Want to join Middle Street? We have limited places available in most year groups.
Want to join Middle Street? We have limited places available in most year groups.
Please reach us at admin@middlestreet.brighton-hove.sch.uk if you cannot find the information you are looking for.
The school's Name: Middle Street Primary School
The school’s postal address: Middle Street. Brighton, BN1 1AL.
The school’s telephone number: 01273 323184.
The name of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents and other members of the public: Claire Mcgrath (School Business Manager).
The name and contact details of the special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinator (SENCO): Lucy Roberts, lucyroberts@middlestreet.brighton-hove.sch.uk.
The local authority manages our admissions process. To find out about our school’s admission and appeal arrangements please click HERE.
For our Attendance Policy please click HERE.
The school does not have a school uniform but the following dress code is in place for all pupils,
Click HERE for the latest Ofsted report from Middle Street Primary School.
2023 Performance Data:
Click HERE for the school performance measures website and the school’s performance measures page.
School opens at 8:45am and closes at 3:15pm for all pupils (this amounts to a total time, in a typical week, of 32.5 hours).
Click HERE for information about the Middle Street Curriculum.
To find out more about our curriculum please contact the school office.
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section.
The remote curriculum
What is taught to pupils at home
A pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching.
What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?
On the first day, that pupils are sent home, no remote learning will be set by class teachers. Please use this day to check that you can access Class Dojo, ensure your IT equipment is working, set up a quiet work space at home and gather together all the equipment and resources you think you will need.
Remote learning provision will begin on day two.
Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?
We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, to ensure all pupils can access the activities of that they have the required equipment or support at home.
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:
Early Years - 2 hours a day
Key Stage 1 - 3 hours a day
Key Stage 2 - 4 hours a day
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
We use Class DOJO to deliver our remote learning provision, integrated with Zoom and Vimeo for live lessons.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:
Please contact your child's class teacher if you wish to make use of any of these approaches.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
Engagement and feedback
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
Pupils’ are expected to engage with all remote learning set by the class teacher.
Parents and Carers are expected to support pupils by setting routines to support their child’s education, providing support to unsure pupils can access the remote learning (with both technology and the activities).
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
We will check pupils’ engagement with remote education on a daily basis and evaluate their engagement weekly.
Where engagement is a concern and member of staff will get in touch with parents and carers via Dojo, phone or email to provide support and identify barriers to engagement. We will then work with families to break down the barriers so engagement can increase.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
Additional support for pupils with particular needs
How will you work with me to help my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:
Remote education for self-isolating pupils
Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
We will take ensure individual pupils self-isolating are provided with learning in-line with their peers in school. Work will be set via Class Dojo, all the communication methods and support mechanisms detailed above will be provided to pupils self-isolating. Time scales for feedback and support may be slightly longer as staff will be engaged in whole class teaching.
Aims
This policy aims to:
Legislation, statutory requirements and statutory guidance
This policy is based on legislation and advice from the Department for Education (DfE) on:
Definitions
Examples of low level behaviours:
Examples of medium level behaviours:
Examples of high level behaviours:
Examples of exceptionally high level behaviours
Bullying
Bullying is defined as the repetitive, intentional harming of 1 person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.
Bullying is, therefore:
Bullying can include:
Details of our school’s approach to preventing and addressing bullying are set out in our anti-bullying strategy in Appendix 4.
Roles and responsibilities
The governing board
The governing board is responsible for:
The headteacher
The headteacher is responsible for:
Teachers and staff
Staff are responsible for:
The senior leadership team (SLT) will support staff in responding to behaviour incidents.
Parents and carers
Parents and carers, where possible, should:
The school will endeavour to build a positive relationship with parents and carers by keeping them informed about developments in their child's behaviour and the school’s policy, and working in collaboration with them to tackle behavioural issues.
Pupils
Pupils will be made aware of the following during their induction into the behaviour culture:
Pupils will be supported to meet the behaviour standards and will be provided with repeated induction sessions wherever appropriate.
Pupils will be supported to develop an understanding of the school’s behaviour policy and wider culture.
Pupils will be asked to give feedback on their experience of the behaviour culture to support the evaluation, improvement and implementation of the behaviour policy.
Extra support and induction will be provided for pupils who are mid-phase arrivals.
School behaviour curriculum
Positive behaviour reflects the values of our school. We is establish this by creating an environment where good conduct is more likely and poor conduct less likely. We teach what is expected, to all pupils, so that they understand what behaviour is expected and encouraged. We use positive reinforcement to identify when expectations are met and we use support when behaviour falls below expectations.
Pupils are expected to:
Where appropriate and reasonable, adjustments may be made to routines within the curriculum to ensure all pupils can meet behavioural expectations in the curriculum.
Mobile phones
Responding to behaviour
Classroom management
Teaching and support staff are responsible for setting the tone and context for positive behaviour within the school.
They will:
Safeguarding
The school recognises that changes in behaviour may be an indicator that a pupil is in need of help or protection.
We will consider whether a pupil’s behaviour may be linked to them suffering, or being likely to suffer, significant harm.
Where this may be the case, we will follow our child protection and safeguarding policy, and consider whether pastoral support, an early help intervention or a referral to children’s social care is appropriate.
Please refer to our child protection and safeguarding policy for more information.
Responding to good behaviour
When a pupil’s behaviour meets or goes above and beyond the expected behaviour standard, staff will recognise it with positive recognition. This provides an opportunity for all staff to reinforce the school’s culture and ethos.
Positive reinforcements will be applied clearly and fairly to reinforce the routines, expectations and norms of the school’s behaviour culture.
