Embedded Files
Code of Conduct
At ISH, we expect the school’s values to be visible in the behavior of our school community members:
Caring
Courageous
Growth-mindset
How does ISH support a community of caring, responsible learners?
ISH supports the development of these through:
Use of the Learner Profile to develop Principled, Caring life-long learners
A preventive approach using educational programs to teach social emotional skills
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities of the school community
Effective Interventions when behavioural issues arise
Student Support/Wellbeing Teams - which can guide and support students with welfare needs, including implementing ISH’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
Bullying Prevention Policy (see below)
Disciplinary Stages - where the school leadership intervenes if behavior is deemed unsafe or illegal
Roles and Responsibilities of the School Community
Role of the School Leadership
Models the IB learner profile and school values
Ensures that the school community is aware of the behavioural expectations of the school
Ensures that the procedures are communicated and followed
Intervenes in serious disciplinary issues as needed
Role of the Teacher
Models the IB learner profile and school values
Has thorough knowledge of students’ strengths, challenges, needs, and personal growth
Advocates for student needs and encourages students to advocate for themselves
Supports student learning by building positive class culture and creating a safe learning environment
Listens to students' honest and open communication
Teaches and assesses social-emotional skills
Supports the student in navigating social dynamics and challenges
Communicates with other teachers regarding student growth and challenges
Communicates and builds partnerships with parents
Develops specific strategies for supporting students as necessary
Intervenes as needed to address student behavior incidents
Role of the Parent
Models respectful, open , honest and collaborative communication when contacting the school/teachers
Communicates with teacher/s when circumstances outside of school arise that may impact student’s experience at school
Encourages student to develop a good working relationship with teachers
Ensures student attend school
Ensures student is prepared for learning
Demonstrate a trusting and collaborative relationship with the school
Contacts the teacher with general questions or concerns
Role of the Student
Participates actively during learning time
Communicates honestly and openly with teachers
Fulfills student duties such as keeping the shared spaces tidy and clean, and being prepared for learning
Works with teachers to develop strategies for school success
Acts as a respectful and supportive peer
Adheres to the expectations of ISH students
Acts as an upstander in the face of bullying, exclusion or degrading treatment
Behavior Approach and Interventions
Social Emotional Learning
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) takes a preventive approach to supporting and responding to student behaviors. By consistently and explicitly teaching expected behaviors and guiding student through daily experiences, we reinforce the skills needed for students to govern themselves and contribute to a healthy class and school environment. At ISH, the Second Step programme is a resource used in the Primary and Middle school to help students learn social-emotional skills. All of our teachers take part in continual SEL training in order to effectively implement our SEL program. SEL is addressed throughout teaching and learning and explicity taught and supported through our Homeroom/Advisory lessons.
Student Well Being and Agency
At ISH, we know that student well being and agency both play major roles in maintaining a healthy school climate and positive behaviors. Each student has a homeroom/advisory teacher who is the primary point of contact regarding class or student matters. The homeroom/advisory teachers are supported by our on site social emotional counselors, who serve as well being leaders and actively engage with the student body throughout the school day. Each homeroom/advisory class is also represented in our Student Council. The Student Council meets with school leadership regularly to address matters of interest and concern to the student body. In addition to the Student Council, all students engage in Action that serves the community at some point throughout the school year, which is a foundational expectation for IB students.
Parent Engagement
A highly engaged parent community that partners with the school is a powerful resource in developing a school culture. Strong and healthy bonds between parents and teachers lead to a desired school culture where students trust their learning environment and those who lead them through their learning journey. Each class elects a 'Class Parent' who partners with the class homeroom/advisory teacher to mobilise support for class activities and address matters of importance to the class. The class parent is one that can bring the community together and support the efforts of the students and the school. Parents are also invited for meetings, workshops and events throughout the year to strengthen the partnership between home and school.
Second Step from our ISH Students
We interviewed some of our primary school students about Second Step, a program that we use at ISH to build social-emotional skills.
In this video, the students share what they know about Second Step, what they have learned with the program, when and how they can use it, and why it is so important!
