SWAN Hill North Primary School is ensuring a positive and safe learning culture by setting clear and simple guidelines that provide consistency to students.
The framework was provided through the Department of Education, and staff and students have been spending time adapting it to best suit their own school.
Teacher Tayla Bennett said the school had completed a behaviour matrix.
“We want to incorporate our school values of respect, responsibility and resilience,” she said.
“Further, we want to build on those values through our five learning areas which are the classroom, outside in the yard, device use, bus use and within the broader community.
“The matrix will teach what is expected behaviours across all these areas in a consistent way.”
Ms Bennett said the school held high standards when it came to how the students behaved.
“If the children are down the street and wearing our uniform they are representative of us,” she said.
“We don’t get complaints about that so it is a good sign.”
While the school may never be able to completely eradicate bullying behaviours, Ms Bennett feels the matrix will aid in reducing them.
“It will also assist students in their academic growth by minimising distractions in the classroom,” she said.
The program will be rolled out to all students officially in Term 4 through weekly wellbeing sessions, with clear guidance about what is acceptable behaviour.
Once students reach acceptable behaviours a reward system will be in place to ensure the positive behaviour is reinforced.
“Students will receive tokens for good behaviour that can be redeemed for rewards,” Ms Bennett said.
“We surveyed the students to ask them what sort of rewards they would like to receive and it was simple things like extra time with (school dog) North or more time in the gaga ball pit.”
