Research School Network: Building Belonging: establishing, maintaining and restoring relationships in Year 4 Building belonging in year 4

Improving attendance is a complex process, and no two schools can take the same approach. There are, however, some common overarching principles that can inform attendance strategies. The EEF have structured resources around six evidence-informed themes, which you can find here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/leadership-and-planning/supporting-attendance

Each theme is accompanied by a range of further reading and exemplification from a range of schools and school leaders. One recommendation is to ​‘build a culture of community and belonging for pupils.’. We do this by:

-Being inclusive by design, promoting positive relationships and attitudes
-Promoting positive relationships and active engagement for all pupils
-Adopting a positive and proactive approach to behaviour for learning

A good way to build positive relationships is through the Establish-Maintain-Restore method:

Nields Academy is a a village school in the heart of the Colne Valley, West Yorkshire. It is a school which prides itself in creating a happy, caring, family atmosphere where everyone is encouraged and inspired to achieve their potential and develop a love of learning. Caitlyn Petts, Year 4 teacher outlines how she uses the EMR method to build positive relationships.

Establish

The beginning of the day is an important opportunity to set a positive tone for the day. I focus on positive communication for all children but this is particularly important for those children who most need a positive, consistent relationship. I have worked hard to identify the interests and passions of these children in terms of the curriculum and any extra curricular activities or important social/​family relationships. We may start the day by discussing how they got on at football that weekend or whether they enjoyed a relative’s birthday, this personal connection is important. I also utilise the full range of pupil level information to anticipate barriers, this might include anticipating points in the day where a child may feel worried or less confident so that reassurance is offered from the outset.

Maintain

I know that children respond differently to use of praise. For some children, they want the public acknowledgement whereas other children want this to be more discrete. I use a range of hand gestures that can be woven discretely into the lesson so that only that child is aware. There is an emphasis on catching every child being good so being tuned into the tiny moments across the day ensures there are no missed opportunities for using praise. This also extends to the way in which we celebrate our achievements by displaying work. Every child has strengths across the curriculum so we ensure every child has an opportunity to display their work inside or outside of the classroom supporting their sense of belonging in the classroom and as part of the school community.

Restore

When negative incidents occur I ensure that children are given time and space to calm down, this also provides me with an opportunity to think about how to respond in a calm manner. When engaging in a restorative conversation it is important that I get down on their level to communicate a supportive and positive response. I identify the action that was the root cause of the incident and we discuss what they could do differently next time, more often than not the children are able to identify this for themselves or I may provide some prompts to problem solve collectively. I ensure that the child is clear that we are moving on from the incident so that we work towards a resolution as quickly as possible. This includes any consequences that may need to be given in line with the school behavior management policy, these must occur by the end of the school day so that this is not something they dwell on or worry about. We are then able to repair and restore the relationship. I also reflect on how I managed the particular incident and how I may approach it differently if this were to occur again.

EEF Supporting School Attendance resources can be found here.

Read about the ways our other Research Schools foster a culture of community and belonging for pupils:

Building belonging in small… | North Yorkshire Coast Research School

Family Dining: Community, Belonging and… | Bradford Research School