Aiming High; Showing Integrity–
Being Respectful, Honest, Fair, Proud and Kind.
Bowker Vale Primary School seeks to become a centre of excellence for High Standards, enabling each pupil to explore their talents and achieve their full potential. This will be promoted in a welcoming environment of mutual respect ensuring each pupil feels safe, secure and valued.
To be a welcoming, friendly, bright, lively and happy place where learners feel secure and enjoy growing up.
To be a place of personal responsibility, respect and good behaviour.
To provide for learners’ individual physical, emotional, social, spiritual, moral and cultural needs.
To promote and achieve high standards for all by providing teaching of the highest quality.
To provide a rich and challenging curriculum based on first hand experiences, practical learning, investigation and play.
To be an inclusive school, ensuring that all learners are given equality of opportunity.
To encourage parental and wider community involvement in all aspects of school life.
To be a place where individuals are encouraged, rewarded and celebrated.
We are committed to providing and maintaining a warm and friendly environment in which all our children feel secure and valued. We strive to develop the awareness of our own feelings and those of others. We celebrate and reward positive relationships and believe that this encourages children towards higher standards. This also provides reinforcement and motivation that helps to raise children’s self-esteem.
The school follows a positive behaviour policy around our Bowker Vale Standard, which the children all know and can sign using BSL –
‘Today, I will be the best version of myself. I will aim high, show integrity
and be
respectful, honest, fair, proud and kind.’
Be Ready
Be Respectful
Be Safe
Good standards of behaviour are promoted through simple rules, positive strategies and rewards, including:
Our School Rules
An inclusive curriculum, focused on learning about and celebrating difference
An appropriate and relevant curriculum that meets the needs of each pupil with a focus on our important values – Aiming high; showing integrity. Being respectful, honest, fair, proud and kind
Positive oral praise to share successes and reinforce expectations
Celebration assemblies and collective worship which develop themes such as friendship, respect, Learning Powers and Growth Mindset
Individual rewards – stickers, certificates, DoJos and reward charts
Responsibility roles (e.g. Bowker Leaders, Eco-team)
Class reward systems
PSHE lessons
Termly mentor meetings with the children - ‘Attitude’ is carefully tracked by the class teacher and discussed during these meetings. This includes attendance, punctuality, behaviour, effort, homework and uniform. Each area is colour coded: Green-excellent/very good, Yellow-acceptable/satisfactory, Red-unacceptable. Targets and support are agreed where necessary. All attitudes are shared with families at Learning Reviews, at least twice in the year.
At Bowker Vale, we are proud of the positive behaviour demonstrated by our pupils. We use a relational approach to behaviour, built on strong, respectful relationships, clear routines and high expectations. We notice, encourage and celebrate positive choices, while recognising that children sometimes need support to understand the impact of their behaviour and make better choices in the future.
Where behaviour falls below expectations, adults respond calmly, fairly and consistently. Any consequence will be proportionate, appropriate to the individual circumstances and explained clearly to the child. Our aim is not simply to address the behaviour, but to help children reflect, repair relationships where needed and develop the skills to make positive choices next time.
When a child is upset, angry or has acted impulsively, they may be given time and space to regulate before discussing what has happened. This enables adults to listen carefully, understand the context and respond fairly. Once the child is ready, adults will support them to reflect on their actions, consider how others may have been affected and identify what they can do differently.
We recognise that children may sometimes act thoughtlessly or make mistakes without intending to cause harm. In these situations, adults will help them understand the consequences of their actions and, where appropriate, put things right. Where behaviour is more serious—for example, deliberately hurting another child, speaking disrespectfully to an adult or refusing a reasonable instruction—the school will work with the child and their family to agree an appropriate response and support positive change.
WHAT DID OFSTED SAY ABOUT BEHAVIOUR AT BOWKER VALE (when they visited to inspect in February 2023)?
What is it like to attend this school?
'This school is a happy place to be. Pupils, and children in the early years, enjoy being part
of a warm and caring learning community where everyone is included. Pupils strive to live
up to the Bowker Vale standard, which encourages them to be respectful, honest, fair,
proud and kind. They play well together and try hard in their lessons.'
'Staff expect pupils to behave well. Pupils feel safe at school because they trust staff to
take care of them and listen to their concerns. Staff deal swiftly with any bullying or
unkindness. They endeavour to make sure that these behaviours do not continue.'
'In lessons, and at social times, pupils behave well. They are polite and follow routines
with enthusiasm. Learning is not disrupted by poor behaviour. Children in the early years
listen attentively and follow adults’ instructions. They make effective use of the different
learning spaces that leaders have designed for them.'