Notre Dame Primary Relationships Policy
Notre Dame Primary… an inclusive learning community built on gospel Values, promoting respect for all and allowing individual talents to shine.
At Notre Dame Primary School we are proud of our Nurturing, Positive and Respectful ethos. We aim to equip all of our pupils with the skills and understanding to successfully develop and maintain positive, healthy relationships. We work as a community to create an ethos where everyone feels they are included, they belong and they are cared for.
We have high expectations of ourselves and others and we want our children to become responsible and successful citizens.
Our Vision, Values and Aims were recently reviewed with our school community.
We are Catholic School with a nurturing and inclusive environment within a diverse community, built on faith, love and respect for all. We aim for our curriculum to be challenging yet supportive, encouraging everyone to flourish. We want our children to leave us happy, resilient, respectful and confident and to be the best they can be.
We will do this through our five values – RALFS. Our school mascot is a lion who flies the Notre Dame flag. Every class will have a lion teddy bear which would be given to a different child every fortnight.
- RESPECT – I will be more respectful of others by…
- ASPIRATION – I will aspire to be the best I can be by…
- LOVE – I will show my love for others by…
- FAITH – I will pray for the gift of faith in God. I will show my faith by…
- STEWARDSHIP – I will thank God for the world around me and I will take better care of it by…
Through our values we hope to ensure that all of our children achieve the 4 capacities, becoming successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society. In line with schools across Glasgow we recognise, understand and implement the six nurture principles to ensure the best outcomes for our children. This is explained further in our nurture policy.
To ensure all of our pupils reach and sustain this throughout their school life we have developed a system of Promoting Positive Behaviour.
Responsibility for behaviour management strategies is devolved to class teachers, and may
include (but not limited to):
- Individual or group targets
- Points systems
- Whole class incentives
- Creation of class charters
- Praise and encouragement
Relationships and communication between all adults and children should show respect, cooperation, tolerance, encouragement and praise. They should reflect the underlying principles of nurture and restorative practice. Each teacher has responsibility for the maintenance of discipline within their own class.
- Working to promote and uphold the Relationships Policy
- Creating a safe, secure and caring environment
- Establishing and fostering positive relationships
- Have high expectations of all children
- Following restorative approaches to ensure a consistent and fair approach
- Providing a rich, stimulating, varied and challenging curriculum which engages the children
- Making senior management aware of all incidents of a serious nature as soon as possible
All of the adults who work in Notre Dame are valued equally, therefore it is crucial that all Teachers, Support staff, Janitor, Cleaners, Kitchen Staff and Office staff are included and respected within any system that promotes positive behaviour. This should also include any volunteers or students who are here on a temporary basis.
All low-level behaviour should be managed through class systems where possible and behaviour out-with this should be escalated to management, as appropriate.
Restorative Approaches
Restorative approaches are a set of principles and practices that encourage children to take responsibility for their behaviour by thinking through the causes and consequences. Where there has been an issue, restorative conversations will be facilitated between those involved. The following questions will be used…
Responding to challenging behaviour
- What happened?
- What were you thinking about at the time?
- What have your thoughts been since?
- Who has been affected by what you did?
- In what way have they been affected?
- What do you think needs to happen next?
Responding to those harmed
- What happened?
- What were your thoughts at the time?
- What have your thoughts been since?
- How has this affected you and others?
- What has been the hardest thing for you?
- What do you think needs to happen next?
When we believe we are being heard and understood we are far more inclined to engage in healthy conversations that lead to positive resolutions.
Class teachers have systems in place for communicating with Support Staff at handover times from play/lunchtimes to class time.
We have a whole school approach to mindfulness and most teachers have been trained in the Do Be Mindful lessons. Mindfulness should be used regularly in classes to support and address the mental health of the children and this in turn will support positive behaviour across the school. Teachers and educators are uniquely placed to be positive role models by demonstrating the life-enhancing skills pupils need to help time-limit and mitigate anxiety and stress caused by the challenges of modern life and events.
As Ginott says of teachers: ‘I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous…it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated..’
Whole School House System
- From P1-7 the children are divided into 4 houses – Earth, Wind, Water and Fire.
- Each house has a staff member as leader. Every other staff member will be affiliated with a specific house too.
- P7 and P4 children are elected in as Captains and Vice Captains. They help to lead the Business Meetings on Mondays and help their housemates.
- Children sit in their house groups at assembly time.
- Each class displays a points chart for each house, listing the pupils’ names and this can be used to reinforce positive behaviours within the class. Points will also be awarded throughout assembly times for specific purposes.
- The fortnight focus is announced at the Monday/Tuesday business meeting and the children are told what the Friday certificate will be awarded for. Each value will be represented by a coloured star and these will be in the form of stickers and badges. All staff will be given stickers to issue and the badges will be given at assembly. At the certificate assembly one certificate will be issued for the theme and one for showing one of the school values.
- These children will be rewarded with a certificate and 100 house points. They will also have the opportunity of having cakes with HT (or other SLT).
- The winning house will receive a treat termly organised by the house leader.
Promoting Positive behaviour in Class/Playground
We believe that children should be encouraged and rewarded for demonstrating our school values of Respect, Aspiration, Love, Faith and Stewardship. We use the following positive rewards, amongst others:
- Non-verbal rewards such as a thumbs up or a smile
- Praise
- Showing work to another teacher/management
- Stickers
- Certificates with specific reasons
- Good news calls home
- Positive messages and sharing of good work to parents on Seesaw
- Celebrating achievement on Twitter
- Displaying work, HT Proud wall
- Certificate assemblies
- Cakes with HT/SLT
- House Points
- Yearly celebration of achievement assemblies
At times there may be children who will require more intensive support and specific personal targets will be set with them. When children do require specific support/guidance, this should be carried out appropriately and effectively and management informed as appropriate. There may be interventions such as:
- Moving seat within class
- Target sheet to promote positive behaviour
- Time out with support staff
- Use of break out spaces – timed
- Informal conversation with parents (end of day/telephone/Seesaw)
- Alternative playtime arrangements
- Support from nurture base
Some children may require a positive behaviour plan which will be constructed in conversation with their class teacher, senior management and nurture teacher as appropriate. This will be shared with the parent/carer.
Sometimes we may require support from other agencies such as Educational Psychology, Counselling etc and the child may require a Wellbeing and Assessment Plan. This would be discussed with parents/carers.
If the behaviours being displayed continue and all strategies described have been exhausted or if there has been a serious incident such as physical violence, bullying, vandalism or consistent refusal to comply with requests from staff, then other actions will be taken:
- A full investigation carried out by management
- Parents/carers contacted and where appropriate a meeting will be arranged
- Details of the incident will be recorded in the appropriate manner and support/restorative measures put in place
- Appropriate consequences put in place which may include: internal exclusion (child withdrawn from class for a period of time), extended period of exclusion from the playground, external exclusion (temporary exclusion from the school), permanent exclusion.
We want to all work together to ensure that your children are safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included in our Notre Dame family.
