Co-op Academy Brierley

Positive Relationships and Behaviour Policy 2025-2027

Policy details

• Date approved by Trust Board - 10/07/2025
• Next review date - 10/07/2027
• Policy owner - Co op Academy Brierley

                                   Date created - 30th September 2025

                                   Responsibility for review: S Harridge

Contents

Policy details        1

1. Policy Statement and Purpose        2

2. Rules and Ways of Being        2

3. Rights and Responsibilities        3

4. Developing Positive Behaviour        3

5. Recognition        3

6. Classroom Strategies and Expectations        3

7. Expectations Around the Academy        3

8. Expectations outside of School        4

9.  Consequences        4

10. Further Intervention and Support        4

11. Child on Child Abuse        4

14. Searching, Screening and Confiscation        6

1. Policy Statement and Purpose

We aim to create and sustain a community of which we all feel proud and feel a sense of belonging.  We will continue to develop an effective climate for learning in which all members of the community have high aspirations, feel safe and secure and respect the rights of everyone. We will actively promote equality amongst all community members. We will be proactive in tackling bullying and dealing with racist or homophobic behaviour and attitudes. We will celebrate students’ achievements and help them to feel proud of their achievements. This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies (available on the Co-op Academy Trust website and the Co-op Academy Brierley website):

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies (available on the Co-op Academy Trust website and the Co-op Academy Brierley website):

Anti Bullying

Equality Statement and Objectives

Health and Safety

Positive Handling

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Special Educational Needs

Mental Health and Well-Being

Exclusions

This policy is underpinned by the following legislation and guidance:

Behaviour in Schools - Advice for Headteachers and School Staff

School suspensions and Permanent Exclusions

Searching, Screening and Confiscation - Advice for Schools

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Education Act (2002), as amended by Education Act (2011)

Education and Inspections Act (2006)

School Discipline [Pupil Exclusions and Reviews] – England – Regulations (2012)

Equality Act (2010, revised 2018)

In addition to this guidance, Co-op Academies recognises that although schools serve local communities and therefore design their behaviour and culture around their context, there are fundamental principles behind great school culture. These have been laid out here in our Behaviour Principles - and underpin the spirit and content of this policy.

2. Rules and Ways of Being

Co-op Academy Brierley is underpinned by the values of the Co-op and all within the academy aspire to the Co-op Ways of Being:

Do What Matters Most

We want a total communication approach to give EVERY learner a voice, so they are empowered to communicate their consent, their wishes and have autonomy over their lives. We want to use our through school structure to create connection and community through Relationships and Restorative Practice to maximise pupil progress in achieving their Brierley Best Self.

Be Yourself Always

We want children to be proud of their individuality, have high expectations of themselves and recognise the contribution they make to their communities so they feel empowered and well prepared for adulthood.

Succeed Together

We want to create a personalised learning experience for every child and we recognise this is achieved through supportive relationships with our families, nurturing relationships with our learners and the expert teaching of our passionate and dedicated staff.

We want our children to be proud of our school and their home community, whilst recognising they are global citizens.

We want to celebrate our differences and learn from the diversity of culture, ability, and religion represented in our school community.

Show you Care

As a school we celebrate our differences and talents, nurturing our children’s well being and building their resilience to take on new challenges through predictable and irresistible learning experiences.

We want to work with our children restoratively, building trusting relationships which offer high challenge and high support through unconditional positive regard.  

Every learner is actively taught ‘Brierley Best behaviour’ for different situations and supported to make their problems smaller, repair their relationships, and understand how to keep themselves safe.

Restorative and Relational Practice 

At Co op Academy Brierley we aim to build a culture of belonging.

Our relational practice will create a culture of care and connection. Our experience is that children don’t follow rules; they follow relationships.

We aim to:

•  Know our children well
•  Know each other well
•  Know our families and communities well

We believe children should be given opportunities to work restoratively and be openly encouraged to support each other in the process of positive reinforcement and personal growth, learning and recognising good behaviour. Working restoratively is a whole school approach that places building, maintaining and repairing relationships at the centre of how the organisation works. It involves providing a culture of high challenge and high support throughout the organisation. Restorative practice ensures that every voice in school is heard. It encourages pupils to treat others with respect and to understand why relationships are important. Our restorative approach helps pupils:

• Understand how their actions can affect others.

• Develop positive characteristics they can use in and out of school.

• Understand themselves and each other better.

• Learn why it’s important to see another person’s point of view.

• See that we all learn through making mistakes as well as through being successful.

• Learn how to move through conflict creatively.

• Repair relationships with pupils and staff following an incidence of poor behaviour or relationship breakdown.

