Behaviour curriculum

Supporting staff and creating behavior policies.

A behaviour curriculum reflects a school's values and culture. It clearly describes the behaviours the school wants to see.

The curriculum should focus on what positive behaviour looks like in your school. It should explain how staff teach these behaviours and the rules and routines that help pupils develop them.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has created guidance to help primary schools develop a behaviour curriculum.

We also offer a 1 day training course from Therapeutic Thinking Ltd called Principles of a Behaviour Curriculum. For information, see West Sussex Services for Education.

Behaviour policy guidance

Aims

This guide helps schools create a behaviour policy together with their school community.

It provides a structure, guidance and supporting documents for a relational approach to behaviour.

The guidance suits all settings including early years, primary schools, secondary schools and SEND settings.

Key principles

Every school must have a behaviour policy. Each school should create its own policy because it should reflect what staff do every day, as well as the school's values, culture and ethos.

The policy should explain how the school creates a safe environment where everyone can thrive. It should explain how staff build positive relationships at every level of school life so that all children feel safe, secure, connected, understood and cared for.

A good policy helps children, staff, parents, carers and governors understand what the school expects.

The behaviour policy should:

  • reflect the school's values, culture and ethos
  • set out clear roles and responsibilities
  • explain what each member of staff must do, must not do and may do
  • use clear language and explain the meaning of key terms
  • explain how the school will induct, develop and support staff,
  • including regular training
  • promote inclusion, fairness and positive wellbeing
  • explain when staff may need to adapt their approach
  • consider the needs and feelings of the whole school community
  • align with other school policies

The policy and the school's practice should match. Staff should not use any behaviour support approach that the policy does not include. The policy should not include any behaviour support approach that staff do not use.

The whole school community should help create the policy.

Schools should review the policy regularly and update it as necessary.

Guidance to inform behaviour policies

You can use the following guidance when developing your behaviour policy:

Language and key definitions

Use clear language and define key terms. Clear definitions help everyone understand the policy and avoid confusion.

You can find guidance about language in the West Sussex "Getting Started Guide to Reframing Language". Access the guide through the Learning and Behaviour Advisory Team page after you sign in to West Sussex Services for Education.

Building your behaviour policy

You can see the policy structure you should use below. Each section contains guidance about what you should do to build your policy.

  • Keep this section short. Explain what your school community wants to achieve through the policy. Make sure it reflects your school's vision and values.

    Check that:

    • the statement is clear and easy to understand
    • pupils, parents and carers, governors and staff helped shape it
    • it uses language that people in your school recognise and understand
    • it does not contain jargon and acronyms
    • everyone in the school community can access and understand it

  • Use this section to explain the consistent, relationship-based approaches your school uses to support the wellbeing and behaviour of all pupils.

    Include the strategies staff use in every classroom and in other parts of the school day, such as breaktimes and intervention groups. Use the West Sussex Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice document as a reference.

    Check that you have: 

    • listened to feedback from the wider school community and acted on it
    • explained how you support all learners
    • identified where staff can adapt support to meet individual needs
    • described how you create an inclusive and supportive environment
    • explained how staff provide agreed universal reasonable adjustments
    • explained how pupils can access more targeted support when they need it
    • made clear who is responsible for each action
    • explained how you identify and meet staff training needs

  • Use this section to explain what regulated behaviour looks like in your school and why it matters.

    Work with pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors to define regulated behaviour. List the behaviours your school values and explain how staff recognise, encourage and strengthen them. Include how and when staff record these behaviours.

    Check whether you have:

    • listened to feedback from the wider school community and used it to define regulated behaviour
    • grouped behaviours into clear levels
    • explained how staff should respond at each level
    • reviewed behaviour data regularly to improve the whole-school behaviour curriculum
    • explained how staff should respond to valued behaviours
    • explained that these responses encourage and strengthen regulated behaviour
    • made clear who is responsible for each action
    • considered how the behaviour curriculum promotes and develops regulated behaviours

  • Use this section to explain what dysregulated behaviour means and how staff should respond.

    List behaviours that staff may see. Explain what staff must do and must not do. Include educational and protective consequences, scripts, and touch or physical responses. Explain when and where staff record incidents.

