Strengthening Culture and Ethos at Ormskirk School

Opportunity, Resilience. Respect. These have been Ormskirk School’s values for many years.

Our school has a simple set of core that form the basis of the high standards of pupil conduct we seek to maintain in school.

At all times, we expect our students to:

For example, students should aim to follow the school rules by:

Rewards

We want to ensure that the students who work hard, show dedication and ‘do the right thing’ every day feel recognised and appreciated. We strive to maintain a positive culture in classrooms through clear and consistent classroom routines, reward systems and other, more informal, methods of recognition.

Whilst daily rewards (OSCERS) achieved in lessons continue to be awarded through Class Charts, a range of additional celebration events will take place throughout the school term. Our well-deserving pupils will be invited to events such as Hot Chocolate Fridays, pizza lunches and movie screenings, to name but a few. We know how important it is to communicate with you to share success with parents; this year staff are committed to celebrating our students through regular phone calls and postcards home.

We also recognise that there are pupils within our school community that not only meet our high expectations of attitude and conduct, but actually go beyond. Our new ‘Over and Above’ postcards and displays acknowledge those students who go the extra mile: perhaps by participating in school events or by supporting other students. School leaders will also be presenting our outstanding pupils with ‘Over and Above’ wristbands to acknowledge our appreciation and pride.

We will continue to work with our students, through the School Parliament, and with our parent body to further improve our recognition and rewards systems.

Choices and Consequences

Without a doubt, the best learning takes place in calm, focused lessons. Staff will use a range of strategies to support students in maintaining the best conduct in the classroom. We believe that pupils should always be given a chance to regulate their own behaviour, which is why we have introduced a new system which focuses on giving pupils opportunities to make the right choices and, where necessary, to learn from their mistakes. However, no single student has the right to disrupt the learning of another. Where appropriate, pupils will be given time away from their class to reflect on their conduct and commit to the high standards we insist upon.

Stepped Classroom Interventions

In cases where a pupil’s behaviour in lessons is not of the standards we expect, a range of ‘stepped interventions’ will be applied:

Firstly, teachers will remind students, quietly and calmly, of the school’s expectations. In most cases, this will lead to positive choices being made.

Reminders / Cautions: Teachers will use a range of positive strategies to remind students of our expectations and how they can improve. Cautions are recorded to help us to monitor low level issues.

Final Warning: Sometimes a more assertive and clear warning may be required when a teacher is not satisfied that students are being ‘ready, respectful and safe’. This intervention represents a more serious concern and will be recorded and shared with parents via Class Charts. On occasion, this may require a short time outside the room to re-compose themselves.

Reset: Unfortunately, there may be times when a student chooses not to take the opportunity given to them. In such circumstances, the student will be removed from the class and taken to our ‘Reset Room’. This room, supervised by senior staff, gives pupils a calm environment to refocus and return to lessons with a positive mindset, and continued poor behaviour will not be tolerated. Students will miss some social time as a consequence of their behaviour. Reset incidents will also be recorded and shown to parents via Class Charts. It will lead to a follow up discussion with the teacher to try to repair and resolve the issue.

School leaders monitor behaviour incidents very closely, identifying any issues or patterns causing concern and putting clear strategies in place when required.

Restoration (Independent study)

Strong pupil-teacher relationships are also a key element of successful learning and we believe that a restorative approach is essential. Productive discussions between pupils and their teachers will help to repair relationships and ensure high standards in the classroom. Where needed, additional time and support will be provided when pupils spend time in Restoration; giving pupils a calm and reflective space to receive positive support and guidance from our pastoral staff. Restoration sessions may take place at lunchtimes, or longer sessions can be arranged for half a day or a full day in scome cases.

Respect Meetings (After School)

Respect is central to Ormskirk School’s ethos. Incidents of disrespectful conduct towards other learners, staff or the school community, will often result in an after-school Respect Meeting. Pupils will meet with a member of the senior leadership team to discuss their conduct and to set achievable targets for improvement. these meetings may be triggered by one-off incidents or by repeated behavioural issues in lessons. Parents will receive a notification of these meetings by text message at elast 24 hours beforehand.