At Boston Spa Academy, we have built an environment where all individuals are respected, and their individuality valued.

As part of our school community, our students show exceptional behaviour standards which are rewarded through our behaviour policy, Positive Discipline.

A key focus of the policy is to prepare our students for life post-compulsory education by providing them with skills such as punctuality, kindness, organisation and good manner; all of which allow them to have a positive impact on wider society. It does all this by rewarding students for successfully engaging with their learning and wider school community though a series of credits and rewards.

Where students carry out misdemeanours, appropriate and proportionate sanctions will be given out to our students, as outlined in the Positive Discipline policy. This will be done in a manner that is consistent and fair. By setting out our expectations within the policy, it ensures that our staff body, students and their families understand the expectations and responsibilities of all those involved.

Exceptional behaviour is the norm at Boston Spa Academy. This means that students are provided with a platform for them to be able to achieve the extraordinary, however that looks for the individual. We are able to do this by having a calm environment, where students can realise their ambitions through the joy of learning, both inside and outside of the classroom

Each of our students is given a student planner at the start of the academic year. The planner is our main tool for communicating with you on a day-to-day basis, and recording rewards and sanctions. Students must have their planner with them every day so that staff can praise them through the use stamps during lessons for actively engaging and participating. It will also be used to record any comments the students receive regarding any negative behaviours.

Boston Spa Academy Positive Discipline Stamp Policy

Each member of staff is given a stamp with the expectation they will use this as a tool to reward students during the day for showing positive behaviour. Stamps are an integral part of all lessons and will be used regularly throughout the lesson. Students are aware of why they are receiving stamps and how they can be rewarded further.

The rewarding of stamps

In general students will receive stamps for the following:

Outstanding effort and attainment in lessons; students will be rewarded for both class work and homework.

As a guide:

Outstanding work and effort, whether class work or homework, will merit 3 stamps; Very good work and effort, whether class work or homework, will merit 2 stamps; Pleasing progress and effort, whether class work or homework, will merit 1 stamp.

Students should also receive stamps for positive and well-developed contributions e.g. when verbally answering questions or contributing to group discussions.

Extra stamps can be collected for many other reasons:

  • Completing Green for Growth tasks in a thoughtful and considered manner.
  • Completing challenging extension tasks.
  • Carrying out further research.
  • Attending extra-curricular classes or revision sessions.
  • Demonstrating an answer on the board or performing a practical demonstration.
  • Making positive contributions and establishing resilience to drive success.
  • Being actively engaged throughout the lesson with exemplary behaviour.
  • Demonstration of progress in respect of ‘the Purple Zone’.

Full credits will also be awarded for attending extra-curricular clubs and revision intervention.

All students’ work should demonstrate a sense of pride and self-respect.

Throughout the week, positive recognition of student achievement will be placed in the top right-hand page of the Student Planner. For all students this will be done in the form of subject specific stamps which will recognise good, very good and excellent performance. Both teaching and non-teaching staff operate within our policy so that students understand the expectations as our policy is delivered consistently. Three stamps lead to subject credits, which in turn lead to a new system of achievement.

To help students understand where they are in terms of academic progress, and if they are on track with expectations, we would expect students to achieve the following levels:

  • Christmas Holiday: Silver
  • Easter Holiday: Gold
  • Summer Holiday: Platinum

Where students achieve ahead or beyond these levels then it can be assumed that students’ academic studies are currently accelerated. If your child hasn’t reached these levels, it may be that they are not currently reaching their full academic potential. If this is the case, we will organise a conversation between ourselves and you to better understand how their behaviour is currently prohibiting them from fulfilling their ambitions.

Additionally, each form group will be attached to a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Each week, there is an opportunity to refer students for praise to a senior teacher as and when the opportunity arises. Positive student performance will also be rewarded in three other ways.

  1. The sending of “departmental postcards” each term to students who display particularly high levels of commitment.
  2. The continuation and expansion of major awards ceremonies at the end of the academic year.
  3. The linking of other rewards such as trips, tokens and sports tickets to academic performance.

At times, of course, we have to recognise and accept that young people will not behave or work in a manner which is acceptable. Where misdemeanours are minor or are a result of carelessness, it is likely that only a clear “verbal warning” will be issued. It is expected that this will be a sufficient prompt for most students to work acceptably.

Where misdemeanours are more serious or are persistent in nature then comments will be placed in the Student Planner. Such comments will result in the loss of the Form Tutor Credit for that week and, if a number of negative comments accumulate over a half term, a full school detention will follow. Where student behaviour is particularly disruptive or when a number of detentions have been acquired, a period in isolation may follow.

It is essential to point out, however, that very few students at Boston Spa Academy reach this level, with the vast majority successfully cultivating their ambitions and receiving the rewards and benefits that go with such an approach.