At St Lawrence, we want to prepare our pupils for the life that lies ahead of them and believe that explicit teaching of outstanding behaviour is an integral part of this. Our Christian values-based curriculum has been designed to build our pupils’ character, preparing them for a successful future, and our behaviour curriculum is at the heart.
Through our behaviour curriculum, we teach outstanding behaviour through clear expectations, routines and opportunities for all staff and children to rehearse, model and refine these behaviours. We want our pupils to understand how and why we behave and to have frequent opportunities to practise doing so, in order for these behaviours to become intrinsic in their day to day lives. Our behaviour curriculum is designed to be accessible for pupils from Reception to Year Six and is adapted to suit the needs of all pupils including those with SEND and other additional needs – every child is important and we want every child to succeed. We also use activity as a means of supporting a child to regulate their behaviour, as we understand that dysregulated children are trying to communicate something, and are not ready to learn nor to discuss the problem at that moment.
Teaching of our behaviour curriculum centres around six core behaviours that encourage children to be polite, active learners.
Six core behaviours. In the first week of the academic year, children are explicitly taught what these behaviours look like and why they are important for learning. Time is given to rehearse these behaviours in class and around school and children are rewarded with behaviour specific certificates in our celebration worship. Children who receive all six behaviour certificates are awarded the Brilliant Behaviour Award and feature on our school ‘Hall of Fame’ display. Teaching of the behaviours is revisited in classrooms and Worship throughout the year.
In classrooms, rewards charts are linked to the behaviour curriculum and children move up the chart when demonstrating the behaviours consistently. Each child has an acorn on the class oak tree and positive behaviour enables children to move up the tree from the green branches, where they start each day, through bronze, silver and gold. Children achieving gold are recognised with a gold award sent home to parents at the end of the school day. Our system is designed to be inclusive and recognises the achievements of individual children, including those with SEND or additional needs.