Page 5 - Building the Foundations: -1 Agreeing Expectations

Expectations: Our 7 Key Principles

1 Teach Explicitly teach what pro-learning & pro-social behaviours look like (don’t assume

children know).

2 Meaningful Focus on the purpose of expectations:
a) Now: so everyone in the class feels safe, enjoys school and learns well now
b) Future: to have the skills to be a great friend, partner, neighbour and work

colleague in the future.

3 Collaborative Get children’s buy-in by agreeing the expectations with children – don’t just set
rules (or pretend to collaborate).

4 Honest Acknowledge that some children will find it difficult to keep to these expectations
– use our ‘Shaping the Brain’ unit to explain why.

Give children the opportunity to think about a) what they might find difficult and
b) what might help them to keep to the expectations everyone agrees are right.

5 Real Focus on the natural consequences of non pro-social and non-learning

behaviours e.g. If you keep interrupting, people will become frustrated and not
want to discuss things with you.

6 Rigorous & Make sure children know that you will follow-up every time they don’t meet an

certain expectation - because it is vital to unpick the issues and work out how to make
things work better next time. They deserve support to do better.

7 Impactful Make sure follow-up is about helping children work out the stressors and develop
the skills, strategies and scaffolds to do better next time.