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Behaviour Policy

Statement of intent

Our school believes that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met, where there are clear and developmentally appropriate expectations of their behaviour. We recognise that our autistic children and children with additional needs will need different behaviour management strategies and supports to the mainstream population. (this policy aligns with our Autism Specific Behaviour Policy).

Aim

We aim to teach children to behave in socially acceptable ways and to understand the needs and rights of others. The principles guiding management of behaviour exist within the Early Years Foundation stage for supporting personal, social and emotional development (PSED).

Methods

All staff have responsibility for supporting children’s personal, social and emotional development, including issues concerning behaviour.

We expect the Head teacher and the senior leadership team to:

• Keep up to date with legislation, research and thinking, promoting positive behaviour and responding to children’s behaviour where additional support is required.
• Access relevant sources of expertise on promoting positive behaviour.
• Ensure that all staff have relevant in-service training on promoting positive behaviour; a record of staff attendance at this training is kept.
• We expect all staff, volunteers, and students to provide a positive model of behaviour by treating children, parents and one another with friendliness, care and courtesy.
• We familiarise new staff and volunteers with the setting’s behaviour policy and its guidelines for behaviour as part of our induction process and expect them to apply these consistently.
• We recognise that approaches for interacting with people may vary between cultures and require staff, students, and volunteers to be aware of and respect those used by members of the setting.
• We work in partnership with children’s parents, carers and other professionals to address recurring and inconsiderate behaviour, using our observation records to help us to understand the cause and to decide jointly how to respond appropriately.

Understanding Autism and children with additional needs

Autism is a neurobiological difference which affects a child’s

• Social communication and social understanding
• Emotional regulation
• Flexibility of thinking
• Sensory processing

Our SCERTS educational approach prioritises Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support to underpin staff’s autism understanding and practice.

 

Establishing boundaries

Our simple rules, known as our ‘golden rules’, are explained to children and are based on the principles of a happy, safe, secure and productive environment for all. Children are encouraged to:

• Take turns and share as appropriate to their stage of development (we may use timers to support this).

• Care about each other – we don’t hurt anybody’s feelings.
• Help each other.
• Look after the nursery and everything in it.
• Listen carefully.
• Move around safely by walking indoors.
• Respect each other’s space both inside and out.
• Try to communicate in a way appropriate for the child’s level of development; this may be ‘use your words’.
• Respect and value our differences.
• There are clear expectations for what is right, wrong and why.

SELF-DISCIPLINE is what we aim for – behaving well is not simply “doing as you’re told.”

Children need the security of clear boundaries – fair rules, which are consistently kept by each member of staff and applied to all children. To be effective, the whole school community needs to have a clear understanding of the consequences of acceptable/unacceptable behaviour e.g. safety/danger.

Strategies for supporting children

• We expect everybody to listen to children.
• We expect everyone to speak to children in a positive tone.
• We support each child in developing a sense of belonging in our school, so that they feel valued and welcome.
• We support each child in developing self-esteem, confidence and feelings of competence.
• Warm and supportive relationships underpin all our strategies.
• We support social skills through modelling behaviour, activities, drama and stories.
• We praise, acknowledge, and actively promote desirable behaviour such as kindness and willingness to share as a way of encouraging all children to develop these behaviours.
• We avoid creating situations in which children receive adult attention only in return for inconsiderate behaviour.
• We ensure that there are adequate toys and resources and sufficient activities available by careful planning of the environment; so that children are meaningfully occupied without the need for unnecessary conflict over sharing or waiting for turns.
• We are aware that skills such as sharing and turn taking, take time to develop.
• We encourage children to ‘use their words’, to inform staff about upsetting incidents and also to learn to say ‘no’; if they are able to do so.
• We recognise that some very young children may not have the necessary language or find dealing with their emotions, such as fear, anger, distress, difficulties to regulate. They may have tantrums, fight or bite and may require sensitive adults to help them deal with these emotions and to resolve issues where possible. Some children may require additional measures such as ‘transactional supports’ when dysregulated the SCERTS approach is always used. (see link with appendix 2)
• We focus on the positive e.g. ‘please walk’ rather than ‘don’t run’.
• We only pick children up in circumstances where deemed necessary e.g. to remove a child from danger.
• Feelings will be discussed, and the unacceptability of the behaviour made clear. Children are encouraged to explain what happened in their own words and use their words to resolve conflicts. To achieve this, suggestions for working towards a better pattern of behaviour are given and empathy is encouraged between all the individuals involved. e.g. “you….” “I feel….” “I want you to…” or “Stop, I don’t like it.”
• We recognise that some children engage in fantasy play that involves rough and tumble, superhero or weapon play. This type of play is normal for young children and is acceptable within limits. If this play becomes inconsiderate then appropriate adult intervention and support will be used.
• We expect all staff, students, volunteers and other professionals to use positive strategies for handling any inconsiderate behaviour by helping children find solutions in ways which are appropriate for the child’s ages and stages of development. We expect staff to teach internal discipline rather than use external discipline to control behaviour.
• Language used, focuses on the desired behaviour rather than the negative e.g. ‘please remember to have kind and gentle hands when you are playing with your friends’.
• Solutions may also include acknowledgement of feelings e.g. ‘I can see that you are feeling cross and angry because you would like a turn with the car’.
• Explanations are given as to what was not considerate e.g. ‘I can see that you would like a turn but pushing is not kind and it hurts’.
• Solutions are suggested to help resolve conflict and to gain control of feelings, such as, ‘when you have calmed down/stopped crying you can ask for a turn offering a sand timer, saying when the timer has finished it will be your turn’. Support through modelling is encouraged when the timer is finished, saying ‘can I have a turn now please’.
• If necessary, the child will be removed from the situation and will be given the choice of returning and resuming the activity appropriately.
• Sometimes it may be appropriate to take a child by the hand and move the child either out of harm’s way or away from an area of conflict. When supporting children with self-regulation, it is occasionally necessary to lift or carry a child. This will always be in the child’s best interest or for the protection of other children and never as a form of punishment.

