Wyvern Logo Inclusion Toolkit

Behaviour Hub

This hub explains Wyvern's Inclusive Behaviour Management approach.

Behaviour pathway

Wyvern Inclusive Behaviour Management Approach

We apply one connected model: PRIDE expectations, strong relationships, consistent praise, Winning Ways strategies, reasonable adjustments, and sanctions where needed. Different students respond best to different things, so staff use all of these together to bring out the best in students and support them to reach PRIDE.

PRIDE Expectations Prepared, Respectful, Involved and Dedicated: the expectations every student is supported to meet. Relationships Warm, professional and consistent adult practice that makes expectations easier to meet. Praise Notice, name and reward PRIDE quickly and fairly so students know what to repeat. Winning Ways Proactively Prevent; Interrupt and Redirect; Repair and Rebuild. Reasonable Adjustments Class Plans in SIMS show the adjustments students need to reach the same PRIDE expectations. Sanctions The Four Point Plan provides clear thresholds and consistent follow-through when needed.

PRIDE Expectations

These high expectations are visible and taught explicitly across lessons.

Prepared

  • On time, correct seat
  • Correct uniform
  • Correct equipment out
  • Prepare the page

Respectful

  • Follow instructions first time, every time
  • Listen in silence
  • Wait your turn to speak
  • Be polite and kind

Involved

  • Sit up, listen and focus
  • Actively contribute
  • Ask and answer questions
  • Help each other

Dedicated

  • Stay work focused
  • Neat presentation
  • Persevere: keep trying
  • Act on feedback

Every student, every lesson, every day.

Relationships

Relationships are built through warm, professional, and consistent adult practice.

Principles

Warm welcome and belonging

Greet students, use names, notice effort, and help them feel they belong.

Respect and dignity, always

Be firm without humiliation; correct privately where possible; avoid sarcasm.

Calm, kind, clear communication

Speak slowly and calmly; listen; explain decisions; separate child from behaviour.

Predictable routines and follow-through

Use the same language, same steps, and same consequences; no surprises.

Model the behaviour we teach

Show self-control, fairness, good manners, and repair after mistakes.

Professional boundaries and safety

Keep appropriate distance; protect confidentiality; avoid favourites; follow safeguarding guidance.

What it looks like in lessons

  • Meet and greet at the door; names used routinely.
  • Narrate the positive: "Thank you for getting started."
  • Private correction where possible (quiet word, desk-side, corridor chat after).
  • PRIDE-linked, calm language when behaviour slips (same phrasing across staff).
  • Follow-through on sanction every time - culture of certainty.
  • Repair: check-in later, reset the relationship, then move forward.

Common mistakes

  • Use sarcasm, ridicule, or labels ("lazy", "attention seeker").
  • Argue across the room or continue a conflict in front of an audience.
  • Bargain away expectations to "keep them sweet".
  • Blur boundaries (social media contact, private messaging, over-sharing personal life).

Praise

Principles

We use praise as a tool to motivate and reward student behaviour that meets PRIDE expectations. Research shows praise is often a stronger motivator for behaviour change in teenagers than sanctions.

Our mindset is to notice the positive and maintain a high ratio of praise to negative or sanction comments. After correction, we actively look for students getting it right and praise that quickly. We also work to make sure praise is distributed fairly across classes, so it does not go only to the same few students.

What it looks like in lessons

  • Notice and name students meeting PRIDE expectations in real time.
  • Use high-frequency positive narration during starts and transitions.
  • After correction, look out for the next right action and praise quickly.
  • Use praise fairly across the class rather than repeatedly praising only the same students.

Common mistakes

  • Relying mostly on correction and sanctions instead of positive recognition.
  • Letting praise become vague, delayed, or disconnected from PRIDE expectations.
  • Failing to rebalance with praise after giving corrective feedback.
  • Praising the same few students while missing quieter positive behaviour.

P1

Expectations met

1 house point

P2

Expectations exceeded

10 house points

P3

Exceptional achievement

50 house points

Winning Ways Knowledge Base

Browse strategies by Proactively Prevent, Interrupt and Redirect, and Repair and Rebuild, or launch the full knowledge base.

View Winning Ways Knowledge Base

Proactively Prevent

Reduce problems before they start through routines and predictable lessons.

View these strategies

Common Behaviour Issues

Here are shortcuts to the Winning Ways Knowledge Base based on common in-class behaviour issues.

Chatting during teacher talk / instruction

Protecting explicit instruction time and first-time listening.

Proactively Prevent: 8 | Interrupt: 9 | Repair: 5

View useful strategies (22)

Chatting during independent work

Maintaining focus and independent effort during practice tasks.

Proactively Prevent: 9 | Interrupt: 8 | Repair: 5

View useful strategies (22)

Calling out / interrupting

Building turn-taking routines and respectful classroom dialogue.

Proactively Prevent: 7 | Interrupt: 8 | Repair: 4

View useful strategies (19)

Off-task / fiddling / low-level distraction

Improving attention, task focus, and sustained engagement.

