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Head’s blog

Staying safe and happy through positive behaviour

Our first assembly of the term focused on our Grimsdell Way which is our representation of our school values:

Every school will have a code similar to this and they are hugely important in embedding kind, safe and respectful behaviour habits and intentions in children. Children are often able to recite their school rules or values but helping them get to grips with why these are important is a little more complex. Being happy and staying safe are simple concepts that young children can connect with, so these two principles really guide us in getting our pupils to buy into the Grimsdell Way. I was delighted to share with the children some genuine photos of children making the right choices and following The Grimsdell Way when I went for a walk around our school. We looked at pictures of children walking in corridors rather than running, holding the bannister on the stairs, handing out equipment, listening to each other and cheering one another up. They made an instant visual connection with the expectations and themselves.

In addition to this we have a key feature within our behaviour policy which is to use POSITIVE language with children and empower them to take charge of their own positive behaviour, rather than wait for the negative and then react. Framing things positively and getting children to take ownership also complements our approaches to learning which are all about motivation, independence and engagement.

The key to positive behaviour lies in clear expectations first, but also the language and dialogue we use with children and the support we can give them to help them make the right choices and meet these expectations. Sometimes it is the way children feel about a situation that leads to their negative behaviour, which is why we are also developing our behaviour policy to incorporate the ‘Zones of Regulation’. This approach is about acknowledging and recognising all emotions and giving children tools to manage them. Self-control and self-regulation are key personal skills and these need to be grown and developed within young children. I hope parents enjoy the attached visual from our policy and can see the scope for this strategy to be helpful both at school and home. The tools can be added according to what works for the individual, and actually adults may find this useful for themselves too!