Discipline policy
Overview
Students learn most effectively in a positive, safe and disciplined environment.
Our behaviour management system has been designed to help achieve this environment.
We aim to have clearly defined rules, rewards and procedures, which will allow students to feel an ownership of their own behaviour.
Guiding principles
- The school will provide a stable safe and ordered environment, in which students behave responsibly and have opportunities to learn.
- Students will be encouraged to develop self-discipline, by accepting responsibility for their own behaviour.
- Students will be encouraged to value the personal dignity and worth of themselves and others.
- The school will insist on responsible student behaviour, by establishing effective strategies to discourage irresponsible behaviour.
- The school will promote within its students a respect for the values which underpin our society.
- The school will foster in students a feeling of belonging to the wider community and Australian society.
- Staff and students are expected to participate in the development of the school discipline policy and to support its effective implementation.
- Parents are expected to support the school in the implementation of the school discipline policy.
Anti-bullying plan
The whole school community has formulated this plan. Students, staff and interested parents have assisted in this plan. This will be evaluated and reviewed regularly as needed or at the very least, every 2 years.
Overview
Bullying, in all its various forms, is never acceptable in schools, homes and society. It will be taken seriously at Naremburn School and consequences will be enforced and support offered.
The focus of quality education is for students to learn and grow with confidence. Students develop best in an atmosphere of trust and respect and where teaching and learning occur in a context of student welfare.
Schools exist in a society where intimidation, harassment and victimisation occur. All people should treat all other people with respect. Families and schools are the front line in identifying and addressing bullying. All members of each family and all schools should model behaviour that is always free of bullying, harassment, intimidation and victimisation.
Students have the right to expect that they will spend the school day free from the fear of bullying, harassment, intimidation and victimisation
Bullying behaviour
- is defined as intentional, repeated behaviour by an individual or group of individuals that causes distress, hurt or undue pressure
- can be in forms of verbal, social, physical, psychological, or cyber
- affects an individual's ability to achieve
- devalues, isolates, and frightens
- has long term effects on those engaging in bullying behaviour, those who are the subjects of bullying behaviour and bystanders.
- Verbal bullying includes swearing, teasing, insults, threats, abuse, sarcasm, putdowns, and name calling.
Social bullying includes ignoring or excluding people, inappropriate gestures, coercing people to make poor choices, being untruthful for the purpose of putting someone down, and telling other people's secrets,
Physical bullying includes any fighting or act of aggression such as punching, kicking, hitting, spitting, scratching, tripping.
Psychological bullying includes intimidating or socially isolating someone, displaying demeaning or sarcastic gestures or behaviour, spreading rumours, hiding, or damaging someone’s possessions.
Cyber-bullying is using e-technology to victimise others. It is the use of internet or mobile technologies such as e-mail, messaging or social media to harass, humiliate, threaten or target another person.
Statement of purpose
Students attend school to participate in quality education that will help them to become self-directed and lifelong learners who can create a positive future for themselves and the wider community.
Any inappropriate behaviour that gets in the way of teaching and learning at the school and interferes with the wellbeing of students cannot be accepted.
Students, teachers, parents, caregivers and members of the wider school community have a shared responsibility to create a safe and happy environment, free from all forms of bullying.
Students, teachers, parents, caregivers and members of the wider school community can expect:
- that students will be safe at school, free from fear of bullying, harassment, intimidation and victimisation
- to be involved in the collaborative development of the school Anti-bullying Plan
- to know what is expected of them and others in relation to the Anti-bullying Plan
- that all students will be provided with appropriate support when bullying occurs.
Students, teachers, parents, caregivers and members of the wider school community have a responsibility to:
- promote positive relationships that respect and accept individual differences and diversity within the whole school community.
- contribute to the development of the Anti-bullying Plan and support it through words and actions.
- actively work together to resolve incidents of bullying behaviour when they occur.
Each group within the school community has a specific role in preventing and dealing with bullying.
Students
Students can expect to:
- Know that their concerns will be responded to by school staff.
- Be provided with appropriate support (for both the subjects of and those responsible for the behaviour).
