Behaviour and Culture
The Milton Keynes’ collective of secondary schools believe that every child deserves the right to a good education.
To help achieve this and make a long-lasting difference to the young people of Milton Keynes, the schools have produced a Behaviour Charter and will work collaboratively with staff, parents and pupils.
Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online.
Bullying is:
- Physical – pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, taking someone’s belongings.
- Verbal – name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, threats, teasing, belittling, racist or sexist comments.
- Emotional – isolating others, tormenting, hiding books, threatening gestures, ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion, tormenting, graffiti.
- Sexual – unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films, comments relating to sex or sexuality.
- Online/cyber – posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages, social exclusion.
- Indirect – Can include the exploitation of individuals, spreading rumours, sending abusive texts, excluding somebody from a group
If you are being bullied in any way or are worried about somebody else who might be, you must tell somebody. As a school we take bullying very seriously. Pupils and parents should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.
You can report any concerns that you have for your own or another pupil’s wellbeing or safety, using the form below. This might include incidents that you have witnessed or experienced, or bullying that you are aware of.
More information on how to support a pupil being bullied, Kents Hill Park’s anti-bullying ambassador programme and how the school responds to bullying can be found in our policy.
Many types of bullying can take place in the online environment and this is known as ‘CYBER BULLYING’ e.g. misuse of all areas of the Internet, inappropriate messaging and emailing, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the Internet, misuse of any social media.
If there are any serious offences reported, this information may be given to other agencies to assist in helping you with your problem. For advice on cyber-bullying visit the Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Further information on anti-bullying can be found in the school’s Anti-Bullying policy.
Resources
A Young Carer is someone who is under the age of 18 who helps to look after someone, such as a family member, a friend, someone who is ill, is disabled, has a mental health condition or misuses drugs or alcohol.
Kents Hill Park recognises and understands that some pupils may have caring roles at home. The school therefore strives to create a safe and nurturing environment to support all pupils to achieve the best they can.
Kents Hill Park has been recognised for its work and support with Young Carers and are proud to have been awarded the Young Carers In Schools Bronze Award.
Young Carers are at particular risk of under-performing in education, so it is important that pupils are supported in order to fulfil their potential, whilst allowing them to manage their responsibilities or get the support they require.
The school can refer pupils to Young Carers MK, who work specifically with Young Carers across Milton Keynes to ensure they have access to the resources they require and respite they need. Kents Hill Park also recognises that every pupil is unique and has individual needs.
If you are aware of any pupils who may be a Young Carer, or are a Young Carer yourself, please speak to Miss Brassington who is available to talk about what steps can be taken in order to support your unique situation.
The school also actively seeks feedback from Young Carers and their families to shape and improve support.
Designated leads for Young Carers and their families
Young Carers Support Coordinator: Miss Elaine Brassington
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Miss Emma Harris
Young Carers Champion: Miss Chelsie Browne
Information and Resources
Pupil Wellbeing and Mental Health
Kents Hill Park is committed to providing a healthy and caring environment that promotes and supports positive mental health and wellbeing for its pupils, staff and the whole community. The school is passionate about making a difference and positive mental health underpins the crucial work it carries out to support pupils, staff and their families.
Through the school’s PHSRE curriculum, a range of topics are covered, including healthy relationships, mental health awareness, drugs and alcohol, online safety and healthy living, set appropriately for each year group. Kents Hill Park recognises that pupils may also need additional support to help with their emotional wellbeing, behaviour and learning. The Safeguarding, Pastoral, Attendance and SEN teams work together to provide a number of different 1:2:1 and group interventions to help pupils deal with personal difficulties, by giving them strategies they can use to deal with these situations or build resilience to help them cope.
Pupils can speak to any adult, including their form tutor, teacher, Head of Year, Pupil Services, along with the Safeguarding, SEN and Pastoral teams. Staff will listen to concerns, and may offer advice, identify support or signpost to external agencies.
In addition to this, the staff listed below can be contacted by email for additional support:
Senior Mental Health Lead, Miss Harris
Miss Harris oversees Safeguarding, Wellbeing and Attendance within the school, and works with all other departments to raise awareness of some of the barriers to learning that pupils may face, and how to support them. Where there are concerns raised around emotional and mental health the school will work with the pupil and their family to find the right sort of support.
