The BIP (Behavioural Improvement Programme) was a Government scheme aimed at improving behaviour within schools. It was introduced to Kingsmead in September 2002. The heart of BIP in Kingsmead is the Inclusion Office which is located next to the Headteacher’s office. This is where internal exclusions are managed, which is the most serious sanction given within the school.

The Inclusion Office is a place where students are brought if they need guidance with any behaviour issues, or where they can come to report any incidents of poor behaviour. The BIP team also run ‘focus group’ work where individual or small groups of students receive extra support in certain subject areas. Students may come to BIP for advice, support or mentoring from members of the team. We work closely with both heads of year and departments to support the work they do and allow them to focus on the academic development of our students. All of these strands come together to ensure that outstanding teaching and learning can continue in all lessons, at all times in Kingsmead.

Within the BIP team we also have a PSA (Parent Support Advisor) who works closely with the families of our students who have been excluded as well as supporting students from Kingsmead who attend college courses around the borough.

Such has been the success of BIP at Kingsmead that its effectiveness has been nationally recognised. An HMI inspection in 2004 concluded that they had observed “excellent practice” within BIP and that it had made “a significant difference to the teaching and learning”. In January 2008 Kingsmead received an outstanding OFSTED report in which the inspectors commented that “the behaviour improvement programme has been extremely successful”. This success of BIP can be seen in the fact that in the academic year 2001/02 there were 95 fixed term exclusions and 11 permanent exclusions. By 2007/08 exclusions had fallen dramatically to 52 fixed term and 1 permanent.

The success of BIP has been reported in articles that have featured in both national and local newspapers and the team regularly welcome visitors from schools across the country who wish to see the practices and procedures used at Kingsmead.

P.Green, March 2009