Behaviour Support and Management Plan

Overview

Mortlake Public School is committed to explicitly teaching and modelling positive behaviour and to supporting all students to be engaged with their learning.

Our goal is to inspire every child to participate positively in the school community and beyond. We focus on promoting excellence, opportunity and success for every student, every day. We value and strive to develop safe, respectful learners in a caring learning community.

Principles of positive behaviour support, trauma-informed practice, inclusive practice, and social emotional learning underpin our daily practice. High expectations for student behaviour are established and maintained through effective role modelling, explicit teaching, and planned responses.

Our vision is for every student and staff member to be challenged to learn and continuously improve, for students to be engaged and empowered agents of their own learning within a context of high expectations and for the school community to connect respectfully, collaboratively and reflectively to ensure that every student is known, valued and cared for.

Key programs prioritised and valued by the school community are:

• Positive Behaviour for Learning
• Mortlake Public School expectations for learning
• Bullying No Way
• Explore Discover Act – Leadership Program

Mortlake Public School rejects all forms of bullying behaviours, including online (or cyber) bullying by maintaining a commitment to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning community that promotes student wellbeing. Staff are committed to establishing evidence-based approaches and strategies that promote a positive climate where bullying is less likely to occur.

All members of the school community are active participants in building a welcoming school culture that values diversity and fosters positive relationships. A key component of a supportive school culture is building respectful relationships and an ethos that bullying is not accepted, in both online and offline environments. School staff actively respond to student bullying behaviour.

Behaviour Support and Management Plan - Download PDF version (410KB)

Partnership with parents and carers

Mortlake Public School will partner with parents/carers in establishing expectations for engagement in developing and implementing student behaviour management and antibullying strategies, by:

• inviting parent/carer and student feedback through formal and informal means, such as Tell Them From Me surveys, school surveys, consulting with the P & C and local AECG
• using concerns raised through complaints procedures to review school systems, data and practices.

Mortlake Public School will communicate these expectations to parents/carers through the school newsletter and school website. Our school proactively builds collaborative relationships with families and communities to create a shared understanding of how to support student learning, safety and wellbeing.

School-wide expectations and rules

To be respectful, safe learners.

Behaviour code for students

NSW public schools are committed to providing safe, supportive and responsive learning environments for everyone. We teach and model the behaviours we value in our students.

The Behaviour Code for Students can be found at https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policyprocedures/pd-2006-0316/pd-2006-0316-01. This document translated into multiple languages is available here: Behaviour Code for Students.

Whole school approach across the care continuum

Mortlake Public School embeds student wellbeing and positive behaviour approaches and strategies in practices across the care continuum to promote positive behaviour and respond to behaviours of concern, including bullying and cyber-bullying behaviour.

These approaches and strategies are built on a foundation of evidence-based effective classroom practices that set the tone for engagement with learning and respectful relationships. These practices include:

• stating and explicitly teaching classroom expectations
• establishing predictable routines and procedures that are communicated clearly to students
• encouraging expected behaviour with positive feedback and reinforcement
• discouraging inappropriate behaviour
• providing active supervision of students
• maximising opportunities for active engagement with learning
• providing carefully sequenced engaging lessons that provide options for student choice
• differentiating learning content and tasks to meet the needs of all learners.

Planned responses to positive appropriate behaviour, inappropriate behaviour and behaviours of concern, including bullying and cyber-bullying

Identifying behaviour of concern, including bullying and cyberbullying

A behaviour of concern is challenging, complex or unsafe behaviour that requires more persistent and intensive interventions. A behaviour of concern does not include low-level inappropriate or developmentally appropriate behaviour. Bullying behaviour involves the intentional misuse of power in a relationship, is ongoing and repeated and involves behaviour that can cause harm.

