Ready to Learn. Ready to Succeed.
Our aim is that all students are able to work to the best of their ability in a positive environment where learning is valued, behaviour is respectful and everyone understands what is expected.
A positive environment for learning
Disruptive behaviour damages the learning of the whole class and all members of the school are responsible for maintaining the highest standards of behaviour in the school environment.
Rewarding good work and good behaviour engenders a positive attitude to study and school.
What we want to achieve
- Promote positive behaviour throughout the school.
- Motivate and encourage students through praise and rewards.
- Develop self-discipline in students.
- Create an orderly, safe and secure community where effective learning can take place.
- Secure a consistent approach to discipline throughout the school.
- Develop high standards based on self-respect and respect for others and the environment.
We explicitly teach the behaviours that help students succeed
At Devizes School we believe it is better to teach students how to behave, rather than simply tell them to do it.
This approach draws on the work of leading educational thinkers including Doug Lemov, Tom Bennett and Barry Smith. Our whole-school learning behaviours make expectations clear, consistent and easy to remember.
How we interact and communicate
Use respectful forms of address.
Show gratitude and appreciation.
Show respect when joining or interrupting a conversation.
Use polite and courteous language.
Think about tone, body language and how we speak to others.
How we take part in lessons
Speak in full sentences and use ambitious academic vocabulary.
Give as much detail as possible and use subject-specific vocabulary.
Participate, contribute and engage with the learning.
Project your voice and approach unfamiliar words positively.
Take pride in your learning and present work carefully.
How we listen and pay attention
Direct your attention towards the teacher or speaker.
Listen carefully and stay fully engaged.
Adopt a calm posture ready for listening.
Sit or stand in a position that shows readiness to learn.
Allow the teacher or speaker to be heard without interruption.
Reducing disruption before it happens
We use whole-school lesson routines to minimise lost learning, including consistent lesson arrivals and departures, the distribution of resources and a clear lesson structure.
Protecting every student’s right to learn
We expect lessons to take place without disruption so that every student can achieve to the best of their ability.
Students have a responsibility to manage their own behaviour and teachers have a responsibility to protect the learning of the class.
Verbal reminder
The member of staff gives an informal verbal warning and supports the student to re-engage.
Formal warning
If disruption continues, the student receives a clear formal warning and a demerit.
Refocus Room
Continued disruption results in the student being sent to Refocus to complete written work in silence.
Refocus means exactly that
Students are expected to arrive promptly, complete a written task in silence and demonstrate the attitude required to return successfully to the classroom.
Placement in Refocus also results in a thirty-minute after-school detention, on the same day wherever possible. Parents or carers will be informed.
Where more serious behaviour occurs, the warning process may not be appropriate. The Pastoral Team and/or Senior Leadership Team will apply sanctions appropriate to the incident.
Off. Away. Out of sight.
Mobile phones are an unnecessary distraction in school and must be switched off throughout the school day and kept in the student’s school bag.
The school cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to these often-expensive items.
If a student is found using a mobile phone, it will be confiscated in accordance with the school procedure for banned items.
If a student refuses to hand over their phone, they will spend time in the Refocus Room and receive an after-school detention. Parents or carers will be informed as soon as possible.
Student conduct and school policies
More information about expectations, behaviour and student conduct can be found in our policies and procedures.