Positive behaviour will be rewarded with:
Responding to behavior that requires support
When a pupil’s behaviour requires support, staff will respond in order to restore a calm and safe learning environment, and to prevent recurrence of behaviour.
Staff will endeavour to create a predictable environment by always supporting behaviour that falls short of the standards, and by responding in a consistent, fair and proportionate manner, so pupils know with certainty that low and medium level behaviour will always be addressed.
De-escalation techniques can be used to help prevent further behaviour issues arising, such as the use of pre-arranged scripts and phrases.
All pupils will be treated equitably under the policy, with any factors that contributed to the behavioural incident identified and taken into account.
When supporting behaviour, staff will consider how to help a pupil meet behaviour standards in the future.
Supporting low/medium level behaviour:
At any point, when appropriate, support the pupil to rejoin and engage with the learning/activity.
If the pupil is not ready to re-engage continue to support the behaviour moving up and down the support as appropriate.
Use other adults within your team to support pupil's as necessary and in exceptional circumstances call for SLT support (this may be a supply teachers in post, or if no other staff are available).
Supporting high level behaviour:
In consultation with SENDCO, SLT and Learning Mentors, review incident and agree next steps – this could be:
Ensure all relevant stakeholders are consulted and informed.
Supporting repeated high level behaviours or exceptionally high level behaviours
Respond as per supporting high level behaviours above.
Consider if next steps require internal or external exclusion where, for example, there has been:
Ensure all relevant stakeholders are consulted and informed.
Personal circumstances of the pupil will be taken into account when choosing support and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, but with regard to the impact on perceived fairness.
Reasonable force
Reasonable force covers a range of interventions that involve physical contact with pupils. All members of staff have a duty to use reasonable force, in the following circumstances, to prevent a pupil from:
Incidents of reasonable force must:
When considering using reasonable force, staff should, in considering the risks, carefully recognise any specific vulnerabilities of the pupil, including SEND, mental health needs or medical conditions.
Confiscation and searching
Searching and confiscation is conducted in line with the DfE’s latest guidance on searching, screening and confiscation.
Confiscation
Any prohibited items (listed above) found in a pupil’s possession as a result of a search will be confiscated. These items will not be returned to the pupil.
We will also confiscate any item that is harmful or detrimental to school discipline. These items will be returned to pupils after discussion with senior leaders and parents/carers, if appropriate.
Searching a pupil
Searches will only be carried out by a member of staff who has been authorised to do so by the headteacher, or by the headteacher themselves.
Subject to the exception below, the authorised member of staff carrying out the search will be of the same sex as the pupil, and there will be another member of staff present as a witness to the search.
An authorised member of staff of a different sex to the pupil can carry out a search without another member of staff as a witness if:
When an authorised member of staff conducts a search without a witness, they should immediately report this to another member of staff, and make sure a written record of the search is kept.
If the authorised member of staff considers a search to be necessary, but is not required urgently, they will seek the advice of the headteacher, designated safeguarding lead (or deputy) or SENDCO who may have more information about the pupil. During this time the pupil will be supervised and kept away from other pupils.
A search can be carried out if the authorised member of staff has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the pupil is in possession of a prohibited item or any item identified in the school rules for which a search can be made, or if the pupil has agreed.
An appropriate location for the search will be found. Where possible, this will be away from other pupils. The search will only take place on the school premises or where the member of staff has lawful control or charge of the pupil, for example on a school trip.
Before carrying out a search the authorised member of staff will:
If the pupil refuses to agree to a search, the member of staff can give an appropriate behaviour sanction.
If they still refuse to co-operate, the member of staff will contact the headteacher / designated safeguarding lead (or deputy) / SENDCO, to try to determine why the pupil is refusing to comply.
The authorised member of staff will then decide whether to use reasonable force to search the pupil. This decision will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration whether conducting the search will prevent the pupil harming themselves or others, damaging property or causing disorder.
The authorised member of staff can use reasonable force to search for any prohibited items identified above, but not to search for items that are only identified in the school rules.
The authorised member of staff may use a metal detector to assist with the search.
An authorised member of staff may search a pupil’s outer clothing, pockets, possessions, desk or locker.
‘Outer clothing’ includes:
Searching pupils’ possessions
Possessions means any items that the pupil has or appears to have control of, including:
A pupil’s possessions can be searched for any item if the pupil agrees to the search. If the pupil does not agree to the search, staff can still carry out a search for prohibited items and items identified in the school rules.
An authorised member of staff can search a pupil’s possessions when the pupil and another member of staff are present.
If there is a serious risk of harm if the search is not conducted immediately, or it is not reasonably practicable to summon another member of staff, the search can be carried out by a single authorised member of staff.
Informing the designated safeguarding lead (DSL)
The staff member who carried out the search should inform the DSL without delay:
All searches for prohibited items (listed in section 3), including incidents where no items were found, will be recorded in the school’s safeguarding system.
Informing parents/carers
Parents/carers will always be informed of any search for a prohibited item (listed in section 3). A member of staff will tell the parents/carers as soon as is reasonably practicable:
Support after a search
Irrespective of whether any items are found as the result of any search, the school will consider whether the pupil may be suffering or likely to suffer harm and whether any specific support is needed (due to the reasons for the search, the search itself, or the outcome of the search).
If this is the case, staff will follow the school’s safeguarding policy and speak to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL). The DSL will consider whether pastoral support, an early help intervention or a referral to children’s social care is appropriate.
Strip searches
The authorised member of staff’s power to search outlined above does not enable them to conduct a strip search (removing more than the outer clothing) and strip searches on school premises shall only be carried out by police officers in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code C.
Before calling the police into school, staff will assess and balance the risk of a potential strip search on the pupil’s mental and physical wellbeing and the risk of not recovering the suspected item.
