At Old Earth, we develop children’s character through the ‘Old Earth Way’ behaviour curriculum. To build character, we define the behaviours and habits that we expect pupils to demonstrate. We want to support our pupils to grow into adults who are polite, respectful, and valuable members of society. We believe that, as pupils practise these behaviours over time, they become habits that positively shape how they feel about themselves and how other people perceive them.

The curriculum is taught explicitly during the first week in Autumn term as part of our “New Year, New Start” transition learning. This is also done at the start of a calendar ‘new year’ (January). Children will learn the content of the curriculum so that they can recall the information and act upon it. At the start of each term, the ‘Old Earth Way’ behaviour curriculum is revisited with pupils and will continue to be reinforced throughout the year.

While this curriculum is intended for all pupils it will be applied differently in different year groups depending on pupils’ ages and may be applied differently depending on individual pupils’ SEND needs. For example, pupils who have autistic spectrum conditions may find it very uncomfortable to maintain eye-contact with adults. Sensitivity will be used at all times when teaching the behaviour curriculum.