Understanding behaviour. Restoring relationships. Building trust.
At The Orchard School, we see behaviour as communication. Many of our pupils arrive with histories of trauma, anxiety, and unmet need — and our job is to respond with compassion, structure and support.
Our approach to behaviour is rooted in Therapeutic Thinking and shaped by our Mission, Vision & Values: Everyone Matters. Everyone Cares. We prioritise emotional safety, trusting relationships, and reflective responses over control or punishment.
Our Approach
We use a relational model of behaviour support that focuses on:
Building consistent, caring relationships with trusted adults
Creating predictable environments that reduce anxiety
Teaching prosocial behaviour through modelling, feedback and reflection
Repairing relationships when things go wrong — not punishing emotions
Supporting pupils to understand and manage their feelings over time
The 4Rs Framework
All staff use our 4Rs model to guide therapeutic responses to dysregulation or crisis:
Regulate – Help the pupil calm through sensory, relational or distraction-based support
Relate – Reconnect through empathy, safety and non-judgement
Reason – Once calm, use simple, respectful conversation to guide understanding
Repair – Restore the relationship and move forward together
What Families Can Expect
Behaviour support plans aligned with EHCPs and regularly reviewed
Clear communication if incidents occur — without blame or shame
Restorative conversations and reparation, not exclusion as a first step
Support from our Pupil Support Team and key adults to meet underlying needs
A commitment to working in partnership with families at every stage
A Culture of Care
Everything we do is grounded in The Orchard Way, supported by Therapeutic Thinking, and driven by the belief that pupils grow best when they feel safe, understood and valued.