Staff will consider whether introducing the potential for a strip search through police involvement is absolutely necessary, and will always ensure that other appropriate, less invasive approaches have been exhausted first.
Once the police are on school premises, the decision on whether to conduct a strip search lies solely with them. The school will advocate for the safety and wellbeing of the pupil(s) involved. Staff retain a duty of care to the pupil involved and should advocate for pupil wellbeing at all times.
Communication and record-keeping
Where reasonably possible and unless there is an immediate risk of harm, before the strip search takes place, staff will contact at least 1 of the pupil’s parents/carers to inform them that the police are going to strip search the pupil, and ask them if they would like to come into school to act as the pupil’s appropriate adult. If the school can’t get in touch with the parents/carers, or they aren’t able to come into school to act as the appropriate adult, a member of staff can act as the appropriate adult (see below for information about the role of the appropriate adult).
The pupil’s parents/carers will always be informed by a staff member once a strip search has taken place. The school will keep records of strip searches that have been conducted on school premises, and monitor them for any trends that emerge.
Who will be present
For any strip search that involves exposure of intimate body parts, there will be at least 2 people present other than the pupil, except in urgent cases where there is risk of serious harm to the pupil or others.
One of these must be the appropriate adult, except if:
If this is the case, a record will be made of the pupil’s decision and it will be signed by the appropriate adult.
No more than 2 people other than the pupil and appropriate adult will be present, except in the most exceptional circumstances.
The appropriate adult will:
Except for an appropriate adult of a different sex if the pupil specifically requests it, no one of a different sex will be permitted to be present and the search will not be carried out anywhere where the pupil could be seen by anyone else.
Care after a strip search
After any strip search, the pupil will be given appropriate support, irrespective of whether any suspected item is found. The pupil will also be given the opportunity to express their views about the strip search and the events surrounding it.
As with other searches, the school will consider whether the pupil may be suffering or likely to suffer harm and whether any further specific support is needed (due to the reasons for the search, the search itself, or the outcome of the search).
Staff will follow the school’s safeguarding policy and speak to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL). The DSL will consider if, in addition to pastoral support, an early help intervention or a referral to children’s social care is appropriate.
Any pupil(s) who have been strip searched more than once and/or groups of pupils who may be more likely to be subject to strip searching will be given particular consideration, and staff will consider any preventative approaches that can be taken.
Off-site behaviour
Behaviour support may be required where a pupil is off-site when representing the school. This means when the pupil is:
Behaviour support may also be required where a pupil has displayed low/medium or high level behaviours off-site, at any time, whether or not the conditions above apply, if the behaviour:
Support will only be required on school premises or elsewhere when the pupil is under the lawful control of a staff member (e.g. on a school-organised trip).
Online behaviour
The school may be required to support behaviour for pupils where online behaviour when:
Support will only be required on school premises or elsewhere when the pupil is under the lawful control of a staff member.
Suspected criminal behaviour
If a pupil is suspected of criminal behaviour, the school will make an initial assessment of whether to report the incident to the police.
When establishing the fact
s, the school will endeavour to preserve any relevant evidence to hand over to the police.
If a decision is made to report the matter to the police, the Headteacher or a member of the senior leadership team will make the report.
The school will not interfere with any police action taken. However, the school may continue to follow its own investigation procedure, as long as it does not conflict with police action.
If a report to the police is made, the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) will make a tandem report to children’s social care, if appropriate.
Zero-tolerance approach to harmful sexual behaviours, peer-on-peer sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual violence
The school will ensure that all incidents of sexual harassment and/or violence are met with a suitable response, and never ignored.
Pupils are encouraged to report anything that makes them uncomfortable, no matter how ‘small’ they feel it might be.
The school’s response will be:
The school has procedures in place to respond to any allegations or concerns regarding a child’s safety or wellbeing. These include clear processes for:
Please refer to our child protection and safeguarding policy for more information
Malicious allegations
Where a pupil makes an allegation against a member of staff and that allegation is shown to have been deliberately invented or malicious, the school will consider action to take against the pupil in accordance with this policy.
Where a pupil makes an allegation of sexual violence or sexual harassment against another pupil and that allegation is shown to have been deliberately invented or malicious, the school will consider whether to take action against the pupil in accordance with this policy.
In all cases where an allegation is determined to be unsubstantiated, unfounded, false or malicious, the school (in collaboration with the local authority designated officer (LADO), where relevant) will consider whether the pupil who made the allegation is in need of help, or the allegation may have been a cry for help. If so, a referral to children’s social care may be appropriate.
The school will also consider the pastoral needs of staff and pupils accused of misconduct.
Please refer to our child protection and safeguarding policy and our policy for allegations against staff, and a statement of procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against staff for more information on responding to allegations of abuse against staff or other pupils.
Serious sanctions
Detention
Pupils cannot be issued with detentions.
Removal from classrooms
In response to serious or persistent breaches of this policy, the school may remove the pupil from the classroom for a limited time.
Pupils who have been removed will continue to receive education under the supervision of a member of staff which is meaningful, but it may differ from the mainstream curriculum.
Removal is a serious sanction and will only be used in response to serious misbehaviour. Staff will only remove pupils from the classroom once other behavioural strategies have been attempted, unless the behaviour is so extreme as to warrant immediate removal.
Removal can be used to:
Pupils who have been removed from the classroom are supervised by a senior leader, and will be removed for a maximum of 1 hour.
Pupils will not be removed from classrooms for prolonged periods of time without the explicit agreement of the headteacher.
Pupils should be reintegrated into the classroom as soon as appropriate and safe to do so. The school will consider what support is needed to help a pupil successfully reintegrate into the classroom and meet the expected standards of behaviour.
