CODE OF DISCIPLINE - Effective: September 2007

SANCTIONS AND PROCEDURES:

This section sets down the sanctions applicable to all students in St. Nathy’s College. You are requested to study it carefully and sign it in the space provided.

1) The Class Teacher or the teacher on the spot will deal with relatively minor offences by issuing a reprimand, assigning written work such as ‘lines’, ‘penalty sheets’, extra study or manual work such as cleaning classrooms, corridors, walls or the school yard during recreation time. Teachers may also document breaches of discipline in the student’s diary for the attention of parents.

2) For more serious offences, a student will be put “On Report”. A special Report Sheet will be given to the student outlining the nature of the offence. This Report Sheet will be signed by each teacher the student has for each class period for one week, outlining the behaviour of the student during each class.

The Report Sheet is also to be signed each evening by a parent. Lost or uncompleted Report Sheets will be replaced by a new one. A student receiving three such Report Sheets will face an automatic one-day suspension from school as will a student who receives negative comments on a Report Sheet. Completed Report Sheets are to be given to the Class Tutor.

3) For persistent misbehaviour or for more serious offences, a student will be referred to his / her Year Head who, in addition to the Class Tutor, can request a meeting with his / her parents and / or recommend a suspension from school to be imposed on the student by the Principal.

4) All serious breaches of discipline will be automatically referred to the appropriate Year Head. Following investigations, the Principal (or Deputy Principal acting on his behalf) may suspend the student. The length of suspension will be determined by the seriousness of the offence. During the period of suspension, a student will not participate in any games / sporting activities which represent the school. The school’s Board of Management will be kept informed of all serious breaches of discipline.

5) In extreme cases the Board of Management may deem expulsion to be necessary.

N.B. At all stages (involving minor breaches of discipline) parents are kept informed through the student’s journal.

6) Where a student or (if under 18) his/her parent/guardian feels he / she has a genuine grievance, the same line of procedure should normally be followed i.e. Class Tutor, Year Head, Disciplinary Committee, Deputy Principal, Principal, Board of Management, Trustee and Department of Education & Science.

DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE:

The committee will consist of the Principal, Deputy-Principal and the Year Heads. It will meet weekly. Discipline will also be discussed at regular staff meetings. In cases of serious breaches of discipline, the Principal alone (or Deputy Principal acting on his behalf) may take immediate corrective / disciplinary action including suspension of the student.

READMISSION:

Students, who have been persistently uncooperative during a school year, may be requested to re-apply for admission for the following school year. The Disciplinary Committee, upon consultation with the staff, may recommend acceptance or rejection of such an application.

NOTES:

1) Students are accountable for their behaviour not only during school hours but also on the way to and from school, on all outings organised by the school and, in general, while the school uniform is being worn.

2) It is not possible to cover every eventuality in a code of conduct. However, what is most important is that the spirit of the law is upheld. Ultimately, each individual case is taken on its own merits and judged accordingly.

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