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BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT POLICY

Junior School Classroom Behaviour Code

Teachers’ responsibilities: • to negotiate and display rules with your class at the beginning of the year

• to make clear to students the Junior School Behaviour consequences put on display

• to record all student steps in the behaviour book (six step system)

• to organise a process to enable the book to be used by NIT teachers

• to act as a Buddy for other classes

• to monitor the frequency of each student in the behaviour book and where appropriate contact the parent/s and/or Leaders

• to develop some process to reward/recognise positive behaviours

• to be as consistent as possible in the implementation of consequences

• to develop methods to provide parents with information about their child’s behaviour

• to assist in developing the individualised behaviour programs for students experiencing difficulties

Additional Operational Guidelines:

• Ensure students sent to Buddy Class complete the Buddy Sheet and return it signed by a parent/caregiver the next school day. Failure to return the form signed may lead to Internal Suspension.

• Students are required to stay in Buddy Class until the next break, recess or lunch to a maximum of two lessons out of class.

• For any student refusing to attend Buddy class, teachers are asked to request assistance from the Junior School Leadership Team. Refusal to attend Buddy class may result in internal suspension.

• Junior School Leadership can provide SBM support as needed

• Class teachers are required to monitor the number of times a student receives a step and take appropriate action.

• Internal Suspension documentation, supervision and contacting of the parent/s is to be carried out by a member of the Leadership Team. Students on Internal suspension will be located with a Junior School Leader

• The Junior School Behaviour Code will be discussed with all Junior School staff at the beginning of each year. Teachers new to the school will be inducted into its use

The Heights School Behaviour Management Policy

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Junior School Classroom Behaviour CONSEQUENCES

To be documented in class consequence book

Steps are not necessarily sequential, eg: acts of aggression, refusal to follow reasonable instructions immediate Buddy Class.

Consequences need to be implemented consistently.

Step 1 Warning 1

Step 2 Warning 2

Step 3 Time Out in Class area in own room

Step 4 Time Out in Buddy Class students to be accompanied to Buddy class. complete Buddy Sheet/unfinished worksheet sent home to be signed & returned. Class teacher records, monitors.

If behaviour patterns develop at this stage then an individual behaviour plan will be devised in consultation with class teacher, student, parents, senior staff and will be adhered to until there is an observable change in behaviour (possible involvement of Student counsellors/CPSW).

Step 5 Internal Suspension (1/2 day) Suspension or Take Home

• complete Internal Suspension Sheet/set work • Senior staff to contact parent/caregiver • possible involvement of support agencies

Step 6 External Suspension • spent at home • time determined by leadership team/support agencies (25 days) • need to fulfil reentry process

Exclusion • following DECS Guidelines


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Junior School Yard Behaviour Code

In the yard students are expected to behave safely (towards self and others) at all times. Students who break yard rules are sent to Thinking Room (TR) for yard withdrawal.

Yard Rules: • Play inbounds and in designated yard areas • Solve problems safely and respectfully, getting teacher’s help if needed • Keep the yard free from litter • Never have fun by harming another • No play fighting • No tackling or ‘brandy’ games • Be dressed at all times in full school uniform • No hat, no play

Class Teacher Responsibilities • ‘Display’ Yard Rules • Make clear to students yard consequences • Follow up all TR paperwork and communications from TR Teacher.

Yard Teacher Responsibilities • Always be on time for Yard Duty • Carry a school supplied Yard Duty bag • Wear a hat on duty at all times • Support positive yard behaviour • Send students to TR as needed. Students are placed in TR for violence, refusal to follow teacher’s

instructions, harassment, out of bounds and endangering others. • Document misbehaviour in book in yard duty bag. Record date, time, name of student and class,

description of misbehaviour, name of yard duty teacher. • Record details in book in TR if child to do TR at a later date. • Send children up to TR if they have no hat/are out of uniform. The no hat, no play/nonuniform area is TR.

Safety Issues in the Junior School Yard

Dogs No dogs are permitted inside the fence in the school yard or in or near the buildings.

Scooters/skateboards Any student who rides a scooter/skateboard to School must immediately on arrival at School take it to the JS Office where it will be kept for the day and collected for the journey home. Students are not allowed to play with scooters/skateboards in the yard.

Roller Blades/Shoes with Retractable Wheels Students are not permitted to use/wear roller blades or shoes with retractable wheels at school. Roller blades will be confiscated and students with retractable wheels will be sent home to get suitable school footwear.

Sticks A student who injures another with a stick, whether deliberately or accidentally, will be externally suspended. Students who are playing with sticks will be put into the Thinking Room. All students must be told they are not to pick up sticks from the ground for any reason.

Before School All students must remain in the JS asphalt area before school in the mornings even when accompanied by a parent. Any area other than this is out of bounds, including under the rotunda and on the balconies. Please do not allow children to come up onto the balcony before school. The Resource Centre is open to Junior School students before school.


