Supporting Positive Behaviour at Hedgewood School

At Hedgewood School, we take a positive and supportive approach to behaviour, specifically tailored for pupils with Complex Moderate Learning Difficulties and Autism.
Our primary aim is to reduce anxiety and create a safe, calm and predictable environment where every pupil feels secure, understood and ready to learn.

Evidence‑Based Strategies for Behaviour and Learning

We use a range of evidence‑based strategies to help our pupils reach their full potential. These include:

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement involves providing something pleasant or motivating after a desired behaviour occurs. This strengthens the behaviour and increases the likelihood of it happening again. It is a key part of teaching new skills and promoting positive learning experiences.

At Hedgewood, positive reinforcement may include:

• Access to preferred items or activities linked to individual interests
• Behaviour‑specific praise (e.g., “I noticed you put on your coat yourself—great job!”)
• Certificates or recognition
• Visits to special places
• Special roles and responsibilities
• Reward systems or token economies, where children earn points, stickers or tokens to exchange for meaningful rewards

Preference Assessments

We regularly assess what motivates each pupil to ensure reinforcement remains effective and relevant.

Rapport Building

Staff prioritise building warm, trusting relationships with every child. This is especially important at the start of the school year, but continues throughout the pupil’s time at Hedgewood. Feeling safe and connected helps pupils engage more confidently in learning.

Task Analysis & Chaining

To promote independence, we break down complex tasks (such as washing hands, fastening a coat or completing a maths activity) into small, manageable steps that can be taught gradually.

Prompting and Prompt Fading

We provide the level of support needed for a pupil to succeed, then gradually fade prompts so that they can complete tasks independently without relying on adult assistance.

Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)

We follow the principle that all behaviour, including behaviour that challenges, has a purpose. By understanding the reasons (function(s)) behind a behaviour, we can create an environment and support plan that enables pupils to have their needs met in positive, appropriate ways.

Prevent–Teach–Reinforce (PTR)

PTR is an evidence‑based model that helps us deliver high‑quality Positive Behaviour Support across the school.

Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBAs)

To effectively support a pupil, we look beyond the behaviour itself and explore why it occurs.
FBAs may include:

• ABC logs (what happens After, Before, and Consequences)
• Interviews with staff and families
• Direct observations

This information allows us to form a clear understanding of the behaviour’s function and identify the most effective support strategies.

Individual Risk Assessments & Positive Behaviour Support Plans

These detailed documents outline the strategies staff use to support each pupil. They include:

Proactive Strategies

Examples may include:

• Providing regular breaks
• Supporting access to motivating, creative activities
• Honouring reasonable requests where possible
• Preparing pupils for transitions or changes

Skills to Teach

These may include:

• Waiting for increasing periods
• Accepting “no” or “not now”
• Completing tasks with reduced prompting
• Responding appropriately to a range of adults
• Managing the end of preferred activities

Reactive Strategies

These may include:

• Remaining calm and using a neutral tone of voice
• Supervising from a safe distance
• Reducing verbal interaction or eye contact when appropriate

The Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Team

Our PBS Team works closely with staff to ensure pupils receive consistent, high‑quality support. They help create effective environments, guide teaching of new skills and ensure responses to behaviour uphold every child’s dignity and wellbeing.

Assent

Assent refers to a person’s ability to communicate agreement or willingness to participate.
All staff are trained to recognise assent in a wide range of learners, including those who communicate non‑verbally. If a child does not show assent, staff stop the activity and respect their refusal, ensuring that pupils feel safe, heard and in control.

 
The SPELL Framework

The SPELL approach (Structured, Positive, Empathy, Low Arousal, Links) underpins all practice at Hedgewood School. It guides us in creating structured and predictable environments, maintaining a positive and empathetic ethos, and ensuring a low‑arousal setting that supports pupils to remain regulated and ready to learn. Strong links with families and outside agencies ensure consistency across school and home.

Our environment is organised to promote social engagement and increasing independence. Staff develop in‑depth knowledge of each pupil and build strong rapport, enabling them to understand individual sensory profiles and support them effectively. Sensory experiences that pupils find regulating or enjoyable are honoured wherever possible, allowing pupils to discover, request, and use their own regulation strategies.

Environmental adaptations are made throughout the school to support autistic pupils in managing sensory overload. Corridor layouts and displays are designed to reduce visual distraction. Displays start and finish at the same height, and do not extend to the floor, allowing visual “rest” areas. Doors, previously in varied colours, are now a consistent neutral wood to minimise unnecessary sensory input.

 

A Person‑Centred, Multi‑Approach Provision

We use a blend of approaches and interventions tailored to the strengths, interests, and preferences of each pupil. This person‑centred approach helps to foster confidence, build functional skills, and develop independence.