For our autistic children and children with additional needs:

• We ‘listen’ to behaviours to understand what an individual is trying to communicate through speech, gestures or other behaviours.
• We use a Total Communication Approach at all times with individualised communication supports
• We implement Sensory Diets embedded into daily routine with a focus on Alerting, Organising and Calming.
• We provide regular physical activity breaks and access to sensory circuits and movement breaks.
• We use specific equipment, for example ear defenders, chewies, weighted blankets, and fidgets as needed.

We reinforce desired behaviour by:

• Verbal praise, which is always specific, e.g. ‘well done for picking up that tissue and putting it in the bin’.
• Gestures- thumbs up, high 5, smiling, eye contact.
• Actively teaching it e.g. at whole group time…’is the behaviour we like’; having weekly golden rules assemblies.
• Peer group praise e.g. applause at whole group time and ‘Praise You’ certificates.
• Actively using role play, books, puppets etc. as support.
• Through circle time activities & nursery home school teddy.
• Through focused learning opportunities twice a year during settling in period. PSE is the main topic.
• We always pass on good news to parents.

Guidance for dealing with inconsiderate behaviour

• It is always the action rather than the child that is considered unacceptable.
• Staff use intervention, reminders, evasive action, distraction etc. to reinforce appropriate behaviour.
• Re-direction – moving to another activity or adult support to manage the activity without conflict.
• A clear and short, simple explanation of why the behaviour is unacceptable. Adults speak calmly, firmly, and confidently to gain control.
• All adults are aware of and respect varying cultural expectations regarding interactions between people and must not, for example, expect eye contact with children who are unable to do so.
• For some children with additional and different needs ‘behaviour is communication’ and to understand the behaviour it is pertinent to examine what the child is trying to communicate. In such cases it is not bad behaviour but impaired communication.
• Adults will not raise their voices in a threatening way and must at all times remember that the child who is behaving inappropriately is in need of support.
• Where conflicts arise between children, adults model a problem-solving approach, gathering information, restating the problem and seeking / suggesting solutions.
• Recurring problems with inappropriate behaviour are shared with parents and colleagues. After detailed observations, staff may have a specific meeting to discuss further individual strategies in conjunction with the child’s parents/carers.

When responding to incidents involving autistic children and children with additional needs, our staff are expected to:

• Follow the child’s individual regulation support plan.
• Respond, not react.
• Stay calm and use a calm voice.
• Have only one adult talking to the child at once.
• Use visuals to reinforce what’s happening.
• Use minimal verbal language to reduce sensory overload.
• Once the child is regulated, the incident is over and all move on.

Our consistent positive behaviour approach

• Children may be given a very short period (no more than 5 minutes) of ‘thinking time’ or may be removed from a group or activity if their behaviour is disrupting other children or threatening their safety. This may be sitting on a chair/floor away from the activity or group; in more disruptive or challenging situations it may be necessary for them to have their time out in the head teacher’s office. A sand timer will be used to show the child when the time out has finished.
• When the time is up, the adult supports the child to reflect why they had time to think, whilst supporting the child’s understanding of the situation and what they need to do next time in positive terms e.g. ‘if you want a turn on the bike, use your words and say can I have a turn’.
• We take hurtful behaviour very seriously. In cases of serious misbehaviour, such as racial or other abuse, or intentional aggressive and hurtful behaviour, we make clear immediately the unacceptability of the behaviour and attitudes, by means of explanations rather than personal blame.
• Aggressive incidents will be logged on CPOMS and parents are informed of the particulars of the incident.
• We will make every effort to discuss with parents any incidents that occur on the same day and work together with them to address any issues to try and prevent incidents such as this reoccurring.
• Incidents of racial abuse or bullying will be logged on CPOMS.
• We work in partnership with children’s parents to address reoccurring, inconsiderate behaviour. Parents are regularly informed by their child’s key person, about all aspects of their child’s behaviour. We use observations and analyse behaviour to understand the cause. We use ABCC charts (Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence and Communication) to record this. We are consistent in our approach and with appropriate responses. This may include involving other professionals from other agencies and implementing individual learning plans, individual risk reduction plans or risk assessment management plans.

