Creating a Positive Approach to Improving Ethos and Behaviour

School Improvement Update

In order to inform our practice, teaching staff have been engaging in practitioner enquiry based upon the book, When the Adults Change, Everything Changes by Paul Dix.  Staff have had a number of collegiate activity sessions to explore what we need to do.  Mrs Renton and Mrs Orr will also be leading a session for the Parent Council.  We will share this with you and be asking for your ideas and feedback.

Movement in and around our school

If you are in our school playground at the start of the day, many of you will have noticed that we are working hard with the children to improve our lining up and coming into school routines. As a staff we want to ensure that we welcome the children in the morning and encourage them to come in to school quietly and calmly.  We are also focusing upon having ‘calm and quiet corridors’ to ensure that learning is not interrupted and that children are calm and settled as they move around the school.  Staff are already commenting on the positive impact of this in the mornings as children are coming into class much more settled and ready to learn.

 

P7 Responsibilities

We have introduced P7 monitors to support children with our target of having ‘calm and quiet’ corridors and improving behaviour. Our P7 children are on a Monitor Rota and carry out duties such as supporting younger children in the dinner hall, monitoring children entering our buildings at break and lunchtimes to reduce the number of incidents occurring and to improve general behaviour .  There is always a member of the senior leadership team close by and the children know to seek support if an incident occurs that requires adult intervention.  It is great to see our P7 learners taking on responsibilities to develop their skills as responsible citizens.

 

Rights Respecting School

As part of our school improvement plan, we are embarking upon achieving our Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA). Now that Mrs Thomson has taken up post as Acting Principal Taecher, she will form a pupil group to begin work upon this.  This will help us all as a school community to understand the importance of having rights and that with rights come responsibilities.

 

Recognition Boards

We know the importance of recognising and celebrating the achievements of our learners. All classes are developing a recognition board within their classrooms as a way to promote positive  behaviour and celebrate success.  Recognition boards encourage a whole class approach whereby the class is set one or two targets to work together to achieve.  As children are ‘recognised’ as having achieved their target, their name or photo is placed on the display.  The class celebrate once all of the learners have managed to gain a place on the display.  We recognise that all children are unique and have different needs.  The children will be supported by adults and their peers in school to achieve the targets.  Our Head Teacher, Mrs Renton, will be sharing in celebrating the success of the class by visiting a chosen year group each week to share in the children’s learning and celebrating their successes and achievements.  We will also be creating a whole school recognition board so that we can celebrate together.