Code of Conduct

MISSION

As the learners of Empro Academy we strive to uphold the following values at all times:
We are proud of our school and our conduct and actions will be of such a nature that we are ambassadors of our school at all times.
We endorse Christian norms and values and put them into practice.
We are proud of our mother tongue and respect all learners’ home language.
As fellow South Africans we accept each other’s friendship and goodwill and respect each other’s human dignity.
We accept authority at all times.
We believe in loyalty, honesty, integrity and self-discipline and strive towards neatness and courtesy.
We conduct ourselves in such a manner that the learning culture in the school is improved.
We undertake to be tolerant towards our co-learners.

The learners of the school are precious to us as teachers and their well-being and happiness is of great value to us. We will therefore do everything possible to contribute towards their complete Christian maturity and to act as parents and guardians to them.

ACADEMICS

Academics should be every learner’s priority and he/she must contribute towards the establishing of a healthy learning culture whereby all learners can reach his/her full potential. The following are important:
Learners’ conduct in the class should be irreproachable at all times. Teachers should be treated with respect and held in high esteem, no disturbance or undisciplined conduct will be tolerated within the class or any school related circumstance.
Dedication is of cardinal importance. All homework, class work, tests and other academic tasks should be conscientiously performed. No untidy or incomplete work will be accepted.
Learners should come to class prepared with all books, equipment or apparatus.
Each learner must respect their co-learners’ efforts to excel academically and behave in such a manner that no co-learner be hindered.

SPORT

Creating a healthy sporting tradition must be important to all learners. Participation and pride are the cornerstones to achieving this. Participation in sport is compulsory.
The prescribed sportswear for each respective sport should be respected. Only the official sportswear and accessories may be worn and used.
True sporting spirit is expected of learners on the sports field by respecting team mates, opponents, umpires and officials. No bad or unsporting conduct will be tolerated.
Learners must support their sport teams with loyalty, opponents must be respected and no derogatory remarks be made.

APPEARANCE

The foundation of our Code of Conduct is pride which our learners wear their school attire. Uniformity and neatness portray a positive image and cultivate pride in the school.

It is required that every learner conforms to the prescribed school uniform and appearance rules and no deviation thereof shall be tolerated.
Hair styles and general appearance portray an image of the school which every learner must respect.
In the case of formal occasions such as academic prize giving etc. the learner must be dressed according to the compulsory school uniform as given under school uniform.

GENERAL CONDUCT

Learners of Empro Academy must, at all times, conduct themselves in such a manner that they portray the correct image of the school. No learner may be found guilty of any of the following offences:
Conduct where the good name of the school, its teachers or learners is disgraced.
Any form of dishonesty during tests or examinations, copying or unauthorised use of other people’s schoolwork or homework.
Use of electronic equipment like cellular phones, i-pods and Mp3s in the class or during school hours without prior permission from the authorised person. Electronic equipment will be confiscated and kept in the safe for the term.
Any improper or indecent conduct.
Victimisation or bullying.
Assault.
Vandalism.
Be in possession of and/or use of cigarettes or any other smoking material, alcoholic beverage or narcotic substance or be involved in the distribution thereof.
Pornographic or other prohibited material, equipment or apparatus.
Being in the presence of rules being broken will also be viewed as an offence.
Activity in Satanism or a cult.
Foul-mouthed conduct towards adults or in front of other learners
Any conduct in conflict with the order and discipline of the school and where the learners refuse or neglect to abide by the rules of this Code of Conduct/disciplinary process.
Criminal offences within or outside the school.

LEARNER CONDUCT

Learners must always conduct themselves in such a manner that a good learning culture is promoted.
Have respect for order in school.
Maintain silence during prayer opening, conclusion and during announcements.
In the case of a guest speaker performing at the school, respect must be shown to the person (greet, silence before, after and during the performance).
Learners’ conduct, good manners and healthy discipline, within and outside the classroom is of top priority to ensure the good name of the school is upheld.
Learners must stand for a teacher and/or visitor and greet them cordially.
The school grounds and buildings must be kept neat at all times. Learners are forbidden to litter, soil classrooms or school buildings or damage school property.
During an excursion where public transport is used, each learner builds on the school’s good name by behaving and acting impeccably.
Participation or involvement in any mass-action is forbidden.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

School attendance is of utmost importance, therefore learners must attend regularly.
No learner may be absent from a school day or any class without a valid reason or permission from the school.
Parents/guardians should contact the school if their child is absent. Absenteeism of three days or longer or from a test or exam requires a doctor’s letter. Letters are to be handed in to the registration teachers.
Learners may not be late for the beginning of the school day. Late-comers must first report to the office and then their registration teachers.
Assembly is compulsory. Speakers should be respected and silence maintained during speeches.
Learners should be on time for classes, changing of class should be done in an orderly and timely manner.
Learners may only make use of school territory which has been pre-approved. The other users of the school’s territory must be respected and their territory not be intruded upon.
No learner may leave the school grounds during school hours without permission from a teacher.

