the student and his parents. After the vote, the penalty shall be imposed by order of the Director, specifying the length of it. The order is signed by parents within three days.
N.B. The order imposing the penalty “Warning to move to another school” is issued within 14 days from the vote at the Pedagogical council. The order is announced to the student and his parents within three days of its issuance. The penalty is not imposed on students in classes from the initial stage.
This happens after the learner has received the Warning of Moving to Another School.
The procedure is the same as with the penalty “Note “, “Performing activities in favour of the school “or “Warning for moving into another school “.
The Director informs the chief leader of RUE – Sofia city about the penalty.
The learner continues his/her education at school determined by an order by the chief leader of RIE – Sofia city.
For imposing the penalty “MOVING FROM A DAILY FORM OF EDUCATION TO AN INDIVIDUAL FORM OF EDUCATION”, a procedure is followed for imposing penalties according to art.139, p.1, p.2, p.3, p.4.
The penalty is imposed on a learner who is 16 years old, as the decision is taken by the Pedagogical Council.
The Director issues an order where the period for the penalty is given. While applying the penalty the chief leader of RIE – Sofia city is not supposed to be informed.
Apart from imposing the penalty upon art. 1, the learner may be offered specialist counseling and pedagogical and psychological support, additional training at home, holidays included, participation in extracurricular activities, professional orientation and other activities in order not to allow other violations and dropping out of school.
When the learner appears in school with clothing or appearance that are in violation of the Rules and Procedure of the school (AUP) and when his condition does not allow to participate in the learning process, he/she is suspended from the school until the grounds for the removal is removed or solved.
Immediately after the removal actions for motivation to overcome the problem behavior of the learner are taken. Also the parents are notified. If deemed necessary, a Specific action plan is developed by the Head of Stage.
The learner is suspended with an order from the Principal based on art. 199. (para. 3) of Regulations for the Implementation of the Law on Public Education. Other than the parents the corresponding territorial structures for child protection are also notified.
None of the above will apply automatically to students whom SGIS has identified as having pre-existing or newly diagnosed recognised medical and other conditions, which manifest in non-standard behavioural or organisational abilities. Such conditions will include Asperger’s Syndrome, Tourette’s Syndrome, Dyslexia, ADHD etc. Heads of Stage in conjunction with the Medical Team will ensure that all teachers and other members of staff are informed of these individuals, and of the recommended methods of responding to their needs. Staff will report any behavioural or other problems connected with these individuals directly to the Head of Stage who will decide, in consultation with parents and SMT how the school should respond to the problems presented.
The Principal will keep a Central Record of serious behavioural issues, compiled for him and continually updated by, the Heads of Stage. This will be in electronic format, but will be reviewed frequently by the Principal on the advice of the Heads of Stage, who will monitor the Behaviour Tracker for all students on a daily basis, and alert the Principal to any patterns or trends that are indicated on the Tracker. For the purposes of this Central Record, problems requiring a school response at Level 3 or above will be considered serious. This procedure should allow early intervention by the Principal with the aim averting the development of more serious consequences for the student(s) involved.
This policy and its procedures will be reviewed by the Principal (or staff nominated by him for this purpose, and who will report back to him) annually, or more often should the need for revision become apparent.
Updated on 5th September 2018.
To be revised on 31st June 2019.

References: art. 199
 art.199
 Art. 204
 art.139
 art. 1
 art. 199