Behaviour

At Norton-Juxta-Kempsey C.E. Primary School we believe that the management of pupil behaviour is best achieved through praise and reward. We appreciate that children are still learning about acceptable behaviour and will need guidance and support as they evolve their own internal understanding. We also want children to appreciate the consequences of their actions and that this will involve the use of a restorative approach working with the child. if appropriate. We acknowledge that learning about acceptable behaviour is not confined just to timetabled activities in the classroom but permeates the whole of the time which children spend on the premises or engaged in school related activities. 

We are a THRIVE school. For us, this means that we have THRIVE embedded within our ethos and THRIVE approaches are followed across our whole school setting.  

The THRIVE approach supports and encourages the development of confident, curious, creative and capable children and young people, who are open to learning and better equipped to deal with life’s ups and downs.  

We have a commitment to continually deepen our understanding of how social and emotional learning develops and how this can be supported in school.   

We recognise that behaviours can be learnt and be held within our cognitive awareness, but also that they can be unconscious, patterned, non-problem-solving defence or discharge responses. Attentive, observant adults working with children are required to recognise behaviours, identify underlying needs and respond in appropriate ways.  

Our staff regularly undertake CPD in order to deepen knowledge and our school ethos, environment, resources, learning approaches, timetable and planning are all informed by our understanding of how importantly each impacts on social, emotional and academic development and learning. Drawing all these elements together has been a long-term vision for our school.  

Aims  

At Norton Juxta Kempsey Primary School, we want all our children to develop and learn to the best of their ability. We believe, as in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, that children learn best when their basic (physiological requirements and feeling safe) and their psychological needs (their sense of belonging and accomplishment) are met before we address their cognitive needs. This includes learning about their behaviour and emotions.   

We need to ensure that we have an effective approach to securing high quality personal development and well-being through:  

• Encouraging a calm, purposeful and happy atmosphere within the school 

• Encouraging increasing independence and self-discipline so that each child learns to accept responsibility for their own behaviour 

• To make the boundaries of acceptable behaviour clear and to ensure safety 

•  To raise awareness about appropriate behaviour 
•  To foster positive, caring attitudes ​​​​​​​
• To promote a fair and consistent approach so that everybody in the school community knows their expectations ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Just as in other curriculum areas, these skills need to be directly taught in a ‘right time’ age appropriate way. For some children, this may not be their chronological age.  

We are very clear that everyone has the right to feel safe, special and to have their needs met. We also need to ensure that we have an effective approach to securing high quality personal development and well-being through the learning values contained within our C U THRIVE programme:  

• Communication - Caring relationships which grow and develop through talking and problem solving.   

• Understanding difference in the self, others and the wider world.  

• Trust - Positive and purposeful relationships based on trust. 

• Hard work inspired by engaging learning activities leading to achievement.  

• Respect at the heart of everything we do.  

• Independence - building responsibility as we grow and learn.   

• Vitality - Productive energy from making the most of opportunities leaving us feeling happy, well and fulfilled. 

• Expectations - a cycle of high expectation set up in those opportunities resulting in personal best, leading to praise and constructive self-evaluation and reflection that keeps telling us more about our learning, behaviour and emotion.   

Our Behaviour Expectations  

We expect children to demonstrate our expectations in line with our CUTHRIVE programme:  

Be RESPONSIBLE               Be RESPECTFUL                       Be SAFE 

• Walk quietly round school at all times (Respect / Safe)   

• Keep hands/feet to yourself (Respect / Safe)  

• Be kind to others (Respect)  

• Use good manners (Respect)  

• Be a good listener (Communication / Understanding Difference) (Responsible) 

• Allow others to learn (Respect)  

• Respect others/property (Respect)  

• Complete assigned work (Hard Work)  

• Keep spaces neat and tidy (Respect)   

• Always do your best (Hard Work / Responsible)  

• Use time wisely (Hard Work)  

• Be interested. Ask questions. (Communication / Vitality/ Engaged)  

As a staff we will:  

• Treat all children fairly, recognising their individuality and needs  

• Raise children's self-esteem and develop their full potential  

• Provide a challenging, interesting and relevant curriculum  

• Create a safe and pleasant environment, physically and emotionally  

• Use rules and the restorative approach clearly and consistently