Behaviour & Relationships
Our Intent
At Our Lady’s RC Primary School, we are an inclusive, faith-led community committed to every child’s safety, dignity and wellbeing.
Rooted in our Catholic mission to “live life to the full” (John 10:10), we believe behaviour is taught, modelled and strengthened through positive relationships, clear expectations and consistent adult responses.
Our intention is to:
- Create a calm, safe and purposeful learning environment
- Teach children how to regulate emotions and make positive choices
- Develop responsibility, empathy and respect
- Ensure every child feels known, valued and supported
- Maintain clear, firm boundaries that keep everyone safe
Safety is non-negotiable. Compassion and consistency sit alongside high expectations.
Our Core Expectations
Our whole-school expectations are simple, visible and consistently applied:
Ready
We are prepared, focused and willing to learn.
Respectful
We use kind words and actions and value everyone in our school family.
Safe
We keep our hands, feet and words safe at all times.
These expectations underpin every classroom, corridor and playground interaction.
How We Teach Behaviour
At Our Lady’s, we do not simply manage behaviour — we teach it.
Behaviour is explicitly taught through:
- Clear routines and structured transitions
- Modelling respectful interactions
- Emotion coaching and regulation strategies
- Consistent language across the school
- Restorative conversations when things go wrong
We believe all behaviour is a form of communication. When children feel safe and understood, they are more able to reflect, regulate and learn.
A Relational and Restorative Approach
Our approach is grounded in:
- Emotion Coaching
- Trauma and Attachment Awareness
- Restorative Practice
Adults prioritise connection before correction. We support children to:
- Recognise and name emotions
- Understand the impact of their actions
- Repair relationships
- Develop strategies to manage frustration and conflict
This approach builds long-term self-regulation rather than short-term compliance.
Clear and Consistent Consequences
While we lead with relationships, we are clear that unsafe behaviour has consequences.
We use a stepped response:
- Reminder
- Warning
- Reflection
- Repair
Where behaviour becomes unsafe or physically harmful, senior leaders intervene immediately and parents are informed.
Serious breaches of safety may result in suspension in line with Department for Education guidance.
Consequences are:
- Proportionate
- Consistent
- Linked to the behaviour
- Focused on accountability and learning
The safety of pupils and staff is always our highest priority.
Supporting Pupils with Additional Needs
We recognise that some children require additional support to regulate their emotions and behaviour.
Support may include:
- Individual Behaviour Support Plans
- Risk assessments
- Key adult mentoring
- Safe spaces for regulation
- Structured transitions and reduced timetables (short-term and reviewed regularly)
- External agency involvement
These measures are supportive and safeguarding-led. Our aim is always successful reintegration into full-time education.
Attendance and Behaviour
Good behaviour and good attendance are closely linked.
We expect all pupils to attend school regularly and on time. Leaders monitor attendance and behaviour patterns carefully to ensure that pupils receive the right support at the right time.
Where attendance concerns arise, we work closely with families and, where necessary, external services to remove barriers and ensure children can access their education consistently.
Monitoring and Leadership
Leaders regularly review behaviour and attendance data to ensure consistency and identify patterns or emerging concerns.
This includes:
- Reviewing incidents and trends
- Evaluating the impact of support strategies
- Ensuring fair and consistent application of expectations
- Reporting to governors
This allows us to adapt practice, provide targeted intervention and continually improve our provision.
Our Impact
Through our consistent and relational approach, we aim to see:
- Calm, purposeful classrooms
- Children who take responsibility for their actions
- Strong relationships between staff and pupils
- Reduced incidents over time
- Pupils who feel safe, valued and confident
We are proud of our inclusive school community and remain committed to high standards of behaviour rooted in faith, fairness and safeguarding.
Working in Partnership with Parents
Positive behaviour is strongest when school and home work together.
We ask parents and carers to:
- Support our Ready, Respectful, Safe expectations
- Reinforce respectful language and safe choices
- Communicate concerns directly with the school
We are committed to open, respectful and professional communication at all times.
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