For all learners with needs, we recognise that punitive sanctions do little to support communicative and emotional development. Instead:

• We prioritise the development of Social Communication and Emotional Regulation capacities.
• We use natural consequences to teach expected and desired behaviours.
• We implement proactive strategies such as visuals, social stories, movement breaks, and Zones of Regulation check-ins.
• SCERTS principles are embedded within our curriculum. Identifying and supporting learners in their Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support.

Staff use professional knowledge and judgement in situations involving physical contact with children. Working with such young children means that physical contact can occur in a variety of circumstances, e.g. comforting a distressed child, holding a hand on a walk, giving a child a ‘side on’ cuddle as means of comfort or praise.

Physical intervention/Positive handling

Positive handling techniques will be used in all situations requiring physical restraint or intervention by staff. This may be needed in serious circumstances e.g.

• To prevent a child from harming her/himself or others
• To stop a child causing physical damage

The Head teacher and Senior Leadership team may be authorised to use positive handling in some form. Training is given at appropriate levels; staff are reminded not to put themselves in danger.

Physical contact is never a punishment. The intervention is necessary as an act of care and control. The degree of force must be in proportion to its consequences, depending on age and circumstances. Every effort should be made to secure the presence of another member of staff; confrontation and escalation should be avoided (staff may be required to demonstrate that their intervention was reasonable and proportionate).

A professional witness will be in attendance at all times. (See appendix A – Acceptable Forms of Intervention).

For autistic children and children with additional needs, physical intervention:

• is only used to prevent self-harming, injury to others, or severe damage to property, that could cause harm.
• Must be reasonable, proportionate, and necessary.
• Should use the minimum amount of physical support needed to avert danger.
• Is applied for the shortest period of time.
• Is an exception rather than a routine method of management.

After a physical incident

• Staff may need to take a break to regulate themselves.
• Adults will make time to repair and restore the relationship with the child.
• The incident must be logged on CPOMS including the specific interventions used, duration and result.
• Parents must be informed immediately.

The language we use

When discussing any children or specific incidents, staff are expected to use positive, neuro-affirmative language, including:

• Difference rather than disorder.
• Dysregulated rather than meltdown/challenging behaviour.
• Pre-verbal rather than non-verbal.
• Unconventional behaviour rather than challenging behaviour.
• Enthusiastic rather than obsessed.
• Autistic/Autism rather than Autism Specific Disorder/Condition.

Appendix A – Acceptable forms of Intervention at Golborne and Maxilla

There are occasions where staff will have cause to have physical contact with pupils for a variety of reasons, for example:

• To comfort a child in distress (if this is appropriate to their age)
• To gently direct a pupil
• For curricular reasons (e.g. Drama, Yoga, Physical activities, outings or events)
• In an emergency to avert danger to the pupil or pupils
• In rare circumstances, when positive handling is warranted

In all situations where physical contact between staff and pupils take place, staff must consider the following:

• The pupil’s age and level of understanding
• The pupil’s individual characteristics and history
• The location where the contact takes place (it should not take place in private without others present)

Physical contact is never made as a punishment, or to inflict pain. All forms of corporal punishment are prohibited. Physical contact will not be made with the participant’s neck, breasts, abdomen, genital area, other sensitive body parts, no pressure is applied on joints.

Serious behaviour management issues, and how these have been dealt with, will be reported to the Governing Body within the termly Head Teacher’s report.

Should parents or carers be unhappy with any aspect of Golborne and Maxilla Nursery School’s behaviour management procedure, they should discuss the problem with their keyworker in the first instance. Anyone who feels unable to speak to their keyworker or is not satisfied should speak to the Head teacher. In the event of making a formal complaint, parents/carers should follow the procedures in the ‘Complaints Policy.’

 

Policy reviewed by Dionne Eastwood, October 2026

This Policy was agreed and adopted by the Headteacher on 6^th October 2026

SIGNED by the Headteacher:

Dionne Eastwood                                                                          6^th October 2026

………………………………………………………………….. Date……………………..

This Policy should be reviewed annually (may be reviewed sooner to reflect DFE guidelines)