Managing student behaviour

Christ Church Grammar School is committed to providing education and care to children and young people to assist them to develop into high-achieving, supported students, positively connected to each other and to the communities in which they live and which they will serve.

Christ Church Grammar School recognises that it is important to create a positive school culture that fosters a caring and respectful relationship between students and their teachers. The School’s aim is to have:

• a safe and supportive environment for all students and staff
• processes in place for an effective behaviour management policy that promotes student well-being and values diversity.

At Christ Church Grammar School, you have a fundamental right to feel and be safe. If this is not the case, you should talk to a staff member in the school who you feel comfortable with. It does not matter how big or small the problem is. You can approach any teacher, your tutor of Head of House. You can also talk to a more senior member of staff, for example the Head of Senior School, Head of Preparatory School, Director of Boarding or even the Principal.

As a boy progresses through the School he is expected to accept increasing responsibility for his actions. The development of this self-discipline is central to all teacher-student relationships.

Rights and responsibilities of all members of the CCGS community

At Christ Church Grammar School, behaviour management is based on the philosophy of pastoral care where all members are:

• treated with dignity and justice;
• fell safe and secure;
• free to be involved in the teaching and learning process unhindered by any anti-social behaviours; aware of the rights, but also the responsibilities to themselves and others;
• aware that the procedures are put in place to manage inappropriate behaviour;
• assured that teachers will be fair and consistent with discipline; and clear that students have been made aware of the consequences of their actions.

Code of conduct

Students are required to understand and abide by the Senior School Student Code of Conduct. The consequences of misconduct and breaches to this Code will depend on the nature of the breach.

 

 

Factors the School may consider when deciding what action to take in response to the breach may include:

1. the nature of the breach;
2. the seriousness of the breach, including possible risk to others;
3. the likelihood of the breach occurring again; and
4. whether the student has committed the breach more than once.

In general, the teacher-in-charge of the class, sport, activity or situation has the responsibility for choosing the sanction considered to be the most effective in changing behaviour. The relevant Tutor and Head of House must be kept informed of situations where disciplinary action is required and involved at different stages in the process.

Serious breaches to the Student Code of Conduct will result in disciplinary action at the discretion of the Principal or their delegate. Their decision is final. Disciplinary action may include, but not limited to, detentions, suspensions or termination of enrolment.

Reasonable adjustments will be made for students with special needs to ensure they are able to work within the guidelines.  More details can be obtained from the School’s Students with Disabilities policy.

Managing student behaviour within the classroom (MSB Classroom Guidelines)

The model for the management of student behaviour in the context of the academic classroom is concerned with the maintenance of a positive and safe learning environment for all students. Refer to Appendix A and B for the guidelines.

It is the CCGS classroom teacher’s responsibility to establish clear behavioural expectations for their students. Explicitly stated classroom expectations should be used as a reference point for managing student behaviour. The following rights and responsibilities are a framework for classroom teachers in establishing their own classroom expectations for their students.

The guidelines provide a consistent method by which CCGS teachers can act in regards to student behaviour and student use of electronic devices. The policy refers to Surface devices, as these are the main School-supplied device; however, it is equally applicable to mobile phones or any other electronic devices.

This provides certainty for the student in the context of the CCGS classroom and a clear understanding of the expectations of CCGS teachers. The MSB Classroom Guidelines provide examples of student behaviours. Consequences for behaviours that are not listed should be chosen carefully considering sanctions that will be most effective in changing behaviour.

Staff awareness of MSB Classroom Guidelines

Departments will be asked to review the way in which the guidelines are being applied once a term; the Academic Committee and the combined Heads of House/Heads of Department meetings will consider this feedback. Copies of the MSB guidelines will be laminated and placed in all departmental offices.

New staff orientation

The Studies Office and Heads of Department will ensure that new teachers are given information and support in regard to the MSB guidelines. Director of Pedagogy, Head of House and tutor support and guidance is also vital.

