Policies

Behaviour and Discipline Policy

This policy represents the agreed principles for behaviour and discipline throughout the Nursery. All Nursery staff, representing Jack in the Box Nursery have agreed this policy.

Aims and expectations

It is the primary aim of Jack in the Box that every member of the Nursery feels valued and respected, and that each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring community, whose values are built on mutual trust and respect for all. The Nursery's behaviour policy is therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the Nursery can live and work together in a supportive way. It seeks to promote an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure and to support the key aims outlined below:

At Jack in the Box we believe that children and adults flourish best in an ordered environment without fear of being hurt or hindered by anyone else. We aim to work towards a situation in which children can develop self-discipline and self-esteem, where their isrespect for others to ensure everyone knows what is expected of them and children are free to develop their learning in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement. Jennifer Underwood and Zoe Tearle are the named practitioners responsible for behavior management issues.

In order to achieve this at Jack in the Box:

• Different ways of dealing with unsociable behaviour are used and this is regularly         discussed and agreed within the Nursery school, and explained to all newcomers, both children and adults. The implantation of “high five” rules was implemented from the children’s suggestions
  • 1. Listening ears
    
  • 2. Listening eyes
    
  • 3. Sitting nicely
    
  • 4. Mouths closed
    
  • 5. Hands up
    
  • = High five
• Appropriate methods are implemented to manage children’s behaviour including distraction, praise and reward and excellent nursery- home links.
• Children are given 3 opportunities to show appropriate behavior. In the unlikely situation of this unwanted behaviour continuing they are given a period of ‘Clam down’ with an adult. The parents would be informed about the inappropriate behaviour at the end of the session.
• All adults caring for children in Jack in the Box will ensure that the ideas of the nursery are applied consistently, so those children have the security of knowing what to expect and can build up useful habits of behaviour. It has to be remembered that we are not born knowing how to share and play co-operatively and the children need not only to be told but also to learn by example.
• In case of serious behaviour such as bullying, racial or other abuse, the unacceptability of the behaviour and attitudes will be made clear immediately, but by means of
• Explanations rather than personal blame. Again this would be explained to parents at the end of the session.
• All adults will try to provide a positive role model for children with regard to friendliness, care and courtesy. We praise the children constantly for positive behaviour. The Nursery expects every member of their community to behave in a considerate way towards others.
• In any case of misbehaviour, it will always be made clear to the child or children in question that is that the behaviour and not the child that is unwelcome.
• Adults in the Nursery school will praise and endorse desirable behaviour such as kindness and willingness to share. The nursery uses reward stickers for good/kind behaviour.
• Adults will not raise their voice their voice in a threatening way. As a team we will take positive steps to avoid a situation in which children receive adult attention only in return for undesirable behaviour.
• Adults in the Nursery school will make themselves aware of, and respect, a range of cultural expectations regarding interactions between people.

When children behave in unacceptable ways:

Any problems will be handled in a developmentally appropriate fashion, respecting individual children’s level of understanding and maturity. If a child smacks or hurts another child or adult, a member of staff will explain to the child what they have done wrong and possibly remove them from the situation. If a child is displaying any other forms of inappropriate behaviour with the risk of hurting themselves, others around them or the Nursery environment he or she will be told 3 times that this action is inappropriate and then removed from the situation as stated previously. 

We always encourage children to say they are sorry. Children will never be sent out of the room or left unattended in any situation.

Recurring problems will be tackled by the whole Nursery school, in partnership with children and parents using objective observations to establish an understanding of the cause. Techniques intended to single out and humiliate individual children such as a ‘naughty chair’ will not be used.

Adults will be aware that some kinds of behaviour may arise from a special need; to support this practitioners may implement an individual education plan (IEP) and give one to one support and work together to resolve behaviour issues.

Parents and carers will be told at the end of the session if their child has hurt another child or it has been necessary to have a time out.

Children will be constantly reassured that they are always valued as individuals even if their behaviour maybe unacceptable.  We work together to solve any problems.

Physical punishment such as smacking or shaking will never be used nor threatened.

estraints may be used if a child is having a temper tantrum or if a member of staff felt that the child was in danger themselves or others. The parents would be informed of this action at the end of the session.

This policy aims to help children grow in a safe and secure environment, and to become positive, responsible and increasingly independent members of the Nursery community.

The nursery rewards good behaviour, as it believes that this will develop an ethos of kindness and cooperation.

This policy is designed to promote good behaviour, rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour.

The role of parents

The Nursery collaborates actively with parents, so that children receive consistent messages about how to behave at home and at school.

.Monitoring and review

The Nursery managers monitor the effectiveness of this policy on a regular basis and reports to the team on the effectiveness of the policy and, if necessary, make recommendations for further improvements.

The Nursery keeps a variety of records concerning incidents of misbehaviour. The nursery teachers record minor incidents. The team records those incidents in the 'Behaviour Incidents' file where a child is showing repetitive signs of bad behaviour.

This policy was adopted by the managers and staff in September 2010
Signed on behalf of Jack in the Box