Pastoral Policies

Disputes and Complaints Policy (Parents/Students/Community)

The purpose of this document is to outline how a complaint lodged by a member of the Christ Church community will be resolved in a prompt and professional manner.

Read the Disputes and Complaints Policy (Parents/Students/Community) here.

Discipline at the School

Self discipline – The longer term objective

As a boy progresses through the School he is expected to accept increasing responsibility for his actions. The development of this self discipline is central to all teacher-student relationships.

Discipline is a function of school atmosphere

Discipline is the end product of all relationships within the School. Good discipline is apparent when students are voluntarily immersed in what they are doing, can see the point of it, and are having success with it.

Discipline is built upon respect

The many contacts between teachers and students are based on the principle that the teacher accepts the student as a person with whom the teacher can establish an educative relationship. Hostility and rejection destroy the foundation upon which discipline can be built; positive re-inforcement enhances it.

The teacher in charge of an activity has responsibility for discipline

The basic source of good discipline is interest and, if a group is interested, purposeful and alert, there is less likelihood of problems occurring. In situations requiring disciplinary action the teacher has responsibility for choosing the method that is considered to be the most effective in changing behaviour.

Pastoral Care and discipline go hand in hand

Both are based on building positive, mutually accepting relationships. If these relationships do not exist, punishment might result in temporary compliance, but its permanent educative value is questionable. The Tutor and Head of House must be kept informed of situations where disciplinary action is required and are involved at different stages in the process. A very important part of discipline is the care that must follow disciplinary action.

Effectiveness of ‘disciplinary measures’ is a function of the quality of existing relationships

The effectiveness of punishment is not a function of its severity. Inappropriate weighting of punishments often damages relationships. To “label” a boy following an incident can do considerable damage to his self-esteem in the short and long term. It can be counter-productive in developing respect and responsibility.

Judge the behaviour not the boy

If a boy is disciplined it is because of his actions in a particular circumstance. In discussing the incident and any subsequent disciplinary measures the essential thrust is that the boy should learn from his mistake and next time behave differently. This is the primary objective of applying sanctions.

Supporting positive relationships policy

The quality of the relationships we are able to build between people is central to our purpose. The active support of all members of the school community – students, families and staff – is needed if we are to achieve this aim. We value and take pride in the inclusive ethos in our school and expect relationships to display respect and dignity for others.