Attenborough School – Behaviour Management Policy
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being”
Goethe 1749-1832
Expectations and shared responsibility
We operate a positive behaviour management system, and work hard to ensure that the children understand what kind of behaviour is acceptable in school and what the consequences of different types of behaviour might be.
We aim to teach the children how to behave well and to be considerate and self-disciplined individuals. We believe in setting good examples and in having high expectations. Our high expectations of behaviour apply whether children are in school, on an educational visit or visiting places, with or on behalf of the school. We support each child to develop their inner compass, enabling them to be positive decision makers now and in the future.
Children learn by example. We aim to provide children with a positive image of good relations between adults who work in and for the school, and between adults and children. All adults who work in school have a responsibility for behaviour and treat children with respect and kindness. Children are expected to respond to whoever is responsible for them, this includes teaching and support staff, volunteers and parent helpers.
All supply teachers are expected to fully adhere to the guidance of this policy.
Children are more likely to behave well in school when they know that their parents are involved with and supportive of what the school is trying to do. We want the school and parents to work together to ensure consistent expectations are upheld.
School Values
Learning and behaviour are explicitly linked through the ‘WE CARE’ mantra at Attenborough School. WE CARE stands for:
Working Together
Enthusiasm
Creativity
Ambition
Reflection
Enquiring
These values and the positive rewards systems in place (see below) enable children to achieve the school vision statement of ‘Excellence Every Day’.
Positive Rewards (used from FS2 to Year 4)
Our emphasis at all times should be on positive behaviour, demonstrated in learning and conduct. We praise and reward positive behaviour by:
Praise – verbal, non-verbal, written (feedback in books or a message home), friendly word or gesture, referral to another adult
Special responsibility, privilege or trust – special jobs within the classroom, sitting on a chair at carpet time, taking a message to the office
Attenborough Passport – Each child has an ‘Attenborough Passport’. This passport is split into two sections, WE CARE about learning (The Attenborough Learner) and WE CARE about each other (The Attenborough Child). For each section, there are 6 ladders which reflect the values of WE CARE.
The passport requires children to work up each ladder to achieve a certificate for the specific value. This certificate is given out during Key Stage assembly, which parents are invited to attend. Once a value has been achieved the child is encouraged to earn steps on the rungs of the other ladders. The aim is to complete all 6 ladders (for either the Attenborough Learner or the Attenborough Child).
Once all 6 ladders are complete, the child’s parents are invited to attend whole school celebration assembly, where the child will receive the relevant Attenborough Achiever pin. The pins will follow a bronze, silver and gold system, allowing children to aim for each pin during their time at Attenborough School. The passport requires children to demonstrate first class behaviours in learning and conduct. This reward system is individual to the child.
WE CARE Golden Book - To support each child achieving first class behaviours, the PSHE scheme of work ‘Jigsaw’ is used (please see PSHE policy for further information about ‘Jigsaw’). Each week, during Values assembly, the names of children who have demonstrated the weekly value will be read from the WE CARE golden book. Any member of staff can record a child’s name in the book. A message will be sent home to parents of those children whose name is in the book.
Class Jar - At Attenborough school, we develop the child’s understanding of belonging; knowing that one’s own actions has an impact on others. A class reward system is used to encourage this. Each class has a jar to fill (jars and objects are the same for individual year groups). The teacher works with the children to decide on the rewards when the objects in the jar reach a certain level. These levels are discussed as a year group before the start of the year, with an agreement between teachers and the year group leader as to the type of rewards that can be given at different levels.
Reading Certificates – Home school reading is essential to children’s learning. Attenborough staff acknowledge the time and effort that both children and parents dedicate to this. Each class has a chart and every time a child’s reading record is written in a mark is placed on the chart. A certificate system is in place each term. Bronze certificate requires children to have read at home at least 10 times in one term, silver certificate shows a child has read at least 25 times in one term and gold is 50 times in one term. A prize draw is carried out each term. Children’s names are placed in the draw for bronze, silver or gold achievements. Parents are invited to Celebration assembly when their child achieves the gold reading certificate.
Head Teacher’s Award – One child from each year group per week across the school is presented with a certificate in assembly for achievement or behaviour that goes above and beyond. Parents are invited in to assembly to see the presentation. Parents are also invited to share any ‘above and beyond’ behaviour shown out of school for consideration of the Head Teacher’s Award.
Strategies for promoting positive behaviour
“Forget all the reasons why it won’t work and believe in the one reason why it will”
All classrooms display the reward and consequences pyramids to ensure awareness for all staff and children and consistency of use.
Public praise and private criticism
Public acknowledgement of good behaviour can be very powerful in a positive way. Usually, criticism should be as private as possible: lowering a child’s self-esteem is likely to increase misbehaviour, if not now, later.
Some children find direct praise hard to handle, and so praise should be as descriptive as possible and adults should be sensitive to the impact. Praise can also be non-verbal trough strategies such as a smile or thumbs up.