PERMISSION TO LEAVE SCHOOL GROUNDS

A letter requesting permission to leave school early is found in the school diary and should be handed over to the learners registration teacher, the head of phase and the subject teacher for signatures of approval. The letter should be handed over to the relevant parties mentioned above before school, during the register period or break time, not during a lesson period.
The learner must also give the letter of permission to the office administration before leaving the school premises.
Parents have to report to the office in order to collect their child and to complete the sign out register.
Doctor’s appointments must, as far as possible, be scheduled in the afternoons.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

GRADE 7 – GRADE 11

Girls
1. Summer (1st and 4th term)

Grey 6 pleat/panel skirt
Short sleeve white blouse
Purple tie with school crest
Stone pullover with school crest
Short white socks
Standard black shoes
Stone jersey with school crest
Black blazer with school crest

2. Winter (2nd and 3rd term)

Grey 6 pleat/panel shirt OR Long girls/ladies grey trousers
Long sleeve white blouse
Purple tie with school crest
Stone pullover with school crest
Long grey socks OR grey stockings
Standard black shoes
Stone jersey with school crest
Black blazer with the school crest

Boys
1. Summer (1st and 4th term)

Grey short OR long standard grey trousers (no tailored trousers will be allowed)
Black belt (no prominent buckles)
Short sleeve white shirt
Purple tie with school crest
Stone pullover with school crest
Long grey socks
Standard black shoes
Stone jersey with school crest
Black blazer with the school crest

2. Winter (2nd and 3rd term)

Grey short OR long standard grey trousers (no tailored trousers will be allowed)
Black belt (no prominent buckles)
Long sleeve white shirt
Purple tie with school crest
Stone pullover with school crest
Long grey socks
Standard black shoes
Stone jersey with school crest
Black blazer with the school crest

GRADE 12 (Matric)

Girls
1. Summer (1st and 4th term)

Grey 6 pleat skirt
Short sleeve white blouse
Stone tie with school crest
White pullover with school crest
Short white socks
Standard black shoes
White jersey with school crest
Black blazer with school crest

2. Winter (2nd and 3rd term)

Grey 6 pleat/panel shirt OR Long girls/ladies grey trousers
Long sleeve white blouse
Stone tie with school crest
White pullover with school crest
Long grey socks OR grey stockings
Standard black shoes
White jersey with school crest
Black blazer with the school crest

Boys
1. Summer (1st and 4th term)

Grey short OR long standard grey trousers (no tailored trousers will be allowed)
Black belt (no prominent buckles)
Short sleeve white shirt
Stone tie with school crest
White pullover with school crest
Long grey socks
Standard black shoes
White jersey with school crest
Black blazer with the school crest

2. Winter (2nd and 3rd term)

Grey short OR long standard grey trousers (no tailored trousers will be allowed)
Black belt (no prominent buckles)
Long sleeve white shirt
Stone tie with school crest
White pullover with school crest
Long grey socks
Standard black shoes
White jersey with school crest
Black blazer with the school crest

APPEARANCE

GIRLS
Hair

If the hair is worn short, it must be neat and may not hang over the lowest fold of the collar. If it is longer it must be tied back. The fringe may not cover the forehead. No loose trials may hang over the eyes/ears.
Braided hair or hair extensions must be neatly tied back and must be one natural colour.
Corn rows are allowed, but fancy plaits and patterns are not permitted.
Hair must always be clean and may not be dyed or hi-lighted.
Extreme hairstyles are not allowed.
Only stone, black, brown or purple elastics, ribbons, clips and alice bands may be used. No flowers, shiny clips or other accessories are allowed.
The above regulations will be used as a guideline and the final decision as to the acceptability of any particular hairstyle will rest with the school’s management.

Nails and make-up

The nails should not extend beyond the fingertips when the fingers are held up.
No nail polish or French manicures will be allowed.
The wearing of any sort of make-up is NOT allowed.

Jewelery

Wrist watches and “medic alert” bracelets may be worn.
No chains, bracelets, rings, tongue studs/rings or brooches may be worn.
Only one small pair of standard gold or silver studs or sleepers may be worn in the lowest piercing of the ear. No dangling hearts or circles may hang in sleeper earrings and no coloured studs or pearl earrings are allowed.

