Information for parents

Behaviour on a page - a summary of our approach

Emotion Response and Positive behaviour

Dickens Heath Community Primary School (DHCPS) is an inclusive school that meets the needs of a range of children – this includes those with complex family backgrounds as well as those with a range of special needs.  At DHCPS, we are committed to developing children’s character by focusing on behaviour, attitude and attributes.

Viewing behaviour as, ‘the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others,’ we believe that everyone has the right to learn and feel safe, welcome, secure and happy in school.  We should treat others with respect, kindness, compassion, understanding and tolerance whilst recognising all pupils are unique and special and celebrate differences.  This should help them to achieve their maximum potential with their learning and in school in general.

Aims of our approach

We ask our children to follow a simple mantra: turn up, work hard and choose kind.

• Promote kindness
• Kindness is the sincere and voluntary use of one’s time, talent, and resources to better the lives of others, one’s own life, and the world through genuine acts of love, compassion, generosity, and service.  We believe that when we are kind to others, we make people feel valued.
• We strive to foster a culture of and commitment to promoting kindness to all to allow children to be the best that they can be.  We expect every member of the school community to behave in a considerate way towards others.

• Nurture responsible citizens

• It is our duty to prepare children for life in modern Britain and contribute positively to society.
• To aim to nurture responsible, respectful and reflective children in an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure.

• Develop emotional intelligence

• It is our belief that emotional intelligence is a gateway to better learning, friendships, academic success and employment.

• We seek to promote emotional intelligence to encourage empathy and create a caring community where everyone is treated fairly and feels valued and respected. 

• Build positive relationships

• Through positive relationships we are each enabled to have a sense of belonging at Dickens Heath.  Through positive relationships we have high self-esteem, personal identity, effective communication and a sense of value.
• We have a set of school rules which frames a code of conduct - a means of promoting good relationships - so that people can work together as a school community in an effective, considerate and safe way.

• Strive for high levels of self-esteem

• With high levels of self-esteem, pupils will: be more confident in their ability to succeed; welcome and enjoy new learning experiences and be able to relate well to other people.
• High self-esteem is crucial to the effectiveness and happiness of our school and in supporting school aims.  In order to build positive self-esteem, every member of this school is committed to creating an environment built upon kindness; where everyone is listened to and encouraged.  Through a commitment to kindness, we seek to build positive relationships and give respect and support to all our community whether adult or child.

• At the heart of our approach are:

• Emotion coaching
• Scaling and Zones of regulation
• Restorative practice
• The concept of ‘Bucket filling’ inspired by Carol McCloud’s story – ‘Have you Filled a Bucket Today?’ 
• Growth Mindset

We recognise that a pupil’s happiness and well-being are the foundation for their success and that is essential to nurture, not just the academic progress of the child, but to look after and care for the ‘whole person.’  We encourage children to learn about health and well-being and the importance of looking after our social, emotional and mental health as well as our physical health.

We want our children to develop a set of values that will stand them in good stead now and in later life.  These include a sense of community, and responsibility.  Children are encouraged to be kind and considerate, and to have respect and show tolerance for all.  The promotion of British values and an understanding of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of learning are at the heart of what we do.

We take every opportunity to teach strategies for building social skills, resilience and raising self-esteem.  At DHCPS, these are seen as vital steps in preparing our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.  Our children develop a range of strategies which enable them to manage their emotions and self-regulate their behaviour.   For this reason our policy is called an ‘Emotion Response and Positive Behaviour policy.’

It is our aim to:  

• Equip our children with a vocabulary for feelings believing that each new emotion word is a new tool for emotional intelligence.
• Utilise emotion charts, zones of regulation cards and scaling tools in classrooms.
• Develop self-awareness through self-reflective questioning.
• Reflect back the child’s perspective to make them feel understood to encourage collaboration and support.
• Allow children to feel safe – safe to express themselves in a non-judgmental environment.
• Provide opportunities for children to regulate, restore and repair to move forward.

Our behaviour policy is reviewed annually.

For more detailed information please refer to our policy below.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Anti-bullying policy, Online Safety policy, Special Educational Needs policy, Positive Handling policy, Safeguarding policy, Child Protection policy, all of which can be found in our 'Policies' section under 'Key Information.'