Relationships & Behaviour: The Norwood Way
At Norwood Primary School, we want every child to feel safe, happy, respected and ready to learn.
A core belief at Norwood is that children thrive when strong, trusting relationships exist between leaders, staff, children and families. Although Norwood is a large primary school, we are proud of the genuine family feel that characterises our community. We work hard to ensure that every child is known, valued and supported and that families feel welcomed, listened to and involved in their child’s education.
Positive relationships sit at the heart of our approach to behaviour. Children are more likely to flourish when they feel that they belong, when adults know them well and when expectations are clear, consistent and rooted in mutual respect.
We believe that positive behaviour is taught and learned. Children should not have to guess what is expected of them. We explicitly teach the behaviours and routines that help everyone to learn, develop successful relationships and contribute positively to our school community.
Our approach is built around:
three simple school rules;
four consistent school routines;
warm and respectful relationships between children and adults;
close partnerships between school and families;
high expectations for every child;
recognition and praise when children make positive choices; and
appropriate support when a child finds it difficult to meet an expectation.
Together, these form part of The Norwood Way: our shared understanding of how we learn, behave, work and treat one another.
Our three school rules
Be Ready
Be Respectful
Be Safe
These rules apply throughout the school day: in lessons, during assemblies, at playtimes and lunchtimes, when moving around school, during educational visits and whenever children represent Norwood in the wider community.
Be Ready
Being ready means being prepared to learn and participate positively in school life.
We teach children to:
arrive punctually and be ready to begin;
enter school and classrooms calmly;
demonstrate good listening;
follow established classroom routines;
bring the equipment they need;
wear the correct school uniform;
complete homework at the appropriate time;
listen and reflect during assemblies; and
take responsibility for their workspace and the classroom environment.
Being ready helps children make the most of every minute of learning and develop the positive habits they will need throughout their education.
Be Respectful
Being respectful means recognising that everyone at Norwood has the right to feel valued, included and able to learn.
We teach children to:
speak kindly and use polite language;
say “please” and “thank you”;
greet adults and other children appropriately;
listen when someone else is speaking;
follow reasonable instructions from members of staff;
respect other children’s right to learn;
use a calm and polite tone of voice;
look after school property and the belongings of others;
show consideration for the needs and feelings of others; and
understand, celebrate and value difference.
Adults model the respectful behaviour that we expect from children. Unkind, discriminatory or derogatory language and behaviour are always challenged and addressed.
Be Safe
Being safe means making choices that protect our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
We teach children to:
choose kindness;
help others when they need support;
speak to a trusted adult when something does not feel right;
report concerns about their own safety or somebody else’s;
move calmly and sensibly around school;
sit and work safely in classrooms;
play safely without games becoming overly physical; and
use equipment in the way it is intended to be used.
Children are regularly reminded that speaking up is the right thing to do. Concerns about bullying, discrimination or safety are taken seriously, investigated and followed up.
Our four consistent routines
Clear routines make school calm, safe and predictable. They reduce uncertainty, protect valuable learning time and help children develop positive habits.
Our routines are explicitly taught, modelled, practised and revisited. Staff use shared language so that children experience consistent expectations throughout the school.
Wonderful Walking
Children use Wonderful Walking when moving around the school.
This means:
facing forwards;
walking in a straight line;
keeping hands by their sides;
walking without talking; and
waiting without leaning on walls.
Wonderful Walking keeps everyone safe and ensures that the learning of other children is not disrupted as groups move around school.
Legendary Lining-Up
Children use Legendary Lining-Up when leaving classrooms, returning to school after breaktimes and at other appropriate points during the day.
This means:
facing forwards;
leaving a sensible space between themselves and the person in front;
keeping hands by their sides;
being quiet and ready to move; and
waiting without leaning on walls.
Legendary Lining-Up helps children prepare calmly for their next activity and enables staff to check quickly that everyone is present and safe.
Heroic Hands-Up
Heroic Hands-Up is our whole-school signal for gaining the attention of a class or group.
When an adult raises a hand, children:
pause what they are doing;
raise their own hand;
become silent;
face the adult; and
listen carefully for the next instruction.
This enables adults to gain children’s attention quickly and calmly, without needing to raise their voices.
Terrific Transitions
Terrific Transitions help children move efficiently between activities during lessons and at the end of lessons.
When an adult gives the agreed signals, children know to:
stop what they are doing;
tuck in their chair and stand, where appropriate; and
move calmly to the next place or line up quietly.
