Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students (based on The Code of School Behaviour)
Rationale
Education Queensland is committed to provisions that ensure all young Queenslanders have a right to, and receive, a quality education.
The School responsible behaviour plan for students responds to the communities need to promote learning, creativity and innovation in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.
At Ashgrove School, we are committed to upholding the standards of The Code of School Behaviour, and the expectation that all members of our school community conduct themselves in a lawful, ethical, safe and responsible manner that recognises and respects the rights of others.
This is pursued through:
- providing quality educational experiences and teaching children how to be responsible for their own learning and behaviour
- maximising student engagement by promoting learning in a stimulating, enjoyable, student centred context
- valuing the professionalism of staff to respond proactively to student needs
- fostering a strong sense of ‘community’ where parents, teachers and students form productive partnerships and forge a spirit of responsibility, respect, tolerance and concern for each other
Schools Beliefs about Behaviour and Learning
Ashgrove School has as its core philosophy, ‘Putting Students First’. This value addresses the following beliefs which reflect the principles of The Code of School Behaviour and the school’s current Behaviour Policy and Strategic Plan.
- A high emphasis is placed on delivering quality educational experiences for students and training them to be responsible for their own behaviour and learning.
- Through our diverse curriculum offerings, student engagement is maximised, and risk taking and emotional resilience actively encouraged.
- Our staff are developed to a high level of professionalism enabling them to respond proactively to the learning and behavioural needs of students.
- A learning environment is promoted where students are taught positive mind habits that lead to academic and social/emotional success.
- We foster a strong sense of ‘community’ where parents, staff and students can form productive partnerships that forge a spirit of co-operation, respect and tolerance.
- Fair and reasonable standards of conduct are expected of all, and this is clearly articulated in positive terms throughout our organisation.
- A fundamental belief of the school is that all staff are accountable for ensuring behaviour standards are maintained. All staff have the right and responsibility to deal with negative behaviour using the agreed consequences.
These rules and consequences are listed here.
Whole School Behaviour Support
At a whole-of-school level we have a number of programs operating that act to prevent unacceptable behaviour by placing emphasis on teaching students how to use positive strategies to improve their own self image and their relationships with others. These include:
- School leadership activities where senior students mentor younger students and take a role in supporting a number of regular school initiatives.
- Student Council. Where class representatives have an important voice through meetings to initiate change and improvements for all students.
- Behaviour Award System. Where each student is encouraged to strive for twice yearly Gold Behaviour Awards as a reward for avoiding Time Out/Class Detentions.
- Buddy System. Year 6 and 7 classes buddy with a lower year class and assist students and their class teacher in a number of different ways.
- ‘You Can Do It’ Program. This is a school wide program which instils in children the strategies they need to achieve lifelong social and learning success . Through age levelled class activities, children learn how to use confidence, organization skills, persistence and getting along with others as the foundation keys for success.
Additional preventative and supportive strategies at school include:
Class Teachers:
- Have a clear discipline plan.
- Have clear classroom rules, negotiated with students, displayed in the room.
- Regularly revise the rules and consequences with the class.
- Communicate clear expectations.
- Write a class note to parents in first two weeks of term, outlining their own skills, talents and interests and the expectations for the year including behaviour.
- Have an aesthetically pleasing room with interesting lessons.
- Have appropriate materials to meet individual learning needs.
- Have appropriate seating arrangements.
- Be punctual and organised.
Administration:
- Discuss emerging concerns with teachers and / or parents.
- Organise Parent/Teacher nights.
- Be visible around school.
- Be positively involved with student work.
- Support and guide staff.
Parents:
- Be aware of and support the Behaviour Management Policy of the School, classroom rules and consequences.
- Discuss concerns with teachers.
- Communicate clear expectations with children.
Students:
- Student leaders provide appropriate role models for all students.
- Reinforce kindness, sharing and respect within the community through the Buddy Program.
- Respond appropriately to supervisors instructions.
