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.