St John's Church of England School

At St. John’s, we view behaviour as a form of communication, an indicator of an emotional need (whether conscious or unconscious).  We use a restorative approach when managing behaviour. In carrying out this practice, we respond to behaviour accordingly taking a non-judgmental, curious and empathic approach. Through discussion with our pupils we hope they gain wisdom in understanding the implication of their behaviours, develop skills to manage conflict, find strength in accepting responsibility in order to ‘make a difference’ in the future, and develop their emotional literacy and empathy so that they can forgive compassionately. 

 We understand behaviour can be a consequence of SEN and when this is the case reasonable adjustments will be made accordingly. We encourage all staff to respond in a fair manner that focuses on the feelings and emotions that might drive certain behaviour, rather than the behaviour itself. Being ‘fair’ is not about everyone getting the same (equality) but about everyone getting what they need (equity).

In order to help our children feel safe, we ensure that their educational environment is high in both nurture and structure.  At St John's C of E,  we recognise and reward positive behaviour and attitudes (more information about these types of rewards can be found in our School Behaviour Policy.) As a school we use '1-2-3 Magic', this is an effective Discipline for children 2-12, it a simple and gentle-but-firm approach to managing behaviour, which was designed by Dr. Tom Phelman, a clinical psychologist.  This approach helps to: 

1. Controlling Obnoxious Behavior by learning an amazingly simple technique to get the children to STOP doing what you don’t want them to do
2. Encouraging Good Behavior by using several effective methods to get your children to START doing what you want them to do 
3. Strengthening Your Relationships by learning powerful techniques that reinforce the bond between the adult and child(ren).

The Zones of Regulation is an internationally renowned intervention which helps children to manage difficult emotions, known as ‘self-regulation’. Self-regulation can go by many names such as ‘self-control’, ‘impulse management’ and ‘self-management’. Self-regulation is best described as the best state of alertness for a situation. For example, when your child takes part in a sports game, they would need to have a higher state of alertness than when, for example, they were working in a library. From time to time, all of us (including adults) find it hard to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, restlessness, fear or tiredness, and this stops us from getting on with our day effectively. Children who feel these emotions often find it hard to learn and concentrate in school. The Zones of Regulation aims to teach children strategies to help them cope with these feelings so they can get back to feeling calm and ready to learn. These coping strategies are called ‘self-regulation’.

At St John's we use the zones of regulation. You can learn more about how you can create this in your home - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66ogmkG98pI

Please also find the useful handout below, you may wish to explore this at home with your child/children.