Online Behaviour and Etiquette Policy

iBOS Online Etiquette and

Behavior Policy

The aims of our school are:

• A school where teachers, staff, and students are expected to support and extend the atmosphere of respect, courtesy, the love of learning and the value of friendship that is held dear at iBOS.
• iBOS aims to develop students to become well-rounded individuals. We aim to empower our students with the best tools and resources, making them capable in following and achieving their dreams, to become valued members of our global societies, and to allow them to make a positive difference to the world, wherever they choose to progress to.
• Students leave iBOS prepared for university. They are confident, contributing, and caring members of the global community and they have embraced the challenge of our specialized education. They will have gained the values that equip them to make a positive contribution.

Responsibility of: The Principal

Date Ratified: 03 July 2025

Review Date: 03 July 2027

At iBOS, we expect high standards of behavior. Our staff do their utmost to create and maintain a positive and happy learning environment. We make sure expectations are clear to our students and underpin this by being consistent in dealing with various behaviors.

Aim

This policy is aligned with the Education and Inspections Act 2006, the DfE's Behaviour in Schools (2022) guidance, and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024). It also reflects iBOS’s duty to safeguard all pupils, particularly in online spaces where issues such as grooming, exposure to harmful content, or social isolation may emerge. All actions must comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice (2015). The primary aim of iBOS is to have somewhere where students want to come to learn, that is our top priority.

• We create a learning environment in which all students develop their talents and personalities in a place that is safe and secure, and where learning is enjoyed
• It is sometimes necessary to use sanctions that are fair and consistent to all students, equally, nothing gives us more pleasure than to be able to reward our students for meeting our behavior expectations we strive at all times to use rewards that far outweigh any sanctions
• We want to give all our students the opportunity to improve their behavior, so we offer a stepped process to ensure they have every chance to improve
• We recognize the need to be sensitive and not put students in positions that they find uncomfortable or humiliating
• We work with our parents/carers to ensure that our policies are understood and shared with everyone Our teachers have high expectations of students. To ensure we all know what is expected, we follow a behavior system of rewards and sanctions. We are aware that vulnerable students may need extra consideration of their circumstances considered when we are applying the iBOS behavior policy. Listed below are some of the groups who may require extra support
• Students who need support to learn English as an additional language (EAL)
• Students with special educational needs (SEND)
• Young carers
• Children from families under stress
• Students with mental health needs Students at iBOS will be reminded regularly that we have a culture of communication and transparency and any causes of concern should be brought to the attention of staff immediately. In rare cases, it may be that a serious incident warrants permanent exclusion. This will be at the discretion of the Principal.

Rewards

It has been shown that the use of positive reinforcement is the most effective motivator for good behavior, therefore we make great efforts to ensure our students are rewarded for positive behavior. We encourage and expect our students to show great respect not only to their teachers but also to each other.

• Our teachers make a great effort to ensure that all students receive verbal praise for their efforts
• Our reporting to the parent system will highlight their positive contributions and behaviors Unacceptable behaviors Should unacceptable behavior be displayed, we will not ignore this and must deal with it. Our staff will set clear boundaries for students to adhere to. Should these boundaries be breached, we will have no choice but to act. We will inform our parents before any disciplinary action is taken. We will ensure that all incidents of unacceptable behavior are fully investigated. Examples of unacceptable behavior are listed below
• Being rude or disrespectful to a teacher
• Disrespecting a fellow student
• Being disruptive in a lesson
• Not completing assignments
• Openly challenging a teacher
• Swearing
• Verbal abuse
• Sharing or posting inappropriate content in chat
• Attempting to bypass school systems or filters
• Using another student’s login details
• Recording or screenshotting lessons without permission We are keen to avoid conflicts, so will make it very clear to our students from day one what is acceptable and what is not. Where a student struggles to conform to the expected behaviors we may choose to use one or more of the following strategies
• Resolution meetings to talk problems through and set expected levels of behavior
• Meetings with parents to discuss the issue Parents will be sent an email or letter, which they will be required to acknowledge receipt of Our support program can be implemented to help with ongoing issues within this program we have tools such as a behavior contract with will be drawn up in consultation with the student and their parents. This will identify areas where improvements are required and will be reviewed regularly. We will offer various levels of support depending on how the student’s behavior progresses. Should a student continue to behave in a disruptive manner, which interrupts their or other students learning, a further review will be conducted. At this online review, there will be an opportunity for the parents to speak to the teacher or if necessary, to the principal. At this meeting, the next steps will be agreed and any further support plan agreed upon will be put into place. For iBOS exclusion is the very last resort before any exclusion is considered the following interventions will have been implemented.
• Student behavior support plans – designed in conjunction with students’ parents
• Focus logs – parents and students will be able to view these to discuss teachers’ comments on students’ behaviors
• Students may be asked to write a reflective account of the incident or incidents Staff will keep detailed logs of any incidents in which students show inappropriate behaviors these may be shared with parents/carers.