• Restore working practices after resolving relationships.

3. Rights and Responsibilities

We expect all students and staff to be:

• Respectful and tolerant of each other’s needs and abilities. 
• Careful and considerate towards each other, and all school property and facilities. 
• Respectful of everyone’s right to equal opportunity. 

Co-op Academy Brierley staff strongly believe that we should seek to understand students through their behaviour and not label them according to their conduct.

Academy Community Council (ACC)

The ACC has a delegated responsibility around the monitoring and promotion of positive pupil behaviour and attendance. Within its routine activity, the ACC will develop a strong understanding of these areas via its interaction with the Headteacher and their leadership team, and engagement with parent/carer, pupil and staff voice.

Brierley’s Academy Governing Council is committed to supporting high standards of behaviour. The children will be supported in a variety of ways, where able, to voice their opinions about behaviour in school. The Headteacher and other staff with responsibilities relating to behaviour management will support all staff in maintaining positive environments where children flourish and will keep staff, parents and governors up to date with DfE and local guidance relating to behaviour in schools.

The Academy Governing Council has overall responsibility for: 

• Ensuring that this policy, as written, does not discriminate on any grounds, including but not limited to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010;
• Promoting a whole-school culture where calm, dignity and structure encompass every space and activity;
• Handling complaints regarding this policy.

The headteacher is responsible for: 

• The monitoring and implementation of this policy and of the behaviour procedures at the academy. This includes the policy’s effectiveness in addressing any anxiety-driven behaviours;
• Establishing the standard of behaviour expected by students at the academy but recognising that for many students, their behaviour is linked to their disabling condition;
• The day-to-day implementation of this policy;
• Publishing this policy and making it available to staff, parents and students at least once a year;
• reporting to the governing council on the implementation of this policy.

  The assistant headteacher Nicky Menzer and Relational Practice Lead are responsible for:

• The monitoring of behaviour incidents in school and reporting to the SLT and academy council incidents relating to prejudicial child on child incidents and bullying.
• Planning and reviewing appropriate support for individual students or groups of students where there have been incidences of  behaviours including child on child and bullying incidents.
• To reflect and revisit interventions to assess the impact

The mental health lead Mel Boffey (Deputy Headteacher) is responsible for:

• Overseeing the whole-school approach to mental health, including how this is reflected in this policy and how staff are supported with managing students who at times of dysregulation may display behaviours that challenge.

Teaching staff are responsible for: 

• Planning and reviewing appropriate support for students, within a positive behaviour support plan.
• Planning individual learning and class tasks to address potential areas of difficulty to ensure that there are no barriers to every student achieving their full potential.
• Being responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the students in their class.

All members of staff, including teaching and support staff, and volunteers are responsible for:

• Adhering to this policy.
• Supporting students in adhering to this policy.
• Providing consistent Routines, Responses and Relationships
• Promoting a supportive, predictable and high-quality learning environment. 
• Modelling high levels of behaviour including calm, consistent adult behaviour at all times
• Being proactive: understanding that what’s predictable is preventable
• Being aware of the signs of low level anxiety-driven behaviours. 
• Setting high expectations for every student.
• Being aware of the needs, outcomes sought, and support provided to students.
• Ensuring all behaviour incidents are appropriately recorded.

Students are responsible for:

  Trying their Brierley Best to demonstrate the following learning behaviours:

• Listening ears
• Looking Eyes
• Turn taking
• Active hands
• Sharing ideas
• Using Safe hands, Safe words, Safe Places

Parents are responsible for:

• Supporting their child.
• Informing the school of any changes in circumstances which may affect their child’s behaviour.
• Working collaboratively.

4. Developing Positive Behaviour

At Co-op Academy Brierley we recognise that all behaviours are communication and that enabling sensory and emotional regulation are key for learners' well-being, emotional literacy, and relationships as well as their learning. It is essential to ensure readiness for learning; and our environments, curriculum and provision are all carefully planned to prioritise emotional and sensory regulation through a trauma informed and total communication approach.

To support a consistent approach to emotional regulation we use the same language and visuals across all Pathways, using our knowledge and understanding of each learner's needs to build positive and safe relationships that form the foundation of regulation support across school.

As relational practitioners, we recognise every adults role in school is to model and explicitly teach the following Brierley Best “superpowers”:

• Listening
• Communicating
• Problem solving
• Creativity
• Resilience
• I can do hard things
• Leadership
• Teamwork

Our staff work in partnership with our young people, they demonstrate the Brierley Best superpowers and they celebrate explicitly when others are using them, through words and visuals. These are also shared with learners using stickers and badges.

