Supporting our students
Supporting our students at LEAP
Our role is to support and nurture our students whilst delivering LEAP’s vision. Prior to enrolling at London East AP, all parents are required to sign up to a home school agreement.
Students are taken through the main principles of LEAP’s behaviour and rewards policy.
- Safety
- Respect
- Kindness and compassion
- Cooperation
SAFETY
- Pupils have the responsibility to try to behave in a respectful and non-violent way
- Staff have the responsibility to support and manage pupil’s needs to keep them as emotionally and physically safe as possible
RESPECT
- Pupils have the responsibility to treat all staff and other young people with respect
- Staff have the responsibility to respect other staff and young people
- Pupils and staff have the responsibility to respect personal space and boundaries
KINDNESS & COMPASSION
- Pupils have the responsibility to welcome and include all pupils into the centre
- Staff have the responsibility to support pupils who are having difficulties
- Staff have the responsibility to listen to and care for all pupils
COOPERATION
- Pupils have the responsibility to listen and follow instructions given to them by school staff
- Pupils have the responsibility to try their best in their learning
- Staff have the responsibility to give pupils the opportunity to show their talents and work to their strengths
- Staff have the responsibility to recognise positive pupil choices and individual progress
At LEAP, staff
- seize every opportunity to be friendly and positive towards to pupils
- avoid any action or behaviour which might seem to discriminate against an individual student or group of students on any grounds
- avoid making personal remarks which could be regarded as patronising, disparaging or offensive
- show respect for students’ opinions and views
- show respect for students by alerting them directly to any unacceptable behaviour on their part and giving clear instructions regarded what is required from them.
- maintain a calm and non-confrontational manner with the students.
At LEAP, staff do not
- raise their voice
- shout at students no matter what the circumstances, other than there is an urgent need to alert students to imminent danger
- raise matters in public with students which could be more constructively discussed in private
- swear in earshot of students, or use other language
- crowd students or stand physically close to them or lay hands on them without very good reason.
- force students into a corner.
DE-ESCALATION
Before and during conflict, it is imperative that ALL staff approach and respond to pupils in a calm and supportive manner in order to deescalate challenging and potentially unsafe situations. This includes but is not limited to:
• Being aware of using non-threatening body language/position & calm/level tone of voice
• Giving the pupil personal space at all times
• Trying to identify and name the pupil’s emotions for them - name aloud feelings/what you see.
• Clarifying and summarising what’s been said “You’re telling me you’re feeling angry, is that right?” Giving alternate strategies.
• Tactical ignoring where possible; avoid confrontation and entering a debate with the pupil
• Diverting where possible e.g. try to direct onto next activity, talk about an unrelated topic
• Removing the audience
REASONABLE FORCE
There is no legal definition of “reasonable force”; it will always depend on all the circumstances of the case. Any sort of force/restraint MUST always be as a final measure: it is to be avoided if at all possible. Any force used should always be the minimum needed to achieve the desired result.
Physical intervention can take several forms. It might involve staff:
- physically interposing between pupils
- blocking a pupil’s path
- holding
- pushing
- leading a pupil by the arm
- leading a pupil away by placing a hand in the centre of the back.
In exceptional circumstances, where there is an immediate risk of injury, a member of staff may need to take any necessary action that is consistent with the concept of “reasonable force”: for example, to prevent a young pupil running off a pavement onto a busy road, or to prevent a pupil throwing something.
Restorative Practice is a way of approaching conflict and repairing harm. It encourages everyone involved to understand what has happened following an incident and what can be done to make things better. It gives the person who has caused harm an opportunity to take responsibility for their behaviour. It gives the person who has been harmed an opportunity to explain how they feel and help the process of moving forward. It is a fair way of approaching conflict that focuses on cooperation, respect and a reduction in future harm.
These are the Restorative questions that staff should ask following a disagreement or dispute:
1. What has happened?
2. Who has been affected?
3. How do you feel and what do you think?
4. How can we make it right?
Restorative Practice is based on four principles:
RESPECT- listening and valuing others thoughts, feelings and opinions
RESPONSIBILITY-taking responsibility for your own actions
REPAIR- discussing how to repair harm that has been caused to others
MOVING FORWARD- drawing a line under events and learning how to move forward positively