School Wide Positive Behaviour System

Building Positive Behaviour Across Our College

At Gisborne Secondary College, we continue to place a strong emphasis on creating a safe, respectful and orderly learning environment where every student can learn and thrive. A key part of this work has been the consistent implementation of our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) strategies across the College.

Our approach is centred on a simple principle: students need to know what is expected of them, be explicitly taught those expectations, and receive consistent feedback when they demonstrate them.

Throughout 2026, staff have continued to reinforce our College values of Respect, Achievement, Innovation and Diversity, alongside clearly defined behavioural expectations. These expectations are explicitly taught, revisited and reinforced in classrooms and across the broader College environment.

Importantly, positive behaviour is also recognised. Our Rewards and Merits provide opportunities for staff to acknowledge students who consistently demonstrate the behaviours and attitudes we want to see across our College. Recognition of positive choices helps reinforce the connection between our expectations and the culture we are seeking to build. This term, students have collectively received an epic 10,196 merits! This is a fantastic achievement and demonstrates the growing consistency and fidelity of our shared SWPBS practices across the school.

This consistent approach is complemented by explicit teaching practices. When students understand what successful learning behaviours look like, sound like and feel like, they are better equipped to make positive choices. Teachers are therefore not only responding to behaviour when it occurs; they are proactively teaching the behaviours that support learning.

The impact of this consistency is evident in our College behaviour data. Year to date, we have recorded a 26% reduction in students with high level repeated MAJOR behaviours across the College. This represents an encouraging shift and provides evidence that a consistent, whole-school approach can make a meaningful difference.

While this reduction is a positive achievement, the data also reminds us that behaviour improvement is an ongoing process. Our focus remains on maintaining consistency, ensuring students understand our expectations and continuing to recognise positive behaviour.

The success of SWPBS is not the result of a single strategy or individual. It reflects the collective effort of staff who consistently apply agreed expectations, explicitly teach positive behaviours, acknowledge student success and respond appropriately when expectations are not met.

As we move through the remainder of the year, we will continue to build on this progress. Our goal is to ensure that every student experiences a College environment characterised by high expectations, positive relationships, clear boundaries and a strong focus on learning.

Together, we are continuing to build a culture where positive behaviour is explicitly taught, consistently reinforced and genuinely valued.