Zones of regulation are displayed in every room, shared space, and using mobile communication boards. They are adapted for each learning pathway and are integral to every learning experience throughout the school day. “I need…” resources are available in every class.

Brierley behaviour expectations are “rules” for all at Co-op Brierley and used as shared, consistent language and visuals by all staff to redirect unsafe behaviours through early intervention. These are used alongside Zones of Regulation to support learners to co-regulate and build independent regulation strategies e.g emotional coaching and restorative communication boards.

Brierley Behaviour expectations are behaviours for life and our rules:

• Safe hands
• Safe words
• Safe place

Brierley behaviour for learning expectations are displayed on top of smart boards (or learning space for Informal pathway). They are used at the beginning of, and throughout, every learning session to scaffold the skills learners are building. Targeted and directed praise will support each learner to achieve, whilst recognising that learning behaviours may look different for each learner. For example; some learners may give fleeting eye contact but look at the learning focus from a distance, they will have done their best in attending to the task.

Brierley behaviour for learning expectations are:

• Listening ears
• Looking eyes
• Turn taking
• Active hands
• Sharing ideas

Where there are concerns regarding a pupils’ behaviour, and given the very individual needs of all our pupils, they will be supported to regulate through bespoke Positive Behaviour Support Plans.

Preparation for adulthood: Brierley Best

Our aspiration is to equip children and young people with the resilience, regulation and independence to take on hard things.

We identify and celebrate when our children and young people use the Brierley Best skills (superpowers)

1. Listening
2. Communicating
3. Problem solving
4. Creativity

5. Resilience
6. I can do hard things
7. Leadership
8. Teamwork

5. Recognition

Within the established positive learning environment at Co-op Academy Brierley, children should expect to receive regular praise from all they come into contact with. Where appropriate, class teachers are encouraged to agree the Brierley behaviour expectations with their classes and use a range of personally favoured strategies as incentives for the students to behave well. Such strategies include, but are not exclusive to:

• First attention to best conduct
• Verbal praise and encouragement  
• Non-verbal praise – which may include touch cues, symbols, facial expressions, gestures and/or signing.  
• Written remarks about good work  
• Stickers  
• Sending children to another teacher or Pathway Leader to share their work/good behaviour  
• Displaying students’ work and achievements  
• Certificates to celebrate children’s success (for behaviour and academic achievement)  
• Weekly Celebration of Learning assemblies

6. Classroom Strategies and Expectations

At Co-op Academy Brierley, we endeavour to provide a stimulating and enjoyable learning environment for all students, as we recognise that some negative behaviour exhibited in the classroom can be as a result of boredom or lack of interest in the task, or indeed a task being too difficult for the individual concerned. 

In order to achieve effective learning and positive behaviour management at Co-op Academy Brierley the following must be carefully considered: 

• Calm, consistent adult behaviour at all times
• Unconditional positive regard
• A positive, calm and purposeful classroom tone
• Positive and realistic expectations about learning and learning outcomes which are differentiated for each student  
• A total communication approach: the appropriate use of a range of communication tools, including visual timetables, objects of reference and/or other suitable tools for enabling each child to know what is happening during the day  
• An attractive, tidy, well-cared for environment  
• A well-planned environment which students can navigate without unnecessary barriers  
• An environment which gives thought to the needs of the children within that classroom e.g. visual stimulation levels through displays.  
• Classroom organisation and planning for teaching in individual, small group and whole class group sessions in relation to individual needs, staff strengths, space and curriculum content.  
• Developing communication systems between all staff through use of regular meeting times and electronic recording entry to ensure consistency of approach for recording and reporting.  
• Actively encourage positive interactions to develop mutual and reciprocal relationships.

7. Expectations Around the Academy

Brierley Behaviour expectations are:

• Safe hands
• Safe words
• Safe place

8. Expectations outside of School

Pupils at Co-op Academy Brierley are expected to be their Brierley best at all times especially when representing the school during trips, visits, sporting events or on transport to school and home. Pupils should remember to use safe hands and safe words at all times. Pupils are expected to show responsible conduct online even outside of school times. Our Anti-bullying policy explains how we respond to all forms of bullying including Cyberbullying.

9.  Consequences

It is not routine practice to use sanctions at Co-op Academy Brierley, unless the behaviour is understood to be a deliberate ‘misbehaviour’ that can be corrected in this way. As the students attending our school are working at early learning levels, we firmly believe that other, non-aversive, strategies are best used and most effective. These can include: 

• Distracting, diverting or redirecting the child.
• Always addressing low level behaviours.
• Discovering the cause of the behaviour and removing it.
• Teaching an alternative behaviour or skill that achieves the same function, but that is more acceptable.

