Student Behaviour in Public Schools Procedures

Guidance

Sections 63(b) and (c) of the School Education Act 1999 describe the principal’s functions regarding ensuring the safety and welfare of students. 

Section 119 of the Act and Regulation 69 of the School Education Regulations 2000 define steps that can be taken to maintain the good order of school premises.

The School Culture Survey (staff only) gives principals a tool to:

• assess the culture of their school
• identify what conditions and aspects of their school’s culture are needed for optimal quality teaching.

Standing together against violence articulates actions and expectations for principals, all school staff and their communities to make schools safe places for teaching and learning.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 provides protection against discrimination based on disability (including imputed disability).

The Disability Standards for Education 2005 seeks to make certain that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers.  The standards make more explicit the obligations of education providers and the rights of people with disabilities in relation to education and training, including requirement to consult with students and their families; make reasonable judgements and eliminate harassment and victimisation.

The Safe and Friendly Schools Framework (staff only)
The Safe and Friendly Schools Framework and self-assessment tool supports schools to embed the child safe principles in schools.

The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations provide a nationally consistent approach to embedding child safe cultures within organisations that engage with children. The Principles collectively show that a child safe organisation is one that creates a culture, adopts strategies and takes action to promote child wellbeing and prevent harm to children and young people.

Guidance

Restorative approaches contribute to:

• building a culture of positive behaviour
• the safety of all members of that community.

Restorative approaches:

• are a way of being, thinking, interacting, teaching and learning – with building and restoring relationships at the centre of decisions and actions
• create a sense of community in the school environment
• meet the needs of students
• view conflict as learning opportunity at all levels
• focus on the need to repair harm that has occurred
• develop empathy and
• reinforce self-regulation.

The Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework should guide what approaches are used to support and/or repair damaged relationships with Aboriginal students and/or their families.

Education Regional Offices support schools, as required, to repair and strengthen relationships with the student and their family.

Statewide Services provides resources and professional learning for restorative approaches.

Guidance

A multi-tiered system of support that holistically considers student needs and provides tiered and interconnected interventions so students receive the appropriate level of support.  MTSS enable schools to view student behaviour through multiple lenses and assist them to identify, plan, resource and monitor student achievement, engagement and wellbeing, and connect services and support when responding to the needs of students and schools.

Within MTSS, response to intervention (RTI) approaches may be used. A positive behaviour support RTI comprises of three tiers:

• Universal

• Targeted

• Intensive

Student behaviour data should be regularly reviewed to identify and respond to emerging trends and to confirm that school level behaviour support approaches are not disproportionately impacting on particular student cohorts – e.g. Aboriginal students or students with disability.

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) is an annual collection of data that identifies students with disability receiving adjustments and the level of adjustments provided, including behaviour support adjustments.

Guidance

All schools have access to student behaviour and engagement resources (staff only).

Statewide Services also provides access to training and professional learning services to assist teachers to:

• implement instructional and behaviour support strategies that engage students in productive learning
• understand and respond to the contextual challenges that impact on the behavioural responses of some students, for example trauma, mental health, undiagnosed learning difficulties and/or disability
• use available behaviour supports for students with complex needs. 

Guidance

Education Regional Offices assist schools, as required, to connect with relevant agencies to make services and support for students with complex and diverse learning needs support accessible and coordinated.

Statewide Services provides specialist services and, where necessary, alternative learning arrangements for individual students with the most complex and challenging behavioural support needs.

The following needs to be considered when determining the interventions and developing the collaborative documented plan to respond to and address the needs of individual students:

• understanding the function that the behaviour has for the student (students may seek or avoid social interaction or attention; sensory experiences, feelings or emotions; tangibles, objects, activities or experiences) and teaching alternative behaviours 
• culturally responsive approaches that take into account the social, cultural and historical contexts that impact the student
• knowledge of the student’s cultural and linguistic background. Family and community connections can be used to inform decision making and intervention
• the presence of multiple risk factors – for example, those students who: 
  • have experienced cumulative harm resulting from trauma/child maltreatment
  • have a disability
  • have been suspended from school on two or more occasions for the same type of behaviour in a school year
  • are at risk of being excluded. 
• the risk of suicidal behaviour or non-suicidal self-injury.Refer to the School Response and Planning Guidelines for Students with Suicidal Behaviour and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury for further information
• a documented plan with strategies for how to support behaviour related to the student’s disability will assist with reducing or eliminating the use of restrictive practice.

Restrictive practices that should be minimised include the use of physical restraint, use of medication as a chemical restraint, and/or use of devices such as harnesses to mechanically control behaviour.  Protective isolation in confined spaces is prohibited in Western Australian public schools.

The Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework should guide what approaches are included in a documented plan for an Aboriginal student and how they are implemented.
 
A section 24 arrangement (staff only) is used for primary or secondary students who are temporarily attending another school or undertaking an alternative arrangement for short term programs provided by another school or training organisation away from the student’s current school. This includes where a student is accessing an education program to change behaviour and/or restore positive behaviour. 

• The formal arrangement in writing between a principal and parent of a student under the age of 18, or student who has turned 18, allows the student to participate in an educational program delivered by a third party. 
• This is not required for VET for school students.

Section 24 arrangements (staff only) may include courses that provide students opportunity to learn and access effective support programs to change the behaviour. This may include TAFE, a private Registered Training Organisation (RTO), a Community Based Course, the At-Risk-School-Aged Students programs, engagement with School of Special Educational Needs: Sensory and Medical/Mental Health or temporary attendance at another school.

When considering their response to a breach of school discipline, principals need to be satisfied that the breach of school discipline was not a symptom or manifestation of the student’s disability. Relevant legislation Disability Discrimination Act 1992 [Cth] Disability Standards for Education 2005 [Cth] Equal Opportunity Act 1984 [WA].

Students with the most complex needs may need a coordinated approach through a request for assistance to access multiple services through Statewide Services.