Our Behaviour Curriculum
At Scapegoat Hill School, we follow five key school rules that guide behaviour in every classroom, across the school, and during all our activities—even when we’re out and about representing our school in the wider community.
In addition to our rules, we live by three core school values that shape how we treat one another and how we approach our learning every day. These values are at the heart of everything we do, both in and out of school.
Please see our school rules and values below:
At Scapegoat Hill School, our Behaviour Curriculum is built on the work of renowned children’s behaviour expert Paul Dix and is closely aligned with the emotional wellbeing and development strategies taught through the ‘My Happy Mind’ program.
We believe that behaviour is a form of communication and, like other subjects such as maths and reading, it should be explicitly taught, modelled, and reinforced. Our approach focuses on consistency, strong relationships, and proactive emotional support, ensuring every child feels safe, understood, and ready to learn.
Paul Dix’s philosophy is rooted in relational and restorative practice, which is outlined in his influential book, When the Adults Change, Everything Changes. His work provides practical, whole-school strategies for building calm, respectful, and inclusive environments.
Our Behaviour Curriculum goes beyond simply managing behaviour. It’s about teaching the behaviours we want to see—through clear routines, adult modelling, and restorative conversations—so that children can develop the emotional and social skills they need to succeed, both in school and in life.
Core Principles of Paul Dix’s Behaviour Curriculum
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Teach Behaviour Like Any Other Subject
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Behaviour isn’t innate for all students—it must be taught, modelled, and practised.
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Clear, consistent routines and expectations are embedded in everyday teaching.
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Consistency Over Severity
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The focus is on calm, consistent adult behaviour rather than punitive systems.
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Every adult in the school follows the same approaches and scripts.
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Relational Practice
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Relationships are at the heart of behaviour management.
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Staff invest in knowing students personally, restoring relationships after conflict.
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Pre-emptive and Positive
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Anticipate problems before they escalate.
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Use recognition (not reward) systems that are meaningful, not material.
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Visible Adult Leadership
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Staff are present and proactive around the school.
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Calm authority and high expectations are visible throughout the building.
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Praising Character Strengths – The My Happy Mind Way
At Scapegoat Hill School, we are committed to recognising and nurturing the inner strengths that help our children grow into confident, kind, and resilient individuals. As part of our work with the My Happy Mind program, we focus on praising character strengths, not just competencies or outcomes.
Rather than saying,
“You’re so good at maths!”
we aim to say,
“I can see how determined you were to solve that problem – what great exploring and learning!”
This approach helps children understand that their attitudes and actions matter more than just the end result. Our 5 character strengths are,
Exploring and learning
Love of our life and our world
Bravery and honesty
Teamwork and friendship
Love and kindness
Enhancing the Behaviour Curriculum
Opportunities that enhance out safeguarding and the national curriculum include working closely with our PCSO, PC Hunt.
PC Hunt comes into school to speak to the children about issues that may worry them or potentially impact on them as they move to high school and beyond. Here we see some of the younger children working with the PCSOs and trying on the police uniforms.
