Part one - persistent misconduct.
Step one - school led
It should be noted that as well as progressing up the steps of the ladder, movement down the ladder can also happen. Revisiting steps may be appropriate to ensure that the child or young person receives the appropriate support in line with their current needs.
Statutory guidance
Address underlying factors leading to misbehaviour, including an assessment of whether appropriate provision is in place to support any SEND that a pupil may have. The ‘graduated response’ should be used to assess, plan, deliver and then review the needs of the pupil and the impact of the support being provided. (Under the Equality Act 2010 schools must not discriminate. This includes a duty to make reasonable adjustments to provision, criterion or practice.)
School actions
For all pupils at risk, undertake screening for underlying causes and special needs. (With particular focus on communication skills because of known link with behaviour – see Communication Trust's Progression Tools )
When SEND is identified, Lincolnshire’s SEND Inclusion Toolkit and the Valuing SEND tool are integral components to providing early support for children and young people with SEND. These tools will facilitate implementation of appropriate and timely support and can be found on Lincolnshire’s Local Offer.
If required, access the SEND advice line for Lincolnshire (SALL) for high-quality, evidence-based, early advice at an individual or whole school level.
Ensure that a SEND support plan identifies intervention and reasonable adjustments such that pupils can thrive and school is not inadvertently discriminating through the application of an inflexible behaviour policy. (See Ofsted definition of off-rolling, July 2022 and potential impact on inspection outcomes).
For complex needs, follow the SEND graduated approach, engaging specialist support as required.
Statutory guidance
Schools can create environments where positive behaviours are more likely by proactively supporting pupils to behave appropriately. Pupils should be taught explicitly what good behaviour looks like. Some pupils will need additional support to reach the expected standard of behaviour. Where possible, this support should be identified and put in place as soon as possible.
School actions
Consider whether attachment or trauma has impacted on healthy development and in particular a pupil's capacity for self-regulation. See our trauma-informed practice PSP guidance for advice on how to mitigate this vulnerability.
Use our Pastoral Support Plan (or similar) to agree a support package in partnership with pupil and family.
If required, engage PRT caseworker to support the process
Access BOSS universal training and workshops to support inclusion and understanding the causative factors of behaviour to provide consistent strategies and improve confidence and skills in meeting their needs.
Lincolnshire BOSS’s toolkit for regulation should also be consulted for additional ideas of how to maintain positive behaviours in the classroom.
Whole school training on de-escalation strategies to be completed. This needs to have been done in the last 2 years and evidenced with date and training provider. The training provider can be BOSS, WTT, Caring2Learn or any other external training provider. If schools have their own specialist staff then they can use them to provide their training.
As part of a school’s reflective planning cycle and CPD, schools should record how this training has been implemented and its impact. This reflection will help schools to identify any strengths or any areas of additional training that may be required.
If the pupil is a child in care, ensure the home virtual school is aware. For Lincolnshire CiC, contact your named co-ordinator. Schools should also access the virtual school training offer to ensure that they understand the issues faced by CiC.
Ensure all staff understand the plan so that there is a consistent approach.