About Fleming / School Rules

The School Manual

The school manual is a continuously evolving and developing compilation of school rules and procedures.

Discipline means enforcing simple rules that facilitate learning and minimize disruption.

In well-managed schools:

·         All staff put emphasis on the importance of learning and do not accept conditions which inhibit learning.

·         Students are clearly expected to behave well.

·         Rules, sanctions, and procedures are clearly explained and are made known to everyone in the school.

·         The school atmosphere is positive. All staff take interest in students.

Discipline at Fleming College is based on the principles of RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, EQUALITY, TOLERANCE and SOLIDARITY.

School Rules

Teachers and other staff may not choose which rules to impose and which can be ignored. Any rule which cannot be justified should be amended or abolished. If we have bad rules that nobody respects we run the risk of losing our respect for the rest.

Most rules deal with practical matters and have been created to secure the wellbeing of students. When rules deal with issues that go beyond the practical, with behaviour or the uniform, for example, what is in play is respect for the already mentioned principles of respect, responsibility, equality, tolerance and solidarity.

RESPECT

Respect is the esteem that we feel for ourselves and for every person and object that we encounter. It leads to good relations and it establishes the rights and duties of everyone.

At Fleming College we promote respect at all levels:

Self respect – it leads to high standards of neatness,impeccability and to readiness for work.

·         School uniform must be worn daily, except on days indicated by the Headmaster or when different clothing is needed for a specific subject. (See separate section on the school uniform)

·        Students must arrive to lessons with all necessary equipment: books, dictionaries, pens, pencils, etc. and the Homework Diary which will be used to note down homework and as a means of communication between parents and teachers.

·         Students must leave the break areas promptly when the first bell rings.

·        They must go from lesson to lesson quickly but silently. They must not run down corridors or stairs.

·        When staying in a classroom, students must wait seated and in silence with all the necessary equipment for the teacher to arrive.

Respect for others – it leads to respectful treatment of other people, the good use of vocabulary, the keeping of order and silence inside classrooms and in corridors.

• Students must be courteous towards one another, towards school staff and towards all school visitors.

• In no circumstance will a student be permitted to harm another child, physically or verbally.

Respect for our social, natural and physical environment – it leads to respect for the positive customs of a society, for nature and for our own and other people’s property.

• Students must look after all areas and furniture belonging to the school. Any damage to one of them must be reported immediately.

• All rubbish must go in the bins provided.

• It is forbidden to play with balls in the buildings.

• Students must not be without a teacher in the library, the labs, audiovisual room or physical education department.

• All items brought to school must be named. All objects found in school must be handed to a teacher, to the Academic Secretary or to the logistics department.

RESPONSIBILITY

Responsibility means realizing that every act generates consequences. Because of this we should strive to act in a positive way that will lead to a healthy interaction with other people and to a common good.

Responsibility manifests itself in:

Punctuality – when arriving every morning and when going from lesson to lesson. Also when handing in any work or assignment. (See separate section on Attendance and Punctuality)

Hard work – be it in class or at home

• Students must do their own work. They must not copy work from books, the internet or other students. If a student receives help to complete a piece of work, he should let his teacher know.

• It is strictly forbidden to copy during exams and tests.

Time planning – a good distribution of time contributes to positive results.

• Students have a Diary or Message Book that they must use to plan the use of their time. This Diary is also a means of effective communication between the school and parents. All information about meetings, permits, excuses, homework, exams, grades, etc. must be written down in it.

• Students must always carry their Diary with them. They must use it every day and must ask their parents to sign it once a week. It must be kept clean and free of graffiti. Its pages must not be torn.

Disciplinary procedures

The best form of discipline is self discipline. Self discipline is possible when people understand that others also have needs and rights.

Positive behaviour should be recognized and rewarded.

Recognitions and rewards

At Fleming College we reward good behaviour with verbal and written praise. Evidence has shown that social rewards, such as a smile, recognition and praise, are highly effective ways of encouraging desired behaviour.

In addition, there is a system of merits, demerits and other forms of recognition and sanction.

EARLY YEARS

Most of the time children demonstrate us great effort, enthusiastic work and interest in learning.  Each of their activities and all the work they do should be motivated by verbal expressions of congratulations and/or physical expressions such as smiles, hugs, etc.

We will promote a V.I.F. (Very Important Friend) program. Each teacher will select a child from her class list and will design a “special” day for him/her.  On that day the child will be the first in line, he/she will bring the register to the secretary’s office, give out coloured pencils and worksheets (he/she will be a special helper), and choose the story book that will be read on that day and the art material that will be used.

LOWER SCHOOL

Merit points

They will be awarded in recognition of good work, good behaviour and cooperation. They must be recorded in the appropriate page of the Diary or in copybooks as happy faces. Six merit points make a Merit.

Merits

They will be awarded on getting six merit points or in recognition of work, conduct or cooperation above the normal standard. They must be recorded in the appropriate page of the Diary.

LOWER AND UPPER SCHOOLS

Star of the Week and Headmaster's Award

This award is given usually on a weekly basis in the assembly. Students who have done something unusually positive to help a classmate or a teacher, or to make the school as a whole or Trujillo itself a better place are to be nominated as potential Star of the Week or the Headmaster's Award. The headmaster will then decide which student will be awarded.

Students will receive public recognition, a certificate and a badge. Their names will be recorded in the corresponding display panel. Points which count for graduation requirements will be awarded to students winning the award in 4th and 5th years.

