Behaviour & Attitudes  

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’

Please also see 

EPS Behaviour Management Policy 

THRIVE approach 

What is the Thrive Approach? Thrive is a therapeutic approach to help support children with their emotional and social development. It is a whole school approach based around, current studies of effective learning and current models of child development – in order to help the school to understand the needs being signalled by children’s behaviour. The Thrive approach offers practical strategies and techniques and is built around online assessments which identify children’s emotional development and provides action plans for their individual needs. Whole classes can also use Thrive techniques and activities to address any issues or as part of PSHE sessions in school. Research has shown that how we behave is linked to how we feel and our emotions are linked to how we learn. By teaching children to recognise and notice these feelings and emotions it can help with their development and learning. Children sometimes need some extra support with their emotional growth and this can be temporary or over a longer period of time. Thrive promotes their emotional and social growth by building positive relationships between a child, their peers and the teaching staff and helps them explore and understand their feelings through various activities.
Why might my child attend a Thrive session? Many children experience difficulties during their time at school. These may include: Difficulties with friendships. Getting into trouble at playtime. Finding it hard to settle in the classroom. Finding it difficult to manage their strong feelings. Not knowing who to turn to when feelings are too big to manage on their own. These situations can lead to many different feelings which may seem overwhelming at times. They might include: anger, frustration, sadness, loneliness, confusion or anxiety. All these feelings are very normal and happen to a lot of children. The Thrive sessions are to help children learn to manage their feelings and teach them strategies that will help promote their learning at school.	What will happen in a Thrive session? The session may be on an individual basis or as part of a small group of children. During each session there will be an activity which may include: Story telling Circle games Arts and crafts Sand play Movement and relaxation Hand massage Cooking and preparing food Role play and puppet work Games Gardening