Behaviour
At Eastlands Primary we believe that school is a place where children are learning how to become good citizens of the future. This means that all staff are always striving to help develop individuals who have a strong sense of self and the great importance of being respectful of everyone and the environment in which they learn.
We are less about fixed, prescribed rules but more about promoting understanding of what it is to be a decent individual, working together within a community. Therefore, every child and adult in Eastlands behaves in a way which respects the overarching value that:
‘Everyone has the right to feel safe’
Embracing this value in terms of behaviour has a positive impact in many ways. It means that children do not hurt each other physically, emotionally or verbally, as this right is compromised. However, it also has implications on the classroom environment. Safe learning environments are where children can share ideas and feelings; challenge themselves and take risks. They are also where good order can be maintained by adults in calm working environments.
If we set the feeling of being safe as a starting point, then we have a single principle on which to begin teaching children about what good behaviour looks like. The way in which we manage behaviour is, then, underpinned by, first and foremost, the principles of high quality safeguarding practice. Staff are open to individuality, caring and empathetic and strive to develop positive relationships with all children, so that they feel able to share feelings without judgement. In instances of more challenging behaviour, Eastlands subscribes to the principles of the Team Teach training programme and our last session of whole-staff development was in 2018. This means that the majority of our staff have a fundamental awareness of the importance of managing more severe behavior calmly and safely and the great value of letting children recuperate and repair any damage to their own emotional well-being and/or any compromises to the feelings of safety of others.
We aim to achieve as much consistency as possible for children, in terms of expectations and consequences but we all bear in mind that:
‘To treat people equally, sometimes we have to treat them differently’
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