Getting it Right
At Hillcrest we operate a ‘Getting It Right Policy’ (GIR). This is a behaviour policy based upon:
- Praise
- Choice – ALL Students make choices which dictate their actions. These actions can then result in either positive or negative consequences
As part of our commitment to promote British Values, it is the aim of the school to create a happy, successful school in which students are able to learn and develop to their full potential. They can, therefore, expect to be valued and respected as individuals, to be treated with fairness and understanding and to be encouraged and praised for effort. We welcome and encourage the involvement of parents and members of the community in school to enrich and improve education for all. Students must be prepared to follow the ‘Getting It Right’ policy.
Report from Ofsted:
"Pupils behave very well in lessons. There is a clear understanding of what leaders expect, and pupils want to succeed. They concentrate well and take pride in their work. Disruption is very rare." (Ofsted, September 2022)
Getting It Right Procedures
At the start of every lesson, students have a GIR point. The objective for each student is to keep their GIR point every lesson. This means students can win 5 GIR points every day if they keep their points in every lesson. By the end of the academic year students are expected to maintain a minimum of 96% of their GIR points.
In order to keep their GIR point students must meet behaviour expectations; work to the best of their ability, arrive to lesson on time, bring the correct equipment. Students will lose their GIR point if they fail to meet one of these expectations in any given lesson. However, staff will endeavour to speak with a student to understand the reasons for any negative behaviour before issuing a C1 consequence as part of our ‘Emotional Recovery’ approach.
If a student repeatedly fails to meet expectations in a lesson, despite numerous warnings and interventions by the teacher, a C2 or C3 may be issued by the teacher. If a student receives a C2 consequence, they will receive a 30-minute detention that will be served after-school that day. If a student receives a C3 consequence, they will be sent to the isolation room for a fixed period of time and will receive a 60-minute detention that will be served after-school that day.
As outlined in our behaviour policy, parents/carers of students who receive two or more C3 consequences in a year, will be invited into school to meet with their child’s College Leader to agree terms of a ‘Behaviour Support Plan’. If they continue to behave inappropriately and receive further C3 consequences, parents/carers will be invited into school to meet with the Deputy Headteacher (Pastoral) and Headteacher, as well as being invited to attend a Governors Behaviour Panel meeting if they receive eight or more C3 consequences. Students will receive internal and external exclusions if they accumulate five or more C3 consequences, and the Headteacher will determine if a passport or managed move placement is an appropriate intervention if the behaviour continues.
Excellent attendance is important as students cannot earn GIR points if they are not in lessons. The more lessons they attend, the more opportunities they have to earn GIR points. If a student is absent from school for a day, they lose the chance to win 5 GIR points that day. However, we will assess the reasons behind a student’s absence before calculating their GIR score.
GIR Bonus Points
We have a GIR Bonus Points Scheme through which students gain recognition of their achievements in relation to their academic work. When a student gains ten bonus points in a subject area, a subject commendation will be awarded by the Head of Department. The Head teacher’s commendation is worth five bonus points and is awarded for exceptional achievement or effort.
Throughout their time at Hillcrest students can receive different levels of certificates based on the number of bonus points they receive. 30 bonus points are required for a bronze certificate, 40 for a silver certificate, 50 for a gold certificate, 60 for a platinum certificate, 80 for a diamond certificate and 100 for an emerald certificate.
Any student who receives more than 50 bonus points in a term will automatically be entered into a special prize draw at the end of the term.
Praise Postcards
These will be sent home to students to inform their parents/carers of an achievement in school in relation to their academic work, attitude, good manners or anything else that deserves praise.
Community Certificate
These will be awarded to students who make a contribution to the Hillcrest community. This might include being part of a sports team, after-school club, taking part in an event or being a guide when we have visitors in school. We value the importance of representing the school in a variety of ways and feel that supporting the school and wider community is central to the personal development of our students.
Attendance
Students must be in their year group’s designated meeting area in school by 8.45am each morning. Any student who arrives late to school after 9.10am will be marked with the U code which means they will be marked absent from school for the morning session.
Miss Stuart is our Attendance Clerk. If a student is absent from school, parents/carers should ring Mrs Stuart before 9.10 am to explain the reason for the absence.
The minimum attendance threshold for attendance is 96%. Students with attendance below 90% will fall into the ‘Persistent Absentee’ category and their attendance will be monitored closely by our Educational Welfare Officer, Mrs Anita Gray. We operate the ‘Fast Track’ attendance programme in school which could result in parents/carers receiving a fixed penalty notice fine if their child continues to be absent from school without authorised reasons. However, we will endeavour to work closely with parents/carers as part of the ‘Early Help’ programme and support parents/carers to ensure their child successfully reintegrates back into school.
Students with attendance below 90% will not be eligible to participate in Getting it Right reward events unless the Headteacher considers there were exceptional circumstances for their persistent absence from school.
Detention System
The school operates a same day after-school detention system. This means students will be required to attend C2 and C3 detentions on the same day the consequence is issued. Parents/carers will be notified by text message on the day to inform them their child is required to serve the detention and via the 'classcharts' app.
There are four different detentions in the system.
