What message does the following behaviour communicate to children?

• Staff being negative about each other
• Staff snapping at each other
• Staff challenging each other in an aggressive manner
• Staff asking each other for help
• Staff providing help to each other
• Staff supporting and encouraging each other
• Staff being relaxed with each other
• Staff respecting each other
• Staff valuing each other’s opinions
• Staff communicating easily and clearly to each other

When children are trying to navigate their way around their life at home with unpredictable and inconsistent parenting they do not have a map to help them make sense of it. At school they are provided with a clear map in terms of rules and boundaries, but may need additional help understanding and following it. The school staff’s increased awareness of this need for some children enables them to provide opportunities to support them with this throughout the school day. If children feel happy, safe, settled, valued and secure in school then with the support of school staff they are able to be focused and ready to learn. They have the capacity to reach their full potential. How many children in your school feel like this every day and what can you do to improve it?