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Oakbank 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.

Oakbank 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.

• Through our "Ready to Learn" framework we promote a school wide positive behaviour approach.
• We display our "Ready to Learn" expectations in every classroom. We explicitly teach these to our children and young people. We share and discuss these with parents and carers.

Teach

We will explicitly teach positive behaviour and expectations about behaviour.

• Our "Ready to Learn" framework creates predictable structures and routines in the learning environment. This guides children and young people in how to positively participate in learning.
• Teach children and young people self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social management.

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 support our children and young people when behaviours of concern arise. They apply a tiered response uses evidence-based strategies.
• The sensory room is provided for children and young people to use as needed. These spaces are supervised by an educator. The educator supports children and young people to feel safe and calm and return to their learning environment when they are ready.

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.

• We value children and young people’s perspectives. Their ideas are sought when developing behaviour supports.
• We engage children, young people and families to understand possible reasons for behaviour.
• We use a case management and Team Around the Child approaches to coordinate, assess, plan, monitor and review behaviour interventions.

Respond

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

• We inform members of the school community who raise a behaviour concern about the process we use to respond to the concern. We do this without disclosing personal information of the parties involved.
• We investigate concerns about behavioural incidents to understand the nature of the incident and the experience of the incident by those involved.
• We apply accepted and evidence-based behaviour responses. These are tailored to children or young people’s circumstances. We consider the additional needs of children and young people with disability, children in care and Aboriginal children.
• We document planned behaviour support responses.

Repair and restore relationships

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

• We use a restorative approach to help children and young people 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. This includes ...

Create safety and wellbeing

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

• We provide strategies to reduce the risk of harm to children, young people and staff following behavioural incidents.
• We use suspension appropriately to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the school community.
• We refer children, young people, staff and others who have been harmed by unsafe behaviours to appropriate support.
• We engage department supports when responding to serious incidents.

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 behavioural expectations at school through the implementation of our 'Ready to Learn' framework. This focusses on using consistent routines and school-wide agreements.
• Provide time and space for students to reflect and when needed, co or self-regulate with appropriate support and supervision. Utilising evidence-based trauma informed practice.
• Interrupt behaviours of concern. Name and describe behaviours to help students understand what they are doing that is problematic. Redirect students to the preferred behaviour. Support students to develop and practice the skills required to maintain the preferred behaviour.
• Offer students choices that allow them to stay regulated and participate. For example offering to finish their work now or during recess and to do their work sitting down or standing up.

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 re-connection meetings.
• Support students, staff and parents/carers to access further supports, when necessary, to develop skills in reducing behaviours of concern. Provide educational opportunities for parent/carers to expand their skills, knowledge and awareness of issues related to children and young people.

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 home group teacher in the first instance. They may also report to any other staff member who will assist them to get help from the appropriate staff member.
• Support their friends and peers to seek help from trusted adults.
• Support their friends to behave in safe, respectful and inclusive ways.

Parent and carer

• Report any child or young person's concerning or unsafe behaviour to the home group teacher in the first instance, then if required to the relevant Assistant Principal.
• 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.
• Demonstrate and encourage safe, respectful and inclusive relationships with: their own children; other children and young people; other parents and carers and staff.
• Support their children to develop safe behaviours outside of school. Check on and supervise their children’s social interactions, including online.
• Collaborate with 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.
• 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 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.
• Seek external professional support for their children when needed.
• Please do not approach other children or parents about behaviours of concern. Report this to us for follow up.
• Understand that, because of confidentiality, we cannot share information about other children.
• Support their children to stay off-site during suspension, exclusion or expulsion. A student can still come on-site if they have the leader’s written approval.