School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

Our SWPBS Journey

Over the past year, our school has continued to strengthen its implementation of School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). SWPBS is an evidence-based framework supported by the Victorian Department of Education and implemented in many schools across Victoria. Our school is working with a Department of Education SWPBS Coach to embed the framework consistently and effectively.

SWPBS helps schools create a safe, positive and predictable learning environment. It supports students to understand what is expected of them and to develop the social, emotional and behavioural skills they need to succeed.

Just as academic skills are explicitly taught, positive behaviour also needs to be taught, modelled, practised and acknowledged. SWPBS encourages a proactive approach by teaching expected behaviours and responding to behaviour calmly, consistently and supportively.

Celebrating our successful Tier 1 implementation

Our school recently completed an SWPBS implementation audit, which reviewed how consistently the framework has been established across the school. We are pleased to share that our Tier 1 implementation was assessed as successful.

This is an important achievement for our school community. It confirms that we have established a strong foundation of universal practices that support all students. The audit also provided valuable information to help us maintain these practices and identify opportunities for continued improvement.

This success reflects the commitment of our staff and students, together with the support of our families and wider school community.

Recognising that change takes time

Introducing and embedding a whole-school framework takes time. Change can sometimes feel challenging as students, staff and families become familiar with new language, routines and processes. We recognise that people adjust to change in different ways, and we are committed to approaching this work with patience, openness and care.

Our successful Tier 1 audit demonstrates how much progress has already been made. Staff have worked together to strengthen shared expectations, consistent routines, explicit behaviour teaching and positive acknowledgement across the school.

Tier 1 – Support for every student

Tier 1 is the foundation of SWPBS and supports all students in all school settings. These universal practices help students experience clear, consistent and predictable expectations throughout their day.

Our Tier 1 practices and achievements include:

• establishing and explicitly teaching our school-wide expectations: Be Kind, Be Safe and Be a Learner

• teaching what these expectations look and sound like in classrooms, the playground, corridors and other school settings

• developing shared language for discussing behaviour and expectations

• strengthening classroom routines and visual supports

• increasing the use of specific, positive feedback to acknowledge expected behaviour

• responding to unexpected behaviour calmly, consistently and respectfully

• using behaviour data to identify successes and areas requiring further teaching

• building staff knowledge through professional learning, collaboration and coaching.

These practices ensure students receive high-quality teaching and support for behaviour, just as they do for their academic learning.

Tier 2 – Additional support for some students

While Tier 1 practices support most students, some students may benefit from additional, targeted assistance to develop particular social, emotional or behavioural skills. This is known as Tier 2 support.

Tier 2 support may include:

• check-in/check-out with a trusted staff member

• targeted teaching of specific social, emotional or behavioural skills

• individual goals that are regularly monitored and reviewed

• additional prompts, encouragement and feedback

• increased opportunities to practise expected behaviours

• support in particular settings or situations a student finds challenging.

Tier 2 support is not a punishment or a label. It provides additional teaching, structure and encouragement to help each student experience success.

Our next steps

Our successful audit is not the end of our work. We will continue embedding and monitoring Tier 1 practices to ensure they remain consistent and effective. We will also strengthen our Tier 2 processes so students requiring additional assistance receive the right support at the right time.

With guidance from our Department of Education SWPBS Coach, we will continue to use student, staff and school data to review our progress and guide future decisions.

We are proud of this achievement and appreciate the patience, commitment and partnership of our students, staff and families. Together, we are building an inclusive school community where expectations are clear, positive behaviour is taught and recognised, and every student is supported to learn, connect and thrive.

Wellbeing Team