Relationships, Belonging & Behaviour

At Gayhurst we take pride in the positive relationships and interactions between children and adults around our school. We believe that a positive approach to behaviour management is essential for supporting children to develop their own self-worth and their ability to reflect on and manage their feelings and behaviours. Positive relationships with other children and adults increase the ability of children to be fully engaged in the life of the school and ensure a calm and productive atmosphere in which to learn and play.  

Part of this approach is that staff practice a trauma-informed approach. We have created a school culture where staff are aware of trauma and its effect and where everyone is committed to supporting pupils who have experienced trauma. We place relationships and a child’s sense of safety and security at the heart of the classroom experience and classroom management. We encourage nurture, warmth and empathy, even when a child is presenting with behaviours that feel challenging. We promote a sense of community and belonging and always take individual circumstances into account. 

We recognise that a child who demonstrates negative behaviour needs the support of a fair and consistent behaviour management system which is understood and agreed by the whole school community - children, staff, parents and carers.  The school rules are designed to keep everybody in school safe and the consequences for breaking the rules are designed to allow a child to reflect on their behaviour and restore relationships. We have high expectations of behaviour and always aim to develop children’s understanding of the impact of their behaviour, whether positive or negative. 

An important aspect of our approach is the ‘Stay on Green’ system.  It uses positive behaviour management reinforcement because we believe that recognition of achievements is at the core of any successful behaviour management. Positive behaviours are rewarded through praise which may be in the form of positive verbal feedback, stickers, the proud cloud, reward tokens and certificates. The system gives consequences for negative behaviours through a series of different coloured cards, allowing time for children to reflect and have the chance to correct any negative behaviours. All school staff are trained in consistent use of language to describe behaviours and to understand how to help children regulate their emotions.

The Stay on Green system works alongside The Zones of Regulation which is a conceptual framework used to teach pupils self-regulation. This involves responding to feelings and what is going on, in a socially appropriate way. Children need to develop underlying skills in order to be able to self-regulate. We use our positive behaviour system alongside teaching children how to make better choices, so they learn what they could do differently and have opportunities to practise these skills in a safe and supportive environment.

At Gayhurst we understand that emotions and feelings drive behaviour and that behaviour is a way of children communicating these feelings. The underlying reasons why a child is demonstrating negative behaviours are always considered and ,in partnership with parents, we aim to gain an understanding of each child’s individual behaviour needs.

You can find the LEAP Relationships, Belonging and Behaviour Policy on this page of our website.