Statement of Behaviour Principles

The governors of St Edmundsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School believe that high standards of behaviour lie at the heart of a successful school and enable children to make the best possible progress in all aspects of school life.

With this in mind, the school governors have established the following statement of principles for behaviour at St Edmundsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School:

• Every pupil understands they have the right to feel safe, valued and respected, and to be able to learn free from the disruption of others
• All pupils, staff and visitors are free from any form of discrimination
• Staff and volunteers set an excellent example to pupils at all times
• Rewards, sanctions and reasonable force are used consistently by staff, in line with the behaviour policy
• The behaviour policy is understood by pupils and staff
• The behaviour policy explains that exclusions will only be used as a last resort, and outlines the processes involved in suspensions and exclusions
• Pupils are helped to take responsibility for their actions
• Families are involved in behaviour incidents to foster good relationships between the school and pupils’ home life

This written statement and the policies that are influenced by it apply to all pupils when in school, when engaged in extra-curricular activities such as educational trips and visits (residential and non-residential) and when travelling to and from school. 

The governing board also emphasises that violence or threatening behaviour will not be tolerated in any circumstances.

This is a statement of principles not practice. Practical applications of the principles are the responsibility of the Headteacher.

This statement provides guidance to the Headteacher in drawing up the school's Behaviour Policy. The policy will be developed with reference to the Department for Education's (DfE) guidance documents.

Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation has been used for last 15 years in schools around the world.  

It aims to provide

•             Increased self-awareness and social and emotional skills for individual children

•             A common language for communication, problem solving, and emotional understanding, which develops as children mature

•             More time spent on learning instead of on behaviour management

•             A healthier, more inclusive school climate

The approach entails teaching children about their emotional states, learning to recognise them, talk about them and ultimately manage them – ‘self-regulate’.  This is an essential skill for life and whilst we don’t expect any of the children to manage this all of the time, we do hope that learning about their emotions will mean that their self-regulatory skills increase and continue to develop as they move through their primary years.

We have included some resources below which you may find useful when talking to your children about how Zones is used in school, and some vocabulary and techniques which might be useful at home.

Emotional Vocabulary - by year group