At Fountaindale School, we believe that all behaviour is a form of communication. Our approach is built on positive relationships, understanding individual needs and helping pupils develop the skills they need to succeed. We recognise that every pupil is unique and that behaviour is influenced by factors such as communication, learning needs, sensory processing, physical wellbeing, emotions and life experiences.

Rather than focusing on punishment, we focus on understanding, support, reflection and helping pupils make positive choices.

Our Key Beliefs

We believe that:

• Children and young people want to do well and behave positively.
• Behaviour communicates a need, feeling or experience.
• Strong relationships are the foundation of successful behaviour support.
• Every pupil can learn and develop positive behaviours with the right support.
• Mistakes are part of the learning process.
• Positive behaviour is best developed through encouragement, guidance and consistency.
• All pupils deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and understanding.

Positive Relationships

Positive relationships are at the heart of everything we do. Staff take time to get to know each pupil, understand what motivates them and recognise their individual strengths, interests and communication methods.

By creating trusting relationships and a sense of belonging, we help pupils feel safe, confident and ready to learn.

Our staff:

• Build trusting relationships with pupils and families.
• Use communication approaches tailored to individual needs.
• Celebrate success and effort.
• Maintain high expectations while providing appropriate support.
• Work closely with parents, carers and other professionals.

Trauma-Informed Practice

Fountaindale is a trauma-informed school. We understand that life experiences can have a significant impact on wellbeing, behaviour and learning.

Our trauma-informed approach focuses on creating a safe, predictable and supportive environment where pupils feel valued, understood and secure. We work proactively to promote emotional wellbeing, resilience and positive mental health through therapeutic support, intervention programmes and strong relationships.

Positive Behaviour Support

We support behaviour through:

• Clear routines and expectations
• Consistent and predictable responses
• Accessible communication systems
• Social stories and comic strip conversations
• Positive reinforcement and descriptive praise
• Personalised behaviour strategies
• Opportunities for reflection and reparation
• Emotional regulation support

We actively teach and model the skills pupils need to develop independence, self-confidence and positive behaviour for learning.

Restorative Practice and Post Incident Learning

When things go wrong, we focus on helping pupils learn from the experience and repair relationships.

Where appropriate, pupils take part in Post Incident Learning (PIL) or restorative conversations. These discussions help pupils reflect on what happened, consider how others may have been affected and explore how similar situations can be managed differently in the future.

Our approach focuses on:

• Understanding what happened
• Supporting reflection
• Taking responsibility where appropriate
• Repairing relationships
• Learning from experiences

Positive Relationship Plans

Every pupil has a One Page Profile, and where additional support is needed, a personalised Positive Relationship Plan (PRP).

These plans help staff understand:

• Individual strengths and interests
• Communication preferences
• Known triggers and early warning signs
• Effective support strategies
• Regulation techniques
• Agreed responses and interventions

Plans are reviewed regularly to ensure support remains effective.

Supportive Touch and Positive Handling

The safety of pupils and staff is always our priority.

Staff receive regular Team Teach training to support positive behaviour and safe practice. Physical intervention is only ever used as a last resort when there is an immediate risk of harm to a pupil, another person or significant property damage.

Any intervention must always be:

• Reasonable
• Proportionate
• Necessary
• In the pupil's best interests
• Used for the shortest possible time

The school continually works to reduce the need for physical intervention through proactive planning, positive relationships and personalised support strategies.

Celebrating Success

We believe positive behaviour grows when achievements are recognised and celebrated.

Each class uses reward systems that meet the needs of their learners. Pupils are regularly recognised for:

• Kindness
• Resilience
• Effort
• Independence
• Achievement
• Positive choices

Successes are celebrated through:

• Class reward systems
• House points
• Weekly assemblies
• Star of the Week awards
• Whole-school celebrations