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STUDENT BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT (Middle & Senior School)

Rationale The Department for Education and Children’s Services (DECS) is accountable to the community, through the Minister for Education and Children’s Services, for managing student behaviour and for creating safe, orderly, productive and successful learning communities. This policy is based on the following shared principles:

• All individuals and groups within society should be treated with respect at all times • Behaviour has consequences which increase or reduce choices in life • Individuals must accept responsibility for their own behaviour according to developmental ability

We aim to work together to create a learning community which is:

• Safe • Inclusive • Conducive to learning • Free from harassment and bullying

Policy Statements 1. The Heights School will focus on providing opportunities and support for students to experience success. We

will:

• Recognise the achievements of all students, through the delivery of a relevant, contemporary and inclusive curriculum

• Implement strategies to ensure positive learning opportunities for all students • Supports students in crisis and reinforces the rights of other students to learn and teachers to teach in

safety and without disruption • Work in partnership with students and families to promote student behaviour which meets the

expectations of the school community

2. The Heights School will develop in students an acceptance of responsibility for their own behaviour. This means: • Students need to understand that behaviour is a choice made by an individual within a social context • The school community will place appropriate limits on students’ behaviour choices • Students’ responsibility for their own behaviour will be reinforced consistently in a manner which enhances

their understanding of responsible social behaviour • Respectful relationships will be modelled across the curriculum

3. Staff, parents or caregivers, and students will work together to create safe, caring orderly and productive learning communities which support the rights of all students to learn and all teachers to teach.

4. This means: • Staff will manage aspects of the school environment, including sexual and racial harassment and bullying, so

that students learn to respect rights and fulfil responsibilities • Subschools will develop consequences for both responsible and irresponsible behaviours, and will

consistently apply these consequences. (Refer to Sub School Student Behaviour Management Procedures) • System level procedures such as suspension and exclusion will be used in accordance with DECS’ procedure

and with the support of interagency services as appropriate, to support a change in the behaviour of students who do not respond to school level consequences of irresponsible behaviour.

Responsibilities of School Staff

School staff will: • Develop and foster respectful relationships with students and families • Communicate and interact effectively with students and engage in cooperative problem solving relationships to

address issues faced by the learning community • Participate in developing, implementing and reviewing the school’s procedures for managing student behaviour • Critically reflect on practices and develop the knowledge and skills needed to manage behaviour change successfully • Establish, maintain and make explicit the school’s expectations relating to student behaviour • Respond positively to responsible student behaviour and apply consequences if students interfere with teaching and

learning and the safe school environment.


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In the classroom, teachers will: • Structure the teaching program to facilitate learning and encourage students to achieve their personal best • Take into account the needs of individual students and use a range of teaching methods • Provide formal and informal feedback on student learning to students and parents or caregivers, and review teaching

programs in the light of student learning outcomes • Develop classroom management strategies which: § Involve negotiation § Support the participation of all students § Value differences in gender and the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of students § Deal effectively with sexual harassment, racism and bullying § Take into account the impact of physical and intellectual disability on the learning process

Responsibilities of Students

1. Students need permission to leave the school grounds during school hours. Once at school, no student may leave the grounds prior to dismissal time without first obtaining the school’s permission, via the Principal or Subschool Leader.

2. Rough, aggressive and antisocial behaviour such as fighting, bad language and spitting is prohibited. 3. Each subschool has designated play areas. Refer to coloured maps. 4. Each subschool has its own set of toilets. Students are required to use the toilets reserved for them only. 5. The chewing of gum at school is not permitted. 6. Bicycles and skateboards are not permitted to be used in the schoolyard. 7. Classrooms and buildings should only be occupied by students during lesson breaks, before and after school if a

teacher is present. 8. Damage to school property resulting from carelessness or misbehaviour must be reported to the School Admin Officer.

Students may be required to pay for damages or help with repairs. 9. Dangerous objects should be confiscated and subschool leader notified. 10. Students should not bring “valuables” to school including walkmen, electronic games etc. All personal items (eg

calculators) should be clearly named. 11. Pressurised spray cans, eg deodorants and hair sprays, are banned for health and safety reasons. 12. Mobile phones used during lesson times will be confiscated.

Staff expect that students Will attend school every day. A doctor’s certificate or parent note is necessary to explain all absences Will attend all lessons on time Will have all books and stationery required for each lesson Will complete all assignments by the due date Will complete all work to the best of their ability Will behave respectfully to all students and staff Will wear proper school uniform each day Will follow all school rules Will have a diary note in their diary if traveling between lesson time. Destination, purpose and time must be

included


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BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES It is the responsibility of each teacher in our school to maintain a safe and orderly environment in which learning can take place. Although teaching styles and strategies may differ, there are some basic expectations to facilitate a safe environment

Teachers need to : Display and refer to the school values Establish class rules in line with the school values they need to be clear and easy to understand (maximum of 5 rules) Have a range of strategies to promote responsible behaviour: Discuss and make explicit consequences of responsible and irresponsible behaviour Show consistency in application of responses to irresponsible behaviour Structure the teaching program to facilitate learning and encourage students to achieve their personal best Take into account the needs of individual students and use a range of teaching methods Take into account the impact of physical and intellectual disability, and social and emotional wellbeing on the learning process Deal effectively with sexual harassment, racism and bullying

At the Heights the following strategies have been used by teachers to promote a safe, orderly productive environment:

Establish class routines Some teachers ask students to line up before entering the room to set the tone for the lesson Meet the class at the front of the room and give brief instructions Use a consistent phrase or nonverbal signal to gain students’ attention “I’m ready to start the lesson now”, “ Eyes this way thanks”, clap hands, or give a hand signal to indicate silence or where you want students to move Keep instructions simple and check for understanding before commencing a task Call the roll, or have a short activity for them to do on the board or worksheet to begin the lesson Have a routine for finishing the lesson and exiting the room eg Pack up, collect rubbish, push chair in.