Terrific Transitions help lessons begin promptly, protect valuable learning time and maintain a calm environment.
Relationships at the heart of our school
Relationships are not separate from our approach to behaviour; they are central to it.
Leaders and staff are committed to knowing Norwood’s children and families well. Adults take time to listen, understand individual circumstances and build the trust that enables children to feel secure and succeed. Children are taught that respectful relationships involve kindness, honesty, empathy, responsibility and the confidence to speak to a trusted adult when something is wrong.
The same principles shape relationships between adults. Leaders and staff work together to provide children with a consistent experience, while families are recognised as essential partners in their children’s education.
Norwood’s size gives our children access to a rich and diverse community, a wide range of friendships and many different opportunities. At the same time, we are determined to retain the warmth, personal knowledge and sense of belonging associated with a close school family. Being a large school should never mean that an individual child or family feels unnoticed.
Teaching positive behaviour
We do not assume that every child will automatically know how to demonstrate our rules and routines. Adults explain, model and practise them with children, reinforcing what each expectation looks like and why it matters.
Expectations are revisited:
at the beginning of each school year;
when a new routine is introduced;
after school holidays;
when children need further teaching or practice; and
at other appropriate points during the year.
Staff notice and recognise children who demonstrate The Norwood Way. Praise is specific wherever possible so that children understand what they have done well and are encouraged to repeat it.
Responding when expectations are not met
Children sometimes make mistakes. When this happens, adults respond calmly, consistently and fairly, in accordance with the school’s Behaviour Policy.
Our response may include:
reminding or reteaching the relevant rule or routine;
helping the child understand the effect of their behaviour;
applying an appropriate and proportionate consequence;
supporting the child to repair relationships or put something right;
communicating and working with parents or carers; and
providing additional pastoral or specialist support when needed.
Serious incidents are recorded, investigated and followed up carefully. Leaders monitor behaviour information to identify patterns, evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s approach and determine whether further action or support is required.
Inclusion and individual needs
We maintain high expectations for every child while recognising that some children may need additional teaching, support or reasonable adjustments to meet them successfully.
Staff consider factors such as:
a child’s age and stage of development;
special educational needs and/or disabilities;
communication and interaction needs;
social, emotional or mental health needs;
experiences of trauma or adversity;
safeguarding circumstances; and
other barriers that may affect behaviour or self-regulation.
This does not mean that unsafe or harmful behaviour is ignored. It means that the school considers the needs and circumstances behind the behaviour, protects everyone affected and selects a response that is lawful, fair and most likely to bring about lasting improvement.
Preventing and responding to bullying
Bullying, including prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying, is not tolerated at Norwood.
Children are taught the difference between bullying, unkind behaviour and friendship difficulties. They are encouraged to report concerns to a trusted adult, whether they are directly affected or worried about somebody else.
When a concern is raised, staff will listen, investigate and take appropriate action. We support the child who has experienced the behaviour while also working with the child responsible to address their behaviour and reduce the likelihood of it happening again.
Working in partnership with families
Strong relationships between school and home help children feel secure and support positive behaviour.
We want families to feel welcomed, respected and confident that staff know and care about their children. We listen carefully to parents and carers, communicate openly and work alongside them when a child needs additional help. We recognise that families know their children particularly well and that this knowledge can help the school understand and respond to individual needs.
We ask parents and carers to:
discuss the three school rules with their child;
support the school’s high expectations;
encourage punctuality, readiness and correct uniform;
share relevant information that may help us support their child;
raise questions or concerns promptly; and
work constructively with staff when additional support is needed.
Our communication with families does not focus only on difficulties. We also want to share successes, celebrate children’s progress and recognise the many positive contributions they make to school life.
Our commitment
Through strong relationships, clear expectations, explicit teaching and consistent routines, we aim to create an inclusive school in which:
every child is known, valued and supported;
children and families experience a genuine sense of belonging;
leaders, staff and families work together in children’s best interests;
children feel safe, respected and confident to speak to trusted adults;
pupils behave well and develop increasing self-regulation;
differences are understood, respected and celebrated;
disruption to learning is minimised;
bullying and discrimination are addressed effectively; and
every child is supported to learn, flourish and succeed.
At Norwood, our size is one of our strengths. It allows us to provide a wealth of opportunities within a diverse and vibrant community. However, it is the strength of the relationships between our leaders, staff, children and families that gives Norwood its special family feel. This combination ensures that every child can belong, achieve and thrive.