Early Intervention

• IBOS recognizes the importance of early intervention and preventative work in its positive reinforcement approach to behavior management.
• IBOS will take steps to encourage young people to take responsibility for their behavior and help them to recognize the consequences of inappropriate behavior.
• IBOS will provide training for staff to promote positive and consistent behavior standards within iBOS.
• Parents and Carers will be contacted promptly to notify them of any serious incidents of misbehavior in which their child has been involved.
• IBOS will take steps to identify students who may benefit from early intervention through the effective management of transition points at all Key Stages.
• Teachers should log concerns where a student appears withdrawn, distressed, or disconnected during online learning. This includes changes in behaviour, lack of engagement, or repeated absence. These logs may lead to a safeguarding response or referral to internal pastoral teams.

Sanctions

Students have the right to expect fair and consistently applied sanctions for wrong behavior choices which make a clear distinction between serious and minor infringements of the Code of Conduct. An appropriate sanction is one that is designed to put matters right and encourage better behavior in the future. Thus, it is inappropriate to punish whole groups of students for the misdemeanors of a few. iBOS has developed and will implement a consistent range of strategies and sanctions to deal with inappropriate behavior by students. The Education Acts of 2006 and 2011 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006 gives all schools the ‘Power to Discipline’. Teachers have a statutory authority to discipline students whose behavior is unacceptable, who break iBOS rules or who fail to follow reasonable instruction (Section 91 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006).

• The power also applies to all paid staff (unless the Principal says otherwise) with responsibility for students, such as teaching assistants.
• Teachers can discipline students at any time the student is in school or elsewhere under the charge of a teacher, including on school visits.
• Teachers can also discipline students for misbehavior outside school hours.
• Teachers have a specific legal power to impose detention outside school hours. In determining whether a disciplinary sanction is 'reasonable' the following must be taken into account:
• whether the sanction was proportionate in the circumstances;
• any special circumstances which are known to the person imposing the sanction, including;

1. a. the student's age; b. any Special Educational Needs or Disability; c. any religious requirement affecting him/her. The Principal will take account of the following principles in determining and implementing the Behavior Policy:

• none of iBOS’ sanctions must be degrading or humiliating;

