Wellbeing
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support
School-wide positive behaviour support (SWPBS) is a framework that brings together our school and community to develop a positive, safe, supportive learning culture. SWPBS assists Donnybrook Primary School to improve social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for all of our students.
The implementation of SWPBS into our school began on day one of our school. All staff, students and the community are involved in the development of SWPBS. As we develop our Donnybrook SWPBS framework, students, staff and our community will continue to improve and benefit from:
- increased respectful and positive behaviour
- increased time focused on instruction
- improved social-emotional wellbeing
- positive and respectful relationships
- increased adoption of evidence-based instructional practices
- a predictable learning environment with improved safety and increased attendance
SWPBS framework
Donnybrook Primary School is committed to the implementation of the SWPBS framework. Leaders, teachers and education support staff are beginning to implement the eight essential features of SWPBS:
- Establish a common philosophy and purpose: Staff and students use a common language to discuss behaviour. School philosophy emphasises the need to teach appropriate behaviour much like academic learning.
- Establish leadership and school-wide support: School leaders publicly endorse and support SWPBS. A team at the school leads implementation by creating, reviewing and monitoring an action plan. The work is done in collaboration by the whole staff with input from parents, students and the community.
- Clearly define a set of expected behaviours: The school identifies 3 to 5 behavioural expectations that apply at all times. Clear, positively stated examples are identified and displayed in different school settings.
- Establish procedures for teaching and practising expected behaviours: A school-wide plan is developed to ensure behavioural expectations are taught to all students by all staff.
- Implement a continuum of procedures to encourage expected behaviours: School-wide systems are developed to acknowledge expected behaviour and promote commitment from all members of the school community.
- Develop a continuum of procedures to discourage inappropriate behaviour: Schools clearly define problem behaviours and identify specific strategies and responses to minor and major behavioural infractions.
- Use procedures for record-keeping, decision making and ongoing monitoring: Schools review data on repeated behaviour issues, the settings in which they occur, and the consequences most likely to be applied for inappropriate behaviours. They correlate these with other sources of data such as academic progress, and analyse this data to make necessary adjustments to school operations in an effort to reduce inappropriate behaviour.
- Support staff to use effective classroom practices: Schools establish systems to support staff to adopt evidence-based instructional practices associated with reductions in inappropriate behaviour.
We work in collaboration with staff from the North West Regional office of the Department of Education, including working with a SWPBS coach who provides support and assistance to help us to develop a Multi-Tiered System of Support:
- primary prevention (tier 1):
supports for all students, staff and settings - secondary prevention (tier 2):
additional specialised group systems for students with at-risk behaviour - tertiary prevention (tier 3):
specialised, individualised systems for students with high-risk behaviour, provided in addition to primary and secondary prevention
Our Behavioural Philosophy
At Donnybrook Primary School student behaviour management is a process of supporting pupils by proactively teaching them clearly what is expected of them, and how this behaviour will help them to succeed. Students know what is expected and agreed, they understand the benefits of engaging positively. All staff members work collaboratively, sharing responsibility for each student and are jointly committed to their success. We are guided by a core curriculum which is implemented with consistency and integrity. We revisit norms, routines and consequences regularly; we remind students and ourselves about what has been agreed (and we make this visible).
Relationships are central to our approach; they are built on trust, and strengthened by consistency and structure. We all treat others with dignity and compassion. We believe that all students need and respond best to high expectations for behaviour. We understand that:
- Behaviour is learned. Therefore, responsible behaviour can be taught.
- All behaviour has a function. Behaviour that meets a student need will likely continue unless a replacement behaviour is learnt.
- Behavioural change is enhanced when we use positive approaches that strengthen relationships.
Respectful Relationships
Donnybrook Primary School is committed to implementing Respectful Relationships to further improve the wellbeing of our students. We strive to teach our students essential skills for building healthy relationships, resilience, and confidence.
Our community values respect, equality, and the fair treatment of everyone. We believe that embedding these principles into our students’ education and throughout our entire community encourages positive attitudes and behaviours. This approach leads to improved academic outcomes, mental health, classroom behaviour, and positive relationships between teachers, students, and others.
Respectful Relationships education is a core component of the Victorian Curriculum, with the Resilience, Rights, and Respectful Relationships teaching and learning materials designed to support schools in delivering the curriculum. Each lesson is mapped against the Victorian Curriculum. Students in each year level complete learning tasks from the following 8 topics:
Topic 1 – Emotional Literacy
Students learn how to better understand and recognise their emotions. They learn how to deal with negative emotions and support their peers.
Topic 2 – Personal Strengths
Students learn how to recognise and appreciate their individual strengths and build their self-esteem. They are taught how to identify and build upon other people’s personal strengths.
Topic 3 – Positive Coping
Students learn how to understand strong emotions and link it to the emotional thermometer found in each learning space here at Newbury Primary School. They learn how to control anger and other negative emotions in a healthy way.
Topic 4 – Problem Solving
Students learn how to solve problems independently, such as disagreements with their peers. They learn various strategies to solve the same problem and discuss appropriate reactions to situations.