Parents/carers will be informed on the same day that their child is removed from the classroom.
The school will consider an alternative approach to behaviour support for pupils who are frequently removed from class, such as:
Staff will record all incidents of removal from the classroom along with details of the incident that led to the removal, and any protected characteristics of the pupil on CPOMS.
Suspension and permanent exclusion
The school can use suspension and permanent exclusion in response to serious incidents or in response to persistent poor behaviour which has not improved following in-school support and interventions.
The decision to suspend or exclude will be made by the headteacher and only as a last resort.
Please refer to our exclusions policy for more information.
Responding to behaviour that requires support from pupils with SEND
Recognising the impact of SEND on behaviour
The school recognises that pupils’ behaviour may be impacted by a special educational need or disability (SEND).
When incidents arise, we will consider them in relation to a pupil’s SEND, although we recognise that not every incident will be connected to their SEND. Decisions on whether a pupil’s SEND had an impact on an incident will be made on a case-by-case basis.
When supporting behaviour from pupils with SEND, especially where their SEND affects their behaviour, the school will balance their legal duties when making decisions about enforcing the behaviour policy. The legal duties include:
As part of meeting these duties, the school will anticipate, as far as possible, all likely triggers of behaviour, and put in place support to prevent these from occurring.
Any preventative measures will take into account the specific circumstances and requirements of the pupil concerned.
Adapting support for pupils with SEND
When considering behavioural support for a pupil with SEND, the school will take into account:
If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, it may be unlawful for the school to support the pupil for the behaviour.
The school will then assess if it is appropriate to use specific support and if so, whether any reasonable adjustments need to be made to the support.
Considering whether a pupil displaying challenging behaviour may have unidentified SEND
The school’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) may evaluate a pupil who exhibits challenging behaviour to determine whether they have any underlying needs that are not currently being met.
Where necessary, support and advice will also be sought from specialist teachers, an educational psychologist, medical practitioners and/or others, to identify or support specific needs.
When acute needs are identified in a pupil, we will liaise with external agencies and plan support programmes for that child. We will work with parents/carers to create the plan and review it on a regular basis.
Pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
The provisions set out in the EHC plan must be secured and the school will co-operate with the local authority and other bodies.
If the school has a concern about the behaviour of a pupil with an EHC plan, it will make contact with the local authority to discuss the matter. If appropriate, the school may request an emergency review of the EHC plan.
Supporting pupils following behaviour support
Following behaviour support, the school will consider strategies to help the pupil to understand how to improve their behaviour and meet the expectations of the school.
This could include measures like:
Pupil transition
Inducting incoming pupils
The school will support incoming pupils to meet behaviour standards by offering an induction process to familiarise them with the behaviour policy and the wider school culture.
Preparing outgoing pupils for transition
To ensure a smooth transition to the next year, pupils have transition sessions with their new teacher(s). In addition, staff members hold transition meetings.
To ensure behaviour is continually monitored and the right support is in place, information relating to pupil behaviour issues may be transferred to relevant staff at the start of the term or year.
Training
As part of their induction process, our staff are provided with regular training on managing behaviour, including training on:
Behaviour support will also form part of continuing professional development.
Monitoring arrangements
Monitoring and evaluating behaviour
The school will collect data on the following:
The data will be analysed from a variety of perspectives including:
The school will use the results of this analysis to make sure it is meeting its duties under the Equality Act 2010. If any trends or disparities between groups of pupils are identified by this analysis, the school will review its policies to tackle them.
Monitoring this policy
This behaviour policy will be reviewed by the headteacher and at least annually, or more frequently, if needed, to address findings from the regular monitoring of the behaviour data. At each review, the policy will be approved by the Headteacher.
The written statement of behaviour principles (appendix 1) will be reviewed and approved by the full governing board annually.
Links with other policies
This behaviour policy is linked to the following policies
Appendix 1
WRITTEN STATEMENT OF BEHAVIOUR PRIINCIPLES
This written statement of behaviour principles is reviewed and approved by the full governing board every year.
The governing board also emphasises that violence or threatening behaviour will not be tolerated in any circumstances.
ANTI BULLYING STRATEGY
The overarching aim of this strategy is to ensure our school is a calm, safe, happy, welcoming, inclusive, accessible and positive environment for all. We continually aim to ensure positive relationships within the school and in the wider community beyond. This reflects the ethos and vision of our school.
Definition
Bullying is defined as the repetitive, intentional harming of 1 person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.
Bullying is, therefore:
Bullying can include:
At Middle Street Primary School staff, parent/carers and children work together, to create a happy, caring and safe learning environment. The ethos of the school is one of inclusion, openness and honesty. Bullying will not be tolerated. All forms of bullying are taken equally seriously and dealt with appropriately. It is everyone’s responsibility to take action to prevent occurrences of bullying and to deal with any incidents calmly, quickly and effectively.
Bullying can be brought to the attention of staff either by the victim(s), their friend(s), their parent(s) or other interested people.
How we work to prevent bullying at Middle Street Primary School:
Strategy for dealing with bullying
The following is a list of actions available to staff. The emphasis is always on a caring, listening approach for both the victim and the presenting with the bullying behaviour. These children are often victims too, that is why they turn to bullying, themselves.
How a bullying situation is dealt with very much depends on who is involved and what has taken place. However, every report of bullying will be taken seriously and actioned. The following provides a broad outline of how a bullying situation will be dealt with but it must be kept in mind that there will be additions to the process depending on what has taken place.