C2 detentions
This same day 30-minute detention can be issued to students under the following circumstances:
· A student arrives late to school (after 8.45am)
· A student arrives late to a particular lesson three times
· A student receives a C2 for repeatedly failing to behave appropriately in a lesson
· A student fails to wear their uniform correctly
· A student fails to bring their Knowledge Organiser to school each day
· A student behaves inappropriately out of lessons
If a student fails to attend a C2 detention, they will receive a 40-minute SLT detention (Friday). If a student fails to attend this SLT detention, they will be internally isolated the following day and the SLT detention will be reissued.
C3 detention
This same day 60-minute detention can be issued to students under the following circumstances:
· A student receives a C3 for failure to follow instructions, speaking inappropriately to a member of staff or other students, and/or repeatedly failing to behave appropriately in a lesson, despite previously receiving a warning, C1 and C2 consequence
· A student repeatedly fails to wear their uniform correctly
· A student behaves inappropriately out of lessons, including failure to follow instructions, speaking inappropriately to a member of staff or another student, damage to school property, aggressive behaviour towards another student.
· A student has their mobile phone visible in school at any stage of the school day (including from the moment they enter the school gates at the start of the day through to the moment they leave through the school gates at the end of the school day). The student will receive a C3 consequence detention and a 60-minute detention if they hand their mobile phone to the member of staff. If a student refuses to hand the mobile phone to a member of staff, they will receive a one-day fixed term suspension at home. The student will be required to hand their mobile phone into main reception for five days after returning from their suspension. If a student fails to comply with this expectation, the student will receive a further suspension at home.
If a student fails to attend a C3 detention, they will receive a 70-minute SLT detention (Friday). If a student fails to attend this SLT detention, they will be internally isolated the following day and the SLT detention will be reissued.
SLT detentions
A student will receive a 40-70 minute SLT detention on a Friday for failing to attend either a C2 or C3 detention. A student will receive a 40 minute SLT detention for failure to attend a C2 detention and a 70 minute SLT detention for failure to attend a C3 detention.
A student will be internally isolated for failure to attend any type of SLT detention. As outlined in our Behaviour policy, persistent failure to attend SLT detentions will result in the student being either internally or externally suspended.
Extended Learning detention
Students who complete a piece of extended learning in a particular lesson will receive a H consequence. Any detentions for failure to complete extended learning will be served on either a Tuesday or Thursday evening after school.
H1 - Failure to complete one piece of extended learning in a lesson = 30-minute detention (failure to attend will result in a 60-minute detention issued)
H2 - Failure to complete a second piece of extended learning in a lesson = 30-minute detention (failure to attend will result in a 60-minute detention issued)
H3 onwards – Failure to complete three pieces of extended learning in a particular subject = 60-minute detention (failure to attend will result in 60 minute SLT detention issued)
H4 onwards – Failure to complete four or more pieces of extended learning in a particular subject = 60-minute SLT detention issued (failure to attend will result in detention being reissued and student being internally isolated/suspended as outlined in our Behaviour policy).
Hillcrest Superstar Awards
This is the highest level of award we have at Hillcrest. A Hillcrest Superstar Award will be given to a student who at the end of the year has kept a minimum of 96% GIR points, earned 50 GIR bonus points (gold certificate) in one academic year and six community certificates during the year. Hillcrest Superstars will receive a special certificate and their names will be displayed on a ‘Roll of Honour’. They will also be rewarded with a special Headteacher tie – one which is of a different design to the school tie.
Punctuality
Arriving to school on time each day is key to students making their expected progress. Students are expected to be in their form room by 8.45am. If a student arrives in their form room after 8.45am they will be marked late by their form tutor and will receive a 30-minute C2 detention that will be served after school that day. Parents/carers will be notified by text message that their child was late to school and will serve the detention that night.
If a student arrives at school after 9.10am they will be marked with the letter U on the register which means they will effectively be marked absent for the whole morning session. This will then count against their attendance figure.
The student’s College Leader will meet with the student and their parents / carers if they are late to school 10 times in a year. If the student is late 15 times in a year, parents/carers will be invited into school to meet our Education Welfare Officer and Deputy Headteacher. If the student is late 20 times in a year, the parents/carers will be invited into school to meet the Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher. Finally, parents/carers will be invited to attend a ‘Governors Attendance Panel’ meeting if their child is late for school 25 times or more in a year. Parents/carers will be invited into school again to attend another ‘Governors Attendance Panel’ meeting if their child continues to be late for school and a ‘Governors Contract’ will be formally signed by parents/carers.
If a student is late to school 15 or more times in a year, they automatically lose their place on any GIR celebration events at the end of the year, even if they meet other aspects of the GIR thresholds.
Extended Learning
We celebrate student’s achievements in their efforts to successfully complete ‘Extended Learning’ throughout the year. Students can receive the following awards:
Termly:
Gold Award – Student comes every piece of extended learning in the term
Silver Award – Student only receives one H consequence in the term
Bronze Award – Student only receives two H consequences in the term
Annually:
Gold Award – Student comes every piece of extended learning in the year
Silver Award – Student only receives three H consequences in the year
Bronze Award – Student only receives five H consequences in the term