Our Golden Rules

Our four Golden Rules are the same in every classroom, corridor and playground at Sparken Hill, from Nursery to Year 6. Every child is expected to follow them. So is every adult in school, including staff, parents, carers and visitors, because children learn far more from what we do than from what we say.

What sits behind the rules

The Golden Rules rest on our Relationships and Behaviour Regulation Policy. That policy starts from one simple idea: no two children are ever the same. Some children come into school calm and ready to learn. Others need help to feel safe and settled first, and a single fixed response would not be fair to either.

We are big believers in happy children. Happy children are easy to teach, and a child who feels safe, valued and understood is a child who is ready to learn.

We are proud of our approach to behaviour and see it as one of the real strengths of our school. It is built on positivity and on growing children's confidence, so they believe they can succeed. As the saying goes, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." We want every Sparken Hill child to leave us thinking they can.

Our behaviour approach recognises this. The rules and expectations stay the same for everyone, but the support we give adapts to meet each child's needs. For most children, most of the time, that means warm relationships, clear routines and plenty of praise. For some, it means extra help to understand and manage their feelings, or a plan we agree together with the family.

Parents, carers and visitors are part of this too. Our separate policy for adults sets out what we expect when you are on site or in contact with the school.

Relationships and Behaviour Regulation Policy (PDF) Parent, Carer and Visitor Behaviour Policy (PDF)