Back in January 2022, Allfarthing Primary School was not as inclusive as it would have liked to be. SEND pupils and those with protected characteristics were being spotlighted by a ‘traffic light’ style behaviour system, and there were punitive and public punishments in place. Many staff would pass on behaviour incidents up to Senior Leaders or expect support staff to deal with them, instead of building relationships themselves.

Back at his previous school, the Headteacher had seen the positive impact that the When The Adults Change approach had had on the setting. Having embraced the concept and read the books, he wanted to bring a wider culture of kindness to Allfarthing Primary School, and
its policies and practices.

 

He hoped that a behaviour policy built on kindness would lead to a drop in behaviour incidents, better learning behaviours and stronger relationships between staff, learners and the community.

The school is two years into the approach and is really thriving. In the first year/year and a half there was some resistance from staff, governors and parents. However, they opted for a rigorous induction, review and improvement plan. It was important to get all stakeholders
involved and it took a lot of work and a lot of modelling to bring everyone on board. More than had been estimated! The WTAC books were very important to share with staff and the school found they made a huge difference, as the Leadership Team can reference them and
staff can access them and understand the messaging. All members of staff get involved in the process. Even lunchtime staff get involved, and are part of the process, catching children demonstrating the school values.

Now that relational practice is embedded into the school, maintaining it and improving things is much easier. Allfarthing is now a ‘Wellbeing Champion School’ and part of a core group of schools that lead on equality, diversity and inclusion across their borough. They regularly host other school staff who come and observe their practice.

 

The school staff live the vision, where behaviour is everyone’s responsibility and professional development and feedback are not things to be scared of. Allfarthing have learnt how important it is to make the right decision, even if it is a hard one.

We are delighted to welcome Allfarthing Primary School as a WTAC Partner School!