DISCIPLINE AND CONDUCT POLICY FOR LEARNERS

Date of review of policy:

September 2023
Date of next review:
September 2024

Review members:

 Ms L van Vuuren – Head of Human Resources ______________________

 Ms L Moyo – Head of Academics ______________________
 Mr J Smit – Executive Discipline Manager ______________________
 Ms K Panayotakis – Academic Coordinator ______________________

1. CONSTITUTION AND VALUES

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa guides and informs this policy. This policy is based
on the Royal Schools values system. This system refers to the PIPE VALUES and consists of the
following:

P: PEOPLE: We treat learners, parents, educators, staff and all other stakeholders with care
and respect.
I: INTEGRITY and HONESTY: We make and keep commitments and we are honest and fair in
all our relationships. We always do what we say.
P: PERSEVERANCE: We finish what we have started and we never give up.
E: EXCELLENCE: We always give our best in everything we do and we try to achieve our full
potential by learning as much as we can, and continuously improving what we do.

2. SCHOOL RULES

The rules of the school must be adhered to:

 At the school during normal school hours.

 When on the school premises.
 During extra mural activities and school functions.
 When a learner appears in public in a school uniform.

School rules play an important role in preparing a learner for the future and to ensure structured
and disciplined behaviour. It is also necessary for the effective and efficient functioning of the
school.

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 2.1 General rules

 Learners must behave in a responsible way to not infringe on the right to education of
fellow learners.
 Learners must always behave in accordance with the PIPE values of the school.
 Learners must always ensure that their classwork and homework are done to the best of
their ability.
 Learners may not transgress any laws of the Republic of South Africa.
 Learners must do their best not to accumulate violations/demerits as indicated in the merit
and demerit policy.
 Learners must at all times be respectful to staff, peers, parents and visitors.
 Learners must always adhere to instructions regarding academics and discipline.
 Learners may not put the name of the school into disrepute through their actions, conduct
and behaviour in public, on social media or at school events.
 Learners must provide a letter from their parent/guardian, or the parent/guardian must
phone the school, to report absenteeism and the reason(s) therefor.
 For absence of more than 3 consecutive days, a letter from a medical doctor is required. If
a learner is absent for more than 10 consecutive days without any notification, he or she
will be deregistered and removed from the administrative system.
 Learners feeling ill or learners who are injured whilst at school, should report to the school
office and may not contact their parents/guardians directly. The school will contact the
parents/guardians.
 Learners must keep their diaries with them at all times.
 Learners may not smoke, vape, or be in the possession of cigarettes, tobacco or any other
smoking accessories (including E-cigarettes and “hubbly bubbly”).
 Learners may not use, or be in possession of, drugs, alcohol or any other illegal substance.
Learners may not smoke, use alcohol or drugs on the school premises, or when in public
dressed in school uniform, or when attending functions away from the school. Learners
also may not post pictures or videos of themselves smoking, or using alcohol or drugs on
any social media platform.
 Learners may not carry, or use any weapon, traditional weapon, ammunition or any
dangerous object that can cause harm to people or property.
 Learners may not be in possession of, view or distribute any pornographic or offensive
material, regardless of whether it is in print or in electronic format.
 Learners may not take, or damage school property, or any property belonging to another
learner or staff member. In case of intentional damage, the learner and his or her
parents/guardians will be held responsible for compensation and/or replacement.
 Vandalism in any form will not be tolerated. Damaging of textbooks is also considered as
vandalism and parents/guardians will be responsible for replacing and/or compensating
the school for any lost or damaged textbooks.

