School Rules

School Rules

At BTPS, we believe that rules are critical to create a safe and conducive environment for our students to learn and play. Every student, when given guidance and support, can learn from his or her mistakes and mature as leaders of self and persons of influence. A shared understanding of expectations from both home and school is the foundation for character growth.

1. Respect for Nation and School

• Students who are Singapore citizens must sing the National Anthem and take the Pledge. Students will take the pledge with right fist placed over the heart.



• All students are expected to:

• Stand at attention during the flag raising ceremony.

• Sing the school song with pride.

• Uphold the name and school values by behaving with pride and decorum in and outside of the school.

2. Attendance and Late coming

2.1 Attendance

• All students are expected to be in school every school day.

• Absences must be covered by a medical certificate (MC) from a registered medical practitioner.

• Absences for other urgent reasons must be covered by a letter from parent/guardian, to be submitted within a week of the absence. The school will accept up to five letters (one for each occasion) per semester.

• Please see table 2.1 for valid reasons for absence. Do email your child/ward’s form teacher if you require any clarification.

• Student will be considered as playing truant under the following circumstances:

• Student is absent from school/lesson/CCA/any other school activity without a medical certificate or valid reason or did not seek prior permission from the teacher-in-charge for the absence.

• Student leaves the school grounds after reporting but before the end of the school day, without seeking approval from the teachers and the General Office.

2.2 Late Coming

• Students are to be in school by 7.30 am on school days.

• Students are also expected to be on time for all lessons, CCAs and other activities.

• Students who are late more than 5 times in a term will be subjected to disciplinary consequences.

3. Attire and Appearance

3.1 Uniform

• Students are to wear the prescribed school uniform and modifications to the uniform are not allowed. The first row depicts the formal school uniform and the second row, the PE attire.

Girls	Boys

• Name tags should be on both uniform top and PE t-shirt.
• Students may wear the BTPS PE attire (BTPS t-shirt and PE shorts) if they have PE or PAL (P1 and P2 only) lessons for the day.
• The PE t-shirt is to be tucked into the bottom.

3.2 General Appearance

• Fingernails must be kept short and clean, and not be coloured.

• Jewellery, ornaments, and other accessories are not permitted. For safety reasons, girls are only permitted to wear one pair of plain, small, and identical ear studs.

• Outlandish hairstyles and hair colouring are not allowed.

• Students are to wear white/predominantly white school shoes and socks with the school uniform.

• Students are to be in the formal school uniform during examinations and formal school events.

Boys

Hair should be short, neat and tidy. The hair should not touch the eyebrows, ears or shirt collar. Sideburns are not allowed. All boys must be clean shaven and no facial hair is allowed.

Girls

Girls should maintain simple hairstyles. Hair should not touch the collar or eyebrows. Longer hair (beyond shoulder length) should be tied up and long fringes clipped. Hair accessories should be simple and in either black or dark blue.

4. Respect for others

4.1 Conduct and Behaviour

• Students are expected to treat their class/school mates, teachers, and the school staff as well as members of the public with respect and graciousness.

• Students should know and abide by the school rules and obey instructions.

• Students are expected to support their teachers, school staff and others by always behaving appropriately. They should also encourage their class/school mates to do the same.

• Disruptive behaviour during lessons, school activities and CCAs will be addressed, and consequences meted out to recalcitrant students.

• Misbehaviour outside of the school will be subjected to disciplinary consequences and has an implication on the conduct grade.

• Students are to be mindful of their speech and actions and are not to use coarse or offensive language and/or actions under any circumstances.

4.2 Bullying

• The school does not condone bullying behaviours of any kind and will take action against the perpetrator(s).

• Students are strongly encouraged to report such behaviour whether as victims or as upstanders.

• Bullying behaviour involves repeated or persistent behaviours in the form of physical, verbal, social and/or cyber in nature, when a student uses strength, influence or words to intimidate others, force them to do something or to cause harm, distress, or humiliation.