Family Liaison Officer, Mrs Kelly Banks
Kents Hill Park’s Family Liaison officer supports parents and carers and their children by providing information and guidance to help them get the very best from school. Kelly links in with agencies in the local area, which provide advice and support on a variety of issues and also provides support to pupils with their emotional wellbeing and links in with other pastoral support in school.
SEN Department, Mrs Frances Berzins
SEN staff offer support for pupils with a range of Special Educational Needs. Provision includes in-class support from learning facilitators, small group and 1:2:1 intervention programmes. Learning support staff run our quiet room at break time and lunchtimes and provide 1:1 mentoring for identified pupils where necessary.
The first aider’s focus is to promote and protect health and wellbeing and prevent ill health in young people. Emily works closely with the SEN, Safeguarding and Pastoral teams, to support pupils who need additional support and also links in with the school nursing team where necessary.
Kents Hill Park is a host school for the Mental Health Support team, and work with a range of different agencies, including Arthur Ellis; Young Persons Sanctury; CAMHS; NSPCC; Think for the Future; Commando Joes; Children and Families Practices; Terence Higgins Trust; Cauldwell Youth Mentoring and Service Six. Please find below a range of links to support mental health and wellbeing, along with a presentation held by the Mental Health Support Team on anxiety.
For any concerns regarding a child’s wellbeing or mental health, please contact the pupil’s form tutor, head of year, or the staff listed above. Pupils can also report any concerns that they have for their own or another pupil’s wellbeing or safety, using the form below. This may include incidents that they have witnessed or experienced, or bullying that they are aware of.
NHS Mental Health Support Team Resources and information
NHS Parents Coffee Morning on Anxiety
Online Resources
There are organisations and resources available online that offer help to young people:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
There may be times when pupils need different support from internal and external provisions at our disposal. The alternative provision offered can be put in place to support a pupil’s academic progress, behavioural and/or SEND needs. As well as using external providers to offer support to pupils we have a number of internal intervention programmes that are also designed to support our pupils’ individual needs throughout their time at school. The aim of these provisions is to offer help, support and the tools to enable pupils to become as successful as possible in school as well as outside of school.
Below is a list of some of the Alternative Provisions the school has used, but it is not a definitive list.
Arthur Ellis offers Mental Health support for young people. They can help make positive, practical changes in young person’s life and build a support system that ensures their improved well-being is sustainable.
Think for the Future is a social enterprise organisation that partners with schools nationally to deliver structured interventions which are proven to have a positive and measurable impact on engagement in learning.
Commando Joes exist to help young people find their place, feel capable and ultimately flourish in a challenging world. Because the rules for life are shifting and changing at a rapid pace. We are the most connected we’ve ever been, and yet the most disconnected at the same time.
Traditional academic subjects may fill brains with knowledge and information. But we believe that building character, self-confidence and resilience are equally important to young people in the modern day.
Ride High is a registered charity based in Milton Keynes that transforms the lives of disadvantaged children and those having difficulties in their daily lives, by giving them the opportunity to learn to ride and care for horses.
Northampton Saints Engage uses the values of rugby to INSPIRE, SUPPORT and EDUCATE young people 7-16 years old who are disengaged from mainstream education and in need of additional support, to regain control of their academic pathway.
Positive Steps A4S offers a programme of personalised training, all tailored to the individual’s interests. Sessions are run on a 1:1 or 1:2 basis with qualified male and female coaches and activities such as angling & environmental maintenance, along with carpentry, aquatics and catering can help pupils to re-engage with education.
Further information on alternative provisions can be found in the school’s Behaviour Management as well as the Alternative Provision policies.
Kents Hill Park uses ClassCharts to monitor pupil behaviour and attitudes, issue homework, set detention, and to communicate with parents and pupils.
From Year 7, parents and pupils will be given their login details and it is important that ClassCharts is checked regularly.
The school has published a how to guide and presentation, which gives further details of the different features of ClassCharts.
If you have any questions regarding ClassCharts please contact the school by email or contact your child’s tutor