Use of Pastoral Records

For the House and Tutorial system to function effectively as the pastoral care unit in the School, a steady flow of information to Tutors and HOH is necessary. Pastoral Records are an integral part of the communications in regards to managing student behaviour within the CCGS classroom, but also for communicating about student progress within the context of an academic classroom. Teachers are encouraged to be direct in their comments and to use Pastoral Records for both positive and negative comments. The fortnightly student data tracking summary for tutors, along with the live marks facility for parents, means that it is definitely not necessary to write a Pastoral Record for every result for every student; only anomalous results require a Pastoral Record.

Use of Postcards for recognising academic effort

Postcards are sent to acknowledge boys’ effective work practices, commendable work ethic and so on but not to advise results.

Use of Pastoral Records for behaviour management issues

Refer to “Guidelines for Managing Student Behaviour”.  If the issue is serious or ongoing, teachers should have a conversation with the tutor or HOH.

Role of the tutor

All significant comments from teachers should, in normal circumstances, be summarised and communicated to parents on a regular basis. It is incumbent on the tutor to ensure that an effective means of communication is established with parents about a boy’s ongoing progress and engagement.

Parent information

A summary of these guidelines is included in the Curriculum Policy distributed to all parents.

Record keeping

The Student Services Co-ordinator maintains a record of all sanctions issued to students and to ensure procedural fairness and that the sanction is proportionate to the nature of the breach.

Fair process

At a minimum, the administration of permitted forms of behaviour management, discipline, or sanctions must conform to the principles of procedural fairness that requires:

• there is a clear relationship between the rules and the allegation against the student;
• the student is informed about the nature of the complaint or alleged breach in such a way that he is capable of understanding it clearly;
• disputed matters are fully investigated;
• the student is given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the allegations or complaints;
• both the investigator and the decision-maker/adjudicator (who may be the same person) are free from bias and from the perception of bias;
• the decision-makers acts reasonably and consistently with School policy;
• the process and outcomes are apparently free from discrimination on prohibited grounds; and
• the response (consequence) is proportionate to the student’s conduct.

The School’s response to a student’s breach of discipline must not only accord procedural fairness to the student but also be proportionate to the nature of the breach and provide an avenue to appeal the outcome.

Corporal punishment

Christ Church Grammar School explicitly forbids the use of corporal punishment or other degrading punishment for any student enrolled at the School. See below for definitions of these terms.

Definitions

Child abuse:

Four forms of child abuse are covered by WA law:

(a) Physical abuse when a child is severely and/or persistently hurt or injured by an adult or a child’s caregiver.

(b) Sexual abuse, in relation to a child, includes sexual behaviour in circumstances where:

(i) the child is the subject of bribery, coercion, a threat, exploitation or violence;

(ii) the child has less power than another person involved in the behaviour; or

(iii) there is a significant disparity in the developmental function or maturity of the child and another person involved in the behaviour.

(c) Emotional abuse includes:

(i) psychological abuse; and

(ii) being exposed to an act of family and domestic violence.

(d) Neglect includes failure by a child’s parents to provide, arrange or allow the provision of:

(i) adequate care for the child; or

(ii) effective medical, therapeutic or remedial treatment for the child.

Corporal punishment:

Any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light; typically involving hitting the child with the hand or with an implement; can also include, for example, forcing the child to stay in an uncomfortable position. It does not include the use of reasonable physical restraint to protect the child or others from harm: from UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No.8 (2006), paragraphs 11 and 15: CRC/C/GC/8, 2 March 2007.

 

 

Degrading punishment:

Any punishment which is incompatible with respect for human dignity, including corporal punishment and non-physical punishment which belittles, humiliates, denigrates, scapegoats, threatens, scares or ridicules the child (from UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No 8 (2006), paragraphs 11 and 16: CRC/C/GC/8, 2 March 2007).

Review

The review of this policy, procedure and the data collected will be carried out annually for continuous improvement.

