At Evelyn Scott School, we value clean and tidy learning spaces. Recently, we were inspired by Japanese schools and the ways in which they implement the concepts of respect and responsibility into their daily school lives. Obviously, we are not in Japan and cannot simply replicate traditions and practices, but we can certainly be inspired by them.
At the end of a busy school day, we will play some music indicating that it is time for our learning spaces to be tidied up ready for the next school day. Obviously, our school cleaners and our BSOs will still be doing their work and we will not be asking students to clean up big messes. Only to look after their learning spaces and tidy up. We know that this teaches respect for property, their peers, their teachers and ultimately their school.
Here is a mini video showing how this practice happens in Japanese schools >