St. Mary’s follows the Jenny Mosley ‘Golden Time’ approach for positive behaviour reinforcement.   'Golden Time' is reward for following our Golden Rules which are displayed across our school. 

Golden Time

St. Mary's uses 'Golden Time' as a positive behaviour management strategy. Research indicates that when Golden Time is fully implemented, teachers tend to spend less time on behavioural issues and more time teaching – so this is a wonderful aid to teaching and learning.  

Golden Time is a class activity session to celebrate keeping the Golden Rules.  Activities are special and are things that the children have chosen to do. It is intended to promote children’s positive decision-making and gives them responsibility to have free choice from a menu of activities they can do together – so developing responsibility and maturity.  

Research tells us that the removal of a privilege or treat is the best sanction or consequence. Where a child has had difficulty following our golden rules, they can lose time from Golden Time.  Minutes of Golden Time may be taken away for persistently breaking the Golden Rules. However, children have the chance to win time back by redressing poor behaviour or improving their attitude to work etc! 

In their classroom, our classes have a colourful visual warning system (e.g. 'the sun' and 'the cloud') containing the pupils' names.  Names can be moved from the sun into the cloud to prompt a return to better behaviour/actions/choices when needed. 

Through this approach, children learn about the difference between positive behaviour and keeping to the golden rules - and negative, disruptive or unhelpful behaviour.  

This is core to our positive behaviour practice and easily understood by our pupils.