Behaviour and Attitudes
At Hera House, we operate a simple behaviour and conduct code, made up of 5 principles. We call it the STARS Code:
S T A R S
Stay safe
Take responsibility
Ask for/Accept help
Respect yourself and others
Support the school community
Restorative Practice
Having a restorative approach does not mean a lack of boundaries or consequences but those consequences should be proportionate and appropriate and the young person should be supported to understand why their behaviour was unacceptable, the potential or actual impact it had on others and how they can learn new strategies for coping with difficult emotions. We manage each incident separately and try to consider potential causes of the behaviour, working with the students to better understand their behaviour. We promote ‘working with’, not ‘doing to’.
Relational Approach
We believe that children and young people need good relationships and to be able to feel safe in their environment before they will be ready to learn. For many of our young people, we recognise that educational settings have not held positive experiences for them and so we work from a relational point of view first and foremost, building trusting relationships where consequences and boundaries are clear but respect is key and relationships are repaired and restored as soon as possible. We want our young people to feel that it is ok to make mistakes, as long as we learn from them and try to do a little better each day.
‘Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct across school. These expectations are commonly understood and applied consistently by pupils most of the time. Pupils say that while bullying does happen in their school, teachers deal with this promptly and they feel safe. Pupils have key workers who support them with any behaviour concerns. Reflection time is used to manage poor behaviour. Adults demonstrate caring relationships with pupils.’
Ofsted 2023
Conduct Team
We have a Conduct Team in school, who work with staff to provide training and support and also work with individual students who may need additional help to regulate. The team promotes positive behaviour through modelling, rewards and consequences, and clear expectations.
Over time, the majority of our students show improved behaviour and attitudes to learning and say they feel safe in our school. Where this is not the case, we will work closely with families and everyone involved to try to support the young person as much as possible.
STARS Code of Conduct
Our STARS principles are our ways to keep our school safe and a friendly environment for everyone. These are some of the ways that you can follow the STARS principles and work together as part of our team.
| STAY SAFE | Keeping away from dangerous situations or behaviourKeeping yourself at ground level and not climbing on thingsMaking good choices to behave safely and not spread germs or behave in a way that might injure you or someone else. |
| TAKE RESPONSIBILITY | Be able to understand when you might need to repair or rebuild a relationshipBe honest about things when asked.Work out a way to put things right, e.g. tidying up if you made a mess or helping to repair damage you have causedBe able to talk to staff about how you are feeling |
| ASK FOR OR ACCEPT HELP | Asking staff politely if you need help with your workAccepting help politely if it is offeredAsking for help with your mental health or understanding your own feelingsReporting to staff if you think someone else needs help |
| RESPECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS | Use appropriate language towards others and be kindKeep your hands and feet to yourselfTry to understand other people’s points of view Respect and accept each other’s differences |
| SUPPORT THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY | Help others around the schoolHelp to keep the school clean and tidyUse equipment sensibly and safelyBe respectful of school propertyBe a good role model or take an active part in school life |