The Leys 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 The Leys, 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.
We will build a community in The Leys where children are more than just educated and where all feel safe and supported. They will be empowered to change their own lives and the lives of those around them. They will be able to stand up and become pillars of the community, making a difference. We will be good role models who inspire through a love of learning and be motivated to make a positive impact on each other’s lives. Together, we will continually strive to remove the barriers to success and fear of failure. We will provide a culture of mutual respect and acceptance with children moving onto their next venture with the skills and values to set them on the path to achieve their dreams. Our school will take pride in leading the children at The Leys on their journey - both educational and for life; enabling them to drive their own futures to greater success and shape our diverse community for the better.
Inclusivity
We provide opportunities to learn, succeed and be happy that are equal for all children regardless of ability, gender, race or special need.
Year 6 Pupil 2023 ‘We are treated fairly by all adults.... with my friends I don’t feel left out’
Empathy
We support pupils to build strengthened relationships by understanding how we learn, feel and think differently.
Year 6 Pupil 2023 ‘As I have got older, I understand others more and they understand me better’
Respect
We help children to learn tolerance and respect for other people, their beliefs and their belongings.
Year 6 Pupil 2023 ‘At The Leys, we treat everyone with respect, that's important to us..'
Aspiration
We provide a caring, secure and stimulating learning environment where pupils are happy, confident and are supported to aspire to achieve their full potential.
Year 6 Pupil 2023 ‘I have really enjoyed Career’s month.. It has made me think about my future job’
Determination
We teach our pupils that if you don't succeed at first in what you are doing, try it over and over again until you get it perfect and how you want it.
Year 6 Pupil 2023 ‘In Maths, I always do my best, try my best..'
Empowerment
We develop self-esteem, self-discipline, self-respect and confidence to meet the changes and challenges in their life ahead, and so that they are ready for the next stage of their education.
Year 6 Pupil 2023 ‘Empowerment for me is about being prepared for secondary school..I can’t wait.'
To establish a consistent approach to behaviour management, whilst understanding that this does not always mean treating everyone equally.
To create a calm and supportive learning environment where teachers enjoy teaching and children enjoy learning.
To overtly teach children the behaviour expectations and rules for school.
To promote an environment where we help children to feel safe, self-regulate their behaviour and feel motivated to act prosocially thus reflecting the values of the school.
A school’s approach to mental health and behaviour should be part of a consistent whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. This should involve providing a structured school environment with clear expectations of behaviour, well communicated social norms and routines, which are reinforced with highly consistent consequence systems. This should be paired with an individualised graduated response when the behavioural issues might be a result of educational, mental health, other needs or vulnerabilities.
(Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools (2018))
Ready, Respectful and Safe are the three expectations for our children’s behaviour.
‘Ready’ - Ready to learn, ready to listen, ready to participate.
‘Respectful’ - Respect for themselves, to their peers, to adults and to our environment.
‘Safe’ - Safe in their learning environment, safe with the people around them and safe in the activities in which they are taking part.
Where appropriate and reasonable, adjustments may be made to routines within the curriculum to ensure all children can meet behaviour expectations. 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. Children also need to develop internal self discipline, meaning that they need to be self motivated to behave in a prosocial way, not just because they will get a reward or consequence if they do not.
All staff receive annual training using the Therapeutic Thinking approach to behaviour management. This uses a graduated continuum of response starting with children being taught the school behaviour curriculum and expectations, which are continually reinforced. If more support is needed, we then use a series of tools to analyse and predict behaviour through more targeted and specialist strategies. We also have two nurture rooms with additional staff to support children with more complex social emotional and mental health needs.
Zones of Regulation are introduced in Early Years and reinforced throughout Key Stage1. However, as the children get older the expectation is that they learn to understand and use emotional vocabulary. They are also taught to recognise emotions in themselves and others.
Children also need to be taught and develop a bank of strategies to help them manage their emotions in different situations. These can include; sensory circuits, movement breaks, yoga, breathing exercises, listening to music, eating healthy snacks, drinking water, writing in a journal or diary or mindful drawing/colouring.
Our behaviour policy is reviewed annually. For more detailed information please refer to our policies link below.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Anti-bullying policy, Online Safety policy, Special Educational Needs policy, Safeguarding policy, Child Protection policy, all of which can be found in our 'Policies' section under 'Key Information.'
Policies Section