STEPs

As a Maintained School in Cambridgeshire, we have adopted the STEPs approach to managing behaviour. 

Steps is our preferred approach to behaviour management within Cambridgeshire and is based on the philosophy "You can't teach children to behave better by making them feel worse. When children feel better, they behave better." Pam Leo.

What is Steps? Steps is a therapeutic-thinking and trauma-informed approach to behaviour. This means that staff understand what causes positive and helpful as well as difficult or dangerous behaviour. They recognise that all behaviour is communication and unpick what the behaviours are telling us. They focus on positive experiences and feelings, recognising that these usually lead to positive and helpful behaviour.

Please see our Behaviour Policy and STEPs Parent-Carer Guide above to find out more!

RAiS

A brief insight to Restorative Approaches in Schools (RAiS) 

Following the success of the Anti-bullying projects in schools across St Neots, we have followed with interest the development of Restorative Approaches in Schools (RAiS) in a number of areas such as North Lancashire, Hull and London and decided to investigate further.

Some members of the St Neots Schools Forum visited schools who have already adopted RAiS. They were really impressed by what they saw and came back enthusiastic that Restorative Approaches could really enhance the good work ongoing in all our schools.

A restorative approach is a change in the language we use to address conflict and apppropriate behaviour. It asks the following five questions:

• What’s happened?
• What were you thinking at the time?
• Who has been affected?
• In what way?
• What needs to be done to make things right?

This allows all involved to develop self awareness and understand the feelings of others. It encourages young people to take responsibility for their actions, to find ways to peaceably repair the harm they have caused and to be accepted back into their (school) community. Restorative approaches has been proven to enhance the school environment, remove barriers to learning and attendance and develop more resilient, self regulating and empathic communities.

Previously we have trained our Year 1 and Year 2 children to Peer mediate and we are waiting for further training opportunities to arise to train our current cohorts of children.

At Priory Park Infants we are very excited to be taking part in this project again and we look forward to seeing the positive benefits we believe it will bring to our school once we have trained the children.

Please click on the links below for more information on RAis from St Neots Schools Forum