General

Skirts may not be worn too short or be rolled up.
No visible piercings, except one ear piercing.
No tattoos are allowed.
During events that allow the wearing of casual wear, learners should wear neat, presentable clothes. Beachwear, tight-fitting clothes and clothes that are see-through and/or too revealing are not allowed.

BOYS
Hair

Hair must be clean and combed at all times.
No. 2 cut is the norm when hair is cut, not shorter.
Hair must not have discernible steps.
No shaved heads are allowed.
Fringes are not allowed to touch the eyebrow, when combed forward.
Hair on top may be a maximum length of 4 fingers.
Hair over the ears and collar are not allowed.
Braided hair is not allowed.
Sideburns may not be longer than the middle of the ear and faces must be clean-shaven at all times.
The above regulations will be used as a guideline and the final decision as to the acceptability of any particular boy’s hairstyle will rest with the school’s management.

Jewellery’s

Except for watches and “medic-alert” bracelets, boys may not wear jewelery or other personal adornment.

General

Boys’ shirts must be tucked in at all times.
Black belt without a prominent buckle must be worn with their trousers.
Trousers may not be worn on the hips.
Boys must be proud of wearing their uniform.
No tattoos/piercings are allowed.

FORBIDDEN TERRAIN

The following areas are out of bounds:

Grade 4 – 12 learners may not be in Grade R – 3 playing area and vice versa.
Squash court / after care area
All classrooms before, during break and after school
All corridors before, during break and after school
Carports where teachers park
Parking area in front of the premises, before, during school or during break
Staff room and kitchen
Courtyard
Administration offices (unless monies are to be paid)
Tuck shop during lesson periods
Field without supervision
Swimming pool area without supervision

VALUABLE AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS

The school will not be held responsible for theft of or damage to personal belongings on School premises (e.g. cell phones, bags, books, clothing etc.)
Learners are not allowed to bring cell phones, computer games iPods, iPads or any other electronic devices to school.
If a parent requests a learner to pay School fees on his/her behalf, such School fees should be paid before the start of the School day.
Arrangements should be made with the teacher in charge for safekeeping of valuables, etc. during sports events.

DISCIPLINARY STRUCTURE

RESPONSIBILITIES

The administering of disciplinary order and the disciplinary process is managed by the Head of Discipline together with the Principal, the management team, grade heads and teachers.
A disciplinary committee will consist of the Head of Discipline, one member of the management team and one member of the staff. Any learner that does not adhere to the Code of Conduct is susceptible to disciplinary action and may be punished in terms of the Code of Conduct. Should learners be found guilty of serious offences, the offence will be referred to the disciplinary committee by the Head of Discipline.
It remains the teachers’ duty to manage problems, specifically in the classroom, in a responsible manner. Personal involvement is of the utmost importance and staff members should not focus only on the Code of Conduct to address problems. Staff should manage problems in a consistent and fair manner.

PUNISHMENT ACTIONS
The following punishment may be handed down to learners:

Warnings (verbal, written)
Disciplinary enquiries (Dependant on seriousness of offence)
School related tasks
Detention
Loss of privileges, e.g. birthday civvies-wear, leadership positions, non-attendance of excursions, colours awarded may not be worn, badges received taken away etc.
Temporary suspension from attending class
Reduction or loss of academic marks
Expulsion from school

The school is authorised to search any learner at any time or request a urine sample should there be any suspicion of the learner partaking in the use of alcohol or any other substances. Please see the school code of conduct.

DEMERIT & MERIT SYSTEM

The demerit and merit weightings can be found in the Empro Academy school diary.

MERIT PROCEDURES

Herewith a guideline which may be used to manage and reward merits achieved:

Learners will accumulate 200 merit points starting from the beginning of Term 1.
The merit and demerits are noted on ONE control sheet.
The merits accumulate and the demerits get deducted from the merits.
Should the learner deplete all merits, the learner will have the opportunity to redeem merits by doing certain tasks handed out by the applicable teacher.
Should the learner accumulate 200 merits, a ‘stone’ certificate will be issued in assembly and the learner will be allowed to wear ‘civvies’ on a day scheduled by the register teacher.
Should the learner accumulate 400 merits, a ‘purple’ certificate will be issued in assembly and the learner will be allowed to wear ‘civvies’ on a day scheduled by the register teacher. The learner will also be rewarded with a tuck-shop voucher.
Should the learner accumulate 600 merits, a ‘silver’ certificate will be issued in assembly; the learner may wear ‘civvies’ for the day and the learner will be rewarded with a tuck-shop voucher and a small gift.

