Dress and behaviour regulations

A strong sense of identity through a strong uniform code

Good behaviour and sound attitudes, the foundations of responsibility, cannot be acquired by talk and discussion alone. Teaching and study alone are insufficient for the inculcation of good habits and a sense of duty; in these matters practice, pride and correction are fundamental and, thus, the School operates a set of rules which all pupils are expected to adhere to every day.

Our boys acquire a sense of duty first of all by knowing that in putting on the QE uniform they take on a reputation which was hard earned by many generations before them; they learn to take pride in their uniform and to honour the debt of tradition by remaking our reputation year by year. Furthermore, they are exhorted to a high level of commitment; to give themselves generously in their duties and their activities for the School. Wearing their uniform with pride at all times is a sign that they wholeheartedly commit themselves to the ethos and standards of the School.

Boys in Year 10 will be dressed in:

• Navy blue blazer ( with School badge attached)
• Plain dark blue or navy shower-proof overcoat/anorak (without motifs) to fully cover blazer
• School tie with House colours
• School blue-coloured long sleeved shirt
• Navy blue v-necked sweater
• Dark grey/charcoal grey long trousers classic style (not baggy)
• Black or dark grey socks
• Plain black sensible shoes

Boys in Year 11 will be dressed in:

• A light blue shirt fastened up to a stiff collar
• The School tie for Years 11-13. This is a new addition to our uniform which can be purchased from the School tailors
• A dark (black, navy or dark grey) suit or blazer or sports jacket and dark trousers of traditional cut. Trousers may not be baggy in style
• A plain V-necked pullover may be worn
• Plain, dark polished shoes & matching laces with dark socks
• A dark, single-coloured, outdoor coat which must be a minimum of jacket length and without logos or other illustrations
• Appearance; A boy's whole appearance should be clean, tidy and formal and must be appropriate for work not leisure

It should be added that the wearing of uniform is something that extends beyond the physical boundaries of the School; in wearing their uniform in the appropriate way to and from School pupils will enhance the reputation of themselves and their School.

If you have any doubts about what clothes might be suitable for your son to wear to School, please contact the Year Head before purchasing them.

School bags should be:

• Black or navy blue with logo no bigger than a postage stamp
• Strong enough to provide protection for all School books
• Provided with a suitable lock if they are to be left in School.

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A note on mobile telephones and pagers:

The School will accommodate these where parents feel that there are good reasons for their sons having one, such as safety between home and School. However, we must strongly insist that:

• all mobile phones remain switched off during the School day
• they are not used at any time on School premises other than with permission from a member of staff
• they are password-protected and privately insured
• they are NEVER brought into public examinations as this contravenes examination board regulations
• no boy brings a phone capable of taking pictures to School at any time.

Hair

Eccentric or cult hair styles have no place in this School. Hair will be of uniform length ( i.e. without a step cut in it), short and neatly combed and will not be close-cropped, shaven or dyed. Hair gel or similar hair products are not permitted. Any other item deemed unsuitable by the Head of Year will be notified through year assembly.

Looking after property:

The School provides lockers for the majority of boys and it is in these that students should keep their possessions, particularly at break times and when they are in PE classes. It is the individual’s responsibility to look after his own possessions at all times; possessions should NEVER be left unguarded at any time. Conversely, if any pupil is suspected of stealing, he will be dealt with by using the most severe of sanctions.

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The highest standards of behaviour at all times

The School’s mission is the driving force behind our behavioural management document. We must create an environment, which allows the boys to develop the ability to accept and abide by rules. They must have a sense of right and wrong and they should develop a sense of responsibility, self and mutual respect, honesty, tolerance, compassion, and trust.

The primary objective of the School’s behaviour management policy is to create an environment that promotes good behaviour and high academic standards. The School’s behaviour policy will help to modify pupil behaviour, clarify School procedure and provide advice to staff in the handling of inappropriate behaviour. It will also make clear to pupils and their parents the boundaries and the effect of a pupil’s actions. We continue to have a strong positive influence on our pupils and have the capacity to lead, support and encourage them in developing good behaviour. The good behaviour of pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s School enables effective teaching and learning to take place and gives them every opportunity to reach their full potential. When pupils misbehave they not only prejudice their own educational chances but also the chances of others.