Mortlake Public School staff will staff will identify inappropriate behaviour and behaviours of concern, including bullying and cyber-bullying through a range of channels, for example:

• directly observing a student’s behaviours, interactions, verbal communications, or work produced (such as written materials, performances or artworks)
• a person disclosing information that is not previously known, either because it is new information or because it has been kept a secret
• concerns raised by a parent, community member or agency.

Students or parents can report bullying to any staff member. NSW public school principals have the authority to take disciplinary action to address student behaviours that occur outside of school hours or school grounds, including cyberbullying. Students who have been bullied will be offered appropriate support, for example through the school counselling service.

Responses to all behaviours of concern apply to student behaviour that occurs:

• at school
• on the way to and from school
• on school-endorsed activities that are off-site
• outside school hours and off school premises where there is a clear and close connection between the school and students’ conduct
• when using social media, mobile devices and/or other technology involving another student or staff member.

Preventing and responding to behaviours of concern

Planned responses to behaviour that does not meet school expectations are either teacher or executive managed. Staff use their professional judgement in deciding whether a behaviour is teacher managed or executive managed. They should consider whether the behaviour poses a risk to the safety or wellbeing of the student or others.

• Teacher managed – low level inappropriate behaviour is managed by teachers in the classroom and the playground.
• Executive managed – behaviour of concern is managed by school executive.
• Corrective responses are recorded on School Bytes. These include:

Mortlake Public School staff model, explicitly teach, recognise and reinforce positive student behaviour and behavioural expectations. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L), and the school’s feelings chart (underpinned by Zones of Regulation) consist of evidence-based strategies used daily by teachers to teach self-regulation, increase focus and strengthen peer networks.

We acknowledge that not all students are encouraged by the same thing or in the same ways. Younger students may be more motivated by adult attention while older students are typically more motivated by peer attention, activities, privileges, or freedom. When learning new skills, students need immediate and frequent reinforcement and as they develop mastery they respond to intermittent and long-term reinforcement to maintain their social behavioural efforts.

The use of verbal and non-verbal specific positive feedback is the most powerful way to:

• help adults and learners to focus on positive social behaviour
• increase the likelihood that students will use the expected behaviours and skills in the future
• decrease unexpected behaviour and reduce the need for corrective responses
• enhance self-esteem and build an internal focus of control.

Responses to serious behaviours of concern

Responses for serious behaviours of concern, including students who display bullying behaviour, are recorded on School Bytes. These may include:

• review and document incident
• determine appropriate response/s, including supports for staff or other students impacted
• refer/monitor the student through the school learning and support team
• develop or review individual student support planning, including teaching positive replacement behaviour and making learning and environmental adjustments
• detention, reflection and restorative practices (listed below)
• liaise with Team Around a School for additional support or advice
• communication and collaboration with parents/carers (phone, email, parent portal, meeting)
• formal caution to suspend, suspension or expulsion

The NSW Department of Education Student Behaviour policy and Suspension and Expulsion Procedures apply to all NSW public schools.

Reporting and recording behaviours of concern

Staff will comply with reporting and responding processes outlined in the:

• Incident Notification and Response policy
• Incident Notification and Response Procedures
• Student Behaviour Policy and Suspension and Expulsion procedures

Students and/or parents/carers can report cyberbullying to the eSafety Commissioner and reporting links for most sites, games and apps can be found at the eSafety Guide.

Reflection and restorative practices

Toilet and food breaks are always included when withdrawal from free choice play at either break is planned as a response to behaviour. The maximum length of time will be appropriate to the age/developmental level of the student.

Review dates

Last review date: 11/12/2024: Day 1, Term 4, 2024

Next review date: August 2025 Term 3, 2025

Appendix 1: Behaviour management flowchart

Bullying Response Flowchart

The following flowchart explains the actions Mortlake Public School staff will take when they receive a report about student bullying, including bullying which may have occurred online or outside of the school setting. The timeframes will vary depending on the professional judgment of staff who receive the bullying complaint and their assessment of immediate risk to student/s.

Behaviour Support and Management Plan - Download PDF version (410KB)

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