Every setting should have a behaviour policy, in England, it is a legal requirement for early years setting. This is a document to promote a positive behaviour of children and adults involved in the setting, it will help all staff to know what we should do in different situations. As a part of this policy there will also be procedures for staff to follow, such as, showing respect to children and other adults or, giving a explanation to the child who is finding it difficult to observe boundaries or, being a positive role model with appropriate behaviour. Also, the policy should detail the strategies that will never be used in the setting.
The codes of conduct relate to the behaviour of staff as well as the behaviour of children. These must be managed in a manner appropriate for children age, stage of development and individual needs. For the staff, the code of conduct will include, for example, keeping calm to stop children hurting each other or behaving in a unsafe way, such as, listening to both sides of the story in a conflict or, not make any negative comments in front of the children. For children, the codes of conduct are about playing safely, respecting others or taking turns. These codes are discussed with children making a Golden Rules, for example, please walk no running or we should share toys with our friends; this helps them to take responsibility for their behaviour and they feel part of the process.
To support children’s positive behaviour we will use Rewards, it is based on the idea that, if they receive approval, they are likely to want to repeat that behaviour There are many types of rewards that work well with children. Praise is a very effective way of reinforcing positive behaviour, saying to children ‘well done’ or ‘good boy/girl’ helps them to know that they have shown positive behaviour and stating clearly what it