Our Rules and Rewards
OUR APPROACH
At Vale View School, we are committed to creating a nurturing, inclusive and positive community where every child feels safe, valued and respected. We believe that positive relationships are at the heart of successful learning and that children thrive when they experience warmth, consistency, encouragement and high expectations from the adults around them.
We aim to develop lifelong learners who acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to lead happy, productive and fulfilling lives. We encourage children work collaboratively with each other, embrace challenge with determination, celebrate success and take responsibility for their choices. We strive to nurture young people who make positive contributions to their school, their community and society, both now and in the future.
Our mission is: "Being the best I can be"
To achieve this mission, we work in partnership with children, staff, parents and carers to promote a shared culture built upon our school values:
- Collaboration
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Determination
- Positivity
These values are brought to life through our school value characters, helping children to understand what each value looks like in everyday school life:
Whole School Approaches
At Vale View School, we recognise that positive behaviour is built through strong relationships, consistent routines and the explicit teaching of emotional regulation and social skills. We believe that behaviour is a form of communication and that understanding the reasons behind a child's behaviour enables us to provide the most appropriate support while maintaining high expectations for all children.
To support this approach, staff receive PROACT SCIPr (Positive Range of Options to Avoid Crisis and use Therapy – Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention) training. This provides staff with a consistent, child-centred approach to understanding behaviour, reducing anxiety and preventing escalation. Staff are trained to recognise possible triggers, identify early signs of distress and use proactive strategies to support children before behaviour escalates.
Our approach places a strong emphasis on prevention and de-escalation. Staff seek to build positive relationships, adapt the environment where appropriate, communicate calmly and respectfully, and use a range of supportive strategies, such as distraction, redirection, reassurance, offering choices and reducing demands where appropriate, to help children regain emotional regulation. Alongside this, we use the Zones of Regulation to explicitly teach children how to recognise, understand and regulate their emotions. Through this approach, children develop an understanding that all emotions are normal and acceptable, while learning that they are responsible for choosing safe and appropriate behaviours. Children are supported to identify the emotional 'zone' they are experiencing, recognise the impact this may have on their behaviour and learning, and develop a range of personalised strategies to help them regulate their emotions and return to a state where they are ready to learn.
We recognise that self-regulation develops over time and that many children require co-regulation from trusted adults. Staff therefore model calm, respectful interactions and work alongside children to help them understand and manage their emotions, gradually developing the confidence and independence to regulate themselves.
By embedding the principles of PROACT SCIPr and the Zones of Regulation throughout school life, we aim to create a calm, predictable and inclusive environment in which every child feels safe, respected and supported to succeed, while maintaining consistently high expectations for behaviour, relationships and personal responsibility.
Promoting Positive Behaviour
At Vale View School, we have a system of rewards in place to promote the highest expectations of our pupils. We encourage, praise and reward positive behaviour through a variety of rewards which run through the school.
Class ‘Ladders’
In every classroom, there is a visual display to encourage and motivate children. Each child has a name peg that attaches to this display. Each day all children begin on ‘Great Day’. If a child consistently displays positive behaviour for learning, their peg will be moved towards the top. Children who end the day at the top of the ladder will be awarded with a certificate which they can take home with them to share behavioural achievements with their parents/carers.
Charters
Each class has created and agreed their own charter. This is a unique set of rules for children and adults to follow in order to establish a positive and respectful culture; these are developmentally appropriate and bespoke to each class. Our playground charter has also been created with the children, led by the school council. The playground charter sets clear guidance and expectations for children and adults for playtimes. It seeks to create a stimulating and positive atmosphere in order for all children to be successful.
For example:
Individual Rewards
At times, praise may be given individually, either verbally or in the form of a sticker. Value stickers are awarded to recognise children who specifically display our school values.
Certificates and Celebration Assemblies
Every Friday, children attend a weekly Celebration Assembly which focusses on the school values. During this assembly, certificates are awarded to children who have been a positive role model, displaying one of the school values over the course of the week. Another certificate is awarded to one child in each class that has shown a determination to be the best they can be. Parents of children receiving a certificate will be invited to attend our achievement assemblies each week. Additional certificates are given to recognise pupil effort and achievement in other curriculum areas. A ‘Golden Assembly’ is held on the last Friday of each term where children’s efforts and attainment across the term are recognised.
Termly Rewards
Every term the children will have the opportunity to earn a ‘Values Badge’. These badges are awarded to children who have demonstrated the characteristics of the Value Animal that is the focus of their class during that term. As the children progress through school, the expectations become higher and are developmentally appropriate for the children. Children are aware of the expectations as they have been taught explicitly to them through our Values Characteristics document.
Sharing Success with our Senior Leadership Team
Children displaying exemplary behaviour relating to their weekly value will be sent to share this with a member of the Senior Leadership Team by attending ‘Hot Choc Friday’, where the children will enjoy a hot chocolate with the Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher or a member of the school Leadership Team. (Milkshake may be used in the summer months).
