Ethos | Coulter Primary School

Promoting Positive Behaviour

At Coulter Primary School, we believe that positive behaviour is an essential condition for effective learning and teaching. We also believe that pupils and staff have the right to learn and teach in an environment which is safe, friendly, peaceful and fair.

The rationale of our policy is that good behaviour should be recognised and rewarded and that negative behaviours be discouraged and changed for the better, through the fair and systematic application of our behaviour policy. This policy outlines the strategies to be used for maintaining good behaviour throughout the school. Its purpose is to support staff in creating a safe, caring and ordered environment in and around the school. We adopt a balanced approach to discipline, rewarding good behaviour and using positive language while applying consequences for unacceptable behaviour in a consistent and fair way.

Nurture Principles have a positive impact on wellbeing, attainment and behaviour, and we strive to provide a nurturing environment for all our pupils. The Nurturing Principles are:

Children’s behaviour is understood developmentally.
The classroom offers a safe base.
Nurture is important for the development of wellbeing.
Language is a vital means of communication.
All behaviour is communication.
Transitions are important in children’s lives.

Download full our Promoting Positive Behaviour pdf for more information.

Bullying

The ability to learn in a safe, positive environment is essential in our ever-changing world of education, work and leisure. Schools have a key role to play in working with pupils and parents to ensure that every child can make the most of the opportunities that education offers. Promoting positive behaviour and a strong anti-bullying ethos are both a key focus in helping every pupil enjoy their school years. Our policy on anti-bullying is consistent with South Lanarkshire Council Education Resources guidelines “Treat Me Well “.

Aims

to ensure that all young people are free to learn in a safe and secure environment, without fear of bullying
to ensure a shared understanding of what bullying is
to develop a partnership approach to bullying with staff, pupils and parents all playing their part
to promote a positive ethos at Coulter Primary that fosters resilience and self-esteem for our pupils
to equip young people with the necessary skills to recognise and tackle the problems associated with bullying, both in school and in the world outside
to support young people who have experienced bullying behaviour.
to help those who have participated in bullying to recognise the causes and consequences of their behaviour.

What is bullying?

To tackle bullying, we need a clear definition of what it is. The definition used for purposes of this policy is: Bullying is both behaviour and impact; the impact is on a person’s capacity to feel in control of themselves. This is what we term as their sense of ‘agency’. Bullying takes place in the context of relationships; it is behaviour that can make people feel hurt, threatened, frightened and left out. This behaviour happens face to face and online. (RespectMe, 2015)

Bullying occurs in many contexts and can take the form of:

physical or verbal abuse
name calling
facial expressions, words or actions which intimidate, harass, isolate, threaten, lower self-esteem or lead to feelings of insecurity
inappropriate use of mobile phones, social networking sites and instant messaging.

Developing a Positive Ethos

At Coulter Primary, we believe that by working with pupils, parents and staff to build a strong school community with shared values, we can minimise the occurrence of bullying. We have a variety of strategies to promote positive behaviour:

regular whole school assemblies to share success and recognise individual achievement
Classroom Charter created by the teacher and pupils
emphasis on team work
a wide range of extra-curricular activities to encourage children to have fun and use their leisure time productively
playground supervisors who are vigilant for any signs of bullying
the encouragement of co-operative play from an early stage
an active Pupil Council to reflect pupil opinion and help shape decision-making.
a comprehensive Health and Wellbeing programme which fosters emotional health and helps equip pupils with the skills to avoid and combat bullying.

Download full our Anti Bullying Policy for more information.

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