Behaviour policy

To be applied in all locations where the British Council delivers English language teaching.

Acceptable Behaviour

At the British Council students are expected to respect others. This means they must: 

• be friendly to other students and call them by their (real) names
• talk to other students in a friendly or polite way
• let other students join in activities with them
• only borrow things they have asked for, and remember to give them back
• try the activities their teacher asks them to participate in.

Ask for help from their teacher or tell an adult if they are unhappy. We believe that the most effective way of achieving our aims is to praise and encourage positive behaviour.

Unacceptable Behaviour

• use of or threat of violence
• bullying
• deliberate disobedience
• discrimination. If a student discriminates, they will treat someone differently based on a characteristic about them. If someone is treated badly or unfairly because of that characteristic, it’s known as negative discrimination.Common reasons that people are discriminated against include:
  - their sex or gender
  - if they have any kind of disability
  - their race
  - their age
  - their sexual preferences.
• deliberate vandalism of school property
• use of profanity
• use of telephones/tablets during lesson time* 
• sending impolite text or internet messages
• bringing in prohibited and dangerous items. 
  - Prohibited items include (but are not limited to): electronic games and other potentially valuable objects*, chewing gum, yo-yo’s, guns, knives, alcohol, cigarettes or any other inappropriate substances. 

Children are taught what unacceptable behaviour is and are made aware of the consequences of breaking the rules within the classroom.

Minor incidents will be dealt with in the classroom, by reminding the student of the rule or task.

If the student continues to misbehave, or a serious incident occurs the British Council reserves the right to follow up with actions listed below.

• Parents informed by phone of the student behaviour/incident and required to collect the child who will be excluded from the rest of the lesson.
• A meeting will be arranged between parents and teacher.  The meeting must take place before the child is allowed to return to his/her class.
• A behaviour contract – working with parents to produce a programme to encourage improvements in behaviour.
• Refusal to sign a behaviour contract will lead to exclusion from the British Council.
• Suspension, or permanent exclusion. In such cases, the course fee will not be refunded.