Setting the scene in 2026: respectful, safe, engaged

by the Principal Class Team

Shared expectations to support student behaviour

When schools, families and students work together, we achieve the best outcomes. These partnerships are essential to creating school environments that support all students to belong, learn and thrive.

At Box Hill High School, all students are expected to be respectful, safe, and engaged. These behaviours help make our school a place where everyone can achieve their best. As a parent and carer, you play a vital role in helping your child to understand and meet shared behaviour expectations.

At Box Hill High School, students meet behaviour expectations by being:

Respectful 

Following staff instructions and school rules.
Caring for school property and others’ belongings.
Using respectful language.

Safe

Keeping themselves and others safe from harm.
Speaking up or seeking help from an adult if they or someone else is being treated unfairly.
Only bringing safe and necessary items to school.

Engaged

Going to school every day, being on time, and ready to learn.
Taking part, doing their best, and asking for help when they need.
Knowing and following the school’s policies, including the mobile phone policy.

Box Hill High School is supporting our students to meet these expectations by being:

Respectful

Teaching and demonstrating school rules and positive behaviour expectations to students.
Explicitly teaching, modelling and acknowledging expected respectful behaviour.
Engaging collaboratively and positively with all students, parents and carers.

Safe

Having clear policies and procedures to prevent and respond to bullying and keep students safe.
Offering additional supports to students proactively and supporting students to speak up and seek help.
Proactively identifying and addressing problems to maintain a physically, socially and culturally safe school environment.

Engaged

Delivering evidence-based, inclusive education that meets the needs of all students.
Empowering students to have a say in decisions that affect their learning and school life.
Building strong, trusting relationships to ensure all students feel seen, heard and valued.

How parents and carers can help

By modelling and encouraging positive behaviour, you help your child build the skills and habits they need to be successful at school. This can include:

Respectful

Knowing the school’s rules and supporting them at home.
Modelling respectful behaviour in how you speak to and about school staff, families, and others both in person and online.
Making use of the school’s processes to raise and resolve concerns early.

Safe

Working together with staff if your child is having problems at school to understand and resolve the issue.
Ensuring your child knows it is okay to ask for help from a trusted adult at school.
Ensuring your child stays safe online by talking with them and addressing concerns early.

Engaged

Helping your child to attend school every day - every day counts.
Communicating with school staff and working together to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.
Talking with your child about their day and how they are feeling and encouraging their learning by noticing their effort and progress.

It is important that we have the support of our parents and carers when it comes to responding to poor decisions made by students. Some examples of student behaviour that we don’t accept in our community include:

behaving in such a way (physical or verbal) which poses a danger, whether actual, perceived or threatened, to the health, safety or wellbeing of any person (e.g., fighting, physical acts of aggression, racist, homophobic or sexist slurs).
causing significant damage to or destruction of property (e.g., vandalism).
committing or attempting to commit or is knowingly involved in the theft of property.
possessing, using or selling or deliberately assisting another person to possess, use or sell illicit substances or weapons.
failing to comply with any clear and reasonable instruction of a staff member so as to pose a danger, whether actual, perceived or threatened, to the health, safety or wellbeing of any person.
consistently engaging in behaviour that vilifies, defames, degrades or humiliates another person based on age, breastfeeding, gender, identity, impairment, industrial activity, lawful sexual activity, marital status, parent or carer status or status as a carer, physical features, political belief or activity, pregnancy, race, religious belief or activity, sex, sexual orientation, personal association (whether as a relative or otherwise) with a person who is identified by reference to any of the above attributes
consistently behaving in an unproductive manner that interferes with the wellbeing, safety or educational opportunities of any other student.

Any student involved in anti-social behaviours (as listed above) will receive consequences ranging from removal from extra-curricular activities, detentions, class withdrawal and external suspensions (depending on the severity and history of the behaviour).

We are very experienced in managing and addressing student behaviour and our processes are underpinned by a care for students, with a strong focus on learning and implementing a restorative approach. We ask for trust and support from our parents when caring for over 1500 students each day to ensure that the school maintains high expectations of all students’ behaviour.

Students are informed that they need to talk to their Year Level Coordinator to report behaviours of concern or ongoing unwanted behaviours. We also ask that parents contact us if their children report ongoing antisocial behaviours in their classes or in the yard to help us with early intervention.

Box Hill High School has a number of policies that directly link to student behaviour, wellbeing and engagement. Some of these policies include:

Bullying prevention
Child safety and wellbeing
Inclusion and diversity
Student wellbeing and engagement.

These policies and more can be found on our website: https://www.boxhillhs.vic.edu.au/about/policies/