    Include strategies, resources and guidance that help staff understand what dysregulated behaviour communicates and how staff should use this information to plan support and next steps.

    Check that you have:

    • listened to feedback from the wider school community and used it to define dysregulated behaviour
    • grouped behaviours into clear levels
    • explained how staff should respond at each level, including scripts and educational or protective consequences
    • reviewed behaviour data regularly to improve the whole-school behaviour curriculum
    • explained how staff should respond to dysregulated behaviour
    • explained the support and responses that all staff must provide
      made clear who is responsible for each action
    • explained how pupils can access more targeted support when they need it
    • explained the responses staff must use to assess, manage and reduce risk

  • Use this section to explain what staff must do and must not do when unforeseeable behaviour occurs.

    Explain how staff record incidents and assess risk. Include how staff decide whether they need a policy, plan or other measures to prevent the behaviour from happening again. Explain how staff and pupils take part in debriefs after an incident.

    Check that you have:

    • defined unforeseeable behaviour
    • grouped behaviours into clear risk levels
    • explained how staff should respond at each level of risk
    • explained when staff can use restrictive physical intervention
    • stated clearly when staff can use emergency responses, such as calling the police, calling an ambulance or evacuating the building
    • explained the relationship-based support and responses that all staff must provide
    • explained the responses staff must use to manage risk and prevent harm
    • made clear who is responsible for each action

  • Use this section to explain how staff support reflection, restoration and repair after an incident.

    Check that you have:

    • identified the incidents that require a post-incident response
    • explained who needs support and how staff provide it
    • explained how pupils and parents or carers can share their views
    • identified resources and guidance that support educational consequences
    • identified resources and guidance that support positive wellbeing
    • explained how post-incident learning informs the assess, plan, do, review cycle
    • explained the responses staff must use to manage risk and prevent harm
    • made clear who is responsible for each action

  • Use this section to explain how you share the policy and provide training and professional development for new and existing staff.

    Check that you have:

    • identified how and when staff receive induction, development and support linked to behaviour
    • included clear timescales

  • Use this section to explain when, why and how staff record and share information.

    Explain what staff must say and must not say. Include how staff record communication and when they follow it up.

    Check that your policy explains:

    • who communicates information and who receives it
    • when staff communicate information, including timescales and circumstances
    • how staff communicate information, such as in person, by email or by letter
    • who records information and where they record it

  • Use this section to explain when and why the school contacts parents and carers and how staff make contact.

    Include how staff share and record communication, and when they follow it up.

    Check that your policy explains:

    • who communicates information and who receives it
    • when staff communicate information, including timescales and circumstances
    • how staff communicate information, such as in person, by phone, email or by letter
    • who records information and where they record it
    • how staff work with parents and carers, including how they gather, record and use their views to shape next steps

Help to develop inclusive policies

The University of Cambridge created an inclusion resource to help schools become more inclusive for pupils with neurodevelopmental differences and for everyone. You can find an introduction to the resource on the University of Cambridge website.

The resource shares planning ideas and policy suggestions that can help schools make positive changes. You know your school and local community best, so you can use this knowledge to decide what works in your setting.

Who the resource is for

It is most useful for mainstream primary schools in the UK, but you can adapt the planning approaches for almost any education setting.

It supports everyone who works in a school. This includes teachers, support staff, senior leaders and other education professionals. You can use it on your own or as part of a whole-school approach.

Accessing and using the resource

The resource is free to use.

It consists of 3 parts to download from the University of Cambridge website.

Executive summary

This gives an introduction to the resource and its ideas.

Guidance Part 1: An Introduction to School-level Approaches for Developing Inclusive Policy

Part 1 explains the features of inclusive policies and introduces 4 planning approaches that schools can use to develop them. Each approach follows an action cycle and includes questions that help you reflect at each stage.

It also includes 12 suggested changes that schools can make in the short and medium term. Schools can use the changes on their own or before starting a more detailed planning process.

Guidance Part 2: A Practical Guide to Inclusive Policy Planning

Part 2 provides practical guidance on inclusive policy planning. It explains each stage of the action cycle, guides you through the 4 planning approaches and shows you how to measure the impact of policy changes.

Download the resource (external link)