• Cyberbullying occurs when a student uses technology to perpetuate bullying behaviours. This includes but is not limited to the following:

• Impersonating or misusing another person’s account.

• Sending viral links.

• Communicating hostile, aggressive, or intimidating messages, images or videos with the intent to inflict harm or discomfort towards others.

• Taking and/or sharing photos and videos without permission.

4.3 Aggression and Weapons

• The school does not condone acts of aggression under any circumstances.

• Assault occurs when a student attacks others such as students or school staff, regardless of whether there is an injury, trigger or provocation.

• Fighting occurs when a student is involved in a confrontation between individuals or opposing groups, when one or both sides attempt to harm or gain power over the other using bodily force or weapons.

• All students are not allowed to have in their possession any weapon. They are also not allowed to bring any weapon-like item which can be used or intended to be used to cause harm to others.

5. Respect for the environment

• Students are to maintain a clean and hygienic classroom environment.

• Assigned classroom cleaning duties are to be completed daily.

• Students are to return their crockery and utensils to the respective receptacles after eating in the school canteen.

• Students are to ensure that they do not deliberately or accidentally tamper with or damage school or public property. Any act of vandalism whether deliberate or accidental will be considered a major offence.

6. Learning Behaviours

• Students are expected to be ready for lessons/activity/CCA by ensuring that they have the necessary materials, stationery, attire and/or equipment.

• Students are to greet their teachers at the start and end of the lesson/activity/CCA.

• Students are expected to pay attention and participate actively in the lesson/activity/CCA.

• Students are expected to complete and submit their classwork, assignments, and homework on time.

• They should record any homework, assignments, and upcoming tests/assessments in the BT Kit.

7. Use of Technology including mobile phones

• Use of technology in the classroom should only take place under the supervision of a teacher/school staff. The use should be limited to the purpose of the lesson activity.

• Students may only use their mobile devices and smart watches for the purpose of contacting their parents/guardians after classes, CCAs or other school activities. The device may only be used at the waiting area near the security post at dismissal or with teacher’s permission and supervision in other parts of the school.

• At all other times, the phone must be switched off and not be visible. Mobile devices will be confiscated if they are spotted by any school staff regardless of whether they are in use.

• Mobile devices including smart watches are to be submitted to the school during national examinations and to be left in the school bags away from the student during any other assessment. Any devices spotted on or around the student during assessment will be confiscated and considered a cheating attempt. (Refer to examination conduct and behaviour for details)

8. Other Major Offences

• The school takes a serious view of the following acts which are considered major offences regardless of whether they take place in school or outside of school.

• Arson – Student plants explosives or sets fire to school/public property, whether attempted or actual.

• Gambling – Student is found playing cards or betting on games, regardless of whether money is involved.

• Smoking/Vaping – Student is found using/possessing/distributing/selling/buying tobacco products such as cigarettes/e-vaporisers/lighters/matches.

• Substance Abuse – Student is found using/possessing/distributing/selling/buying alcohol/drugs/inhalants.

• Selling/Trading of items

  • Student is found selling/trading any items/products/services among students.

• Undesirable Materials/Toys and Unauthorised Devices

• Student is found using/possessing/distributing/selling/buying undesirable materials/toys in school or outside of school. Examples include but are not limited to physical and digital form of items such as trading cards, playing cards and pornographic materials.

• Student is found using/possessing/distributing/selling/buying electronic devices (other than the electronic dictionary and scientific calculator required for learning and assessment).

• Student is found using/possessing/distributing/selling/buying toys and games in school. Examples include but are not limited to trading cards and toys such as slime.

9. Exam Conduct and Behaviour

Students are expected to familiarise themselves with all pertinent information about the examinations and to adhere to the following rules of examination conduct.

• Reporting time for school is as usual during examination days. No extra time will be given for latecomers.

