The Sky Academy is a specialist school that understands the value of relationships to support children with a wide range of needs including, but not only, SEMH and SLCN, enabling them to learn and develop so they can become successful learners and make a positive contribution to society.
Staff are aware of the potential trauma our students may have been through, as well as them having attachment difficulties, neuro-developmental delay, and neuro diversity. Through this awareness, staff are expected to adapt and personalise strategies to support students.
This policy underpins our purpose to prepare students for becoming a positive member of their community. Its aim is to ensure adults use a consistent approach to support students in recognising and regulating their own behaviour.
The policy has a key focus on both physical and emotional safety of all students and to ensure that staff can create and maintain a safe environment with clear boundaries where necessary, fostering a therapeutic and restorative approach. We understand that the young people we work with will, at times, display challenging behaviour, it the duty of all staff to be proactive in limiting this behaviour, as well as reacting where necessary in appropriate ways.
The objectives of the policy are to:
The Sky Academy staff are responsible for modelling high standards of behaviour, both in their interactions with students and each other.
As a staff team we aim to:
The response to challenging behaviour at The Sky Academy is both consistent yet personalised. All staff understand the spectrum of needs that exist for all students. All staff have awareness of the effects of adverse childhood experiences and trauma, and this is central to how we respond to, and manage, challenging behaviour or disengagement from learning.
This policy focuses on positive reinforcement underpinned by the principles of ‘Team-Teach’, which emphasise de-escalation whilst recognising the needs of the young person.
Staff are responsible for young people at all times, ensuring appropriate supervision is in place. As a staff team, we aim to create a positive environment that provides a caring and safe space that is inducive to learning. Staff reinforce the importance of being an individual and ensure fair treatment is in place for all, based on honesty and respect.
Adopting the PACE approach and nurture principles is core to our interactions with young people.
We understand that some young people can behave inappropriately for a wide range of reasons. When young people display this behaviour, staff are trained through Team Teach to help deescalate. There are several layers to consequences in place to remind of success criteria and the clear boundaries that are in place. It is important that all staff are always of the mindset that ‘all behaviour is communication’, and understanding of what the young person is trying to communicate. This needs to be a consistent approach, however, personalised to everyone, based on the range of SEMH and SLCN needs present at the academy.
At Sky Academy, although we recognise the importance of rules and boundaries, our primary concern is developing relationships, so that people can work together with the shared interest of helping our young people learn.
Focusing on a restorative approach, the four Rs underpin the approach:
Responsibility: It is vital that both staff and students can take responsibility for their own actions. This means we need to own our behaviours, including consequences caused by them.
Respect: We ensure all people, both staff and students, are shown respect, as well as being respectful of others. Students are taught communication skills to be able to listen and communicate with each other respectfully, as well as learning to value and respect the opinions of others (this is covered in our PSHCE curriculum).
Repair: Ensuring both staff and students are given the skills and opportunity to identify solutions and repair the effects caused, aiming to help reduce the chance of repeated behaviours.
Re-integration: It is important that reintegration meetings are structured and supportive to the young person, to allow them to be successful within the school community.
Where possible, and appropriate, staff at The Sky Academy will encourage a restorative approach to help resolve incidents. This approach will depend on the type of incident and whether the young person(s) involved is regulated enough to be included. This process, ideally, would happen at the end of the day, however, if not possible, within 24 hours of the incident.
Staff will use a structured process alongside the young person(s) involved. This process should be conducted away from any other young people and should be managed and led by staff. Before any restorative work is carried out, it is important that staff are aware of any safeguarding needs e.g., CIN, such information can be found in the Pastoral Office. If any safeguarding concerns are raised during the mediation, this should be recorded on CPOMS and, when appropriate, relayed to a DSL.
When holding a restorative intervention, the following process is to be explained by the lead staff member:
‘Before we begin, there are set boundaries we must all follow. Only one person will talk at a time, you will be given a chance to speak, so we do not interrupt others. Whilst other people are talking, it is important you are showing respect and listening. This conversation is between the people within this room and will only be shared with appropriate adults.’
Once the clear boundaries are set, the lead staff member will ask the following questions to one person at a time:
Can you tell me what happened?
What were you thinking at the time? Has this changed now?
How do you feel now? Were you feeling differently at the time?
Who has been affected by the incident?
What needs to be done to resolve this? What do you or someone else need to do?
These questions are in place to explore the antecedents to the behaviours. Where students have difficulties answering explicit questions, this may be done using different methods. Staff carrying out the conversations will be trained in different approaches.
It is important that staff are aware that a restorative mediation between peers may not be suitable or may not have the desired effect of resolving the incident. If this is the case, it may mean that a restorative conference is held between appropriate adults, the young person(s), and other agencies such as social workers.
Some incidents will require further consequences. Consequences should be appropriate and proportionate to the incident; they will be agreed by all appropriate staff and, if suspension is necessary, this will be authorised by the Headteacher. Consequences should not be associated to the curriculum e.g., writing lines or times tables. If a young person has work to catch up on, this can be done in a late school.
When looking at consequences, it is important all staff are asking restorative questions:
What has happened? Why has it happened? Who has been harmed, and in what way? What needs to happen to put things right?
Parents should be informed, where appropriate, and feedback should be provided from any restorative work that has been carried out. If a young person is harmed, their parent / carer will be informed.
To promote engagement, staff will have clear expectations displayed in their teaching spaces, so that successful behaviours for learning are established as part of the teaching and learning routine.
Where students are not meeting the high expectations laid out by the keyworker, the policy and procedures agreed promote the following actions:
At The Sky Academy, we have dedicated pastoral workers, available throughout the school day, to support students. Pastoral workers can assist with students who may need additional support within lessons; with students recognised to be needing a short period of time out of class; or where additional behavioural support is needed.