Safeguarding Lead / Learning mentors / Teachers and TA, where appropriate, will undertake the following:
In Brief the Support Available for the Victim and Perpetrator:
In order to identify incidents of bullying and the identities of perpetrators, at Middle Street Primary School we have agreed to carry out the following strategies:
Finally, if it is felt by anyone involved dissatisfaction with how a bullying situation has been dealt with they may wish to make a complaint. The complaint procedure’s should be followed.
Middle Street Primary School Anti-bullying information for pupils
Is it bullying?
It might be if you feel hurt because individuals or groups are:
It might be bullying if you feel hurt because of things said about your ethnic background, religious faith, gender, sexuality, disability, special educational need, appearance or issues in your family.
Middle Street Primary School does not tolerate bullying. This is what we do about bullying:
What should you do?
Talk to someone you trust and get them to help you take the right steps to stop the bullying.
If you feel you are being bullied:
If you have been bullied:
When you are talking to an adult about bullying be clear about:
If you find it difficult to talk to anyone at school or at home, ring ChildLine on freephone 0800 1111. This is a confidential helpline. If you are hard of hearing you can use the textphone 0800 400 222.
Middle Street Primary School Anti-bullying information sheet for parents:
Is it bullying?
It might be if individuals or groups are:
It might also be bullying if your child feels hurt because of things said about their ethnic background, religious faith, gender, sexuality, disability, special educational need, appearance or specific issues in your family.
What should you do if your child is being bullied?
Talk to school staff about the bullying. At Middle Street school your first contact point to report concerns about is bullying is the class teacher. They are best contacted via messaging or email.
What will Middle Street Primary school do?
Middle Street does not tolerate bullying. This is what we do about bullying:
Families who feel that their concerns are not being addressed appropriately by the school should follow the schools complaints procedures.
If you need further support and information at any stage or the problem remains unresolved, ring the helpline at Family Lives 0808 800 2222 or contact other local and national support groups.
We use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised for Reading and Phonics.
You can access the PE and Sports Premium Report by clicking HERE..
Aims
Our school aims to meet its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) by having due regard to the need to:
Legislation and guidance
This document meets the requirements under the following legislation:
This document is also based on Department for Education (DfE) guidance: The Equality Act 2010 and schools.
Roles and responsibilities
The governing board will:
Eliminating discrimination
The school is aware of its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and complies with non-discrimination provisions.
Where relevant, our policies include reference to the importance of avoiding discrimination and other prohibited conduct.
Staff and governors are regularly reminded of their responsibilities under the Equality Act – for example, during meetings. Where this has been discussed during a meeting it is recorded in the meeting minutes.
The school has a designated member of staff for monitoring equality issues, and an equality link governor. They regularly liaise regarding any issues and make senior leaders and governors aware of these as appropriate.
Advancing equality of opportunity
As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the school aims to advance equality of opportunity by:
Fostering good relations
The school aims to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it by:
Equality considerations in decision-making
The school ensures it has due regard to equality considerations whenever significant decisions are made.
The school always considers the impact of significant decisions on particular groups. For example, when a school trip or activity is being planned, the school considers whether the trip:
The school keeps a written record (known as an Equality Impact Assessment) to show we have actively considered our equality duties and asked ourselves relevant questions. This is recorded at the same time as the risk assessment when planning school trips and activities. The record is completed by the member of staff organising the activity and is stored electronically with the completed risk assessment.
Equality objectives
Monitoring arrangements
The school will update the equality information we publish, at least every year. This document will be reviewed by the governing board at least every 4 years. This document will be approved by the headteacher.
Links with other policies
This document links to the following policies:
You can access the complaints procedure HERE.
Click HERE for our Board of Governors webpage.
No school employees have a gross annual salary of £100,000 or more.
Click HERE for the webpage that is dedicated to Middle Street Primary School on the schools financial benchmarking service.
1. Aims
Our school aims to:
2. Legislation and guidance
This policy is based on advice from the Department for Education (DfE) on charging for school activities and the Education Act 1996, sections 449-462 of which set out the law on charging for school activities in England.
3. Definitions
4. Roles and responsibilities
4.1 The governing board
The governing board has overall responsibility for approving the charging and remissions policy, but can delegate this to a committee, an individual governor or the headteacher.
The governing board also has overall responsibility for monitoring the implementation of this policy.
Responsibility for approving the charging and remissions policy has been delegated to the headteacher.
4.2 Headteachers
The headteacher is responsible for ensuring staff are familiar with the charging and remissions policy, and that it is being applied consistently.
4.3 Staff
Staff are responsible for:
· Implementing the charging and remissions policy consistently
· Notifying the headteacher of any specific circumstances which they are unsure about or where they are not certain if the policy applies
The school will provide staff with appropriate training in relation to this policy and its implementation.
4.4 Parents
Parents are expected to notify staff or the headteacher of any concerns or queries regarding the charging and remissions policy.
5. Where charges cannot be made
Below we set out what we cannot charge for:
5.1 Education
- The national curriculum
- A syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school
- Religious education
5.2 Transport
5.3 Residential visits
- The national curriculum
- A syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school
- Religious education
- Supply teachers to cover for those teachers who are absent from school accompanying pupils on a residential visit
6. Where charges can be made
Below we set out what we can charge for:
6.1 Education
6.2 Optional extras
We are able to charge for activities known as ‘optional extras’. In these cases, schools can charge for providing materials, books, instruments or equipment. The following are optional extras:
- The national curriculum
- A syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school
- Religious education
Any charge made in respect of individual pupils will not be greater than the actual cost of providing the optional extra activity, divided equally by the number of pupils participating.
Any charge will not include an element of subsidy for any other pupils who wish to take part in the activity but whose parents are unwilling or unable to pay the full charge.