Three positives before a negative
This can apply to individuals as well as to classes. Before making a suggestion about a child’s work or behaviour, aim to have made three positive contacts with them beforehand. Within the class, aim to appreciate three children before criticising one. The lesson children will learn is that they are more likely to get attention when they behave or work well, than when they behave badly.
Acknowledge feelings
Children often misbehave because they feel upset or frustrated. Acknowledging children’s feelings can pre-empt them resorting to other ways to get your attention.
Be consistent
Children have a need for the world to be as reliable as possible. When adults act consistently and reliably, they make the child feel safer and therefore less anxious. This in turn makes it less likely that events will trigger off bad behaviour.
Model desired behaviour
It is important for adults within the school to model the kinds of behaviour that they expect from children in terms of respect, concern, fairness, how to apologise, how to resolve difficulties fairly and amicably. Dealing with difficult behaviour can trigger feelings of anger, irritation, disappointment o even despair. It is better to avoid communicating these feelings. Responses should be low key and matter of fact.
Scan the classroom
Teachers who seem to know what is going on even before it has started and seem to have eyes in the back of their head impress children. Put yourself in a position where you can see what is going on and scan for children who are off task. Re-direct these children before behaviour has become disruptive.
Listen for changes in patterns of conversation, which might indicate off task behaviour. Make your presence felt by a look or by repositioning yourself.
Listen to children
Listen to children and make them feel significant. It is important to make children feel aware that you recognise their feelings; ”You seem cross, did something happen?” Follow up concerns raised and complaints made, even if you need to say that you will deal with it later. Children need to feel able to share things with us and for issues not to be driven “underground”.
Maintain frequent contact
Aim to make frequent task-centred contact with all children. For children who have difficulty maintaining concentration on their work, ensure you make very frequent contact with them. Notice what they have already achieved, ask what they need to do next and remind them that you will be back to check on them.
Be aware of yourself
When dealing with disruptive incidents, consider the following:
· Your position in class
· Your proximity to disruptive children
· Your facial expression
· Your tone of voice
· Your posture
· Your choice of words
· The use of eye contact
Do they all communicate your confidence and authority? Do they tend to reduce the temperature or raise it?
Positive Behaviour in the Foundation Stage
The development of the Personal, Social and Emotional skills of children in the Foundation Stage is a statutory requirement of the EYFS. These skills are explicitly taught through the following Early Learning Goals:
· Making relationships
· Managing feelings and behaviour
· Self-confidence and self-awareness
Practitioners act as role models and take the time to build strong, trusting and respectful relationships with the children. They work to build the confidence, understanding and intrinsic motivation of children to want to make the correct behaviour choices. For children in FS1, individual progress in this Area of Learning is celebrated in the moment through immediate positive feedback and praise. For children in FS2, this is also the case, but the reward systems used above are also in place. The culture in the setting is one that has high expectations of children’s behaviour and is based on fairness.
Securing consistent consequences
An essential part of our behaviour management policy lies in the fact that each child knows that consequences will be imposed for unacceptable behaviour. The principles upon which consequences are based are that they should be:
· The minimum necessary
· Immediate and short lived
· Consistent
· Focused upon the act not the child
· Expected ad understood by the child
· Delivered in a calm way
· Accompanied by a model of acceptable behaviour
· Not humiliating to the child or the adult
· Avoided where possible
· Involving parents when deemed appropriate
Consequences
Teachers have the right to teach and children have the right to learn. Children who choose behaviours outside of the classroom rules or agreed values stop teachers from teaching and stop themselves and others from learning. All children and staff, through class PSHE lessons and the School Council have had a say in, and routinely revisit, the consequences used in school.
Consequences begin when a child has been given the chance to correct their behaviour and has CHOSEN not to do so.
1. The teacher will praise the positive behaviour of other children to highlight good models
2. Simple, non-verbal prompt will be given to the child e.g. body language/a “look”/hand signals to be quiet or sit down etc.
3. A verbal prompt e.g. “Sam...(pause)..sit down, thank you”. If the child wants to express their views at this point e.g. ”But I am just sharpening my pencil” then it is important to acknowledge this but give a reminder, “That might be the case, but just now I would like you to sit down, thank you”.
4. In-class time out – “Time to think about the things you do, but always remember I care about you” – Each class needs to establish an area in the classroom, far enough away from the rest of the class so children can have a place to calm down and settle. A small table and chair (no books) and an egg timer or calming jar can help. The area can be partly screened but the teacher needs to be able to see what the child is doing. This area should be given a positive and purposeful name e.g. “cool-off area/thinking area” and five minutes is normally ample for the child to settle and calm down. It is helpful to give the child a cue whereby they can signal to the teacher that they are calm and settled enough to re-join the other children (such as arms crossed or hands in lap). It can also help to have some visual prompts in the thinking area showing a child thinking, calming and realising what he needs to do before returning to his/her group. It is important that the child knows, dependent upon the child’s actions, this is not always a negative strategy. For example, if a child is not writing, a safe time out could help to re-focus.