At The Sky Academy, we strive to provide a nurturing environment based on the six principles, as outlined by Nurture UK. Our aim is to improve and progress our students’ emotional literacy through their core curriculum and, where appropriate, through interventions such as ELSA.
Our nurture-based model aims to provide safe spaces within classrooms, allowing students to self-regulate and, where needed, staff can support this with co-regulation. The model has clear boundaries, structure, and routine supporting students to be confident and engaged learners.
See Appendix One.
All Teaching and Support staff at The Sky Academy are trained at Level 2, Team Teach. Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques, and safe and authorised techniques to physically support young people where needed. The academy adopts the ethos of Team Teach and the aim to resolve 95% or more of incidents through de-escalation, avoiding physical intervention when possible.
Overview: Permanent exclusion will be considered:
The Sky Academy is a non-smoking site. Any student who brings smoking paraphernalia, including but not limited to; lighters, tobacco, rizla papers, filter, vapes, will be immediately challenged, and be asked to hand it in. If students refuse to hand in anything deemed as smoking paraphernalia, The Sky Academy will, if needed, ask parents to come and collect the items. If associated behaviours become a threat to the welfare of other students, or persistently disruptive to the education and wellbeing of others, then the school will consider suspensions and exclusions.
The Sky Academy has a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs / alcohol.
All students who either bring in drugs, or are under the influence of drugs, will be referred to the local PCSO for drug education sessions, as well as in-school mandatory lessons around drug and alcohol usage.
All staff, students, and parents / carers are provided with a clear step by step policy regarding personal technology usage. Each classroom on site has designated spaces for each student to put their technology in. To safeguard staff and students appropriately, students will not be allowed their personal technology within school hours. If associated behaviours become a threat to the welfare of other students, or persistently disruptive to the education and wellbeing of others, then the school will consider suspensions and exclusions.
The Sky Academy has a zero-tolerance policy towards weapons onsite. A weapon is taken to be an object designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage.
Nurturing Approach at The Sky Academy
At The Sky Academy we strive to provide a Nurturing environment; our approach is based on six nurturing principles. Our Nurture-based approach aims to provide a safe environment that is conducive to learning. All staff are to be aware that learning is developmental, and all behaviour is a form of communication.
All children at The Sky Academy have a unique story. Staff are to be aware of the developmental stage a student may be at when planning and teaching lessons; this is supported by teachers understanding that students learn at different speeds. Prior to starting at The Sky Academy, staff are made aware of their keyworker students’ school history and, through this, can begin to identify any gaps that may arise.
Every classroom at The Sky Academy has been designed to ensure both physical and emotional safety is paramount. Through the ‘Relationship for Learning Policy’, staff ensure that clear expectations are demonstrated – with boundaries in place – to help students feel safe and confident in knowing what is expected each day.
The site has physically been designed to allow students to feel safe in their space, without other students coming into their safe space. All learning spaces have a breakout area that students can use when needing to regulate or need time out.
The school day and individual lessons are clearly structured. Staff use visual timetables and establish routines to maintain open communication, allowing students to feel secure in knowing what is happening that day.
Staff ensure boundaries are made clear so that students know what is, and is not, appropriate; staff will refer to the behaviour toolkit to ensure consistent responses across the school.
The wellbeing of students is paramount at The Sky Academy. To help demonstrate the importance of wellbeing, and foster the value of community within the school, staff consistently model key skills such as kindness, compassion, and empathy.
Achievements at The Sky Academy are celebrated in a variety of ways including phone calls home, postcards, bonus rewards (vouchers), verbal praise, and certificates. Staff are aware of each student’s individual needs and will ensure any celebration of achievement suits that young person appropriately.
At The Sky Academy, each keyworker group is represented by a member on the Student Council; this council meets regularly through the school year to ensure student voice is being heard and any changes are implemented where appropriate.
The school day is structured as such to ensure students have opportunities to talk to their keyworkers, as well as having pastoral workers available. Students also have access to ELSAs, where they can receive support around their emotions.
Another key aspect of wellbeing recognised at The Sky Academy is the importance of being active; students have regular PE sessions, with opportunities to take part in school, and external, sports competitions, along with access to a variety of Outdoor Education activities.
At The Sky Academy, we recognise the importance of communication and allowing opportunity for regular conversation. In recognising the value of language, staff endeavour to ensure that students have frequent opportunity, through organic conversation, to practise and develop informal but appropriate language skills.
Lessons allow for the development of formal language across all subjects with the aid of subject-specific reading material and applying the use of key words.
Staff support those students showing heightened behaviour by trying to label emotions to help the student vocalise how they feel. ELSA sessions are also available to those students who need support around their emotional literacy, to help develop skills in voicing how they feel.
The Sky Academy have dedicated Speech and Language therapists to help support and develop those students who may have further needs within language and communication.
Visual aids are available to support students who may not have the language skills needed.
Staff at The Sky Academy are all trained in ‘Team Teach’ and are trained to understand that, when a young person is behaving in a certain way, it is a form of communication.
Staff use information from previous schools, as well as in-school experiences, to help gain a better understanding of each student. When dealing with any form of behaviour, staff ask ‘why’ the student is displaying this specific behaviour, as well as ensuring that firm, clear boundaries are in place, to demonstrate to the young person that their behaviour is not acceptable. Staff will provide alternative ways for each student to show their behaviour.
Many young people at The Sky Academy find change and transition difficult. We aim to support our young people by normalising change and ensuring that they are prepared in advance, wherever possible. If this is not possible, staff show understanding of how that may make the young person feel and will provide appropriate support. Our timetable and keyworker base model limits transitions wherever possible, providing clear structure and routine.
