Rewards and Consequences
RBA has very high expectations of behaviour. All students are expected to aim high, work hard and be polite. Our behaviour policy establishes the way in which all members of the community are expected to behave and contribute positively to the school.
Consequences System (C1, C2 etc)
Our Consequence System is designed to support students in their learning and enjoyment of school. It is also there to support our ethos and values i.e. the way in which we expect students to treat each other and the environment.
Whilst our ethos is to reward students as often as possible there inevitably have to be clear expectations regarding behaviour. The R&C system is based on promoting learning; any type of behaviour that prevents the student or others from learning will be taken very seriously.
Our Consequences System is based on a fair set of rules that will be applied by all staff consistently. The system gives students the chance to behave. If they choose not to, they will be given a verbal warning (C1). Following the first warning, students will be given the choice of regulating their own behaviour, or they will receive anther verbal consequence (C2). If they still do not respond to this, they will receive a further consequence (C3) which will result in an after school detention for 45 minutes.
Rules of the consequence system
- Staff will always try to build relationships with students and encourage students to choose the correct behaviour.
- Once a consequence has been given it cannot be taken back except through consultation with the Head of Year or a member of the Leadership Team.
- Students will be verbally told why they have received a consequence.
Sanctions
The following notes offer a general guide; for details please consult the Rewards and Consequences framework (see link below). Students and parents may like to know that all C3 and above sanctions are recorded on a school database.
Verbal warnings
Students who disrupt the learning of others, talk or move around when they shouldn‘t, or come to class without the necessary equipment, will get a ‘C1‘ or ‘C2‘ consequence, which earns a verbal warning.
Detentions
Students who persist with poor behaviour will earn a ‘C3‘, a forty five minute detention after school. Rudeness to a member of staff, use of inappropriate language, out of bounds and some other behaviours also earn students an `instant’ C3 detention.
Parents will receive an e-mail clarifying the date of the C3. Students will bring home a letter (which they have to sign for) informing parents/carers of a C3 detention, which they will complete, in silence, from 3.00-3.45pm. Misbehaviour or failure to attend a C3 will result in a C4 internal exclusion.
Parents may contact the Head of Year or a member of the Leadership Team if they have any queries about detentions. If a detention needs to be rearranged, for example, due to a medical appointment, please contact the Behaviour Support Co-ordinator.
Removal and Internal exclusion
Two C3s in one day, serious dishonesty, graffiti, vandalism, can result in a C4, meaning removal from class. Students will then be internally excluded, in which case they will be set work in our Silent Learning Centre (SLC), where they will be supervised. Students placed in the Silent Learning Centre will also be required to attend a C3 detention at the end of their internal exclusion.
Students who sit a full day in the SLC may bring a packed lunch or can buy food from the school canteen. Students will not be allowed out of the SLC to communicate with their peers or other members of the school community during the day.
In some cases, the school operates 8-6pm internal exclusion (C6) and also 2-6pm internal exclusion (C6). This is an alternative to excluding the students from the school site. In this situation, students will spend the whole day from 8-6pm or 2-6pm in isolation where they will be supervised by a member of staff.
External Exclusion (C6)
RBA does not exclude students lightly, but fixed-term or permanent exclusion can be applied to students whose behaviour is violent, criminal, or threatening, and to students who repeatedly cross the boundaries of poor behaviour and do not respond to other consequences.
Saturday Morning detentions
The school also operates Saturday morning detentions (9-11am). This is given when students persistently arrive late to school or have truanted school at any time during the day. A Saturday morning detention can also be issued by a senior member of staff for persistent poor behaviour or extreme refusal to follow instructions.
Rewards (R1, R2 etc)
Our rewards take many forms; it is important that effort and achievement of all kinds are treated as noteworthy. Each reward is worth a certain amount of House Points.
A special award celebrated each Friday is the Headteacher‘s commendation (R2) which is presented to any student who has worked exceptionally hard during the previous week. We encourage students to take a real pride in their own achievements and to respect the achievement of others.
House Points
Good work in the classroom will be rewarded with a House Point, which will be added to the students’ planners. As students accumulate these House Points they can exchange them for Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum certificates.
Head of Department Award/RBA Hero Award
Every term, departments and Heads of year will nominate a student from each year group for the Rising Stars board, to recognise that they have consistently worked hard to improve their learning, attendance, punctuality, behaviour or attitude to learning. These students’ names and photos will be displayed on the Rising Stars board within the department.
Celebration and Prize-giving Assemblies
Celebration assemblies for each year group are held every term by the Head of Year, to recognise persistent work, effort and achievement of students. At the end of every year, for years 7-10, the school holds special Celebrating Achievement Assemblies to recognise the work of students across the whole year. Parents are invited to attend these assemblies.
There is also an annual, whole-school Awards Evening, which takes place in December. This is in place to recognise students who have completed consistently outstanding work.
Please find a link to the rewards and consequences system:
These are unprecedented times and to ensure the safety of our students and staff remains our top priority the Consequence System has been adapted in response to the wider opening of the school following the Covid-19 school closures. The appendix to the consequence system (below) details adaptations that will be adopted, in addition to the consequence system in place, until such time the school community returns without the restrictions and/or guidance related to Covid-19.
Consequence System (COVID-19 Appendix) Published 15.06.2020