In cases where a small proportion of the activity takes place during school hours, the charge cannot include the cost of alternative provision for those pupils who do not wish to participate.
Parental agreement is necessary for the provision of an optional extra which is to be charged for.
6.3 Music Tuition
Schools can charge for vocal or instrumental tuition provided either individually or to groups of pupils, provided that the tuition is provided at the request of the pupil’s parent.
Charges may not exceed the cost of the provision, including the cost of the staff giving the tuition.
Charges cannot be made:
6.4 Residential visits
We can charge for board and lodging on residential visits, but the charge must not exceed the actual cost.
7. Voluntary contributions
As an exception to the requirements set out in section 5 of this policy, the school is able to ask for voluntary contributions from parents to fund activities during school hours which would not otherwise be possible.
Some activities for which the school may ask parents for voluntary contributions include:
There is no obligation for parents to make any contribution, and no child will be excluded from an activity if their parents are unwilling or unable to pay.
If the school is unable to raise enough funds for an activity or visit then it will be cancelled.
8. Activities we charge for
The school will charge for the following activities:
For regular activities, the charges for each activity will be determined by the governing board and reviewed each year. Parents will be informed of the charges each year.
9. Remissions
In some circumstances the school may not charge for items or activities set out in sections 6 and 8 of this policy. This will be at the discretion of the governing board and will depend on the activity in question.
9.1 Remissions for residential visits
Parents who can prove they are in receipt of any of the following benefits may be exempt from paying the cost of board and lodging for residential visits:
10. Monitoring arrangements
The headteacher monitors charges and remissions, and ensures these comply with this policy.
This policy will be reviewed by the headteacher every year.
At every review, the policy will be approved by the headteacher.
A written statement of your relationships and sex education (RSE) policy can be accessed HERE.
Our Vision:
Our Values:
Our Ethos:
Middle Street Primary School embodies a nurturing ethos, fostering inclusivity, collaboration, and holistic development. The school prioritises individualised learning, encourages curiosity, and values diversity, creating a supportive environment where students, parents, and teachers work together to cultivate a love for learning. Through a curriculum that integrates academic excellence with social and emotional growth, the school aims to prepare students for a bright future while instilling empathy and a sense of community. This ethos emphasises a commitment to the well-being of all, ensuring that every child feels valued, empowered, and inspired to reach their full potential.
If a parent requests a paper copy of the information on the school’s website, it will be provided free of charge. Please request paper copies by contacting the school using the 'contact us' details above.
Whistleblowing Policy
(Raising Concerns in the Public Interest)
A Confidential Reporting Policy for All Members of Staff and the General Public
1. Introduction
1.1 Middle Street Primary School is committed to the highest standards of openness, honesty, integrity and accountability for the services it provides. However, we recognise that there is always the risk that things can go wrong. Therefore, the School is keen to encourage those working for it and members of the community to express their concerns when they think that there may be something seriously wrong regarding its activities. This gives us the opportunity to stop any unethical or unprofessional practices or wrongdoing within the organisation.
1.2 The School recognises that for individuals to come forward, they must have confidence that their concerns will be listened to and that we will take prompt action to investigate and deal with concerns appropriately.
1.3 This policy sets out how concerns about serious wrongdoing by the School can be raised and how we will respond to these.
1.4 This Policy incorporates the provisions that are required from the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (as amended by the Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Act 2013), which protects members of staff against detrimental treatment or dismissal for disclosing normally confidential information because they reasonably believe it is in the public interest to do so. This is known as a “qualifying disclosure”.
2 Benefits of this policy
2.1 This Policy aims to:
· encourage and enable you to feel confident in raising concerns and to question and act upon any concerns;
· provide avenues for you to raise concerns;
· ensure that you receive a response to your concerns and that you are aware of how to pursue them if you are not satisfied with the action taken;
· reassure members of staff that they will be protected from repercussions when raising genuine concerns;
· ensure that all those working for, or on behalf of, the School are aware that they must not treat individual(s) detrimentally because they have made a “qualifying disclosure” under the Act.
3 Scope
3.1 The types of concern covered by the policy include:
· conduct which is an offence or a breach of law, including discrimination or harassment based on or related to a protected characteristic (either yours or someone else’s)
· disclosures relating to miscarriages of justice
· individual(s) covering up wrongdoing
· health and safety risks, including risks to the public as well as other
employees
· damage to the environment
· the unauthorised use of School funds
· possible fraud, corruption or financial irregularity
· practice which falls below established standards or practice
· sexual or physical abuse
· other unethical conduct
3.2 This policy and its associated procedures is not intended to replace any existing School procedures that would be more appropriate for dealing with any concern raised under this policy:
Members of staff
If your concern relates to how you have been personally treated at work as an employee under your contract of employment, you should raise it under the Grievance Procedure. If your concern relates to bullying or harassment, the School will respond under the Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Victimisation Policy and Procedure.
The whistleblowing process provides a means of raising concerns about wrongdoing which affects others (including but not limited to other employees, service users and/or the wider public) in addition to, or instead of, the whistleblower themselves.
Members of the Public
If you have a concern or complaint about services provided to your family by the School, you should raise this using the School Complaints Procedure or, if about broader educational services, the Council’s Complaints Procedure.
4 Who can raise a concern under this policy?
4.1 This policy applies to all:
· employees
· casual, agency workers and apprentices working for the School
· contractors and employees of contractors working for the School
· self-employed consultants working for the School
· members of the public (including parents/guardians)
· governors and volunteers
5 Supporting you to raise a concern
5.1 Confidentiality:
We hope that you will feel able to voice whistleblowing concerns openly under this policy. However, if you want to raise your concerns confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret. If the situation arises where we are not able to resolve the concern without revealing your identity (for instance because your evidence is needed in court), we will discuss with you whether and how we can proceed.