Topic 5 – Stress Management
Students learn how to deal with stress and emotional situations. This includes strategies for calming down and cheering up.
Topic 6 – Help Seeking
Students learn how to seek help from others and how to support other people. They discuss trusted people in their lives who they can go to for support.
Topic 7 – Gender and Identity
Students discuss their individuality and learn that everyone has their own, unique identity. They discuss gender norms and stereotypes in the media and society that may impact on how they view themselves and others.
Topic 8 – Positive Gender Relations
Students learn how to show respect to people regardless of their gender and identity. They discuss what violent or abusive behaviour is and how to promote gender equity.
Every Victorian Government School is a Respectful Relationships school. At Donnybrook Primary School our teachers are provided with the resources required to deliver the lessons and our school has invested in professional learning to ensure our staff are skilled to teach this content.
The Respectful Relationships curriculum has strong links to many other areas of the curriculum including English, Ethical Capabilities and Health and Physical Education.
We plan for every Donnybrook Primary School student to develop a strong understanding of what a respectful relationship looks and feels like. We also aim for students to understand their rights and responsibilities, have recognition and acceptance that everyone is unique and identify the personal strengths that they possess. As part of this learning, students also identify and develop strategies they can implement to help cope with difficult situations and to know what support is available should it be required.
As part of our commitment to Respectful Relationships, in 2023 Donnybrook Primary School is proud to be participating as a pilot school in the MoRE (Modelling Respect and Equality) Project, which supports role models – both male and female – who interact with boys and men on a regular basis to challenge limiting and harmful attitudes. This program responds to the need to promote positive change around gender norms and stereotypes and support boys and men to establish meaningful relationships, to build hopes and aspirations, and to fully realise their potential.
Social Emotional Learning
At Donnybrook Primary School Primary School, explicitly teaching Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is central to our approach to student engagement and wellbeing. Our approach to teaching SEL draws on the five social and emotional skill areas essential for the development of good mental health:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision Making
We believe that teaching SEL works best when the focus is on helping students learn skills from each domain, so that they gradually and progressively build their skills and knowledge throughout school. Every student participates in one 60-minute lesson of Social Emotional Learning each week at Donnybrook Primary School. This lesson is delivered by the classroom teacher, as the teacher is best placed to reinforce the messages from the SEL lesson across the rest of the day, week and term.
Approach to teaching SEL
At Donnybrook Primary School our approach to teaching SEL draws on the following resources:
- The core resource for our SEL curriculum is the Department of Education and Training’s Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) materials.
RRRR learning materials cover eight topics of Social and Emotional Learning across all levels of primary and secondary education: Emotional Literacy; Personal Strengths; Positive Coping; Problem Solving; Stress Management; Help Seeking; Gender and Identity; and Positive Gender Relationships.
- The four school values of Courage, Ambition, Compassion, and Integrity are explicitly taught as part of our school’s SWPBS framework and through our SEL curriculum.
- ESmart is used as a key resource for the teaching of Cyber-Safe behaviours.
- The Department’s Safe Schools program is drawn upon to ensure that we explicitly teach a curriculum that delivers a highly inclusive, safe, and supportive community for all, and especially for LGBTIQ+ students, staff members and families. The school participates annually in the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT).
- Anti-bullying resources, including Bully Stoppers, supplemented by a commitment to annual whole-school participation in the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence.
- Anti-Racism education, including annual participation in the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Child Safe
Donnybrook Primary School is committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Particular attention is paid to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, as well as the safety of children with a disability.
Protecting the safety and wellbeing of children enrolled at Donnybrook Primary School is our highest priority. Families put their trust in the staff, volunteers and external providers to keep their children safe as they learn. We know students learn best when they feel they are in a safe and supportive environment.
We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of our children and have zero tolerance of child abuse. All allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently. We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously. The school is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks and all staff undertake Mandatory Reporting training.
We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers, and are committed to the cultural safety of children from diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
For further information please read our Child Safety Policy:
Useful Links
There are services that you can contact to access more information, and in some cases, to speak to somebody about your concerns.
For any time and for any reason – free, private and confidential phone and online counselling 24 hrs a day 7 days a week.
Headspace can help if you are aged 12 or over and you are going through a tough time. You can talk to someone at Headspace on the phone, online or in person. They also have a lot of information on their website.
Open 8am to midnight 7 days a week.
13 22 89 (cost of a local call)
How to build positive online behaviours – a guide for parents.
An internet safety programme for parents, carers, educators and children, which raises awareness and delivers education about preventing online child sexual exploitation. The programme is led by the Australian Federal Police and delivered in partnership with industry, and State and Territory police.
Our fact sheets have been developed for parents and adolescents, and cover pertinent topics about medical conditions and the services available at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne.
Supporting Australian school communities with evidence-informed resources and activities for a proactive approach to bullying prevention and education.
Get mental heath support. We all have good days and bad days. Then there are those days when something isn’t quite right, you’ve got something on your mind, or things just seem too much.
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