Good behaviour is conduct which assists the school to provide an environment in which effective teaching and learning can take place, and allows boys to achieve their full potential. Our major focus when looking at the school’s behaviour management strategies will be on the vast majority of pupils who behave well. Other sections of this document look at the many strategies already in place to achieve such behaviour.

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Rewards system

Boys will collect good notes in their diaries; when they have filled ten good notes they will let their tutor know and will then be sent to get another good note sheet from the Year Head. The Year Head will record the number of good notes. Ultimately boys will receive awards; a bronze award for 20 good notes, a silver award for 40 and a gold award for 60.

Besides these tangible rewards, boys will also know when their performance has been acknowledged, by the conferral of some post of responsibility. This may be small at first but may culminate in the position of Form Captain for those who best show the qualities of leadership associated with that post.

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Clear and definite action against bad behaviour

It is important that everyone involved has an understanding of what is acceptable and that there is consistency in applying standards to all pupils.

The School will promote positive behaviour both in the classroom and in the wider context of the School. At Queen Elizabeth's School we focus on the positives and recognise the boys for their achievements. The School will also give a clear set of values and make clear the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

Regrettably, there are a minority of pupils who reject the ethos of the School. This is manifested through their patterns of behaviour. The following supportive actions are put in place so that boys might improve this behaviour: special report; use of mentors; quality checks; reprimands; detentions; loss of early day; Head of Department’s detention, exclusion from lessons (both internal and external) ; pupil contracts; Saturday detention; exclusion from School. The majority of boys adopt and contribute to the School’s ethos and do not require the use of these measures.

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A note on plagiarism

Coursework provides students with an opportunity to do some independent research into a topic. The research they do will involve looking for information in published sources such as textbooks, encyclopaedias, journals, TV, radio and the world wide web.

Using information from published sources (including the internet) as the basis for coursework is a great way to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a subject, but one must take care how oneuses this material – the advice to pupils is that they cannot copy it and claim it as their own work.

Pupils at QE will be told the following:

Examination board regulations state that:

• The work which you submit for assessment must be your own.
• You must not copy from someone else or allow another candidate to copy from you.
• If you use the same wording as a published source, you must place quotation marks around the passage and state where it came from. This is called ‘referencing’. You must make sure that you give detailed references for everything in your work which is not in your own words. A reference should show the name of the author, the year of publication and the page number: For example: (Morrison, 2000, pg.29.)
• For material taken from the internet, your reference must show the precise web page, not the search engine used to locate it. This can be copied from the address line. For example: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/16/sosteacher/history/49766.shtml
• You must include a bibliography at the end of your work which lists the full details of publications you have used to research your project. For example: Morris.A. (2000) “Mary, Queen of Scots”, London: Weston Press.

If you copy the words or ideas of others and don’t show your sources in references and a bibliography, you will be committing plagiarism – and that’s cheating.

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Drug education policy

It is the aim of the Queen Elizabeth’s School drug education policy to:

• Provide a protective framework within which staff can teach and young people can be taught
• Ensure that all young people are given opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to make confident, responsible, healthy and informed decisions about drug use and misuse in order to achieve their full potential
• Provide clear guidance on how to respond to drug-related incidents.

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The School seeks to educate its pupils to live healthy lifestyles and to make appropriate choices in doing so. Our programmes of study seek to make pupils fully cognisant of the legal and ethical debates around drug use and misuse. The School also recognises that there may be young people who choose to take risks; however, at no time will the School knowingly permit or tolerate possession, consumption, supply or offer to supply any restricted drugs on the School premises. If any of these offences are committed they will be fully investigated and dealt with, ensuring that drugs use or misuse is challenged using a range of responses and sanctions which reflect the principles of the School and the law of the country. The guiding Principle will be that the possession, use or supply of illegal and other unauthorised drugs within School boundaries is unacceptable.

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