Berry Street Web Docs Berry Street School Practice Approach | Page 6

DOMAIN 2
Building and maintaining positive relationships
Key Concepts
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Positive relationships are foundational to our model of education. They are a key
factor in engaging students in education.

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Building relationships and developing trust, attachment, tolerance, and respect,
enables the student to recognise that the school setting represents a sanctuary and
can provide safety, security, and consistency.

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Promoting positive relationships between staff and care teams, including
parents/carers can:
o help change parent/carer attitudes to school
o provide students with opportunities to witness positive communication
between parents/carers and other adults.

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Staff-student connections are built on attachment principles of unconditional
positive regard and positive emotion.

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There is implicit and explicit teaching of social and emotional intelligence.

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Friendship and teamwork are encouraged.

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Strategies are used to build lasting, strong relationships. This includes increasing
positivity ratios within relationships. (We strive for ratios of 3-7 positive comments
for every one statement of constructive feedback).

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Relationships offer opportunities for healthy fun and play.

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Building relationships based on strengths. This includes using Dr Bruce Perry’s 6 Core
Strengths for Children:
o ATTACHMENT: forming healthy relationships
o SELF-REGULATION: impulse control/frustration responses
o AFFILIATION: join/contribute to a group
o ATTUNEMENT: be aware of needs, strengths, and values of others
o TOLERANCE: understanding and accepting differences of others
o RESPECT: finding value in those differences.