Rationale:

The Church’s mission is to Love One Another.  As a Catholic school, St Luke’s Primary School endeavours to foster the values of integrity, respect, responsibility and empathy and resilience. In our relationships with others, we are committed to demonstrating, fairness and cooperation to enhance and support the wellbeing of all in our community.  

All members of the St Luke’s Primary School community have the right of respect from others, the right to learn or teach, and a right to feel safe and secure in their school environment.  

Aims:

We are a  Restorative School. We believe in the language of choice. Where there has been conflict causing a relationship to breakdown, the relationship needs to be restored.

The school’s Behaviour Support Plan aims to:

• Develop attitudes and behaviours that promote and reflect uniqueness, cooperation, self-discipline, resilience and mutual respect.

• Instil an understanding of the rights and responsibilities that each member of the school has personally and each other.

• Provide a safe, secure, harmonious and happy learning environment.

• Promote a positive tone and morale that recognises the students’ achievements and efforts.

Implementation:

1.  At St Luke’s we follow 5 school rules:

• Follow staff directions the first time.

• Listen to the speaker.

• Speak respectfully – use good manners, no negative comments or put-downs.

• Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself.

• Move safely at all times.

2.  Management of Appropriate Behaviour:

To support behaviour at St Luke’s we use positive reinforcement,

Positive reinforcement may be demonstrated in several ways, including:

• NON – VERBAL:  E.g. smile, nod, thumbs up, high five, wink, etc.

• VERBAL:  Praising students and providing meaningful feedback.

3.  Management of Inappropriate Behaviour:

When a student behaves in an unacceptable manner, members of staff need to translate what the behaviour is telling us - gain/avoid, defiance/breakdown.  Staff may choose to use corrective actions, or consequences to remind the student of the appropriate way to behave.

Minor Behaviours

Apply redirective strategies such as using the child’s name, redirective questions, non verbal -  the Look,  planned ignoring, physical proximity or distraction.

NAME you need to ………… (explicit language e.g. stop tapping the table)

If the student argues and refuses to follow instructions, simply repeat the assertive statement

NAME you need to……… ( Broken Record)

If the student argues and refuses to follow instructions, simply repeat the assertive statement.

If behaviour continues provide the Language of Choice

NAME you need to …………OR  ………(consequence)

Your choice.

(If the student is upset or angry use empathy…. NAME, I can see that you are upset, but you need to ………..

Further Action

1. WARNING - Look at child, give a verbal reminder of appropriate behaviour.  NAME “You need to…”

(Name the behaviour)

2. Broken Record  ….NAME You need to stop….    Restate the school rule

3. NAME You need to stop or ( consequence)        

4. Implement the chosen consequence

5. REMOVAL FROM GROUP - Removal of the student from the group, to another area of the room or playground and fill in classroom feeling think sheet

6. PRINCIPAL – Student is sent to Principal/Deputy Principal. Behaviour is discussed, a behaviour reflection sheet may be filled out and/or parents are contacted.

***Severe Clause Criteria:

To be used when student wilfully hurts another student, destroys property, overtly refuses to follow directions or engages in any serious misbehaviour that stops the class from functioning. Consequence – student to be sent immediately to the Principal/Deputy Principal.

St Luke’s does not use corporal punishment at any time.

For severe breaches of school discipline, the principal can evoke exclusion, suspension and negotiated transfer or expulsion procedures.

Negotiated transfer will be applied for students in circumstances of a serious nature. In some serious circumstances, a change of school or a move to an alternative setting may be judged the most appropriate means by which a student’s wellbeing can be responsibly supported or restored. Such a change, known as negotiated transfer, offers opportunity for personal growth, and for a fresh start in an environment more suited to the student’s needs and circumstances. Negotiated transfer may also be an appropriate move by which the wellbeing of a school community can be protected (e.g. when a student’s continuing presence poses a threat to that community’s safety).