5.2 Staff Raising Genuine Concerns:
The School aims to encourage openness and will support staff who raise genuine concerns under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken.
Staff who raise genuine concerns under this policy with a reasonable belief that it is true must not suffer any detrimental treatment as a result of raising the concern. Detrimental treatment includes dismissal, disciplinary action, threats or other unfavourable treatment connected with raising a concern.
Staff and those working for the School must not threaten or retaliate against a person who raises a concern under this policy. If you believe that you have suffered any such treatment, you should inform the headteacher immediately. If the matter is not remedied, you should raise it formally using the Grievance Procedure.
5.3 Staff Raising Malicious Allegations:
You may be subject to disciplinary action if you raise a concern maliciously or the information you have used to trigger a concern has been obtained unlawfully, for example:
· legal requirements have not been followed, e.g. the Data Protection Act has been breached or
· through unauthorised access to records, e.g. computer hacking.
6 How to raise a concern
Points of contact
6.1 As soon as you become reasonably concerned, we hope you will feel able to raise it. The earlier you raise your concern, the easier it is to take action. A flowchart showing the process for raising concerns can be found at Appendix 2.
6.2 Members of Staff
If you are an employee you should normally raise concerns with your line manager. Similarly, non-employees (e.g. agency workers, contractors, consultants) should raise a concern in the first instance with their contact within the School, usually the person to whom they directly report.
If you are a member of staff and you want to raise the matter with someone other than your immediate manager, for whatever reason, please raise the matter with:
Rob Cooper (Headteacher) or
Anna Racher & Sally Coleman-Lewis (Co-Chairs of Governors)
These people will also be able to advise on confidentiality and further action required.
6.3 Members of the Public
If you are a member of the public you can raise concerns with:
Rob Cooper (Headteacher) or
Anna Racher & Sally Coleman-Lewis (Co-Chairs of Governors)
Or if you are unable to raise these issues with the above (due to concerns on involvement) then see section 8.
The Procedure
6.4 You may raise your concern orally or in writing. We advise that you make it clear that you are raising your concerns under the School’s whistleblowing arrangements.
6.5 You are also encouraged to put your name to any concern you raise as this will make it easier for the School to investigate the issue. Please also say if you want to raise the matter in confidence so that the person you contact can make appropriate arrangements.
6.6 To enable your concern to be dealt with properly and effectively you will need to provide the following information and to be as clear as possible about:
· what the concern is and to whom it relates
· the background and history of the concern (giving relevant dates)
· the reason why you are particularly concerned about the situation and why you believe it to be true.
6.7 When raising a concern you are not expected to prove the truth of an allegation, however, you will need to demonstrate to the person you contact that there are sufficient grounds for the concern.
6.8 If you are a member of staff you may invite your trade union representative or a colleague who works for the School to assist or accompany you. Similarly, if you are a member of the public you may be supported by a colleague or friend. Your companion must respect the confidentiality of your disclosure and any subsequent investigation.
6.9 If you want to submit your whistleblowing complaint in writing, you can use whatever form you prefer, including e-mails or submitting hard documents.While it doesn’t have to be in any particular form, you can use the suggested form (attached as appendix 3) if you prefer.
7 How the School will respond
7.1 Once a concern is raised, the School will respond to your concern as quickly as possible. The appropriate person will make initial enquiries, taking advice from Human Resources if necessary, to help decide if an investigation is appropriate and if so, what form it should take.
7.2 The person receiving the concern will ensure the Headteacher or Chair of Governors (as appropriate) is provided with sufficient details to be aware of the concern raised.
7.3 Where appropriate, the matters raised may:
• be investigated by management, internal audit or through the disciplinary process;
• be referred to the Police;
• be referred to the external auditor or
• form the subject of an independent inquiry
Within 10 working days of a concern being raised, the person handling the matter will write to you acknowledging that the concern has been received, indicating how, as far as possible, it will be dealt with and, if you are a member of staff, the support mechanisms available to you. You will be kept informed of progress and will receive a full and final response, subject to any legal constraints.
7.4 When you raise the concern(s) you may be asked how you think the matter might best be resolved. If you have any personal interest in the matter, we ask that you tell us this at the outset. If your concerns would be more appropriately dealt with under another School policy (for example, the Complaints Procedure or Grievance Procedure) we will tell you.
7.5 While the purpose of this policy is to enable us to investigate possible malpractice and take appropriate steps to deal with it, we will give you as much feedback as we properly can.
7.6 Concerns or allegations that fall within the scope of specific procedures (for example child protection) will normally be referred for consideration under the relevant procedure. Some concerns may be resolved by agreeing action with you without the need for investigation. If urgent action is required, this will be taken before any investigation is conducted.
7.7 The School will take all reasonable steps to minimise any difficulties that you may experience as a result of raising a concern. For instance, if you are asked to give evidence in criminal or disciplinary proceedings, the School will arrange for you to receive appropriate advice and support.
8 How your concern can be taken further
8.1 This policy is intended to provide you with an avenue to raise concerns with the School. The School hopes that you will be satisfied with the way your concerns are treated and any investigations that may be carried out.
However, if you are not, and feel it is right to take the matter outside the School, please find below a list of possible contact points. If you are a member of staff, Human Resources can provide advice as to the other options or you may also contact your trade union.
· The following are examples of some of the possible contact points at Brighton & Hove City Council: Alison McManamon, Director of People and Innovation - 01273 290511
· Carolyn Sheehan, Audit Manager - Internal Audit and Counter Fraud - 07795 335692
· Nigel Manvell, Chief Finance Officer – 01273 291319
These people will also be able to advise on confidentiality and further action required.