Targeted Behaviour Support
Within classrooms each teacher negotiates rules and responsibilities with students and these are displayed and reinforced during lessons. ‘You Can Do It’ activities form part of the SOSE curriculum and teachers use behaviour specific feedback and other positive responses to recognise students when they make efforts at practising the key foundations.
Merit awards and other incentives are regularly used to encourage responsible behaviour and reward special efforts made to respect the rights of others. Parents are informed of classroom behaviour rules and consequences by way of letter from the teacher at the start of each school year.
Intensive Behaviour Support
The school makes provision for those small number of cases where more than one person is required to deal with student behaviour, in the following ways:
- School management team (Principal, Deputy, Behaviour Committee) liaison with parents and teacher to plan/organise an integrated approach to address student issues.
- Special Needs Committee referral. This team meets fortnightly to discuss/recommend follow up actions, including Guidance, Behaviour Support Service Programs, Queensland Health Services.
- Modified programs of learning where it is considered useful to address individual student needs utilising teacher aides and other specialist staff.
- Interagency team services where appropriate (eg community self help groups, community police officers, school nurse).
Consequences for Unacceptable Behaviour
At Ashgrove School, all students are expected to respect the rights of others:
- To learn.
- Be safe from harm.
- Receive fair treatment.
So that children can learn to accept responsibility for their own actions, a range of graded consequences have been developed for referral. These are applied after due consideration is given to the nature and frequency of the action and how it has infringed on the rights of others.
Consequences for unacceptable student behaviour are graded from the ‘Least Intrusive’ to the ‘Most Intrusive’.
LEVEL 1: Redirection /rule reminder.
- ‘Thinking Chair’ or ‘Chill Out’ area for repeated inappropriate (used more commonly in lower year levels).
- Home - school diaries/’Keep in Touch’ books. These may be used to inform parents of behavioural concerns as they arise, and can become catalysts for alternative behaviour modification tools eg individual contracts incorporating reward/consequence.
LEVEL 2: ‘Time Out’.
This is supervised in a room where children spend 10 minutes to discuss or have a written plan for their actions and reflect on what they need to do to repair and rebuild the damage caused. Individual plans are recorded on a form , signed by the students and then sent home for parents to read, sign and return.
LEVEL 3: 20 mins ‘Time Out’ (to include repeat offences of a Level 2 type).
- After school detention for repeated or more serious offences.
LEVEL 4:
- After school detention of 30 mins.
LEVEL 5:
- 1 – 5 day out-of-school suspension.
LEVEL 6/7:
- 6 – 20 day suspension/ recommendation for exclusion (this stage only considered after considerable work has been done with the student involving guidance personnel and behaviour specialists with the child and his/her carers).
The Network of Student Support
Ashgrove School has a Behaviour Management team who meet at least twice a term to review and discuss policy and procedures, including legislative changes. One member of the Administration sits in on these meetings. We also have a ‘You Can Do It’ committee who liaise with the Behaviour Team on matters connected with building social & emotional outcomes for students within the curriculum and into day to day practice.
The Special Needs Committee, who meet fortnightly, also make decisions with the help of the Guidance Officer and Support Teacher, on student behaviour concerns that have been referred to them from the classroom. This committee may recommend an individual plan for the student managed by both the parent and classroom teacher.
Parents are important partners in the management of student behaviour and will be engaged where the problem/issue requires help beyond the classroom teacher. Parents are also offered training to assist in child management eg MYCP, Triple P and ‘You Can Do It’. Outside agencies such as Queensland Health through CYMHS and community health centres are contacted where there may be the need for diagnosis of an existing condition. Behaviour Support Services personnel are engaged when required, to run programs of a specific kind for individual students and small groups.
Consideration of Individual Circumstances
Within the classrooms, teachers have employed a variety of approaches tailored to meet diverse student needs. These range from negotiated contracts and plans to more long term strategies which include a modification of the student’s daily routine and curriculum plan.
The overriding aim at Ashgrove School is to allow all students different opportunities to learn and become responsible for their behaviour, even if at times they need help getting there.
School Disciplinary Absences Report (2009)
Click here to view the full report. (Note: Opens as a separate PDF document).