Display values and rules prominently in the classroom and refer to them frequently to reinforce responsible behaviour and remind students of the expected behaviour Teach the school values and rules of the class – write them up/have them displayed. Ask students to repeat them aloud, ask questions about what rule keeping looks like in this class. Develop a common agreement re class expectations. This may include agreements regarding the use of equipment such as computers, science materials and machinery. Have a formal lesson on listening skills – with students noting. This helps to develop an agreed set of behaviours to refer to. “But I was listening”, said by a student who was talking while you were talking would not be congruent with the agreed behaviours

Use rolls to check attendance for every lesson. A list of student names with photos may help you to check and to get to know students (also useful for TRTs)

A seating plan including the arrangement of desks with student names is useful to develop consistency, for TRTs and for different lesson types. Having a seating plan ahead of time in different areas such as the Computer Room, helps avoid foreseeable issues and to identify which students were in areas where issues with equipment have arisen In areas such as the Lecture Theatre, sit students with a gap between them, keep a gap row, have the back few rows empty. If necessary reseat students both during and between lessons

Avoid using words such as ‘Don’t’ and “Not”. Instead let students know what you want them to do – “Keep all 4 legs of the chair on the floor’, “When the papers have been cleared from the floor, we can leave the room”, “Remember to use a quiet voice during this activity”, “Take the next 3 minutes of quiet time to listen to the instructions”, etc.

When behaviour issues arise: Be fair Use a calm voice to give a warning or reminder – a noisy voice can seem panicky and indicates a lower level of control Focus on the primary issues – don’t allow secondary behaviours to escalate the situation Talk to students one to one, instead of ‘dressing them down’ in front of the rest of the class and making them the centre of attention. Talk with the individual student, identify and explain the inappropriate behaviour, and negotiate a change Alter seating plans


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Use an area outside the room that is in visual proximity. This should be short term – 510 minutes and student may be given a task to do. A return to class is renegotiated so that expectations are clarified and the teacher/student relationship is restored Use a prenegotiated Buddy Class for a specified time Follow up with the student at a break Have the student accompany you on yard duty Send a student out of the room for a short break (to “catch a seagull”/”hug a tree”) within direct sight to give them time to refocus /change current frame of mind. Most students come back in almost immediately Write a note to parents in diary Contact parent by phone

Create a positive, effective environment Teach what you are passionate about – the students pick up on this Have a range of activities and lots of things for students to work with and do. Give positive encouragement Give feedback everyday for small things – this could be by comments and/or eg grades, assessments or scales. Display student work Encourage positive peer feedback on academic work and behaviour Use a sense of humour, jokes and fun activities Use rewards when appropriate to respond to examples of good work or behaviour. Ensure that the work given to students is appropriate to their developmental level and level of engagement Have another curriculum based activity to move onto – be aware when things are not working and move onto another activity Plan for a new day – think about how to do it differently Share what works with colleagues at faculty meetings


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Time Out Room (MG13)

What is the Time Out Room Process? It is important to establish clear expectations within our classrooms and to apply them fairly and consistently. These are best done through negotiation with our students.

However, there may be times when a student moves beyond the steps and processes that you have established. The Time Out Room is a strategy to support both you and the student to work together productively. The processes in place ensure the student is removed from a situation that is not working for either the student or you as the teacher. They require a student to have “time out” to cool down. Students sent to time out will automatically incur a 30minute detention.

When do I send a student to Time Out?

The Time Out Room is therefore used when:

1) Previous steps eg warning, movement, perhaps notes in diary or yard duty has been tried but the disruptive behaviour persists OR

2) The student concerned is significantly disruptive so as to create a major problem in the classroom and is not responding to your efforts to manage the situation OR

3) There is a gross breach of behaviour code OR

4) In an emergency such as where a student has “lost it” and needs to be removed to a supervised space to cool down

Use the Referral and Record Slip, available from the Printery. Any queries about the use of this form to the Time Out Room Manager.

MG13 is where students are supervised away from your classroom. Before the student can reenter your class you must discuss the issue and negotiate solutions. This could occur prior to your next lesson with the student, at the beginning of the next lesson or during that lesson.

If further consequences are required for the incident please contact:

• Learning Area Coordinator for classroom incidents

• Year Level Coordinator for yard incidents

• A member of the Administration Team for serious incidents

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