- Participate in learning experiences that address key understandings and skills relating to positive relationships, safety, gender equity, discrimination, bullying and harassment. These experiences will be guided by the Personal Development, Health and Physical Education syllabuses and other Key Learning Areas.
- Be treated with respect.
- Earn consequences when they make a poor choice.
Students have a responsibility to:
- Behave appropriately, respecting individual differences and diversity.
- Follow the school's Anti-bullying Plan.
- Respond to incidents of bullying according to their school's Anti-bullying Plan.
Parents
Parents and caregivers can expect to:
- know that their concerns will be responded to by school staff
- be provided with appropriate support for their child
- participate in a team approach to address their child's issues or concerns
- have their questions answered
- be treated with respect.
Parents and caregivers have a responsibility to:
- support their children in all aspects of their learning
- uphold the Parents Code of Conduct
- be aware of the school's anti-bullying plan and assist their children in understanding bullying behaviour
- support their children in developing positive responses to incidents of bullying consistent with the school's anti-bullying plan
- support all students of the school to deal effectively with bullying through the strategies of the anti-bullying plan.
Staff
The staff at Naremburn School can expect to:
- know that their concerns will be responded to by the parents and caregivers
- be kept informed by the parents and caregivers
- participate in a team approach to address the student's issues or concerns
- be treated with respect by families and students.
Schools have a responsibility to:
- develop an anti-bullying plan through consultation with parents, caregivers, students and the community, which clearly identifies both the behaviours that are unacceptable and the strategies for dealing with bullying
- inform students, parents, caregivers and the community about the school discipline code, school rules and anti-bullying plan
- provide students with strategies to respond positively to incidents of bullying behaviour, including responsibilities as bystanders or observers
- provide parents, caregivers and students with clear information on strategies that promote appropriate behaviour, and the consequences for inappropriate behaviour
- communicate to parents and caregivers that they have an important role to play in resolving incidents of bullying behaviour involving their children
- follow up complaints of bullying, harassment, intimidation and victimisation.
Teachers have a responsibility to:
- respect and support students in all aspects of their learning
- model appropriate behaviour and standards
- respond in an appropriate and timely manner to incidents of bullying according to the school anti-bullying plan.
Strategies to prevent bullying, harassment, intimidation and victimisation
- Discrete social skills lessons developed and delivered by the school counsellor, PDHPE (personal development, health and physical education) teacher, and at times outside agencies/personnel.
- Develop and maintain a positive school environment.
- Promoting achievements and improvements through phone calls home, emails, website and whole school meetings.
- Supportive conversations between executive members and students.
- Supportive conversations between teachers and students.
- High student staff ratio.
- Constant vigilance.
- High degree of cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and the school.
- Consistent application of this policy.
Strategies to deal with bullying, harassment, intimidation and victimisation
You can:
- go to meetings/have conversations with school counsellor
- go to meetings/have conversations with staff
- go to meetings/have conversations with executives
- re-directing in class
- separation from other students for a time
- phone calls home
- contact made with the child wellbeing unit on 02 9269 9400
- regional intervention
- cautions
- time-outs
- withdrawals
- in-school suspension
- out of school suspension
- home study program
- police involvement.
Monitoring, evaluating and reporting
Requirements:
- Bi-annual review of policy for the purpose of reflection, renewal, and revision.
Strategies for review:
- gather all relevant data (self-monitoring data, withdrawals, suspension, incident reports and student reports)
- analyse for patterns and trends
- reflect on patterns and trends for programs/strategies we can put into place to address these.
Reporting incidents of bullying, harassment, intimidation or victimisation can be:
- internal reporting
- incident reports
- suspension reports
- dragon book
- verbal, followed up by written reports.
External reporting can be:
- Email us by ‘replying to all' on the email system or email the principal directed at patricia.laird@det.nsw.edu.au
- Call the school and speak to the principal on 02 9906 8498 or 9906 8458.
- Call police and make a formal report for incidents outside of school.
Additional information:
- Police Youth Liaison Officer (YLO) is contacted on 02 9419 8499.
- KIDS Helpline 1800 551 800.