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Colonel Light Gardens Primary School's behaviour support policy guides:

• the behaviour we expect of children and young people
• how staff, parents and carers will support positive behaviour
• the safe inclusion of children and young people.

Colonel Light Gardens Primary School's policy aligns with:

• the Department for Education behaviour support policy (PDF 165 KB)

About behaviours

Children and young people's behaviours fall along a continuum. This means behaviour can range from safe to unsafe.

Range of behaviours

• Positive, inclusive and respectful behaviours.
• Developmentally appropriate boundary testing. This behaviour can interrupt learning but can be redirected.
• Behaviours that cause concern due to their severity, frequency and duration. This behaviour significantly interrupts learning and needs consistent guidance and support.
• Complex and unsafe behaviour which can place children, their peers and others in danger.

All along the continuum, the policy and practice approach is proactive, consistent, responsive and tailored to the child or young person's needs.

How we implement the department's policy

We will support the safe inclusion of children and young people in learning with these actions.

Promote

We will promote, model and support productive and positive behaviour.

• Promote a school wide positive behaviour approach. We will work on this with our Governing Council, staff, children and young people, parents and carers.
• Display behavioural expectations in learning areas. Share these with children, young people, parents and carers in learning areas, the newsletter, via Seesaw and on the website.

Teach

We will explicitly teach positive behaviour and expectations about behaviour.

• Create predictable structures and routines in the learning environment. This guides children and young people’s in how to positively participate in learning.
• Teach students the language of self-regulation and restorative conflict resolution. Develop agreements and expectations using the school values Respect, Care, Safety.

Intervene

We will intervene to prevent, reduce or redirect behaviours of concern. We will use methods that are the least exclusionary possible.

• Staff use proactive strategies to co-regulate children and young people to prevent behaviours of concern.
• Safe withdrawal spaces are provided for students as needed in learning, community spaces and the Wellbeing Room. These spaces are supervised by an educator. The educator supports students to self regulate and return to their learning environment when they are ready for learning.

Work with others

We will work with children, their families, professionals and other key adults to understand the environmental, social and family context of a child or young person's behaviour. We will draw on these people to support positive behaviour change.

• Value children and young people’s perspectives. Seek their ideas when developing behaviour adjustments through discussion.
• Engage children, young people and families to understand possible reasons for behaviour.
• Use case management and 'Team Around the Child' approaches to coordinate, assess, plan, monitor and review behaviour interventions. This includes liaising with special education stakeholders such Occupational and Speech therapists, Psychologists and other stakeholders, internal and external.

Respond

We will respond to behaviour visibly and fairly. Responses will help grow confidence and trust.

• Tell those who raise behaviour concerns about the process to respond to the concern. Relevant stakeholders will be informed, while protecting the privacy of others.
• Investigate concerns about behavioural incidents from all perspectives. Understand the nature of the incident and the experience of the incident by those involved.
• Apply the accepted and evidence-based behaviour responses, embedding restorative practice. This will be tailored to student's circumstances. Take special measures for children with disability or additional needs, children in care and Aboriginal children.
• Document planned behaviour support responses in EDSAS, on Sentral, in Behaviour Support Plans, Safety and Risk Management Plans, and Safety and Support Plans as required.

Repair and restore relationships

We will repair and restore relationships harmed by behaviours of concern.

• Students who have acted inappropriately recognise the impact of their actions. They have the chance to apologise and express remorse. They have the chance to repair and restore relationships when appropriate, safe and consented to by all parties.
• Implement restorative approaches.

Create safety and wellbeing

We will create safety and wellbeing for people involved in behaviour incidents.

• Provide strategies to reduce the risk of harm to children, young people and staff following behavioural incidents.
• Use suspension as a last resort strategy if immediate safety is required.
• Refer children, young people, staff and others who have been harmed by unsafe behaviours to counselling or other support.
• Engage department supports when responding to serious incidents. For example the Social Work Incident Support Service. Responses might include telling parents and carers of those involved in or effected by the behaviour.

