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Proud to work, learn and grow together

 

Our founder, Robert Wilkinson was a farmer with a vision. He founded the school in Strensall on land he donated so that the children of the village would have access to a school. Our school badge celebrates this history.

At Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy we are

Proud to work, learn and grow together

Working with parents and the community we strive to continue Robert Wilkinson’s vision, preparing our children to thrive and flourish in a changing world.

We are very proud to say that we place great importance on your child’s emotional health and wellbeing and see our job as educators not just to teach children to read and write but to also equip them to navigate the challenges, pressures and conflicts of life.

RWPA Behaviour, Wellbeing and Restorative Practice

Behaviour Expectations

During your child’s time with us we will not only provide them with a first class education in all the core subjects but we will also look to educate them both socially and emotionally. We will look to provide the children with valuable life skills, and the tools to be able to overcome the challenges that they will face as they learn, grow and develop over the years. We are proud to say that we work with the children restoratively, this means that we will proactively support the children in managing any conflicts that arise, this could be a conflict in their learning it but it also may be a conflict with their peers. As a restorative school we have some core values, these are based around three themes.

  1. Being kind and respectful to ourselves and others
  2. Always telling the truth
  3. Working as part of a team

Our approach to behaviour and your child’s wellbeing have those values at the core, we believe in giving children the skills and techniques to talk about their feelings and to be able to express their views on issues that are important to them. As part of this, we can offer children time in our wellbeing hub if they would like to have support in resolving an issue. This will also be a time where the children can come and learn about issues such as tolerance, democracy and mutual respect. Being guided and supported in their development of emotional vocabulary and articulation, in an environment that is safe and empowering. Building resilience and tolerance in our young people we see as an essential life skill. Empowering the children to be able to navigate and communicate in a way that ensures they can manage the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead.

The following document is vital to our practice at Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy. You can download a copy here BehaviourExpectations

‘Our Behaviour Expectations’ chart sets out a clear guide for all staff, pupils and parents at school. It supports everyone in understanding not only what the different behaviours are, but importantly how they make us feel. The desire to exhibit Good or even Wow behaviour is the aim for all pupils at all times, as this usually means they are doing their best and are happy with themselves and others. There are many ways that we celebrate and promote this in school. When exhibiting Wobbly or Unacceptable behaviour, restoration work begins around how the child can make better choices in order to move back towards good, taking into account their feelings and those of others affected.  Rather than using the colour, we prefer to use the terms Wow, Good, Wobbly or Unacceptable. This highlights the behaviours and the words in the different sections, rather than ‘I am on green’.

In a similar way, our school routines carry out a similar role, helping EVERYONE in school understand what is expected of them.  Click here for a larger version of ‘Our School Routines’.

Restorative Practice

Alongside the behaviour chart, the above poster provides a guide for staff and pupils in restoring situations where there is conflict. (You can download a copy here Restorative Questions).  It helps to move behaviour management on from the more traditional approaches of ‘Why did you do that?’, ‘Who is to blame?’ or ‘What punishment do I give?’ into a more resolution seeking ‘What has happened?, Who has been affected? and How can we begin to repair some of the harm caused?’  Pupils are praised for their honesty and often work together in ‘Solution Circles’ to seek the restoration needed, building trust and respect in each other over time.

With ‘Restorative’ approaches, pupils take more responsibility for behaviour the further they move through school. The aim is that pupil behaviours will develop, not to gain a reward or avoid punishment, but because the pupils understand the need to build a social community and to show others respect. It focuses on repairing harm rather than rule-breaking.

Morning check in

As part of our daily routine, all pupils will be given the opportunity to ‘check in’ with staff to allow them the opportunity to express how they are feeling. This can be a rating or score up to 10, or a colour, which relates to a feeling. These two systems are both useful as one is a sliding scale that can be referred to during the day or act as something of a moderating influence eg: Are we really a 2, or are we just a bit tired? The colour system supports language development and the ability to express why we are a certain score. As they move through school, pupils are encouraged to develop their vocabulary further and learn how to support and help each other to be nearer a ten or yellow in colour.  Click here to view image in more detail.

 

We also encompass the Ebor Vision into our school Ethos and Values. Please click here for further information