Behaviour Management

---

As a school community it is important that there is a shared understanding of how student behaviour is managed.

Behaviour Management strategies have been designed to:

• Focus on affirming positive behaviours through using a positive approach.
• Develop self-discipline while maintaining students' self esteem.
• Support children in taking responsibility for their own behaviour.
• Clearly state expectations and be consistently applied.

 Our expectations are that children will:

• Display responsibility for their own actions, learning and possessions.
• Be honest and reliable.
• Be caring and supportive of one another.
• Show respect by their words and actions for;                                                                                                                                                                                                              > > > > other people and their culture.
  > all adults.
  > class and school rules.
  > the school environment and other people's possessions.
• Co-operate with other children and staff in class and recreational activities.

Behaviour Code 

Our 3 key values - respect, responsibility and co-operation underpin our code of behaviour for the children.

Macleans Learners show respect by:

• Treating other people the way they would like to be treated.
• Caring for the environment.

Macleans Learners show responsibility by:

• Being ready for learning.
• Taking ownership of their own learning and behaviour.

Macleans Learners show co-operation by:

• Listening to other people and following instructions.
• Working together and supporting each other.

 Inappropriate Behaviour

A restorative approach to behaviour management will underpin the identification of inappropriate behaviour and strategies used to address it.

Initial strategies to address inappropriate behaviour will include - praising on-task behaviour, stating the desired behaviour, direct instruction, eye contact, reminders, refocusing questions, choices and sometimes even tactical ignoring.

Key Questions:

Key questions will be used as prompts when inappropriate behaviour needs addressing more formally.

• What are/were you doing?
• What should you be doing?
• What do you need to do now?
• What is the best choice you can make now?

The plan is that through thinking about and answering these question, a problem will be quickly sorted and the child will be guided to behaving as expected with minimum disruption to their own and others learning. Any consequence or remedial action decided upon needs to be appropriate to the misdemeanor and help the child accept responsibility for their own behaviour.

Inappropriate behaviour is followed up with varying levels of action depending on the seriousness of the behaviour. 

Minor inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with by the class or duty teacher using:

• Our key questions and agreement on subsequent actions.
• Refocusing strategies, working or playing away from others, completing work in their own time.
• Apologies.
• Peer Mediators in the playground.

Moderately inappropriate misbehaviour is likely to be followed up using the above strategies, a restorative chat, time out, loss of privileges, input from the syndicate leader and/or home-school communication.

Serious inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with by the syndicate leader and/or principal, parents will be involved and the support of external agencies may be requested. 

Bullying

While one-off behaviour can be symptomatic of bullying, we usually only label a behaviour as bullying when it is used deliberately and repeatedly to hurt another person physically or emotionally.

• Bullying involves repeatedly hurting people through your words or actions.
• Bullying is using your power over them to hurt them on purpose.
• Bullying is when a person feels scared or worried that the hurting is going to happen again.

Peer Mediators 

• Peer Mediators will be selected from Year 6 classes and undergo a period of training based on the 'Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme' prior to being on duty.
• They will only be on duty in the playground during the interval and lunch break.
• Peer Mediators will be available to help children resolve conflict issues that arise during play.
• Duty teachers will be available to support Peer Mediators and handle serious or difficult situations.

Physical Restraint

Physical Restraint can only be used by teachers and authorised staff members. The Board gives authorization to ancillary staff working at the school to use physical restraint in accordance with section 139AC(2) of the Act. Ancillary staff will have a signed agreement to this effect. As part of Health and Safety training staff will be given guidance in safe restraint practices. Staff with immediate responsibility for children whose behaviour has required, or is likely to require the use of physical restraint on more than the occasional instance, will undergo M.O.E. M.A.P.A (Management of Actual or Potential Aggression) training. 

Physical restraint may only be used where:

• The teacher or staff member reasonably believes that the safety of the student or any other person is at serious and imminent risk.
• The restraint used is reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.
• Use the minimum force necessary to respond to the serious and imminent safety.
• Use the one person or two person hold as detailed in M.A.P.A. training.
• Use physical restraint only for as long as is needed to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

Staff are expected to use their professional judgement to decide what constitutes ‘a serious and imminent risk to safety’, e.g.

• A student is moving in with a weapon, or something that could be used  as a weapon, and is clearly intent on using violence towards another person.
• A student is physically attacking another person or is about to.
• A student is throwing furniture, computers, or breaking glass close to others who could get hit.
• A student is putting themselves in danger, eg; running onto the road, or trying to harm themselves.

Incidents of physical restraint will be reported to the M.O.E. and Board of Trustees as per the M.O.E guidelines.

Ministry of Education Guidelines on Stand-downs, Suspension, Exclusions and Expulsions, will be followed should the need arise to use them.