Alternatively, you may use our dedicated whistleblowing reporting inbox: whistleblowing@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
If these channels have been followed but you still have concerns or if you feel that the matter is so serious that you cannot discuss it with any of the above, you may as a last resort contact:
· Jess Gibbons, Chief Executive – tel. 01273 291132
N.B. Please note that the Council may pass the matter back to the school to deal with, if after initial assessment, it is judged appropriate to do so.
You may also contact:
· relevant professional bodies or regulatory organisations. A list of regulatory bodies can be found in Appendix 1.
· a solicitor
· the Police
8.2 If you are a member of staff, the law recognises that in some circumstances it may be appropriate for you to report your concerns to an external body. It will very rarely, if ever, be appropriate to alert the media. We strongly encourage you to seek advice before reporting a concern to anyone external. If you would like independent advice at any stage, you can contact the independent charity Public Concern at Work www.whistleblowing.org.uk
on 020 7404 6609. They should be able to give you free and confidential advice about how to raise a concern about serious malpractice at work.
9 Recording, monitoring and reviewing
9.1 Rob Cooper (Headteacher) has overall responsibility for the maintenance and operation of this policy and for ensuring it is reviewed annually by involving key stakeholders in the process.
9.2 A register of all concerns and the outcomes that are brought to the attention of the headteacher (in a form which respects your confidentiality) will be maintained by the headteacher. All officers designated to look into a concern must ensure that the headteacher is provided with sufficient details for the register.
9.3 The headteacher will review the register and will report annually to the Governing Body on the use of the policy and concerns raised during the period covered by the report. The report will not identify any person raising concerns under this policy.
10 If you are dissatisfied
10.1 If you are unhappy with our response, remember you can go to the other levels and bodies detailed in this policy.
10.2 While we cannot guarantee that we will respond to all matters in the way that you might wish, we will try to handle the matter fairly and properly.
11. Related Information
Counter Fraud Strategy & Framework
Fraud reports can be made to the antifraud and corruption hotline on 01273 291847 or by emailing antifraud@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Employees see more information on the Intranet pages http://wave4schools.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ourcouncil/corporategovernance/fraud/Pages/default.aspx
For members of the public more information is available on the council website pages https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/council-and-democracy/anti-fraud-and-corruption
Appendix 1
Regulatory and Professional and other External Organisations
Health & Safety and Environment Risks
Contact
Details
Environment Agency
Address: Solent and South Downs Area Office, Guildbourne House, Chatsworth Road, Worthing, Sussex, BN11 1LD
(South East regional office)
Tel: 0370 8506506
Web: www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Health & Safety Executive
Address: Priestley House, Priestley Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 9NW (regional office)
Tel: 0845 345 0055
Web: www.hse.gov.uk
Food Standards Agency
Address: Aviation House, London WC2B 6NH
Tel: 020 7272 8829
Web: www.food.gov.uk
Consumer Rights
Contact
Details
The Serious Fraud Office
Address: 2-4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5BS
Tel: 020 7239 7272
Web: www.sfo.gsi.gov.uk
Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Contact
Details
Information Commissioner’s Office
Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Web: www.ico.org.uk
Healthcare and Social Services
Contact
Details
Care Quality Commission
Address: 2nd Floor, Ridgewort House, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1RY
Tel: 03000 616161
Web: www.cqc.org.uk
Health and Care Professions Council
Address: 184 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BU
Tel: 0845 3006184
Web: www.hpc-uk.org
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
Address: Gillingham Service Centre & Regional Office, Pear Tree House, 68 West Street, Gillingham, Kent ME7 1EF
Tel: 020 7825 2500
Web: www.nspcc.org.uk
Children’s Commissioner
Address: Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BT
Tel: 020 7783 8330
Web: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NWC)
Address: 23 Portland Place, London W1B 1PZ
Tel: 020 7637 7181
Web: www.nmc.org.uk
General Medical Council (GMC)
Address: Fitness to Practice Directorate, 3 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AW
Tel: 0161 923 6602
Web: www.gmc-uk.org
Homes and Communities Agency
Address: Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London
SW1P 4DF
Tel: 0300 1234 500
Web: www.homesandcommunities.co.uk
Other Organisations
Contact
Details
The Local Government Ombudsman
Address: PO Box 4771, Coventry CV4 0EH
Tel: 0300 061 0614
Web: www.lgo.org.uk
Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
Address: HM Revenue and Customs, Freepost NAT22785, Cardiff, CF14 5GX
Tel: 0800 788 887
Web: www.hmrc.gov.uk
Ofsted
Address: Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester
M1 2WD
Tel: 0300 123 1231
Web: www.ofsted.gov.uk
Pensions Regulator
Web: www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk
Police
Tel: 101
Emergency: 999
Web: www.police.co.uk
Your Local Councillors
N.B Concern is identified as a matter for public interest disclosure – i.e. not a matter to be dealt with through other school policies such as the grievance procedure (employees) or complaints procedures (public)-- see full policy for definitions.
You have a concern that you would like to raise - refer to the school’s whistleblowing policy
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Whistleblowing reporting form
Please email completed form to: whistleblowing@brighton-hove.gov.uk
1. Who are you reporting (name of person/department)?
2. Why are you making a report?
3. Do you have any further information?
4. What would you like the Council to do about this?
5. Are you willing to leave your contact details?
These will be kept strictly confidential (unless we receive your consent) and will only be used to
Name
Contact Telephone Number:
Email:
If you have not already done so, please read the Council’s Whistleblowing Policy before making this report
Middle Street Primary School
Middle Street Primary School, Middle St, Brighton, England BN1 1AL, United Kingdom