Positive Behaviour Support

At St Thomas the Apostle, we have embedded the Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support (WSAPBS) endorsed by our governing body, DOSCEL. The WSAPBS targets the improvement of school climate, which has been found to be the most significant impact on student outcomes (Hart, 2014).

All members of the school community have a significant role to play in supporting a whole school approach to positive behaviour. Where all members work collaboratively, each child has the opportunity to fully participate, engage in the process of schooling and become a successful learner. 

Principles underpinning this positive behaviour approach promote high expectations for all students at St. Thomas the Apostle through the understanding that:

• Students are central to all decision making and action:
• The safety of all students is a priority 
• A culture of learning is prioritised 
• Expert teacher practice is critical to student learning success 
• Expert teaching practices are evidence-based 
• Leadership is committed and provides clear direction
• Schools work in partnership with parents and the wider community

Our School Wide Expectations at St Thomas the Apostle are :

-SAFETY

-RESPECT

-LEARNING

There are visual reminders around our school and in our learning spaces to remind us of how we are expected to act towards each other. Students are also commended for demonstrating these school wide expectations through weekly awards and stickers as motivation and feedback for this preferred behaviour.

When our school wide expectations are not adhered to and our students demonstrate non-preferred behaviour, there are opportunities for re-teaching through our consequence cycle. Each step is followed and the students have the chance to reset and return to learning. If, after each step of the consequence cycle is followed and student/s are still not able to re-set, a relocation to another space will be enacted with a follow up restorative conversation and feedback to families. This ensures our home/school partnership is upheld.

Where targeted/explicit language has been used or there has been an intent to physically harm another student, the student/s responsible for this behaviour will be supported by leadership/classroom teacher to make a phone call home to parents to tell them what they said and/or did.

There will be an expectation that a follow up conversation at home will occur. There is NO expectation that a consequence be enforced at home. The consequence process will occur at school.  If a second incident occurs involving targeted/explicit language/intent to harm physically, a phone call will be made asking for the student to be picked up immediately with a re-entry to occur the following day with a parent/member of leadership present.