Sanctions

Students who do not comply with the rules established by the school will be sanctioned. When applying a sanction we shall be firm and consistent. It is important, however, that the students understand why the punishment is justified.

EARLY YEARS

Before being sanctioned children should know about what is right and what is wrong, what they can do and what is unacceptable in their daily routine.

We must help them to think about the consequences of their negative behaviour and attitudes and to find the best way to obtain a positive result.

Remember that children under 5 years usually repeat actions or activities that they observe around them.

Rules and possible sanctions should be discussed with children in order for them to be real, meaningful and effective.

FIRST STEPS – LOWER and UPPER SCHOOL

Verbal correction – there is no need to raise our voice.

Expulsion from the classroom – a student who disrupts the lesson may be sent out of the classroom. He should remain standing in silence next to the door for a few minutes, not for the rest of the period.

Additional work – this sanction should be applied for students who do not work during lessons and/or do not hand in their homework. Note of it must be made in the Diary which should be signed by the parents. A teacher who uses this kind of sanction must collect in the assigned work, mark it and return it to the student. Failure to present homework should be reflected in low effort grades.

INTERMEDIATE STEPS – LOWER SCHOOL ONLY

Demerit points – they will be given for offences such as not handing in homework, not paying attention in class, shouting out, pushing another child, etc. They must be recorded in the appropriate page of the Diary.  Six demerit points make a Demerit.

INTERMEDIATE STEPS – LOWER and UPPER SCHOOLS

Demerits – will be given to students of the Upper School for the same offences mentioned above. In addition and for both Lower and Upper Schools they will be given in case of more serious offences such as disobedience, antisocial behaviour (fighting, spitting, swearing, insulting, bullying, etc). They must be recorded in the appropriate page of the Diary which should be signed by the parents.

On accumulating 3 Demerits a student will receive a Conduct Control Card.

Conduct Control Card – to receive this document for the first time a student must have accumulated 3 Demerits.

The student will take a letter home informing his parents that he has received a Conduct Control Card. The return slip of the letter must be signed and returned to the student’s Tutor the following day.

During the next 5 days the student must have the Control Card with him at all times. He must hand it in to his Tutor, to his subject teachers and to all duty staff who will sign the card and indicate if his general performance during the period was good (B meaning good), satisfactory (S satisfactory) or unsatisfactory (I meaning uunsatisfactory).

After 5 days the student must return the Control Card to his Tutor. Two (I) or more in his Control Card will mean that he has to continue working under the same system for a further 5 days. The Tutor must call in the parents to explain the situation and warn them about the consequences of their child’s behaviour.

Any further (I) obtained during the following 5 days will mean suspension by the Headmaster and Conditional Enrollment. If this happens, the student will receive a failing grade for his conduct during the bimester.

On accumulating 6 Demerits (second Conduct Control Card) a student will be suspended by the Headmaster and will be put on Conditional Enrollment. 

Any example of poor behaviour during the period of the control card will result in suspension. The student will start a new period of control card on return to school.

Detentions – are a serious measure that teachers may apply when everything else has been tried or when they consider that the offence committed merits more than a Demerit.

On receiving a Detention a student will lose two points from his conduct grade for the bimester.

Any student receiving three Detentions in a bimester will be suspended by the Headmaster.

Detentions will be organized by the Heads of Level on Tuesdays after lessons.

FINAL LAST STEPS – THE WHOLE SCHOOL

Suspension – a student will be suspended if he accumulates 6 Demerits, if he obtains unsatisfactory grades (I)  or (P) in his Conduct Control Card after the first five days, if he receives 3 Detentions in a bimester or for a single serious infraction of the school rules or normal decent behaviour. If he behaves poorly during the control card period, Heads of Level may make the decision of suspending a student with the approval from the Headmaster.

Students of 4^th and 5^th years of the Senior School will lose graduation points if they are suspended.

The parents of a student who is at risk of being suspended must be informed of this by the Tutor.

Staff should note:

• Teachers are not required to set work for suspended students or to help them keep up to date. It is the students’ responsibility to do so.

• A suspended student should not be awarded 0 for tests written during his suspension. To do so would be to punish him twice.

Expulsion – only the Headmaster can make the decision of expelling a student. This last resort sanction will be used in cases of persistent unsatisfactory conduct or for a single incident of extreme gravity.

Staff are not permitted to employ any form of corporal punishment.

Tutors must keep a record of all Conduct Control Cards, detentions and suspensions received by a student. It must include the date and reasons for the sanction.

 Procedure for the punishment of misconduct during break time

• Students misbehaving or breaking school rules during break time will be sent to sit on a bench outside the Reception Office. The duty team leader will write their names on the Duty Book. They must stay there until the end of break and return during the next break.

• At the beginning of the next break the duty team leader will begin his duty by collecting the Duty Book from the Secretary’s Office and ensuring that all named students are sitting on the bench. He will look for their names in the school lists that appear at the beginning of the book and will add a tick next to them.

• Punished students must stay on the bench until the end of break time.

• Any student who fails to come for his detention or who does not arrive promptly will attend the next two detentions.

• Any student who is found to have received three break detentions in a bimester will be suspended for two days. This will have a negative impact on his conduct grade for the bimester and will cause students of 4^th and 5^th years in the Upper School to lose graduation points.