Behaviour

Building strong and positive relationships is at the heart of Yarborough Academy. Our relationship policy has an unwavering focus on positive behaviours and intrinsic motivation. Just like our curriculum prepares each individual child for their real and future lives; through active participation, purpose and application, so should our relationship education. We are a community that nurtures and supports every child; values everyone’s unique worth and contribution; empowers every member to achieve and open up a world of opportunities. We are a safe place where high expectations are accompanied by high support and care to build self-esteem and self-belief.

We understand that all behaviour is communication, so we reframe difficult behaviour as an expression of need.

Punishments don’t teach, they create more distance between teachers and students; they make children become compliant and lead to feelings of anger, shame and humiliation. So instead of reflection, children learn to plot how to avoid detection next time, learn to look after just themselves and learn that they should exert power as a way of getting what they want.

We therefore use restorative practices which represent a positive step forward in helping students learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behaviour, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness. Restorative practice repairs the harm done to relationships, over and above the need for assigning blame and giving punishments. It fosters an awareness of how others have been affected by actively engaging everyone, separating the deed from the doer. This is done WITH the children and not TO them.

Relationships and communication between all adults and children will show respect, cooperation, tolerance, encouragement and praise. They will reflect the underlying principles of nurture, restorative practice and be trauma informed. Real positive relationships mean that it is harder for students to act defiantly or disrespectfully towards adults who clearly care about them and their future.

 ‘When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower itself’ Alexander Den Heijer.

‘For a person to ‘grow,’ they need an environment that provides them with genuineness (openness and self-disclosure), acceptance (being seen with unconditional positive regard) and empathy (being listened to and understood). Without these, relationships and healthy personalities will not develop as they should, much like a tree will not grow without sunlight and water.’ Carl Rogers.

Our approach to Behaviour and Relationships is underpinned by the values of GROWTH, LOVE, OVER AND ABOVE.

These values and their characteristics are used to help and support children to understand the kinds of behaviours that are promoted and recognised in our academy. We celebrate through GLO stickers, GLO postcards home, GLO circles and the GLO MO Show.

GROWTH - OVER AND ABOVE

We are Determined	We are Brave	We are Inventive
-We try our very best -We work hard and push ourselves -We join in with enjoyment and dedication -We strive to achieve excellence -We challenge ourselves -We keep on going and don’t give up -We are proud to do well -We show commitment and focus -We concentrate, listen and learn -We take pleasure in working hard and doing a good job -We love to carry on learning at home -We have high expectations of ourselves	-We try new things -We learn from our mistakes -We give things a go and take the risk -We give and receive critique and make improvements -We give ourselves time if we need it -We talk about our emotions -We are resilient and strong -We persevere even when it’s tough -We reflect on our choices -We believe in ourselves -We show courage in the things we do -We restore our relationships when things go wrong	-We are curious and ask lots of questions -We are creative and innovative -We think of new ideas -We explore ideas -We are ambitious and find ways to get there -We inspire others -We imagine -We investigate -We look for solutions to problems -We show positivity -We find ways to manage our own emotions -We have ideas of how school can be improved

LOVE - OVER AND ABOVE

We are Kind	We are Trustworthy	We Stick Together
-We forgive ourselves and others -We show empathy -We care for each other -We are good friends -We are thoughtful -We help others to regulate -We appreciate each other -We listen -We nurture ourselves and others -We look after ourselves, our own health and well being -We show respect to others so they feel valued -We consider other people’s feelings	-We are honest and tell the truth -We show respect -We are loyal -We have good manners -We keep each other safe -We think about our choices -We follow the rules -We are punctual and ready to learn -We are fair -We follow instructions -We are responsible -We walk around school calmly and quietly	-We share -We help and support each other -We understand others -We include everyone -We treat everyone equally and accept them for who they are -We are welcoming -We encourage each other -We show interest in other people’s ideas and points of view -We show pride in our school uniform -We respect other people’s beliefs and individuality -We care about our relationships -We are proud of our school

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