Anti-Social Behaviour Policy Statement & Procedures

Policy Statement:

Staff, parents and children are entitled to a safe environment in which to enter, work and learn.  Behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to others is contrary to the purposes of the school.

The School aims to facilitate that no members of staff, parents, visitors or children are subject to abusive behaviour or open to threats from others on school premises.  

Antisocial behaviour on school premises will not be tolerated and the school will deal with any incidents in line with this Policy.

References in this Policy to “parent” also includes carers, guardians and any other person that may enter school premises.

References to the “Council”, relate to Nottingham City Council.

What is antisocial behaviour (ASB)?

Anti-social Behaviour is any behaviour or act which causes or is likely to cause others harassment, alarm or distress or which causes a nuisance to others or has an impact on the environment. 

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Pushing, hitting, physically assaulting e.g. by slapping, punching, kicking, restraining
• Approaching any child/parent/staff member in a confrontational or aggressive manner
• Physical intimidation e.g. standing very close
• The use of aggressive hand gestures/exaggerated movements
• Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol on the school site
• Physical or verbal threats to assault
• Swearing, shouting or verbally abusing another person, whether directly or indirectly
• Spitting
• Derogatory comments made in relation to race, gender, sexual orientation, age, size, disability and any other protected characteristics as set out in Equality Act 2010
• Writing aggressive/threatening letters or emails 
• Inappropriate or abusive posting on social networking sites 

What will the School do if ASB occurs on school premises?

Step 1

• Try to engage in conversations with the person to explain the issue and ask them to desist from engaging in such behaviour. This may be done by the class teacher initially or a member of the senior leadership team if appropriate. In some cases, it will not be deemed appropriate to have conversations, for instance, if by doing so would place a staff member at risk.
• If the behaviour persists or a face-to-face conversation has not been possible or the behaviour is too serious for a verbal warning, a written warning will be issued by the school. This could include a decision that the person who has been engaging in ASB, not be allowed to enter school premises for a period or that they be restricted in their contact with the school.
• Report the incident(s) of ASB to the Council’s Community Protection department, the Police or other relevant body

Step 2

Where initial warnings have not been adhered to, or behaviour is more serious (such as staff/children being at risk or any criminal incident or behaviour), the school may:

• Report the matter to the Police
• Report the matter to the Council’s Community Protection department

The Council or police will then investigate any allegations and incidents and pursue any action taken, they deem appropriate.

Step 3

Depending on the outcome of investigations and actions taken in Step 2 above, the School, in conjunction with the Council, may:

• Instruct the Council’s legal department to take further action if required. This could include action to apply for an injunction under the Antisocial behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (or any other relevant legislation)
• Issue a letter banning the person from entering school premises for a set period. 
• Take any other appropriate action as advised by the Council or the Police

Other Action

It is also an offence under Section 547 of the Education Act 1996 for any person (including a parent) to cause a nuisance or disturbance on school premises.  The police may be called to assist in removing the person concerned.

If the person engaging in ASB is a tenant of the Council and the incident(s) took place in the locality of where they live, action may be taken in relation to the person’s tenancy.

Reviews:

Reviews or challenges of any decisions made by the School under this Policy, should initially be made to the Headteacher or Chair of Governors. This must be done by sending any representations to the Headteacher/Chair of Governors directly, in writing, within 14 days of any decision being issued. Contact details for the Headteacher & Chair of Governors can be found on the school website https://www.therosehillschool.com/contact-us/  

Where it is a council or police decision, their own procedures should be consulted and followed.

This policy will be reviewed by the School and Governing Body, as necessary and no less than every 2 years.

The next review of this policy is April 2024.