DEMERIT PROCEDURES

Herewith a guideline which may be used to manage and punish identified offences:

Demerits are deducted from the merits on the control sheet.
Should the learner have depleted all merits, the learner must redeem points by completing certain tasks set out by the applicable teacher.
For every 20 demerits that the learner gets, parents will be notified.
Should the learner be a continuous offender, more serious action will be taken. Please see the action that can be taken under the heading punishment action.
Parents must please assist the school by continuously checking learners’ demerits and signing in the correct column on the control sheet
Tasks that the learners are to complete to redeem merit points can include the following: Picking up litter, detention, assisting teachers before or after school, cleaning a class or any other task the teacher would like the learner to fulfill.

MANAGING OFFENCES

Any punishment deemed appropriate may be dealt out for a specific offence. Each case will be managed according to the merits thereof.

CLASS ROOM RELATED

1. Staff will manage the offence according to their discretion
2. Should there be no improvement; the offence will be recorded in writing.
3. Should a similar offence be repeated, parents will be notified.
4. Temporary suspension could occur.

SERIOUS OFFENCES

1. Parents will be contacted.
2. Final warning / temporary suspension could occur.
3. Disciplinary hearing.
4. Permanent expulsion could occur.

PROCEDURE

All offences will be managed by the registration teacher and by the grade head within his/her appointed grade group. The registration teacher / grade head will hand out appropriate punishment and inform learners thereof. Should the grade head decide that the offence is of a serious nature, the case will be referred to the Head of Discipline.
The Head of Discipline will investigate the case properly, which includes listening to objections from learner and any other relevant person and hand out appropriate punishment and advise the learner thereof.
Should the offence be of such nature that the Head of Discipline feels that the case should be managed by a disciplinary committee; the case will be referred to them for completion. The Head of Discipline must investigate the case properly beforehand with the learner and the learner’s parents and a recommendation on how the case should be managed must be submitted to the disciplinary committee. Should consensus be reached between the school, the learner and the learner’s parents over a specific case, in terms of admitting to guilt, an appropriate punishment or applicable counseling, the Head of Discipline may handle the case subject to confirmation from the disciplinary committee.
When the disciplinary committee conducts hearings, these will take place in the presence of the learner and the learner’s parents/guardians. No learner is entitled to a legal representative, as it is an internal Empro Academy hearing. Learners and their parents will be given the chance to raise objections and they are entitled to call relevant witnesses. The disciplinary committee may, on conclusion of the case, find the learner guilty or not guilty and hand out appropriate sentences and punishment. Should the outcome be expulsion, such a recommendation must be ratified by the principal.
Learners are entitled to object to the punishment handed out should they be of the opinion that the punishment is unjust or unfair. Such an objection must be directed to the principal for consideration and finalisation.

CELLPHONE POLICY

Due to the continuous use of cell phones in class time/school time, the learners will no longer be allowed to bring cell phones to school. When a learner uses the cell phone during class/school time the phone will be confiscated and you will have to fetch it from the office.
In the case of emergency the school office will contact you, if the office fails to reach you, we will contact the number of the next of kin that you have provided to us. Please note that if your child is in the after care, and there may be an emergency the aftercare teacher will contact you.

SCHOOL CODE OF CONDUCT

This School is committed to providing an environment for the delivery of quality teacher and learning by:

Promoting the rights and safety of all learners and teachers and parents.
Ensuring learners’ responsibility for their own actions and behaviours.
Prohibiting all forms of unfair discrimination and intolerance.
Eliminating disruptive and offensive conduct.

The Code of Conduct spells out the rules regarding learner behaviour at the School and describes the disciplinary system to be implemented by the School concerning transgressions by learners. The Code of Conduct applies to all learners while they are on the School premises or when they are away from the School representing it or attending a School function.
Section 8(4) of the SA Schools Act provides that all learners attending a School are bound by the Code of Conduct of that School. All learners attending the School are expected to sign a statement of commitment to the Code of Conduct. The administration of the Code of Conduct is the responsibility of the Disciplinary Committee of that School.

LEARNER COMMITMENT

I, ______________________________, a learner at Empro Academy, understand the rules and their implications and hereby commit to:

Abide by the Code of Conduct and Disciplinary System.
Behave in a courteous and considerate manner and respect other learners, the leaders (Prefects), all members of staff and visitors to the School.
Treat everyone with respect regardless of differences in culture, religion, ability, race, gender, age, sexual orientation or social class.
Take responsibility for my learning by attending regularly and punctually and completing all my assessment tasks on time.
Cooperate with my teachers and other School staff.
Assist in making the School a safe place for all.
Seek help if I need it.
Let the School know if I feel my rights have been infringed, or if I experience any other difficulty.