Proactively Prevent: 9 | Interrupt: 10 | Repair: 4

View useful strategies (23)

Slow starts / dawdling transitions

Strengthening routines for calm starts and efficient transitions.

Proactively Prevent: 8 | Interrupt: 8 | Repair: 4

View useful strategies (20)

Work avoidance / blank page / 'I can't'

Reducing task avoidance and supporting productive first attempts.

Proactively Prevent: 12 | Interrupt: 10 | Repair: 7

View useful strategies (29)

Low-level defiance / arguing / 'No' (mild)

De-escalating pushback while keeping expectations clear and consistent.

Proactively Prevent: 6 | Interrupt: 10 | Repair: 11

View useful strategies (27)

Attention seeking / clowning / minor disruption

Reducing performance behaviour and protecting learning climate.

Proactively Prevent: 9 | Interrupt: 8 | Repair: 5

View useful strategies (22)

Peer friction / bickering / low-level conflict

Restoring respectful peer interactions and cooperative norms.

Proactively Prevent: 7 | Interrupt: 9 | Repair: 7

View useful strategies (23)

Disorganisation / missing equipment / dead time

Increasing readiness, equipment routines, and lesson momentum.

Proactively Prevent: 6 | Interrupt: 7 | Repair: 4

View useful strategies (17)

Reasonable Adjustments

Wyvern's approach aligns with our duty in the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments so that students with a protected characteristic are not disadvantaged.

We do this through our Class Plans system in SIMS. Teachers are expected to read and put into action the reasonable adjustments required for students in their classes, and to contribute to Class Plans each year so they remain accurate and useful.

Some reasonable adjustments are specific Winning Ways strategies that work for that student. Other reasonable adjustments could be SEND-related learning strategies, medical adjustments, or other adaptations that help the student meet the same expectations.

The purpose of a reasonable adjustment is to support a student in reaching the PRIDE expectations, not to lower the expectations.

Adjustment made

If PRIDE expectations are not met and the required reasonable adjustment was made, the sanction is unchanged.

Adjustment not made

If PRIDE expectations are not met and the required reasonable adjustment was not made, the sanction is changed.

Sanctions

Use sanctions in line with policy where behaviour is serious, repeated, or meets defined escalation triggers.

The Four Point Plan

A clear escalation pathway from initial disruption to severe incidents, with consistent thresholds and follow-through. Use sanctions alongside the other strategies and in line with policy where behaviour is serious, repeated, or significantly prevents students from learning.

Step 1

Initial disruption

C1 verbal warning

Any behaviour which breaks the PRIDE expectations, interrupting the flow of the lesson.

  • Explain clearly what is disruptive and how this links to PRIDE.
  • Warn that further disruption will result in detention.
  • Place the C1 card on the student desk as a visual warning.
  • Do not record students' names on the board.
  • Record an 'L' on SIMS for lateness; over 10 minutes late triggers C3 (30 mins).

Step 2

Repeated disruption

C2 break detention (20 mins)

A second incident of behaviour which breaks PRIDE expectations.

  • Explain this is now repeated disruption, how this links to PRIDE, and set detention.
  • Record in SIMS and give clear detention timing details.
  • A restorative conversation should happen in break detention.
  • Students must still have at least 10 minutes to eat.
  • No-show at break detention escalates to C3 (30 mins) with parent contact.

Step 3

Serious disruption

C3 detention + buddy room

A third disruption incident, phone out in class, one act of defiance to staff direction, or throwing items unlikely to cause harm.

  • State clearly why this meets the serious threshold and how this links to PRIDE.
  • Use the buddy room for the student: this protects lesson flow; sanction remains C3 (30 mins) detention.
  • Refusal to move and/or attend buddy room escalates to C3 (75 mins) detention and on-call follow-up.
  • Refusal to follow staff instructions or throwing items unlikely to cause harm leads to C3 (75 mins) detention.
  • For phone/headphones out in class, issue C3 (30 mins) and follow confiscation process. If the student refuses confiscation, set C3 (75 mins).

Step 4

Severe disruption

C4 isolation, off-site direction, suspension

Buddy room refusal for on-call/disruption of the buddy room, swearing at staff, unsafe or dangerous conduct, or non-attendance at C3 (75 mins).

  • Use on-call for swearing at staff, threatening behaviour, unsafe behaviour, or buddy room refusal.
  • In-lesson incidents: notify the Curriculum Leader, who notifies home, collects statements, and passes to the PL/DPL to apply the C4 sanction.
  • Out-of-lesson incidents: notify home, collect and pass statements to the PL/DPL, who will apply the C4 sanction.

Additional consequence rules
Home learning reminder
  • First home learning failure in any half term = C1.
  • Further home learning failure in any half term = C3 (30 mins) detention.
Lateness reminder
  • More than 10 minutes late to lesson = C3 (30 mins).