Building Better Behaviour in the Early Years

Chris Dukes, Maggie Smith

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781446241561
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Every Early Years setting strives to create a calm and positive atmosphere, where children can thrive and develop as successful and confident learners.

By asking you to reflect on how the ethos, practice and general approach in your setting impacts on the behaviour of both children and adults, the book suggests sensible ways to achieve an exciting and stimulating environment for all

From an award-winning author team, there is down-to-earth advice, a number of common-sense solutions and all the essential information you will need to develop the best sort of setting, where everyone supports one another.

Chapters offer guidance on:

- creating an enabling environment for all

- developing a team-based approach

- considering the whole child

- working with parents and other professionals

- observing and assessing behaviour

- sharing good practice.

There are also:

- case studies of children between 0 to 5 years

- sample policies

- lots of photocopiable material, on the accompanying CD-Rom.

Suitable for all Early Years students and practitioners, the book is an encouraging read that will inspire and help you to improve behaviour in your class or setting.

	CHAPTER ONE
	The bigger picture

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The aim of this chapter is to put children’s behaviour into the wider context.

It outlines the references made to behaviour and behaviour management in the following documents:

• The Early Years Foundation Stage – Statutory Framework (DfES, 2007)
• The Early Years Foundation Stage – Practice Guidance (DfES, 2008)
• The Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs (DfEE, 2001)
• The Disability Discrimination Act (NCB, 1995)

and includes:

• a Hands-on activity
• Further reading.

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Most practitioners would agree that a positive attitude, self-esteem and good behaviour are essential for children to develop and learn successfully. The importance of children’s personal, social and emotional development is highlighted in recent initiatives and is embedded in the EYFS. Both the Statutory Framework and the non-statutory Practice Guidance make reference to behaviour, the main points of which are listed below. These may be particularly helpful to managers and those responsible for behaviour management and training within a setting.

The Statutory Framework for the EYFS

Welfare requirements

Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare

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Children’s behaviour must be managed effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs.

(EYFS Statutory Framework, page 25)

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Specific legal requirements

Providers must not give corporal punishment to a child for whom they provide early years provision and, so far as it is reasonably practicable, shall ensure that corporal punishment is not given to any such child by:

• any person who cares for, or who is in regular contact with children;
• any person living or working on the premises.

Providers must not threaten corporal punishment or use or threaten any form of corporal punishment which could have an adverse impact on a child’s well-being.

Providers must have an effective behaviour management policy which is adhered to by all members of staff.

Statutory guidance to which providers must have regard

A named practitioner should be responsible for behaviour management issues. They should be supported in acquiring skills to provide guidance to other staff and to access expert advice if ordinary methods are not effective with a particular child.

Physical intervention should only be used to manage a child’s behaviour if it is necessary to prevent personal injury to the child, other children or an adult, to prevent serious damage to property or in what would reasonably be regarded as exceptional circumstances.

Any occasion where physical intervention is used to manage a child’s behaviour should be recorded and parents should be informed about it on the same day.

Practice Guidance for the EYFS

The EYFS Practice Guidance looks at how practitioners can support the learning, development and welfare of all children. It is written to correspond with the principles which are divided into four themes:

• A Unique Child
• Positive Relationships
• Enabling Environments
• Learning and Development.

These themes underpin effective practice in the delivery of the EYFS (Practice Guidance, page 5).

Most references to behaviour are found in one of the Six Areas of Learning – that of Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

In particular it says that practitioners should:

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Give support and a structured approach to vulnerable children and those with particular behavioural or communication difficulties to help them achieve successful Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

(EYFS Practice Guidance, page 25)

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A child’s behaviour is rooted in their personal, social and emotional development, which is helpfully set out in the EYFS Practice Guidance, page 24, as follows:

• For children, being special to someone and well cared for is vital for their physical, social and emotional health and well-being.
• Being acknowledged and affirmed by important people in their lives leads to children gaining confidence and inner strength through secure attachments with these people.
• Exploration within close relationships leads to growth of self-assurance, promoting a sense of belonging which allows children to explore the world from a secure base.
• Children need adults to set a good example and to give them opportunities for interaction with others so that they can develop positive ideas about themselves and others.
• Children who are encouraged to feel free to express their ideas and their feelings, such as joy, sadness, frustration and fear, can develop strategies to cope with new, challenging or stressful situations.

When does behaviour become a special need?

The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice

The SEN Code of Practice (DfEE, 2001) outlines certain expectations with regard to identifying and meeting the needs of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These include a series of principles that early years settings are expected to adhere to.

The principles of the SEN Code of Practice are as follows:

• Every child with special educational needs should have their needs met.
• As far as possible these needs will be met within a mainstream setting with access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.
• The views of parents should be sought and taken into account.
• Wherever possible the views of the child should be, taken into account.

(DfEE, 2001: 16, para. 2:2)

The SEN Code of Practice describes special educational needs as falling into four main areas:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Behavioural, emotional and social development
• Sensory and physical.

The legal definition of SEN (Education Act 1996) as set out in the SEN Code of Practice (DfEE, 2001: 6, para. 1:3) is:

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Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

(a)	have a significantly greater difficulty than the majority of children of the same age; or
(b)	have a disability which prevents...