Download: Behaviour Policy

The DePS Pastoral Care programme aims to support personal development by helping students to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem. It enables them to recognise, accept and shape their identities, to understand and embrace diversity and change. It helps students to manage emotions and to communicate constructively. This overall aim is to prepare students for life as a confident, resilient individual.

The Aims of the DePS Pastoral Care System are to:

• Encourage students through positive affirmation and rewards.
• Raise the level of involvement and performance by self-evaluation and reporting.
• Encourage a high standard of behaviour.
• Provide a cooperative learning environment.
• Maximise a student’s individual potential.
• Encourage the development of the individual as a whole person.
• Produce lifelong learners.
• Develop students’ independence, resilience and life skills.
• Prepare students for life in an international setting.
• Promote responsibility, self-esteem and respect.
• Be aware of the community in which they live and contribute positively to the lives of others.

Monitoring and rewarding behaviour

The children are awarded points daily as they demonstrate our Attitudes and Attributes. Each classroom has a behaviour chart to record progress each day. The focus of the chart is to reward the current targeted attitude and attribute. Children are actively encouraged to demonstrate the appropriate behaviours.

• Each day children will have a fresh start at 0 (zero) on the chart
• Children who demonstrate our attitudes and attributes will receive a positive point and move up the chart
• If children reach +3 by the end of the day, the class teacher will write to the parents to say they have had an excellent day
• If, on rare occasions, a child reaches +5, they will receive a Principal’s Award
• Children who break the school rules will receive a negative point and move down the chart
• If the child is -3 or below at the end of the day, the class teacher will write to the parents to notify them of the child’s behaviour and to discuss strategies for development
• In exceptional cases, where a child reaches -5, the child will be withdrawn from the class and parents invited in to discuss their behaviour (see severe behaviour)
• Children may redeem negative behaviour during a day by receiving positive points
• At the end of every day, our teachers record the points for each student and a running total kept

• As children reach landmark totals in the year, they will receive behaviour badges; 25 (bronze), 50 (silver), 75 (gold), 100 (platinum) and beyond into precious gems!
• Each term the highest scoring students in the school receive rewards e.g. trips, privileges or feasts!

Personal Social and Health Education

As part of the Pastoral Care System, there is a programme of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) which incorporates the UAE Moral Education curriculum as is complemented by our Attitude and Attribute lessons.

These attitudes and attributes are specifically taught for two weeks each throughout the year. They are introduced in assemblies and provide a focus for the rewards each day. At the end of each two week unit, each class awards one student the Attitude and Attribute certificate for being the student that demonstrated the qualities most successfully. There is also a related “Thunk of the Week” encouraging the students to think about and respond to a challenging question related to the current attitude and attribute. Again each class selects the best “thunker” for an award for an interesting and balanced answer to the question.