In education, few ideas are as powerful – or as challenging – as Unconditional Positive Regard. Popularised by psychologist Carl Rogers, it means accepting and valuing others without condition or judgment, even when mistakes are made. It is about recognising the person, not just their behaviour, and offering care, compassion, and respect as the foundation for growth.
At LAAT, this ethos underpins the work of our 24 schools. For us, Unconditional Positive Regard is not just a theory; it is a culture, a way of seeing and knowing each individual as worthy of dignity, belonging, and opportunity.
From Inspiration to Action
Tamara Allen, Deputy CEO at LAAT explains how the Trust’s Unconditional Positive Regard journey began, “When I first read Dave Whittaker’s book, The Kindness Principle, his words struck a profound chord with me. I shared the book with our CEO, Jane Waters-Dewhurst, and together we recognised how deeply the principle aligned with what we already believed to be essential for the future direction of our Trust. We were inspired not just by the philosophy itself, but by the way Dave articulated how kindness and unconditional acceptance could be the foundation for meaningful change in schools.
That inspiration led us to invite him to speak at our Trust Access All Areas conference in 2022. The impact was immediate and profound – you could see the sense of recognition and respect on the faces of our headteachers as he spoke. It was clear that this ethos wasn’t just aspirational; it was practical, it was needed, and it aligned perfectly with our values. From that moment, we knew that Unconditional Positive Regard would form the basis of our behaviour management strategy at LAAT, guiding not only how we work with children but also how we build a culture of respect, compassion, and growth across all our schools.”
That decision has shaped our journey ever since.
Seeing People as They Could Be
Unconditional Positive Regard aligns with a deep-rooted belief at LAAT: every person carries the same potential and deserves to be seen. We often use the Zulu phrase Sawubona, meaning “I see you.” More than a greeting, it is a declaration of recognition: of seeing someone as God might see them—valuing not only who they are but also who they can become.
This belief fuels our purpose as a Trust: to see, to understand, and to act. It is about turning victims into victors through the power of community, compassion, and justice. For us, social justice is not just about responding to problems but recognising people; not simply offering help, but offering hope; and not acting alone, but acting together.
Training With Courage and Compassion
In 2024, we launched a Trust-wide training programme with Positive Regard, a training provider within the Wellspring Trust led by Dave Whittaker. All LAAT staff are now trained to at least Level 1 in the approach, delivered by Level 3 practitioners—with more colleagues progressing to higher levels.
Training matters, because kindness is often misunderstood. Too often it is seen as weakness, particularly in behaviour management. But kindness can be both tough and fair. As Tamara notes: “Discipline can be delivered with warmth and compassion. To remain kind in difficult and challenging situations takes courage, strength, and training. Schools too often focus on challenging behaviour, rather than its cause.”
Stories of Change in Our Schools
The outcomes of this ethos are already visible across our schools. At Spalding Parish Church of England Primary, for example, staff have worked extensively on tone of voice and body language—choosing to stand alongside children rather than tower over them—creating a calmer, less threatening environment. Assertive language is still used, but delivered with warmth, making positive responses far more likely. This shift has reshaped relationships, as teachers now read children’s body language more carefully: a shrug is no longer assumed to be defiance, but often recognised as uncertainty, providing an opportunity for guidance rather than punishment.
Understanding behaviour as a form of communication has also improved teamwork and staff morale, with greater consistency across classrooms. At Harrowby Church of England Primary, this approach has required time and adjustment, as colleagues recognised that consequences for poor behaviour had not been removed but instead redefined to be more meaningful. As a result, stronger relationships are being built, and even some of the most challenging pupils are now demonstrating greater ability to self-regulate.
At William Lovell, the secondary school within our Trust, a new approach rooted in Unconditional Positive Regard has transformed outcomes for students. By focusing on the individual rather than their past behaviours, the pastoral team introduced mentoring, re-trained staff, and redrafted the behaviour policy. A core group of Year 8 and 9 pupils with high suspension rates were given fresh opportunities to grow — representing the school at events, leading tours, and supporting younger pupils. The results have been striking: suspensions in these year groups have fallen by 44.5%, showing the powerful impact of kindness combined with high expectations.
Across the Trust, Positive Regard is still a relatively new approach. We are tracking its impact carefully and are some way off having definitive long-term data. However, early signs are promising. Anecdotally, all our schools are already reporting calmer environments, stronger relationships, and improved student behaviour—encouraging progress that we expect to see reflected in future data.
Building a Culture of Belonging
For LAAT, Unconditional Positive Regard is not just a strategy but an ethos. It is lived out daily in classrooms, playgrounds, and staffrooms across our schools. It means holding children to high standards while seeing beyond the behaviour in front of us. It means believing that every child -every person – can flourish when they feel seen, safe, and supported.
As we continue to embed this approach across our Trust, our vision is clear: to create communities where kindness and accountability coexist, where behaviour management is rooted in dignity, and where every child and adult can truly say: “I see you”
