School Values

Our School Values

“Kindness is always the best response…”

At Eastern Green Junior School, we believe that excellent behaviour is essential for effective learning and a positive school community. Our behaviour culture is built around three clear and simple values which guide everything we do:

Respect • Ready • Safe

These values provide a shared language that helps pupils understand what positive behaviour looks like in every part of school life.

Respect – showing kindness, listening to others and valuing the people and environment around us
Ready – being prepared for learning, following routines and giving our best effort
Safe – making responsible choices that keep ourselves and others safe

Staff consistently model these values and refer to them throughout the school day so that pupils understand what is expected of them. Our behaviour approach focuses on teaching pupils how to manage their behaviour, build positive relationships and take responsibility for their actions.

This consistent approach creates a calm, purposeful and safe environment where learning can flourish, ensuring pupils feel secure and ready to succeed.

Positive Behaviour and Recognition

At Eastern Green Junior School, we believe that positive behaviour should be noticed, celebrated and reinforced. Staff actively look for pupils who demonstrate the school values and recognise these behaviours regularly.

Positive behaviour is recognised through:

House Points

Pupils earn house points for demonstrating the school values, producing high-quality work, helping others and contributing positively to school life. House points contribute to weekly house totals and celebrate collective effort and teamwork.

Recognition Boards

Recognition Boards are used in classrooms to highlight positive behaviours linked to learning and cooperation. For example, behaviours such as “Ready to Learn”, “One Voice”, or “Everyone Helping” may be the focus.

Children are nominated by staff or peers when they demonstrate the target behaviour. The emphasis is on collective success, encouraging pupils to work together to ensure everyone is recognised for meeting expectations.

Star of the Day

Each class celebrates a Star of the Day at the end of every school day. This recognises a child who has demonstrated the school values through their attitude to learning, effort, kindness or positive behaviour.

Ending the day with this recognition ensures that every day finishes on a positive note, reinforcing the behaviours we want to see and helping pupils feel valued and proud of their contribution to the class.

Headteacher’s Values Certificates

Each week, two pupils from each class are recognised in the Headteacher’s Assembly. At least one of these pupils is selected for demonstrating the school values of Respect, Ready or Safe. Pupils receive a certificate and their achievements are shared with the school community.

Positive Notes or Phone Calls Home

Staff may send a positive message or make a phone call home to recognise pupils who consistently demonstrate the school values. This helps strengthen the partnership between home and school and ensures pupils’ successes are celebrated beyond the classroom.

Star Assemblies

At the end of each half term, pupils who have consistently demonstrated exemplary behaviour and attitude to learning are recognised in our Star Assembly. This recognises sustained positive contribution to school life.

These recognition systems ensure that pupils understand that positive behaviour, effort and kindness are valued and noticed by the school community.

Time Penalty System

While positive reinforcement is always our first approach, it is also important that pupils understand that actions have consequences.

The school uses a Time Penalty system to address behaviours that disrupt learning or do not align with our values. This system ensures responses to behaviour are fair, consistent and proportionate.

Sanctions are structured across four levels, depending on the seriousness or persistence of behaviour.

Level 1 – Loss of one break time (15 minutes) for low-level disruption such as calling out, distracting others or not following instructions.
Level 2 – Loss of two break times (30 minutes) for repeated or more significant disruption.
Level 3 – Loss of a full day of break times and further investigation by senior leaders for serious or persistent behaviour.
Level 4 – Internal or external suspension for very serious incidents.

This structured approach ensures that poor behaviour is addressed calmly and consistently, protecting learning time for all pupils.

Restorative Approach

At Eastern Green Junior School we believe that behaviour should be taught and understood, not simply punished.

Following any sanction, staff hold a restorative conversation with the pupil. These discussions help pupils to:

reflect on what happened
understand how their actions affected others
take responsibility for their behaviour
identify how they can make better choices in the future

Restorative conversations help repair relationships and ensure that pupils learn from mistakes while maintaining positive connections with staff and peers.

Creating a Positive Behaviour Culture

Our behaviour systems support the development of a strong school culture where pupils feel safe, respected and ready to learn.

Staff maintain consistent routines, model positive behaviour and ensure that expectations are clear across the school. Senior leaders regularly monitor behaviour and work alongside staff to ensure high standards are maintained.

At EGJS we ensure that:

classrooms remain calm and focused on learning
pupils understand and meet clear expectations
behaviour is managed consistently across the school
positive relationships underpin the school community

By embedding the values of Respect, Ready and Safe throughout school life, we support pupils in developing the behaviour, character and self-discipline needed to succeed both in school and beyond.

Behaviour in Action at Eastern Green Junior School

At Eastern Green Junior School, our behaviour systems ensure that expectations are clear, consistent and understood by all pupils. As a result, classrooms are calm, purposeful and focused on learning.

Pupils understand the importance of being respectful, ready and safe, and staff consistently reinforce these expectations throughout the school day. Clear routines, positive recognition and restorative conversations help pupils develop strong self-discipline and take responsibility for their behaviour.

Because expectations are high and consistently applied, pupils feel safe, relationships between staff and pupils are strong, and learning time is protected. This creates an environment where pupils are able to fully engage with the curriculum and focus on achieving their best.

A calm and orderly learning environment allows teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively, ensuring that lessons are purposeful and that pupils can concentrate, practise new skills and deepen their understanding over time. As a result, pupils are able to make strong academic progress.

Our behaviour culture also supports pupils’ wellbeing and personal development. When pupils feel safe, valued and supported, they are more confident learners who are willing to take risks, participate in discussions and challenge themselves in their learning.

By embedding the values of Respect, Ready and Safe throughout school life, we ensure that pupils develop the behaviour, resilience and confidence needed to succeed both academically and socially, preparing them well for the next stage of their education and for life beyond school.