How to review your behaviour policy

Last reviewed on 19 October 2022
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Statutory/mandatory for: Maintained schools Academies Free schools Independent schools Pupil referral units Non-maintained special schools

Find everything you need to review and approve your school's or trust's behaviour policy, including what to look for in the policy and key questions to ask senior leaders.

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Maintained schools
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Contents

  1. Key facts
  2. Key statutes and guidance
  3. What this policy needs to do
  4. 4 key questions to challenge the policy
  5. Model policy from The Key
  6. Examples of policies from academies
  7. Examples from trusts

What this policy needs to do

Your school's/trust's behaviour policy must:

  • Promote good behaviour among pupils
  • Set out disciplinary sanctions for misbehaviour

This is based on the advice on page 8 of the Department for Education's behaviour guidance. If you're in a MAT, this applies to the individual schools in your trust.

Academies must also have an anti-bullying strategy. This can be a separate document, but it might be included in your school's/trust's behaviour policy.

4 key questions to challenge the policy

You need to ask challenging questions when the policy comes to you for approval so you can satisfy yourself that the policy-making process was robust.

1. What's changed in this most recent update, and why?

Any updates to key statutes and guidance, and how they're reflected in the current policy How the school is making sure that when any searches are carried out, that the safeguarding of pupils is put first  Any serious behaviour incidents

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