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 in 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 and therapeutic approach to behaviour management, whilst understanding that equality does not mean equity.
To create a calm and supportive learning environment where teachers enjoy teaching and children enjoy learning.
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.
To promote prosocial behaviour and set clear consequences for antisocial, difficult or dangerous behaviour.
To ensure that social, moral, spiritual, and cultural education is embedded in our school culture.
To ensure personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, Relationships and Sex-Education (RSE) are an integral part of the curriculum.
To teach pupil's strategies to resolve conflict and self regulate.
To ensure pupils have the opportunity to share ongoing concerns with an adult and be ‘listened to’.
To involve parents and carers in discussions where we jointly develop individual approaches for pupils with more complex needs, as appropriate.
To offer therapeutic interventions based on a continuum of need.
To provide staff with training in Therapeutic Thinking, Mental Health and Zones of Regulation.
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.
We take every opportunity to teach strategies for building social skills, resilience and raising self-esteem. At The Leys, these are seen as vital steps in preparing our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Our children develop a range of strategies which enable them to manage their emotions and self-regulate their behaviour.
It is our aim to:
Equip our children with a vocabulary for feelings believing that each new emotion word is anew tool for emotional intelligence.
Utilise emotion charts, zones of regulation cards and scaling tools in classrooms.
Develop self-awareness through self-reflective questioning.
Reflect back the child’s perspective to make them feel understood to encourage collaboration and support.
Allow children to feel safe – safe to express themselves in a non-judgmental environment.
Provide opportunities for children to regulate, restore and repair to move forward.
Our behaviour policy is reviewed annually. For more detailed information please refer to our policy below.
Behaviour Policy 2023 (Draft)
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