Behaviours of concern

Behaviours of concern:

• are challenging, complex or unsafe behaviours
• are more serious, happen more often or last a long time
• significantly interrupt learning for the child or others
• could put the child or others in danger
• need consistent guidance and support.

Behaviours that disrupt learning or safety will always receive a response that considers:

• the needs of the child or young person with behaviours of concern
• other people's rights to learning and safety.

How we respond to behaviours of concern

At we use specific responses to behaviours of concern.

Educator responses

• Provide quality differentiated teaching practice. This is a way to meet each child and young person's learning styles and needs. For example, the teacher plans ahead to clearly teach values and safe and inclusive behaviours.
• Create plans that support positive behaviour change. Partner with parents, carers and others to do this.
• Explicitly teach zones of regulation skills. Support students to self regulate using a wellbeing space, regulation activities, or both.
• Provide time and space for students to self-regulate with appropriate support and supervision.
• Interrupt behaviours of concern. Name and describe unexpected behaviours to help students understand what they are doing that is problematic. Redirect students to the expected behaviour. Support students to develop and practice the skills required to maintain the expected behaviour. Where appropriate, nominate students to participate in social and emotional learning programs.
• Offer students choices that allow them to stay regulated and participate.

Leader responses

• Monitor behaviour. Act on any reports about behaviour of concern. This includes incidents that happen out of hours or off-site that impact relationships at ${name}.
• Consider the use of suspension and exclusion from school to support safety. This is after we consider all other options to reduce danger.
• Report criminal offences to the police.
• Work with the Education Director and Department for Education staff to plan whole of site communications about serious behavioural incidents.
• Provide leadership and / or external assistance to facilitate restorative processes (including reconnection meetings) where staff and children or young people directly involved require impartial assistance to resolve the issues.
• Work with families, Department for Education and site staff to design and implement behaviour support plans to meet individual needs.

Department level responses

• Negotiate other learning options away from school to make sure the school community is safe. This is after we consider other options to reduce danger.
• Support staff and local leadership in how they respond to a child or young person.

Responsibilities

Children and young people

• Treat others with kindness, respect and inclusiveness.
• Make sure their actions are safe, respectful and inclusive. This includes verbal, physical and online actions.
• Seek help from adults to intervene when they see behaviours of concern in person or online.
• Report behaviours of concern to a trusted staff member at the time of the incident.
• Support their friends and peers to seek help from trusted adults. Do this if their friends are experiencing behaviours of concern.
• Support their friends to behave in safe and inclusive ways and to uphold our core values of care, respect and safety.

Parent and carer

• Report any child or young person's concerning or unsafe behaviour to the class teacher or if required, a member of the Leadership team. Please book a meeting to ensure sufficient time is allocated to discuss your concerns in depth.
• If an incident happens, work collaboratively with us to resolve concerns.
• Follow the complaint resolution process to deal with concerns. A copy of the complaint resolution process is on our website or in our front office.
• Show and encourage safe, respectful and inclusive relationships with: their own children; other children, other parents, carers and staff.
• Support their children to develop safe behaviours at home. Check on and supervise their children’s social interactions, including online.
• Seek support from our staff to create consistent responses to behaviours of concern. This includes at home and at our site.
• Take part in learning opportunities about safe and inclusive behaviour. Find out how we work with parents, carers, children and young people.
• Know about our behaviour support policy and procedure. Know how to identify and report behaviours that are concerning or unsafe.
• Talk to their children about safety issues, including unsafe behaviours. Help them understand what it is, why it’s harmful and how to respond. Use the same messages that Colonel Light Gardens Primary School promotes.
• Make sure their children keep coming to our site while a behaviour issue is being resolved. This is in a child or young person’s best interest. If you feel that your children coming to our site is not in their best interest, talk to us.
• Consider external professional support for their children when needed and recommended.
• Do not approach other children or parents about behaviours of concern. Report this to staff for follow up.
• Understand that, because of confidentiality, staff cannot share information about other children.
• Support their children to stay off-site during suspension, exclusion or expulsion. A child can still come on-site if they have the leader’s written approval.