Promoting Positive Behaviour

At Holwell Primary School, we believe that promoting positive behaviour is a shared responsibility. We teach, model, and reinforce high expectations and practises consistently across the school to ensure every child feels safe, valued, and supported. Our approach empowers pupils to make thoughtful and responsible decisions, guided by our core RICRAC values: Respect, Independence, Co-operation, Resilience, Aspiration, and Courage. These values are woven into our curriculum and school culture, helping children grow both personally and academically. 

At Holwell Primary School, we create a calm, orderly, respectful, supportive and positive enviroment where puipls can thrive both academically and perosnally.  We believe that positive behaviour is nurtured through clear expectations, consistent routines, and a shared commitment from all staff. Our behaviour approach is built around well‑defined rewards and consequences that help children understand the impact of their choices. Rewards celebrate our values being demonstrated and positive conduct, while fair and proportionate consequences provide structure and help pupils learn from mistakes. Every member of staff applies these systems consistently, ensuring that children experience a sense of fairness, clarity, and security. By working together, we create a calm, respectful environment where all pupils can learn, grow, and thrive.

 

Theraputic Teaching 

At Holwell, we recognise that children often express their emotions—both positive and negative—through their behaviour. Because of this, we are committed to using a deeply therapeutic approach to supporting positive behaviour throughout our school.

Our approach helps children understand the origins of their emotions, develop the language to label them, and recognise that all emotions are valid. We teach children how to identify, regulate, and manage their feelings so they can thrive both in school and within the wider community.

While we value therapeutic principles, we also understand that preparing children for life beyond school means teaching them how society functions. Real-world environments operate within systems of rewards and consequences. For this reason, we introduce children to rules and natural consequences from an early age, ensuring that by the time they leave us, they are prepared to navigate a society where these systems are firmly established. 

Our Therapatic Journey 

2019: We began our therapeutic journey with Hertfordshire STEPS training and behaviour plan. The therapeutic knowledge this gave staff was a brilliant starting point but the lack of consistent rewards and consequences for many of the children meant they did not understand where their boundaries were and staff felt that children were not held to account for their actions when they were choice rather than a result of dysregulation. ​

​2020: Children were introduced a new behaviour policy where the RICRAC characters and the ability to earn rewards for showing these values was a great way to embed the expectations of positive values. ​

​2022: All staff trained in Hertfordshire Virtual School Attachment Aware and Trauma informed practice course. ​

​2023:Pastoral Lead and Mental Health completed Teaching Positive Connections therapeutic classroom 6 module CPD. Changes made to classroom expectations for displays and therapeutic areas.​

2024-2025 All staff completing the 6 modules course to become accredited TPC practitioners.

 

Rewards and Consequences

RICRAC's are awarded when pupils demonstrate our values and show positive conduct and schievement. Our pupils take pride in collecting positive rewards, which celebrate their effort, kindness, and excellent behaviour. Throughout each term, pupils earn points that they can trade in for exciting rewards such as stationery, sports equipment, or even a special Hot Chocolate with the Headteacher. This system encourages children to make positive choices and recognise their own achievements. In addition, each week RICRACs are selected at random, and those chosen are celebrated in our achievement assembly. This weekly recognition helps foster a sense of belonging, motivation, and school spirit, ensuring that all children feel valued and encouraged to do their best.

Each week in our Monday assembly, one of our RICRAC characters sets a special mission for the children—a behaviour focus designed to encourage positive choices and personal growth. Throughout the week, pupils are encouraged to demonstrate this behaviour in their classrooms and around the school. During our Friday achievement assembly, children who have embraced and modelled the weekly mission are celebrated and receive a class certificate recognising their effort. This routine not only reinforces our school values but also gives every child the opportunity to shine and feel proud of their achievements. 
 
Consequence points are clearly defined within our C.Point Continuim which is shared our understood by all pupils, staff and parents. Consequence points are used to help children understand the impact of their choices and to support them in developing positive behaviour. When a consequence is given, staff always take time to talk with the child about what happened, why the behaviour was not appropriate, and how they can make a more positive choice next time. These conversations are calm, supportive, and focused on learning rather than punishment. By reflecting together, children are guided to take responsibility, build self‑awareness, and develop the skills they need to make better decisions in the future.