Conscious Discipline

At Grange Primary Academy all class based staff are trained in the principles of Conscious Discipline.  This is a social-emotional learning program. Designed by Dr. Becky Bailey, the program supports first teaching ourselves about self-control and self-regulation, and then teaching children. It helps us see how we respond to upset and understand our emotions, and how to regulate ourselves when we are triggered. In short, it teaches us how to be conscious as adults of what we are saying to children, and what behaviours we are modelling.

Sometimes when we’re triggered or angry, we are in an emotional state. We may not even be fully conscious of it, but because of that state, we may yell aggressively or say something we regret. As a result, we are modelling to children that these negative behaviours are the appropriate response.

When a pupil is at Stop & Think on our Clip Up chart they may be directed to use the class Regulation Station in order to be able to return to a regulated brain state which will allow them to reflect

Regulation Stations

Each classroom at Grange Primary Academy will have a prominent Regulation Station for each child to use appropriately when they feel the need to do so.

The Regulation Station is an area where children can go to change their inner state from upset to composed in order to optimize learning. It is the centre piece of your classes self-regulation process.

The Regulation Station contains tools and activities that lead children through the five steps of self-regulation: I Am, I Calm, I Feel, I Choose, I Solve.

•    I Am step involves the initial upset when the child becomes the emotion.

•    I Calm step requires active calming, featuring the four main breathing techniques, Mind Up techniques or access to a Friends and Family book, and other calming activities.

•    I Feel step includes identifying the feeling with the Feeling Buddies or a Feeling chart.

•    I Choose step requires the child to consciously choose additional calming activities utilizing the Brain Smart Choice Cubes, I Choose Self-Control Board and/or class-made choice boards.

•    I Solve step involves the child solving the original problem before returning to work or play