• There will be no re-sitting of examination papers for students who are absent. Any student who is absent from any paper should produce a valid medical certificate. This should be submitted to his/her Form Teacher as soon as the student returns to school.

• Students are not allowed to bring to the examination room, any notes, drawings, pictures, tracings, books etc, other than those specially permitted by the examiner/invigilator.

• Handphones and any other electronic devices e.g. smart watches and google glasses are also not allowed.

• Students are not allowed to interact/pass anything to anyone during the examination. No borrowing of items will be allowed.

• Students are not allowed to communicate with each other in the examination venue.

• Any students who wish to communicate with an invigilator must remain seated and raise his/her hand. Note that no questions on the meaning or interpretation of an examination question will be answered.

• Students are to avoid going to the toilet during examination. They will not be allowed to refill their bottles during examination. It should be done before the examination.

• Students are expected to know and adhere to all examination rules.

• A student who is guilty of improper conduct or misbehaviour during the examination will be subjected to disciplinary consequences.

• Student who is caught cheating during any test/examination may be given zero mark for that paper and a “Poor” conduct grade for the semester.

• Examples of cheating/attempting to cheat may include:

• Possessing notes or other prohibited items, copying from others, allowing others to copy, tampering with marks.

• Student is found to be in possession of any communication equipment such as handphone or smart watches.

• Forgery – Student imitates someone else’s signature or alters any form of writing without permission and with the intention to deceive. This includes altering grades/answers/teacher’s marking for assignments and assessments.

10. Consequences

Students who fail to display appropriate behaviour in adherence to the school rules will have their behaviour addressed by a teacher or school staff. Students are expected to correct their behaviour and not repeat the behaviour.

A student who repeatedly acts in defiance of the school rules and ignores the instructions from teachers and school staff will be considered recalcitrant.

Major Offences

Category	Offence
Attendance and Late Coming	Truancy Persistent late coming (more than 5 times a term) Leaving school without permission Wilful absenteeism Other related offences
Conduct	Open Defiance/ Rudeness Disruptive behaviour Cheating during assessment Forgery Harassment/ Bullying Being a public nuisance Other serious misconduct as defined by the school
Theft/Damage of Property	Arson / Mischief with fire Theft / Stealing Vandalism / Damage of school property Other related offences
Other Major Offences	Abuse of technology Smoking/Vaping Gambling Gangsterism Extortion Possession of unauthorized items/weapons/pornographic materials Substance abuse Illegal assembly with intention to cause hurt Trespassing

All acts of misbehaviour will first be addressed by the teacher/school staff. Repeated offences and/or recalcitrant behaviour will be escalated progressively to the Student Management Committee (SMC), Student Development Committee (SDT) and School Leaders. Parents/Guardians may be called in at any of these junctures to support your child/ward’s learning and growth.

Students who repeatedly misbehave in defiance of the school rules or who commit a major offence will be given first a verbal warning and if the misbehaviour is not addressed or is repeated, a written warning from the Principal. Conduct grade for the semester will be a Fair or Poor under these circumstances. Any “Fair” or “Poor” rating for conduct will render the student ineligible for Edusave Awards.

Students are also expected to make restitution for their misbehaviour through one or more of the following as decided by the school management:

• Verbal or written apologies
• Circle Time with affected parties
• Community Work
• Compensation for the damage/injury
• Suspension from recess, CCA, school activities and/or programmes
• Internal suspension from class
• External suspension from school
• Caning
• Expulsion from school
• Police report and investigation and/or assistance from other external agencies including Health Science Authority (HSA) for smoking/vaping and other tobacco-related offences. The school may escalate the matter to the police and other relevant authorities where necessary for any major offence.
• Students will be supported to learn the right behaviour by their teachers, the school counsellor, SMC, SDT and/or SLs who will work with the students.

All students are expected to know and abide by the school rules. They are expected to remind their peers to do the same and report any violation of school rules to their teachers or a school staff. They are not to take matters into their own hands and can speak to a trusted adult when they need support.