Appendix A – MSB Classroom Guidelines

Stage	Student behaviour	Consequence and follow-up
1	Any of the following: arriving late without good reason, minor misbehaviour, lack of courtesy to peers, not settling to work, first occasion of arriving unequipped, uniform infringement(s), failure to complete homework.	Verbal warning during class time or immediately after class.
2	Any of the above repeated or escalated;  poor behaviour in corridor, disrespectful and disruptive behaviour towards peers, lack of courtesy to staff, persistent wasting of class time	Discussion briefly after class for extended verbal warning Pastoral Record written by classroom teachers.
3	Any of the above repeated or escalated; persistent talking out of turn, disobedience	Recess or brief restitution detention with classroom teacher Pastoral Record written by classroom teacher Teacher advises Head of Department, verbally or by email.
4	Any of the above repeated or escalated.  Also for not attending teacher detention	Initial Action: HoD  to meet with student and discuss behaviour HoD detention at lunch Pastoral Record written by HoD Further Consequence: Student can be placed in an upper/lower school class by HoD for defined period e.g. a week; parents advised by HoD.
5	Any of the above repeated. Also for damage to school or other student property, also for not attending HoD detention.	SCHOOL DETENTION ISSUED, HoH to notify parents. Meeting with the student, HoH and tutor. Restitution/repair of damaged property as relevant Parents notified by tutor/HoH if problems are occurring across a number of subjects Student may be placed on Daily Review for an extended period after discussing with parents & HoH.
6	Any of the above repeated. Also for not attending detention for stage 5.	Phone call home from HoH after a meeting with student, teacher and HoH SATURDAY DETENTION ISSUED by Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School.
7	Any of the above repeated.  Also for not attending Saturday Detention for stage 6.	Student placed on a specified period of internal suspension.
8	Failure to modify behaviour(s) after stage 7 intervention	Case conference at school to include student, parent/s, HoH, Ed Psych and Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School.
NB; Typically this process would reset a the end of a school year. In the case of ongoing issues in a particular class other actions may be considered in consultation with the HoH/Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School.

Appendix B – MSB Classroom Guidelines (electronic devices)

Stage	Electronic device behaviour (includes Surface device, mobile phones, etc)	Consequence and follow-up
1	Failure to bring Device or to charge it at home. Improper use outside class e.g. playing games or removing protective cover Using Device (or any mobile phone use) in a way that is not related to the task in class e.g. games, social media Failure to report device damage	Verbal warning. Damaged Device to be taken to Help Desk for exchange. Staff send student to Help Desk as soon as damage is detected. Teacher confiscates Device or Mobile Phone and passes it on to Head of House.
2	AirDrop spam in class causing distraction to nearby classes: sending AirDrop spam; having AirDrop options enabled; masquerading as another studentRemoving profiles (bypassing restrictions) on purpose to circumvent device policies Email spam	Discussion briefly after class for extended verbal warning. Ask IT to trace IT to notify HoH and tutor when removal of profile is detected; Device to be returned to Help Desk to be restored
3	Minor action committed against student ICT Acceptable Use Policy	Recess or brief restitution detention with classroom teacher.
4	Using mobile wifi or mobile phone tether e.g. to circumvent School’s filters	IT detects and advises Tutor and Head of House. Lunch detention issued by HoH
5	Wilful damage of case or Device, either student’s own or that of another student Jail-breaking the Device in order to circumvent the School’s device policies, copyright policies, filtering policies and/or lockdowns	SCHOOL DETENTION ISSUED, HOH to notify parents. Meeting with the teacher, student & HoH. Restitution/repair of damaged property as relevant Parents notified by tutor/HoH if problems are occurring across a number of subjects. Return to the Help Desk for replacement IT detects and notifies tutor or Head of House; device to be returned to Helpdesk for replacement
6	Inappropriate content (e.g. adult material, racist material, bullying)Wilful, serious action committed against student ICT Acceptable Use Policy e.g. Malicious tampering with another student’s iPad Taking or distributing photos or film of students or any staff member without permission Sharing, manipulating or uploading photos or film of students or any staff member	Phone call home from HoH after a meeting with student, teacher and HoH SATURDAY DETENTION ISSUED by Head of Senior School Tutors place student on daily Device review and check it during tutorial. Immediate referral to HoH and the Head of the Senior School.