Major Behaviours

Restorative Practice and Affective Questions will be used where appropriate when there is a relationship breakdown or conflict between students, staff will use the effective questions to initiate a discussion and help students move forward.  Consequences decided by the children can be the outcome of a Restorative discussion. ( Only give consequences for defiant behaviour)  Affective questions used to repair a relationship are:

1. What happened?

2. How did it happen?

3. How did you act in this situation?

4. Who do you think was affected?

5. How were they affected?

6. How were you affected?

7. What needs to happen to make things right?

8. If the same situation happens again, how could you do things differently?

4.  Language of Choice:

When dealing with relationship breakdowns, the language of choice is used to offer students' choices regarding their behaviour. Use explicit language e.g. POOR choice.  It de-escalates inappropriate behaviour and encourages the student to make good choices. A student should always feel that they are part of the community and that their behaviour is not acceptable. If you get the language of interaction right, then you'll be less likely to escalate to a situation requiring restorative questioning.

School Community:

• New staff, parents and students are informed of the five school rules.

• New staff, parents and students will be informed of the expected behaviour management strategies, as outlined above.

• Teachers will revise and reinforce the school rules at the beginning of each year, and as needed throughout the year. These will be clearly displayed in learning areas.

• All staff members will be expected to apply consequences consistently.

• All adults are encouraged to promote and display courteous and cooperative behaviour for the students.

Playground Behaviours:

Stage 1:

Verbal Abuse/Harassment:  

• Annoying others, name-calling, low-level teasing, answering back, not following the rules of the formal game  

• Not following school rules e.g. tackling

• Swearing whilst in game play

Physical Abuse:

• Low-level physical abuse e.g. pushing, light slapping, Spitting/spitting water  Inappropriate play e.g. playing in the toilets, non-consensual kissing,

Security and Safety Breaches,

• Playing in an out of bounds area coming indoors during recess or lunch without permission or supervision

Disrespect of Property:  

• Taking something belonging to another student and refusing to return it e.g. hat, toy, sports equipment

Actions taken -

Behaviour dealt with on the yard

• Yard duty teacher records in the Yard Duty Folder

• 5 minutes time out of game

• Walk with teacher for 5 minutes

• Clean up Yard 5 minutes

Stage 2:

Verbal Abuse/Harassment:  

• Swearing aggressively and/or directly at a staff member

• Use of words in a derogatory sense to insult or offend others e.g. slut, gay, lesbian, racist comment/sexualized gestures/behaviour

Physical Abuse:

• Repeated pushing, hitting, kicking, etc  

• Deliberate pushing, hitting, kicking, etc resulting in an injury  

• Threatening to physically harm/using an object as a weapon to harm others e.g. throwing a ball in another student’s face

• Inappropriate play e.g. playing in the toilets

• Aggressive response to a violent act by another

Disrespect of Property:  

• Vandalism

• Repeated and deliberate damage of the property of others or the school

Security and Safety Breaches:

• Leaving the school ground without permission

Actions taken -

•  Yard duty teacher records in the Yard Duty Folder

• Time out off the yard

• Playground Behaviour Journal to be completed by the student at the time of the incident

NB: Restorative conversations should focus on positive problem solving and natural consequences, e.g. cleaning graffiti, replacing damaged property. Parents must be contacted for incidents of bullying/racial comments (repeated & ongoing harassment of a particular person).

Stage 3:

In extreme cases of verbal abuse, physical abuse, security and safety breaches, repeated sexual and or racial harassment, vandalism, where the teacher on duty may require outside support.

Actions taken -

• Yard duty teacher records in the Yard Duty Folder

• Yard duty teacher records in students behaviour tracking folder

• Principal, Deputy to devise an appropriate course of actions e.g. Suspension, sent home

• Parents to be notified by phone or email immediately.

• Restorative conference on return to school.

EVALUATION:

This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s review cycle.

APPENDIX:

Appendix 1: Junior school Behaviour Sheet

Appendix 2: Middle/Senior School Behaviour Sheet

Appendix 3: Wet/Hot Day Tracking

Appendix 4: Yard duty Tracking