Our curriculum provides a strong foundation for learning, with an emphasis on developing early functional communication through motivators, interests, and programmes such as the Speakers Initiative. Safety, functional communication, and the development of essential listener‑response skills are prioritised to help pupils navigate the world safely now and in the future.

Our transdisciplinary model integrates therapy and education, drawing on approaches such as:

• Speech and Language Therapy / Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy
• TEACCH
• PCS (Picture Communication Systems), including communication belts
• Symbol use, Signalong, and communication aids for functional and social communication
• Essentials for Living “Necessary Nine” skills for independence
• Applied Behaviour Analysis
• Verbal Behaviour Milestones Assessment and Placement Programme (VB‑MAPP)
• Intensive Interaction
• Zones of Regulation / The Alert Programme
• Sensory circuits, sensory diets, and Sensory Integration approaches
• Attention Autism to build social communication and interaction
• Talk Tools
• DIR Floortime
• Positive Behaviour Support and Prevent‑Teach‑Reinforce (PTR)
• Studio III / Low Arousal techniques

 

Partnership with Families

We believe that effective behaviour support can only be achieved through strong partnerships with parents and carers. Families are involved in all aspects of their child’s support. Risk Assessments and Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) plans are shared so that successful strategies used at school can be mirrored consistently at home.

 

Studio III and the Low Arousal Approach

The Low Arousal Approach is central to Studio III’s philosophy—a holistic model that prioritises calm, safety, and supportive environments. Staff across Hedgewood are trained in Low Arousal Approaches by our Positive Behaviour Support Lead, who is a certified Studio III trainer.

Staff are reflective practitioners who understand their part in contributing to sensory overload for autistic pupils. They are confident in reducing demands when appropriate, and sensitive to proximity, personal space, and environmental sensory inputs.

Trauma‑Informed Practice

Research shows that autistic individuals and people with learning difficulties are more vulnerable to trauma and may have higher rates of traumatic experiences. At Hedgewood, we take a trauma‑informed approach that recognises these vulnerabilities and prioritises safety, trust, empowerment, connection, and emotional wellbeing.

We work to:

• understand each pupil’s history and potential triggers,
• create environments where pupils feel safe and in control,
• avoid re‑traumatisation through overwhelming demands or sensory overload, and
• build strong, consistent relationships that help pupils feel secure.

Emotional Wellbeing

At Hedgewood School, emotional wellbeing is central to every aspect of our practice. We understand that children learn best when they feel safe, valued, and emotionally regulated. Our approach focuses on building trusting relationships, creating predictable environments, and supporting pupils to recognise and express their emotions in ways that feel comfortable and meaningful for them.

We promote emotional wellbeing by:

• Providing consistent, nurturing relationships so pupils always have trusted adults to rely on.
• Supporting regulation through personalised sensory strategies, low‑arousal practice, and structured routines.
• Encouraging communication in all forms, helping pupils express their needs, preferences, and feelings.
• Celebrating strengths and successes, no matter how small, to build self‑esteem and confidence.
• Embedding enjoyable and motivating activities—such as sensory play, art, movement, and outdoor learning—to promote joy and reduce stress.
• Closely monitoring emotional cues, including subtle behavioural changes, to ensure pupils receive timely and appropriate support.

By prioritising emotional wellbeing, we ensure that every pupil feels secure, respected, and ready to engage positively with their learning and with others.

Happiness Indicators

At Hedgewood School, we believe that a child’s happiness is one of the strongest indicators of meaningful progress and wellbeing. For our pupils, happiness is not simply an emotion—it is a sign that they feel safe, understood, connected, and confident within their environment. We use a range of Happiness Indicators to help us understand how pupils are experiencing their day and to ensure that our provision continues to meet their needs.

Happiness Indicators may include:

• Positive engagement: Pupils show interest in activities, explore their environment, and participate with increasing independence.
• Warm social interactions: Pupils seek out communication, respond to familiar adults, share enjoyment, and demonstrate comfort in the presence of others.
• Regulation and calmness: Pupils are able to sustain regulation throughout the school day, recover from challenges, and access preferred sensory strategies when needed.
• Expression of preferences: Pupils make choices, communicate likes and dislikes, and advocate for their own needs through any form of communication.
• Increased confidence: Pupils attempt new tasks, take positive risks, and show pride in their achievements.
• Playfulness and joy: Smiles, laughter, and shared moments of delight are valued signs that a child feels safe and connected.
• Reduced signs of distress: A decrease in avoidant behaviours, anxiety responses, or dysregulation supports our understanding that pupils feel secure and supported.

Staff observe these indicators throughout the day and reflect on them within class teams, ensuring we continually adapt our approach to enhance each pupil’s emotional wellbeing. By prioritising happiness, we ensure that learning is meaningful, relationships are strong, and every pupil experiences a school environment where they can thrive.