Behaviour for Learning
Students learn best when they – and those around them – behave well. At Verulam we use a range of tools to encourage the highest standards of behaviour, including our House System, our refreshed approach to ‘Rewards & Events’ and incentives such as Student of the Week.
Our Behaviour for Learning framework is guided by the Verulam Values. Those students that consistently meet or exceed our expectations, together with those who demonstrate an individual act which perpetuates the Verulam Values will be rewarded. These are:
Verulam Learner
Enthusiastic learner
Respectful of staff and school
Understanding of others
Listens carefully
Aims high
Makes the most of opportunities
The role of rewards in recognising and promoting Verulam Values is a key part of developing the potential of our students. Praise is a key component of good teaching and effective staff/pupil relationships. Praise needs to be used appropriately, sincerely and linked to tangible examples of a student’s strengths.
Many events take place throughout the school year that are designed to celebrate students’ success and to keep the motivation of all students as high as possible.
The House System
The House System is at the heart of the school, and our Behaviour for Learning programme. By linking individual recognition and achievement to inter-House competition we encourage a healthy competitiveness between the Houses which, in turn, fosters a valuable sense of belonging.
All students and staff are members of a House. House Captains are elected from Year 11 and staff undertake the roles of Head of House.
Heads of House:
- Brampton: Mr Base
- Churchill: Mr Jameson
- Hamilton: Mr Tromans
- Jennings: Ms McInally
- Park: Mr Tansley
- York: Mr Doyle
House Co-ordinator: Mrs Avery
Refreshed approach to Rewards
Students are awarded ‘House Points’, instead of Rewards. What has traditionally been recognised as an R1 will now be recognised as an H1, R2 = H2 and so on. There will be a real drive on hunting the positives and highlighting those students who deserve recognition for working consistently hard or going beyond our expectations as a Verulam Learner. Our consequence system has also had a revamp, with ‘Events’ replacing ‘Consequences’.
Boys and their parents will receive frequent updates on their own and the House’s point totals as well the inter-House competitions which run throughout the year. The first of these is our ‘Feed Project’ which supports the St. Albans food bank, with donation totals being calculated by House rather than year groups as we have in the past.
Student of the Week
Curriculum and Pastoral awards for students who have a positive week. One per subject and form.
Half Termly Celebration Assemblies
At the end of each term we celebrate the success of many students who have outstanding attendance and those who win Students of the Term for hard work and dedication and/or contribution to school life. Names and photos are displayed on the Hall of Fame.
Rewards Trip / Event
10 students from each form group will take part in a reward event at the end of each term. These will be those students who have excellent attendance and who have received the highest number of House points in their form.
Annual Celebration Events
Years 7-10 hold an end-of year event to celebrate the achievement of students who have been exceptional ambassadors for Verulam in their consistent approach to the Verulam Values.
Year 12 GCSE Celebration Afternoon
A celebration event for Year 12 students who have successfully completed Year 11 and entered the Verulam Sixth Form.
Senior Graduation
An evening of celebration for all students in Year 13 who have completed formal examinations in the previous academic year. Each subject area will award a prize for exceptional performance.
Verulam Whole School Rewards – House Points
| Positive Points Value | Name | Can be given by | For consistently meeting or exceeding the aims of VERULAM Learner: Enthusiastic learner, Respectful of staff and school, Understanding of others, Listens carefully, Aims high, Makes the most of opportunities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | 1 | Positive | Any member of staff (teaching and support) | Good answer in class, supporting a peer, helping a teacher / adult, completing all classwork & Book appropriately polished, Home Learning completed well, picking up litter, demonstrating a positive character |
| H2 | 2 | Good | Any member of staff (teaching and support) | Persistent good answers in class, helping a peer, teacher / adult. Completing all classwork & book polished to a high standard. Home Learning completed to a good standard, demonstrating good character, |
| H3 | 3 | Very good | Any member of staff (teaching and support) | Student of the Week in each subject and form group, Very good effort or attainment in an extended piece of work. |
| H4 | 4 | Excellent | Collated by HOD & HOY | Student of the ½ Term will be nominated by each subject (core subjects x2) for each year group. To be presented in an end of ½ Term assembly. (HOD / CT) FT will nominate one student per ½ Term for their contribution to school and community. HOY will reward 100% attendance per ½ Term and nominate one Student of the ½ Term for their overall contribution to school and community |
| H5 | 5 | Exceptional or Headmaster’s Commendation | Middle and Senior Leaders | Student of the Year will be awarded in each subject and each form group. These students will receive a blazer badge from the Headmaster at the end of the end of term assembly Students will be nominated by HOD and HOY for either their prolonged and sustained commitment to the Verulam values or for an individual act which perpetuates the VERULAM values. In addition to the ½ Termly Celebration Assemblies there will be termly award winners – Headmaster Commendations |
Note: All staff can recommend H4+5’s but Only Middle Leaders/SLT can issue H4+5.
Events and Sanctions
The behaviour for learning system is designed to support teaching and learning across the school and to ensure that a productive learning environment is created for all students to reach or exceed their potential. It assists staff in applying consistent sanctions when learning is disrupted. Staff will have a good knowledge of any SEN/medical/family details for all the students they teach to ensure they are understanding of individual needs, while insisting on the highest of standards.
In the event of poor behaviour, staff will apply the following escalation of sanctions:
- Planners are required to be on the desks of all students, in all lessons.
- Students will be warned if they are off-task, causing disruption to teaching and learning.
- If this does not bring about the desired outcome, staff will remove the planner from the desk. This represents an E1 minimum, but may increase if the student’s behaviour does not improve.
- If the student continues to disrupt teaching and learning, a final warning will be given (by issuing an E2), and the student will be advised that if they continue to be disruptive, they will be asked to leave the lesson and placed in a different lesson to work (this is known as ‘sent to buddy’).
- If the disruption continues, the student will be placed in another lesson. An E4 detention will be recorded on Bromcom. E4 detentions take place the day after the event is recorded, providing it is logged before 5pm.
- If the student refuses to go to the different lesson, they will be reminded that if they do not leave immediately, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)/ Support will be called. Once SLT/ Support have been called, the student will be taken to Rm 20 for two lessons in the first instance; four in the second and six in the third. At this stage, the student cannot opt to ‘go to buddy’.
