There has long been a recognition that children learn better when they know the boundaries and what is expected from them. They also learn better when they are happy and feel safe. This has driven the DfE to produce guidance asking schools to have a 'behaviour curriculum.' It is not enough to just specify how the children will walk around schools and when they will put their hands up. We need to spend time improving children's sense of responsibility and community, so they feel their education has purpose and they are able to express themselves and ask for what they need.
Research also tells us that a self-regulated person has better economic and academic outcomes.
This has led to the development of the 'Responsible Behaviour Curriculum.' This approach allows you to consider four key elements:
1 Functions - developing each of the eight executive functions leads to better self-regulation
2 Fences - Maslow recognises the importance of boundaries and expectations - safe fences - to ensure children feel happy and safe and, therefore, able to learn
3 Framework - teaching children a framework for how to communicate lessens frustration and allows children to consider theirs, and others, feelings
4 Features - the features of the emotional environment is key - enabling children to learn from key adults by providing the most positive and secure emotional environment possible.
The book looks carefully at how these aspects develop over time linked to the cognitive development of children in primary schools. We will consider children's contexts - their strengths, gaps and barriers to learning. The behaviour curriculum looks at development at the ages of 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11.
This information is then used to build a step-by-step approach to develop children's responsibility and sense of community and, therefore, their behaviour.
