Behaviour Management Policy

This policy applies to every RobolabX club and camp, including Robotics, Coding, Drone, AI, BrainUp, BrightUp and language clubs. It applies to all children attending, and to all RobolabX staff, contractors and volunteers delivering sessions. It sits alongside our Terms and Conditions, Staff Code of Conduct, and Safeguarding and Child Protection policy.

Our Commitment

We want every child to feel safe, supported and inspired in our sessions. Children learn best when expectations are clear, fair and applied consistently, and when good behaviour is noticed and praised. Most of our behaviour management is about encouragement, not sanctions.

Our three golden rules

Tutors explain these at the start of every session, in language suited to the age group, and display them where possible.

Listen when others are talking. When the tutor or another child is speaking, we stop, look and listen.
Look after the equipment. We use robots, drones, laptops and tools carefully and only as instructed. Anything that could damage equipment or hurt someone is not allowed.
Be kind and respectful. We treat everyone with kindness, keep our hands, feet and objects to ourselves, and use friendly language.

Our Three-Step Behaviour Management Process

We stay calm, respond to the behaviour rather than labelling the child, and always give the child a clear chance to put things right. Staff never use humiliation, shouting, physical punishment, or withholding of food, drink or toilet breaks.

STEP 1 — Reminder and redirection

The tutor calmly names the behaviour, reminds the child of the relevant rule, and helps them make a better choice (for example, moving seats, changing role in the group, or a quick check that they understand the task). Nothing is recorded at this stage.

STEP 2 — Yellow card (formal warning)

If the behaviour continues, the tutor gives a clear warning, shown as a yellow card. The child may be asked to take a short, supervised reflection break within sight of the tutor (never left alone or outside the room). The tutor then has a brief conversation with the child about what happened and what happens next. The tutor logs the warning on Pebble so patterns can be spotted, and may mention it to the parent at pickup.

STEP 3 — Red card (final warning) and parent contact

If the behaviour continues after a yellow card, or the child does something more serious, the tutor gives a red card. This is a final warning for that session. The tutor:

completes an incident record on Pebble the same day;
informs the parent or carer, at pickup or by phone or message the same day; and
informs the RobolabX operations lead.

STEP 4 — Behaviour support and further action

If a child receives red cards in two or more sessions in a half-term, or there is a serious incident, RobolabX will contact the parent or carer to agree a short Behaviour Support Plan. This may include adjustments such as a different seating plan, extra breaks, a buddy, or clearer visual instructions, and will be reviewed after a few sessions. Where relevant, we will also speak to the school (see Working with schools section).

If behaviour does not improve despite this support, a RobolabX manager (not the session tutor alone) may decide to:

remove the child from a particular activity, such as drone flying, where safety is at risk;
pause the child's attendance for an agreed number of sessions; or
withdraw the child's place in the club or camp.

Before withdrawing a place, we will discuss it with the parent or carer, except where there is an immediate safety risk.

A fresh start

Cards do not carry over. Every child starts each session with a clean slate. A child on a Behaviour Support Plan can come off it once they have shown sustained improvement, and we will tell the parent when this happens.

Serious incidents

Some behaviour puts the child or others at risk and may move straight to Step 3 or Step 4. This includes:

physical aggression, such as hitting, kicking, pushing or biting;
deliberately using equipment in a dangerous way, such as flying a drone at someone or throwing tools;
bullying, including online or via devices used in the session;
discriminatory or abusive language, including racist, sexist, homophobic or disability-related remarks;
leaving the session area without permission;
deliberate, significant damage to equipment or property.

Where a child has been physically violent, the tutor will make the area safe, contact the parent or carer immediately, and may ask them to collect the child early. A RobolabX manager will then review what happened, taking into account the child's age, any additional needs, the context and the child's history, and decide on the outcome. This may include immediate withdrawal from the club. We do not apply an automatic permanent ban, because a fair decision depends on the circumstances.

Physical intervention

Staff will not physically restrain a child, except where reasonable and proportionate force is needed to prevent the child from harming themselves or others, or causing serious damage. Any such incident must be recorded on Pebble the same day and reported to the parent or carer, the RobolabX Designated Safeguarding Lead and the school.

Working with schools

Most of our clubs run on school premises. We follow the school's own expectations and procedures where they apply, and we will share relevant behaviour information with the school where this helps us support the child or keep children safe.

Safeguarding

Changes in a child's behaviour can sometimes be a sign that something is wrong. If a tutor has any safeguarding concern arising from a child's behaviour or something the child says, they must follow our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy and report it to the RobolabX Designated Safeguarding Lead and the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay.

Damage to equipment

Accidents happen and will not be charged for. Where a child deliberately damages equipment, parents or carers may be asked to cover the cost of repair or replacement, in line with clause 5.2 of our Terms and Conditions.

Refunds after withdrawal

If we withdraw a child's place under this policy, we will refund the fee for remaining sessions on a pro-rated basis, in line with our Terms and Conditions. Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights.

Records and data

We record behaviour warnings and incidents on Pebble, our secure management system. Records are only shared with those who need them (RobolabX management, the parent or carer, and the school where appropriate) and are handled in line with our Privacy Policy and UK data protection law.

Working together and raising concerns

Behaviour improves best when staff, families and schools work together. If you have a concern about how a behaviour issue was handled, or wish to challenge a decision to pause or withdraw your child's place, please contact us using the details in our Terms and Conditions. A manager who was not involved in the original decision will review it and respond within 5 working days.

Thank you for helping us create clubs where every child can learn, build and have fun.