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  Learners must take care of their belongings. The school does not accept responsibility for
any loss or damage to personal property. Uniform and other personal belongings must be
clearly marked with the learner’s details.
 School bags must be of good quality and learners may not carry books in plastic or grocery
bags.
 Learners may not play with, or use the firefighting equipment (except in the case of a fire)
and parents/guardians will be held responsible for the cost of any damage to equipment
and property caused by a learner.
 No gambling in any form is allowed at school.
 No cell phones or any other electronic signalling devices are allowed to be used during
school hours. Should cell phones or electronic devices be visible or used at school, staff
may confiscate them and parents/guardians will be required to come to school to collect
the device. Learners may only receive their phones or electronic devices back at the end
of the term if their parents/guardians cannot come to school to collect the device.
 Learners will adhere to the Appearance and Grooming policy of the school.
 Clothing, including jewellery, which does not form part of the school uniform may not be
worn and will be confiscated. The confiscated clothing can be collected by the learner at
the end of the week.
 Learners may not record any videos at school, or in school uniform that are not part of their
academic work/activities. No videos of other learners may be posted on social media
without their consent.
 Learners may not use the name of the school or the logo of the school on any social media
platform.
 Learners may not leave the school premises without written permission from the Principal
or Deputy Principal. All appointments must be arranged during the afternoons.
 Learners making use of sport facilities or the swimming pool of the school must do so under
the supervision of a coach/teacher and must wear the correct sports uniform.
 No eating or drinking is allowed in classrooms and corridors. Chewing “bubble gum” on the
school grounds is forbidden.
 No physical contact of a sexual, hurtful, or aggressive nature will be allowed between
learners.
 Learners may not hurt fellow learners by what they say, do or write, whether in person or
on any social media platform.
 Learners may not intimidate or threaten fellow learners in any way.
 Learners may not discriminate against fellow learners on the basis of their race, gender,
ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief,
culture, language, or any other grounds.
 The School Management Team (SMT) has the right to search the belongings of a learner at
any time without their permission.
 The SMT has the right to conduct drug tests on learners if there is reasonable suspicion that
a learner is in possession of, or has used drugs.

2.2 Procedure for a school day

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  All learners should be inside the school grounds by 07h20.
 Any learner arriving at school after 8H00 must be accompanied by the parent / driver to
reception.
 All register teachers will check the grooming and appearance of all learners in their register
classes.
 When changing classes, learners must do so in a quiet and orderly manner and in single file.
 After entering a class, learners should be seated and take out their work.
 After each lesson, the Educator will ask the learners to stand. Learners should leave the
class quietly and in an orderly fashion.
 When the bell rings at the end of break, learners should assemble in their lines, in the
designated areas, in a quiet and orderly manner.

3. DISCIPLINE

 School discipline relates to actions taken by Educators, Heads of Grades, Discipline Co-
ordinators, Discipline Managers or the School Management Team toward learners when their
behaviour disrupts the ongoing educational activity or breaks a rule created by the school.
 The school strives to continuously maintain high standards of discipline.
 The SMT, staff and prefects are responsible for the implementation of the Discipline and
Conduct Policy.
 When disciplining learners, the focus must be on maintaining a safe and dignified schooling
environment for learners. Reward charts, recognitions(merit) and violation(demerit) systems,
taking away privileges, time-outs, detention and picking up litter, suspension, disciplinary
discussions and finally disciplinary hearings which could lead to final warnings or expulsion are
viable options.

The school undertakes to

 Make learners aware of the school rules, value system and expected standards of
behaviour.
 Implement a system of merits (recognitions) and demerits (violations) in terms of the
conduct definitions (Merit and Demerit Policy).
 Discipline and correct unacceptable/negative behaviour.
 Provide learners and parents with feedback in cases of unacceptable behaviour as soon
as possible.
 Reward and positively reinforce good/positive behaviour.
 Be fair and consistent in the application of the Disciplinary Policy and Procedure.
 Keep parents/guardians informed about the behaviour of their children.

Parent’s responsibilities

 To support the school in the implementation of the Disciplinary Policy and Merit and
Demerit system.

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  To encourage learners to behave in a manner which is consistent with the rules of the
school.
 To ensure that learners attend school as well as extra mural activities.

Learner responsibilities

 To acquaint themselves with the rules of the school.

 To comply with the rules of the school.
 To behave in a manner that is consistent with the values and associated expected
standards of behaviour of the school.
 To be punctual.
 To accept consequences and disciplinary action taken against them and to learn from this.

Disciplinary Action

 An appropriate disciplinary action (excluding any form of corporal punishment) will be

implemented for violation of school rules or negligence and may include the following:
 Serious reprimanding.
 Demerits.
 Detention classes (Fridays after school).
 Charged to appear before a disciplinary hearing.
 Temporary suspension.
 Final Written Warnings.
 Expulsion from school.

4. AMENDMENTS TO POLICY

The school reserves its right to deviate from this policy if it deems it necessary or appropriate and to
amend this policy from time to time in accordance with any changed policy considerations of the school
or legal developments.

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