As you will have seen from my email, the staff and I were thrilled to recieve the National Well-being award for the RAW project we started last year. Miss Henry and Miss Proctor have worked tirelessly to ensure our work has had the desired impact. There is still more to do, but we were thrilled with the feedback- 

'It is with great pleasure that we present to your school community a National Wellbeing Gold Award in acknowledgment of your participation in the Raising Attainment with Wellbeing Programme: Putting wellbeing at the heart of learning, teaching and leadership.

From a position of strength, the school community has moved forward with the support of RAW and your coach, Sinaed, and then myself to guide the last steps of the way.

I read with great interest your detailed Needs Analysis Statement, and I have to say your completed action planning framework I consider best in class! And that is out of 40 schools!

Your additional analysis, extending the evaluation framework to include a Mental Health and Wellbeing focus, was truly enlightening. As the Project Designer, it warmed my heart to see such thoroughness and authenticity'

Behaviour in school

Over the last few weeks, Mrs Louis White and I have been monitoring behaviour across the school.

95% of pupils follow the school's Golden Rules really well. 

These are:

We care about and look after eachother. 

We are honest and trustworthy. 

We respect and care for our environment. 

We try our best and are proud of everything we do and learn. 

However, there are small pockets of pupils that feel that they do not have to follow the same rules as everyone else. This may include wearing incorrect school uniform, being unkind to others and in some instances hurting others. 

In discussions with pupils we are hearing a lot of the following unhelpful comments and we need parental support to change this:

'my dad said if they hurt me, hit them back'

'my mum said if you have a probelm with my uniform then call her'

'I am allowed to swear at home'

'My mum said I'm not allowed to tell the teachers anything'

Rules play a crucial role in primary schools for several reasons:

Safety: Rules help ensure the physical safety of students. For example, rules about walking instead of running in the hallways help prevent accidents.

Behavioral Expectations: Clear rules establish behavioral expectations, teaching children about appropriate conduct in a structured environment. This helps them develop important social skills and learn to respect authority.

Learning Environment: Rules create a conducive learning environment by minimising distractions and disruptions. When students understand the boundaries, they can focus better on their learning.

Fairness: Rules promote fairness and equality among students. They establish consistent standards of behavior for everyone, regardless of background or personal circumstances.

Preparation for Life: Learning to follow rules in primary school prepares children for the expectations they'll face in later education and in society. Understanding rules and consequences is an essential life skill.

Responsibility and Accountability: Rules teach children about responsibility and accountability for their actions. When they understand that breaking rules has consequences, they learn to make better choices.

Overall, rules provide the structure and guidance necessary for a positive educational experience, helping students develop both academically and socially. You need to work with us to ensure your child is following the rules.

Sadly we have noiticed an increase in incidents involving the 9 protected characteristics. 

In many educational systems, including those in the UK and some other countries, there are legal frameworks or guidelines in place to protect individuals from discrimination and bullying based on certain characteristics. These characteristics are often referred to as the "protected characteristics" and are outlined in anti-discrimination legislation. In the UK, for instance, the Equality Act 2010 defines nine protected characteristics:

1. Age: This protects individuals of all ages from discrimination, including both younger and older people.

2. Disability: This includes physical or mental impairments that have a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

3. Gender Reassignment: This protects individuals who are proposing to undergo, are undergoing, or have undergone a process to change their gender.

4. Marriage and Civil Partnership: This protects individuals who are married or in a civil partnership.

5. Pregnancy and Maternity: This protects individuals from discrimination due to pregnancy or maternity leave.

6. Race: This protects individuals from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or nationality.

7. Religion or Belief: This protects individuals from discrimination based on their religion or beliefs, or lack thereof.

8. Sex: This protects individuals from discrimination based on their biological sex.

9. Sexual Orientation: This protects individuals from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, whether they are heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.

These protected characteristics are important considerations in addressing issues in schools. Schools have a duty to ensure that all students are protected from bullying and harassment related to any of these characteristics. Policies and practices are in place to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, and to address instances of discrimination promptly and effectively.

Please challenge your child if they make discriminatory comments at home! Do not encourage or laugh at jokes that are discriminatory- we need to teach our children that this is not acceptable in the world. 

Our postivie ethos and behaviour policy is on our website for you to see. Should you need support with parenting we are here to help. You can also pop in to Daisychain and see Lisa and the team, who offer parenting programs to help families.