Good to be Green Behaviour Scheme

Click here to see an example of how the behaviour management scheme could work for you.

I would thoroughly recommend the “Good to be Green” scheme to any school as an effective way of promoting positive behaviour, rewarding those pupils who always behave and as a means of being able to keep track of those pupils who find it harder to meet the school’s expected behaviour code.

"Initially, I was looking for a way in which we could raise the profile of positive behaviour management in school and, after looking at several options, I found yours to be the most child friendly way of doing so!
 
The visual impact and child friendly resources have allowed our pupils
to easily see how they are doing in class. I can now use the “Good to be Green” slogan with all pupils and they know exactly what it means!
I have used the A3 posters around the school, in classrooms, corridors
and toilets to reinforce the message of positive behaviour. This allows me
to highlight the expected code of conduct without having to have a long list of “dos and dont’s”. That might give the wrong impression to visitors to the school and would set a negative atmosphere.

I firmly believe that it is very important to promote a positive message regarding behaviour management at all times – “Good to be Green” is such a positive way to promote our high expectations of positive behaviour.

The scheme also allows staff to keep track of pupil behaviour and consistently follow through our agreed behaviour management procedures. Staff record warnings and consequences daily, and this is collated in school to provide a picture of how pupils are behaving in school.

The scheme was introduced after consultations with the school council and all pupils.

They all thought it was a great idea and, now that we have used it for a term, they enjoy it very much! Parents had also raised the issue of well behaved pupils needing more recognition in school.

The children loved the scheme right from the start and really thrive on the structure and rewards offered. The school has a 4 tier intervention behaviour management system in class – reminder, verbal warning, warning and consequence. This ties in conveniently with the “Good to be Green” cards.

I use the Privilege Cards to reward the whole class. If I pop in to a class, look at the “Good to be Green” holder and there are no warning cards displayed, I give the class a Privilege Card. It is really nice to be able to reward the whole class, as this instils a sense of team effort and encourages them to work together to achieve their rewards in class.

We record all warnings and consequences and these are compiled centrally and handed to me at the end of each week.
This allows me to see whether any children are presenting behavioural difficulties in class and it also helps me to choose the class of the week.

We have a number of children who present challenging behaviour and have behaviour targets set on their Individual Education Plans (IEP). “Good to be Green” gives them a real boost as the rewards are always there to be earned. If a child has had a bad day, they can start afresh the following day and start to work towards their next reward.

By actively promoting the scheme across the school and in assemblies,
we have seen a marked improvement in the number of pupils not receiving warnings in class over last term. There is a very small minority of children who have not been able to respond as positively, but we can see where and when their behaviour deteriorates through the class records.
This has allowed us to put more resourcing into different activities and support where necessary. These records also allow parents to be kept informed of behaviour in school and they measure improvements, where necessary. The highly visual nature of “Good to be Green” has helped this enormously.

Supply teachers and support staff find “Good to be Green” an easy to use tool to manage pupil behaviour. As all of our children understand the system so well, it is not difficult for staff to use it with all classes.
We have also been able to use the data collected to measure how effective supply staff are in managing behaviour. It provides an instant fix to what is often a very challenging situation. Our support staff and supply staff are not left in two minds about how to deal with interruptions and disruptive behaviour in class.

I can honestly say that after only one term in use it has been very successful in raising awareness of positive behaviour management. It is loved by the children, provides a well structured reward system for positive behaviour and also allows us to easily manage and measure any disruptive behaviour in class.

I would thoroughly recommend the scheme to any school as an effective way of promoting positive behaviour in school, rewarding those pupils who always behave and as a means of being able to keep track of those pupils who find it harder to meet the school’s expected behaviour code”.

 Headteacher of a Junior School in Colchester

Do your Pupils know it's Good to be Green?

“Since I introduced the Good to be Green Behaviour Scheme in my classroom, I feel calmer, more in control and measured with my warnings and punishments and certainly more consistent in my approach to classroom discipline. And the majority of my pupils definitely feel that the system is FAIR and EQUITABLE. And the atmosphere in my classroom has certainly improved.

“Because I believe that every child should be given a fresh start every day, I like to wipe the slate clean. Misdemeanours from the previous day should not be hanging over them – so every child starts their day on a positive note with a green card displayed in their pocket of the Class Chart. The card says – “It’s Good to be Green!” and the children soon learn to associate being on Green with a good feeling of having done the right thing.

“If, during the day, in lessons, or in break times, I or another teacher around the school, have to warn a child of inappropriate behaviour, then that child’s “Good to be Green” Card is placed at the back of their pocket and their Yellow Warning Card is displayed.  This warning gives the child an opportunity to reflect and consider their behaviour and make sure they don’t repeat the offence. If a child is already on a Yellow Warning Card, when they have to be told again of inappropriate behaviour then there are consequences.

“Sometimes just the threat of moving a child onto a Red Consequence Card is a very useful tool to encourage them to behave appropriately. However, if I consider it necessary, then the child’s Yellow Warning Card is placed to the back of their pocket and their Red Consequence Card is displayed.  At my School, this means that the child will be given a 10 minute break time detention, which is supervised by staff on a rota basis. You can choose the consequences that you feel are suitable within your class or school, as long as there is a consistency in the punishments. If a child has to be warned again when they have already received a Red Consequence Card that day, then they are sent to the Head Teacher or Deputy (that’s me!) together with their card and the class teacher writes a comment on the back of the card and parents are involved.

“At the end of each day I make special mention of children who go home with their “It’s Good to be Green!” Card still showing. Sometimes, I will give them their card to take home and replace it with a new one the next day. Sometimes, I will give out a “Good to be Green” sticker, pencil or, sometimes, I will give out a special Silver Privilege Card.  The Silver Privilege Card allows pupils an opportunity to a special privilege throughout the school. This may allow them to go first for lunch, or to spend time in the library and I.T. suite at breaktimes, or make a special choice during Friday’s Golden Time”.


“So I suggest you give it a try. It’s so simple, yet it really does make a difference!”

Linda Patterson, Deputy Head Teacher in a large Primary School

"We really like the Good to be Green range. Its instant feedback works well for the pupils in our secondary nurture group who have behaviour difficulties - particularly the 4 AD/HD pupils. We have also added our own "on-task" laminated cards. We have green ones which say, "well done", "you are working hard", "you are on task" or "good behaviour" and orange ones which say "focus", "don't disturb others" and "remember your target". We distribute cards at approximately 10 - 15 minute intervals and at the end of the lesson total up. Orange cards cancel greens, but remaining greens can be used for Tic Tacs (1 for 1) or minutes (1 for 1) off a red consequence detention (we set these at a flat 10 minutes). 5 green cards earns a housepoint. Since we started the good to be green scheme the behaviour in our group of 14 pupils has improved enormously - our EP has made a note of it!"

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