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Victor Harbor High 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.

Victor Harbor High 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 and regularly review positive behaviour approaches in partnership with Governing Council, staff, parents, caregivers and students.
• A school wide focus on Positive Behaviour for Learning with expectations incorporated through curriculum and presentations. These are reinforced in class-based discussions and display of consistent poster graphics.

Teach

We will explicitly teach positive behaviour and expectations about behaviour.

• The school will create safe and productive learning environments which support the rights of all students to learn and of all teachers to teach, providing opportunities and support for all students to experience improvement in their individual learning.
• Through promotion of key positive behaviours for learning, the school community will develop in students an acceptance of responsibility for their own behaviour in partnership with students and their families.

Intervene

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

• Staff will negotiate classroom management plans with students that clearly outline rules, rights, and responsibilities. These will enhance students’ right to learn free of racism, discrimination, harassment or bullying and proactively reduce individual behaviours of concern.
• Staff will role model care, interest and respect, towards developing positive relationships with all students and their families. Interoception and support spaces are provided for students to access through target support plans. A focus on self-regulation and development of the ability to self-manage towards reengagement in 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.

• Leadership will provide opportunities for staff to develop skills and strategies in classroom management, encourage staff to develop individual responsibility and differentiated/individualised strategies and responses within their classroom management.
• All staff will manage behaviours in an equitable and consistent fashion with a focus on developing understanding and unpacking future support strategies with students and families.
• All Leaders, and Student Support Teams will use an individualised case management 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.

• Ensure all stakeholders, especially students, clearly understand the process for reporting and responding to behaviours of concern. Process are in place that enable them to do this safely and when/where appropriate maintains personal confidentiality for those disclosing.
• Leaders will investigate concerns and where required apply accepted and evidence-based behaviour responses.
• Site responses will be individually tailored with consideration of young people’s circumstances, including special measures for children with disability or additional needs, children in care and Aboriginal children.
• Leaders will partner with staff and parents to develop an individualised student development plan that has clear learning goals, tailored support structures, and with key personnel identified through consultation for individual student case management.

Repair and restore relationships

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

• After behaviours of concern are experienced students are provided the option to restore and repair relationship through Restorative Practices supported by Leaders and the Student Services Team.
• Staff proactively identify students requiring further support in self managing their behaviour and refer to the Student Support Team. This team then works with the student and/or family to tailor further support strategies and learning opportunities to better self regulate responses and behaviour.

Create safety and wellbeing

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

• Staff, parents, caregivers and students will work collaboratively to develop policies and procedures that create safe, caring, orderly and productive learning environments which support the rights of all students to learn and of all teachers to teach.
• Suspension procedures will be used as a last resort strategy to address physical and emotional safety concerns.
• Support of emotional wellbeing will be priority for students, staff and others who have been harmed by unsafe behaviours. On site and external agencies, including departmental support services, will be accessed to provide counselling or other support as required.
• 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 interoception skills. Support students to self regulate using an interoception space, interoception activities, or both.
• Provide time and space for students to successfully regulate with appropriate support and supervision.
• 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 assistance to facilitate restorative and individualised case management processes to impartially resolve issues and form proactive future support plans.

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 directly to your teacher, or to relevant Year Level Leaders, or by seeking support of the Wellbeing & Engagement Team via Student Services.
• Support their friends and peers to seek help from trusted adults if their friends are experiencing behaviours of concern.
• Support their friends to behave in safe, respectful and inclusive ways. Ensure they report or seek support if their friends are engaging in behaviours of concern.

Parent and carer

• Report any concerning or unsafe behaviour directly to their child's teacher or to relevant Year Level Leaders. Serious concerns may also be directed to Assistant Principals, Deputy Principal or 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.
• Show and encourage safe, respectful and inclusive relationships with: their own children; other children and young people; other parents and carers and staff.
• Support their students to develop safe behaviours at home. Check on and supervise 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 Victor Harbor High School promotes.
• Make sure their children keep coming to our site while a behaviour issue is being resolved. This is in their 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.
• 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 students.
• 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.