    Consequences -if used, must be logical and:

• Must relate to the incident
• Must be proportionate
• Must be necessary

10. Further Intervention and Support

Positive Behaviour Support Plans are developed by class teams in collaboration with a team of intervention staff using functional behaviour analysis approaches, incident report and incident data analysis and direct observation. Through this approach we can ensure that the right children receive the right support at the right time and can work on a proactive behaviour support basis.

These plans are shared with parent/carers and, where relevant, partner agencies, to ensure student needs are being met, and that there is a consistency of approach by all staff.

11. Child on Child Abuse

Co-op Academy Brierley is committed to ensuring a climate of safety for all students by challenging inappropriate behaviour between peers. We have a zero tolerance approach of all forms of child on child abuse including (but not limited to):

• Bullying (including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying)
• Abuse in intimate personal relationships between peers
• Physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and / or encourages physical abuse)
• Sexual violence, such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault (this may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and / or encourages physical abuse)
• Sexual harassment, such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online sexual harassment, which may be standalone or part of a broader pattern of abuse
• Causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, such as forcing someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity with a third party
• Consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes and semi nude images and / or videos (also known as sexting or youth produced sexual imagery)
• Upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without their permission, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm
• Initiation / hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group and may also include an online element

Where there are any reports of child on child abuse, including sexual violence and sexual harassment,  we will follow the guidance set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education. The Academy maintains a zero tolerance approach to all forms of child on child abuse and always maintain the attitude ‘it could happen here’. We will always take any reports or disclosures seriously. Any sanctions for child on child abuse will be proportionate, considered, supportive and will be decided on a case by case basis. Sanctions could include managing the incident internally, referring to early help, referring to children’s social care or reporting the incident to the police. Serious incidents could result in permanent exclusion. The Academy will not tolerate behaviour of this nature, whilst also not demonising anyone – we will support and listen to all of the pupils involved. The alleged perpetrator(s) will be offered support so that they can change their behaviour.

For more information on how we deal with child on child abuse please see:

Co-op Brierley Anti Bullying Policy.

Co-op Brierley Child Protection Policy.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

12. Suspensions

At Co-op Academy Brierley, fixed-term suspensions are used reluctantly and rarely, either if the student's cognitive ability makes the sanction meaningful in the event of an extreme behaviour, or as a short term means to secure the safety of other children and staff, for example after a ‘meltdown’ when a child may need some time out of the situation, before a restorative approach can be used with a high likelihood of success.

Permanent exclusions will only ever be used in extreme circumstances, where allowing the student to remain in school would risk serious harm to the welfare of the student or other students in the school, or seriously compromise the education and welfare of other children. In the event of this situation arising, the academy will give due regard to the Trust Exclusion Policy and the Exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England statutory guidance, including the early annual review or interim/emergency review of the student’s Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP), where  student placements may be reviewed in consultation with parents and SEN Officers, and alternative placement secured through the SEND Code of Practice. All exclusions are reviewed by the Chair of Governors in line with the statutory guidance.

Informal exclusions will not be used by the academy.

Further information on suspensions can be found in the Trust’s Suspensions and Permanent Exclusion policy. For further information on consequences for different behaviours see appendix i

13. Permanent Exclusion

Permanent exclusion is a last resort. A Headteacher may decide to permanently exclude a student for persistent disruptive behaviour, where despite the school's best effort, a student insists on breaching the school's behaviour policy. A permanent exclusion could also be the consequence for a first 'one off' offence, based on the severity of the behaviour. One off offences may include:

• Serious actual or threatened violence against another student or member of staff (including online threats or abuse)
• Assault on a student or member of staff
• Sexual abuse or assault
• Supplying or using an illegal drug
• Carrying an offensive weapon (including any article made or adapted for causing injury)
• Serious one off incidents including ‘Hate’ incidents / crime or bullying

 Further information on permanent exclusions can be found in the Trust’s Suspension and Permanent Exclusion policy.

14. Searching, Screening and Confiscation

The Headteacher has statutory power to search pupils and possessions if there are reasonable grounds to suspect pupils have prohibited items. Searches may also be carried out by members of staff and contractors authorised by the Headteacher. All authorised staff will be up to date with screening and searching procedures as laid out in government guidance and in the Trust Positive Handling Policy .  When conducting searches, the Headteacher will consider the age and ability of students and make reasonable adjustments where necessary. Where possible searches will be conducted with the student present and away from other students  (unless there is reason to believe that significant harm could happen if we wait).