Restorative Practices
Restorative practices promote inclusiveness, relationship-building and problem-solving. These are achieved through restorative methods such as circles for teaching and conflict resolution to conferences that bring victims, offenders and their supporters together to address wrongdoing. Instead of punishment, students are encouraged to reflect on and take responsibility for their actions and come up with plans to repair harm.
Find more information here:
When Behaviors Become More Serious
Sometimes, behavioral incidents may include, or develop into:
Committing or threatening to commit physical harm to another student or adult, or bringing an offensive weapons to school
Possession of, or use of tobacco and/or drugs on or near the school campus
Behaving in a completely disrespectful way while at school or on a school trip
Destruction of school property or that belonging to a student, the school, or to a teacher.
Participating in ongoing bullying behavior
In such cases, the school Principal may be involved in behavioral concerns, and will monitor the interventions, with the intention to resolve the core issue and de-escalate the situation.
Collaboration with parents is an essential part of the process and families are regularly updated and engaged in the situation. The family may be invited to make an action plan to resolve the situation.
However, if the unsafe or undesirable behaviour continues, and every measure has been attempted to resolve the situation, then the Head of School is involved and there may be no other option than expel the student from the school.
Other reasons for expulsion may include, but are not limited to: the school can not provide the special education needs of the student, regular and/or extended absences, collaboration challenges between home and school (including missing payments).
Bullying Policy
Bullying is a serious matter and requires awareness from teachers, students, and parents. School employees will take immediate action against bullying. Parents must contact their child’s teacher if they suspect their child or another child is being bullied. It is important that students can express their concerns to an adult if they are being bullied or harassed at school.
Definition of bullying:
Bullying is different from teasing and it is therefore important to define the concept.
"A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself." (Dan Olweus, Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do.)
This definition includes three important components:
Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.
Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time.
Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.
Bullying may involve the following:
Cyberbullying – includes internet gaming, emails, texts, social networks, manipulation of images, and slander
Social exclusion
Actions without words using grimaces or gestures.
Negative actions meant to intentionally annoy or hurt.
Prevention
Preventive measures are planned and executed in collaboration with parents, school staff and students:
General awareness of bullying, by parents, school staff and students.
Parent Conferences will include a discussion on bullying.
Commitment of parents, teachers, and students to stop bullying if it occurs.
All individual classes will discuss bullying and how to prevent it in their own classroom.
Disciplinary Action
The school will first try to resolve problems among the involved students. Parents will be informed by homeroom teachers/advisors or relevant subject teachers.
The school will ensure that each students shares their perspective
The school will support the student who experienced bullying through the advisor and counselor
The school will guide the student who bullied on ways to restore the situation
Ultimately, the aim is to restore or build a relationship that will be safe and positive
If this fails, the management will be involved. In more severe cases, students may be asked to stay at home to calm down, reflect and return to school with renewed commitment to treating their classmates with respect and kindness.
Bullying (including cyber-bullying) that occurs outside of school time will also be investigated by the school, and consequences may occur as if it happened in school.
Bullying can ultimately lead to permanent expulsion of students if it persists.
When Expulsion Becomes Necessary
As an independent private school, ISH is allowed by law to determine that a student can no longer attend to school BUT we will always listen to the student first. Our goal is to keep every one of our students in our community.
The school law states that children and adolescents must be allowed to express their opinion when a school has to make decisions that have to do with the individual child. This right reflects the mandate of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which also applies to all children and adolescents in Denmark. This means that if the school determines that an expulsion is necessary, we have a duty to listen to the student's views and what the student has to say. The school must also take the student's opinion into account when deciding whether the student can continue at school or not.
Expulsion Meeting
Parents must know before the meeting that the school intends to speak with the student about expulsion.
A student is welcome to bring someone they trust and are comfortable with. Such a person is called a bystander (bisidder in Danish). It can be their parent or another adult they know.
At the meeting, the respective Principal must:
- Tell the student why they don't think they can be a student at the school any more
- listen to the student's views
- familiarize themselves with the student's situation and see the matter from the student's perspective
- make sure that the student has understood , why the student cannot continue
- take the student's opinions into account when they have to make the decision.
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