Effective and successful behaviour management is an essential part of curriculum delivery in Booker Park School and Stocklake Park School. We believe that all children and young people have the right to learn in a supportive and caring environment, which enables them to learn respect for themselves, others, and the wider community. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to work in partnership with parents and all members of the school community to promote positive attitudes and relationships. By learning to accept that individual pupils are responsible for their own behaviour in terms of their relationships with others and their attitude and application to the learning process, they will move to becoming successful learners. Eventually these skills will become a way of life and help them on the road to becoming successful adults.

Behaviour difficulties in some of our pupils may arise from characteristics associated with a range of difficulties, such as learning, autistic, ADHD, emotional, social and communication difficulties as well as obsessive or ritualistic behaviours, sensory processing difficulties, over sensitivity to stimuli and high arousal. Challenging and unwanted behaviour may be a reaction to these difficulties and an attempt for the individual to control a situation or communicate distress or frustration. As professionals working in a mutually supportive partnership with parents, we must seek to understand the pupil’s behaviours in the wider context of the individual, their difficulties and their response to their environment at school and at home.

Whilst we empathise that certain behaviours are characteristic of and arise from their special educational needs, we teach appropriate social skills and coping strategies to help the pupil understand and accept boundaries of reasonable behaviour.  We aim to understand the underlying factors causing the behaviour in order to respond positively, consistently, and effectively. Our responses will be consistent and will be in line with their long-term behaviour targets (where appropriate).  Responses will depend on the individual needs of the pupil and their level of comprehension, their difficulties, and their motivation. We will provide structures and strategies to empower the individual to manage their own behaviour where possible, promote independence, enhance communication and social skills, and raise self-esteem.

Where appropriate, pupils will learn to assess themselves, awarding their own points if they are able to do so. Throughout the school day and in every aspect of school life they will be encouraged to be responsible for themselves. Responses to behaviour will be positive, respectful, and non-confrontational. We need to make clear to the pupil, communicating this in a meaningful way that it is the behaviour we disapprove of, not the pupil themselves.

Both schools are committed to upholding a positive approach to behaviour. There are occasions when physical restraint does have to be used to ensure the safety of pupils and staff. All staff have received ‘General Services’ training which is updated at regular intervals by in-school ‘General Services’ trainers. The ‘General Services’ approach aims to meet the care and safety needs of both pupils and staff.

You can find out more about our behaviour policy here: