Staff at Salmons Brook are confident and skilled in building positive relationships that help to break down barriers, build self-esteem and challenge disaffection. Teachers and support staff at Salmons Brook are highly trained to meet the needs of individual students.
All staff at Salmons Brook have a clear understanding of this policy and are committed to it. The aims of the Behaviour (Wellbeing) policy are:
- To support student in using a therapeutic approach, within a trauma sensitive environment
- To build self-esteem through educational success, supported by expert developmental and cognitive pedagogy
- To create an inclusive community based on restorative principles
At Salmons Brook School we use a trauma-sensitive approach to defining behaviour. This includes viewing behaviour as a means of communication. Behaviour, including behaviours that challenge can be both passive and active. Our staff are trained to understand and recognise that behaviours, including behaviours that challenge serve a function for communicating their needs.
We define behaviours that challenge as:
- Behaviours that are most affecting student’s quality of life
- Behaviour that has impacted the learning of themselves and others
- Behaviours that other students find most challenging
- Behaviours that pose a serious threat to the community
We are committed to encouraging behaviour that is conducive to learning and life.
Choices and Consequences:
We believe in The Restorative Approach. However, every individual behaviour, incident or conflict must be looked at individually. All students at Salmons Brook School are empowered to make their own choices and are given information to help them come to these decisions. Understanding choices and consequences is a life skill and is important for preparing for adulthood, the world of work and life outside of school. Our approach as a school is to support our students by linking the choices they make with the action that occurs, and then the consequence of that action.
The Zones of Regulation:
A whole school language framework to support positive mental health and skill development. The Zones of Regulation is an inclusive strategy for all students including neurodiverse students, those who have experienced trauma, and/or have specific needs in terms of social, emotional, and behavioural development.
Emotion Coaching:
Used to structure the language that is used with our students. There are four steps to Emotion Coaching, they are: recognising the student’s feelings and empathising with them; validating and labelling with the emotion the person is feeling in the moment; setting boundaries; and problem solving
The Restorative Approach:
A way of working with behaviour and conflict that puts the focus on repairing the harm that has been
done. It is an approach to behaviour and conflict resolution that includes all the people involved.
De-escalation strategies:
A proactive and pre-emptive approach to behaviour. All elements of practice at Salmons Brook
are aimed at preventing challenging behaviour from arising. When challenging behaviour does
arise, the emphasis is on de-escalation.