• all rewards and sanctions must be applied fairly and consistently, for example, it is not appropriate to issue a whole class sanction for the misbehavior of a few;
• all paid staff at iBOS have a statutory authority to impose sanctions (called ‘disciplinary penalties’ in the Education and Inspections Act 2006);
• the Principal has the power to withdraw the authority from individual staff or classes of paid staff;
• the Principal has the power to authorize any unpaid staff to impose disciplinary penalties. The Governing Body of iBOS has agreed that the following ‘disciplinary Penalties’ may be used.
• Removal from the group/class or particular lesson on a short-term basis
• Detention
• Completion of work or extra work
• Carrying out a useful task in iBOS (community service)
• Internal Exclusion
• Fixed Term Exclusion
• Permanent Exclusion Sanctions must be proportionate, based on a clear investigation, and mindful of contextual factors such as home environment, special educational needs, or recent safeguarding disclosures. Restorative practices (e.g. reflective exercises, reparation meetings) should be offered prior to escalation. Fixed-term exclusion If a fixed-term exclusion is to be recommended the teacher will liaise with the Principal and pass on the evidence to support this. All exclusion letters will be emailed to the following staff: Chair of Governors, and staff involved in day to day contact with the student. iBOS is a community of teachers and students, support staff and visitors and it must, at all times, be a safe place to work and visit. Students and staff are always required to treat each other with the utmost respect. The core behaviors required at our school are:
• Arrive to lessons on time and be ready to learn
• Be polite to all staff and other students
• Obey all teachers’ instructions quickly and without argument

Guidelines

• Students will be supported pastorally while online learning because online learning poses significant risks to social connectivity and enjoyment. Teachers (or other school representatives) should gather information on issues their students are facing and help delineate a plan to provide support. Teachers will need to gather intelligence on the type(s) of issues being faced, the type of support needed, the learning context of the student, and their accessibility to learning. Teachers may need to mobilize support from colleagues or leaders to help provide support. In some scenarios, the family may need to be contacted to determine how best support can be provided. Some scenarios may be difficult to support, particularly in situations where students may be isolated.
• Teachers are the authorized moderators of online learning environments and must be trained to use platform tools effectively. This includes muting, removing, managing

permissions, and responding quickly to inappropriate behavior. iBOS will ensure staff receive updated digital safeguarding and platform training at least annually

• Where any pieces of knowledge are missing or there are gaps in practice, then this must be addressed promptly through teacher training. This knowledge allows for problem behaviors to be managed in online learning environments and allows for emergencies to be quickly averted where they arise.
• All students are to have the behavioral expectations of online learning made clear to them. This means that students know how to behave in ways that uphold the values of iBOS, summarized in our school motto, ‘Achieving Excellence Together.’ Students should know what they need to do online to follow the behavior code, understanding what constitutes good behavior online.
• Online rules may be made to help teachers and students navigate behaviors and determine what is appropriate and what is inappropriate for a successful online learning environment. Teachers should co-construct with their students a list of rules or guidelines to follow the behavior code. Teachers and students should collaborate in going through their class rules and specifying how rules can be applied to online settings. Like their physical class counterparts, these online rules should describe the desirable behavior (e.g. following the teacher’s instructions online). These rules should be regularly reviewed with students. Students should also be taught digital citizenship, including respectful communication, data protection awareness, and responsible content sharing. Where possible, this will be incorporated into PSHE, ICT, and tutor sessions.
• All students are to have an opportunity to participate. This means that classroom online rules should delineate who may speak and when, and how students are given a chance to contribute in an online setting where social cues may be absent or more difficult to interpret. When a class activity involves a discussion, rules should be in place to ensure everyone has a chance to participate, such as taking turns. This may be achieved through physically raising a hand to the screen. This is to maintain the rules of engagement and ensure that teachers have control over who is speaking and when under different learning activities.
• Role of the Principal or Vice-Principal: The Principal or Vice-Principal should assist in the behavioral issues where regular online disciplinary approaches are not working. They should be made aware of parent and guardian contacts and referrals to external agencies will occur via the Principal or Vice-Principal. IBOS’ behavior agreement iBOS will ensure that the student is well taught and will give students every opportunity to excel. We will provide a varied and stimulating curriculum for our students. We will treat all students fairly. Our staff will offer all the support and help they can to make our student’s educational journey a happy one. We will keep parents informed on general school matters and especially regarding the progress of their child. We will respond to queries via email or phone within two working days. We aim to prepare our students to be caring contributing members of society when they leave us. Where appropriate, iBOS will support the development of student behavior through Positive Behavior Support Plans, counselling referrals, or reasonable adjustments to lesson delivery (e.g. breakout room support, simplified instructions, smaller group tuition).