The school can search a student for any item with their consent and in their presence (e.g. turning out pockets / looking in bags). Staff have the power to search (without consent) if they have reason to believe a student possesses any of the following prohibited items:

• knives and weapons
• alcohol
• illegal drugs
• stolen items
• tobacco and cigarette papers
• cigarettes
• e-cigarettes
• lighters and matches
• fireworks
• pornographic images
• any article that has been or is likely to be used to commit an offence , cause personal injury or damage to property

Wherever possible, searches will be carried out by two authorised members of staff, or contractor  by staff members of the same gender as the student, and with the student present as a witness. Searches that require physical contact or use of force will always be a last resort. Where the risk is considered significant, they will be conducted by a trained member of staff of the same sex as the pupil, or, if possible, and preferably, by a family member. If this is not possible (due to urgency of the situation) searches will be conducted by a permanent member of staff, with the appropriate training, of the same sex and an appropriate adult (of the same sex). In all cases, only outer clothing will be searched (pockets, bags, shoes etc). No member of the school community will conduct a search that reveals a student’s underwear or skin (beyond shirt sleeves).

Staff will confiscate and retain a student’s property if it is a banned item or any item being used to cause harm to self or others, damage to property, or disruption to the maintaining of a purposeful learning environment. For any confiscated item that is not deemed to be dangerous or potentially / known to be illegal, the confiscating staff member is required to make a proportionate and fair decision about what happens next with the item, for example:

• returning the item to the student at the end of that lesson
• returning the item to the student at the end of that day
• escalating the issue to a member of the year team / senior leadership team
• discussing with the student’s family about how best to return or dispose of the item

Retention of, damage to or disposal of a student’s personal property should not be used as a sanction and confiscation, including how the confiscation is followed up, should only be used to ensure the maintenance of a safe and purposeful learning environment.

Mobile Phones / Devices

Mobile phones/ electronic devices are not encouraged in school or on school SEND transport. If brought, mobile phones must be handed in to the class teacher on arrival into the classroom. Some pupils may have a prior agreement with SEND transport that they can use their mobile phone or electronic device to listen to music or to watch videos in order to stay regulated throughout the journey. However, pupils found to be misusing their mobile phone eg taking photos, videos; making inappropriate internet searches or making calls will have their device confiscated and the school will support the transport team to prohibit the further use of all such devices until further notice.

Screening

• If a student refuses to be screened, the school may refuse to have the student on the premises. Health and safety legislation requires a school to be managed in a way which does not expose students or staff to risks to their health and safety and this would include making reasonable rules as a condition of admittance.
• If a student fails to comply, and the school does not let the student in, the student’s absence will be treated as unauthorised. The student should comply with the rules and attend.

Power to use reasonable force  

Members of staff have the power to use reasonable force to prevent students committing an offence, injuring themselves or others, or damaging property, and to maintain good order and discipline in the classroom. Headteachers and authorised school staff may also use such force as is reasonable given the circumstances when conducting a search without consent for knives or weapons, alcohol, illegal drugs, stolen items, tobacco and cigarette papers, fireworks, pornographic images or articles that have been or could be used to commit an offence or cause harm.

The academy follows all DfE guidance for searching, screening and confiscation which can be found here:

Searching, Screening and Confiscation - Advice for Schools

Please also see the Co-op Academies Trust Positive Handling Policy for the process of searching and screening and use of reasonable force (available on the school website).

Appendix I - Behaviour Watch

We use Behaviour Watch to record behaviour incidents. 

There are nine categories of behaviour incident to allocate any records to:

1. Racist
2. Child on adult assault
3. Bullying
4. Homphobic
5. Child on child assault
6. Absconding behaviour
7. Verbal abuse
8. Harmful sexual behaviour
9. Other disruptive behaviours

These categories will be reported at Trust levels for purposes of trend and outcomes analysis.

Further information is then gathered to help understand the nature of each incident;

• What happened before the incident
• What happened during the incident
• What happened after the incident
• Strategies used by staff to support the young person / people and if they were successful
• Further information on the type of behaviours observed

• Biting / pinching / spitting / kicking / climbing etc

Interventions are recorded through the behaviour watch system, these are;

• Non Restrictive
• Restrictive

The following information is recorded of each intervention if used within a behaviour incident;

• Type of hold
• Duration of hold
• Staff involved
• Parental conversation / follow up process

The follow up process is recorded post incident both for all stake holders; students, staff and parents.

Appendix II

Behaviour Approaches and interventions at Co op Academy Brierley

Appendix III

Appendix IV

Appendix V

Appendix VI