• Section 1 - Purpose 
• Section 2 - Scope 
• Section 3 - Responsibilities
• Section 4 - Procedure 
• Section 5 - Overview of PB4L Framework
• Section 6 - Developing and implementing a PB4L Framework in a School
• Section 7 - Document Review

Section 1 - Purpose 

(1) The purpose of this procedure is to support the implementation of the Schools Pastoral Care, Wellbeing and Behaviour Policy across Catholic schools in the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle (the Diocese).

(2) It is one of a suite of procedures that will guide, promote, manage and support all integrated aspects that contribute to student pastoral care.

(3) This procedure sets out the requiements for implementation of a framework including School Specific Statement of Practice that promote Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L).  

Section 2 - Scope 

(4) This procedure applies to all students and workers in Catholic schools of the Diocese.

Section 3 - Responsibilities

(5) Please refer to the Pastoral Care, Wellbeing and Safe Behaviour Policy.

Section 4 - Procedure 

(6) Prohibition on Corporal Punishment: The use of corporal punishment, in all forms, across all learning settings, is expressly prohibited. 

(7) Restrictive Practices: The Diocese seeks to, over time, eliminate the use of restrictive practices in all Catholic schools.

(8) Where a restrictive practice is required to address the risk a behaviour creates to the student or others in the school environment, the restrictive practice will be:

1. proportionate to the risk presented;
2. the least restrictive option to address the risk;
3. documented and reported to the parents or carers of the child and to the Director of Catholic Schools, on each occasion that the practice is used; and
4. the documentation and reporting will align with the procedure.

(9) If the use of a restrictive practice is referenced within a personalised plan, then it should be:

1. informed by an appropriately qualified practitioner;
2. assessed for inherent risk and deemed necessary by the principal;
3. authorised explicitly by the parents or carers of the student; and
4. underpinned by appropriate and approved training of school workers implementing the practices.

Section 5 - Overview of PB4L Framework

Outline of Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)

(10) Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) will be the supported and preferred proactive approach across all Catholic schools in the Diocese, for all students to be supported in developing positive relationships, school engagement and successful learning that are foundational to wellbeing.

(11) It is a critical component of PB4L in Catholic schools, that any PB4L framework is deeply rooted in Catholic Identity and Values.

(12) Schools are to develop a clearly articulated PB4L framework and School Specific Statement of Practices emphasising the integration of the school’s unique Catholic Identity and history with the following essential PB4L elements:

1. the principle of equity to drive systems, data and practices at the centre of PB4L;
2. evidence based practices to support student behaviour;
3. systems to support staff response to behaviour and consistency;
4. the use of data to inform decision making; and
5. focus on practice and data to evaluate systems.

Multi-Tiered System of Support

(13) The principle of equity aligns with the focus and values of Catholic schools in the Diocese and is achieved through the logic of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). CSMN MTSS Diagram

(14)  The PB4L framework must be based on the multi-tiered system of support which consists of targeted increased interventions and support at each tier. The tiers of support are:

1. Tier 1 Interventions are universal school-wide and classroom systems that apply to all students, all staff, all settings, preventative and proactive.
2. Tier 2 Interventions are targeted supports that complement or supplement Tier 1 for students who have been identified as requiring further supports; and
3. Tier 3 Interventions are intensive and individualised interventions for students with high-risk behaviour and/or learning needs, assessment-based and often involve a “wrap-around” approach.

Section 6 - Developing and implementing a PB4L Framework in a School

Catholic Schools (CSMN) System PB4L Framework Supports

(15) Catholic Schools Education Officer: Positive Behaviour is available to support schools in the development and renewal of their PB4L approach and provide regular professional learning.

(16) In addition, members of the Religious Education & Spirituality (RE&S) team can support deep authentic connections with Catholic identity, and members of the school counsellor team can add valuable insight to linking PB4L to ongoing work in social and emotional learning initiatives within the school.

(17) Catholic Schools (CSMN) uses the SWPBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) annually to provide a valid, reliable, and efficient measure of the extent to which school personnel are developing or applying the core features of school-wide positive behavioural supports within the school. This process is led by the Education Officer: Positive Behaviour, at Catholic schools.

Tier 1 PB4L Supports for All Students – Schools to build and implement the PB4L framework using the following structure/priorities:

(18) Common Purpose and Approach. A PB4L team is formed with cross-representation of school workers and meets regularly to review data and PB4L action plans. Individual schools must adopt a School Specific Statement of Practice particular to their school context. Professional development is in place to continually upskill all school workers and induct new workers to ensure a whole school approach to PB4L framework.

(19) Defining Expected Behaviour. Clear, visible and regularly articulated behaviour expectations based on a small number of values or broad areas of expectation (3-5). A matrix is developed to cover a variety of contexts or settings throughout the school (e.g. classroom, playground, church, online etc). In establishing these expectations, it is recommended that the school ground them in the Catholic Identity and/or core values of the school. 

(20) Teaching Expected Behaviour. Schools are to have processes for explicit teaching of the expectations across learning settings. Priority behavioural expectations may be arbitrary in Term 1, but in Terms 2-4 decision making should be informed by behavioural error data.

(21) Positive feedback – Acknowledging Expected Behaviour - Acknowledgments are school workers actions to provide positive feedback to students. They can be verbal (e.g. specific descriptive praise) and non-verbal (e.g. thumbs up). They can also include a tangible or token system (e.g. gotchas, merits). The school is to outline a clear whole school process to notice, acknowledge and affirm expected behaviours. The commitment of PB4L is to provide positive feedback at a significantly higher rate than corrective responses to behaviour errors (e.g. A ratio of 5:1). It may be helpful to track the acknowledgment if you are using an electronic system such as COMPASS or Software. However, this is at school discretion.

(22) Corrective feedback - Responding to behaviour errors. Behaviour Errors are incidents where student/s are not following positive behaviour expectations. Any process to correct a behaviour error that constitutes unsafe behaviour include proportionate safety measures or safety planning to mitigate the risk of continued behaviour errors and a return to the safe and supportive environment for all. Further, the support for those involved includes commitment to restorative principles and is respectful of the dignity, rights and fundamental freedom of individual students.

(23) Response Continuum for Corrective feedback - Consequences should be constructive, instructive, restorative and an opportunity for learning, rather than punitive. Schools are to teach the behaviour the student was not able to demonstrate or teach the underlying social or emotional skill needed to exhibit the behaviour in the context it is expected. Any sanctions applied as consequences for behaviour errors should be reasonable, logical and proportionate.

(24) Unpacking the Continuum for Corrective Feedback. The school is to develop and regularly communicate a Response Continuum, which outlines clear processes for responding to and recording behaviour errors at the Minor (classroom teacher managed) and Major (executive/coordinator managed) levels. Within the Response continuum, there is to be:

1. clear emphasis on an initial correction process being based on a sequence of “restate, remind and reteach the expected behaviour”.  
2. clear thresholds established for when to record behaviour at a Minor level (e.g. when “restate, remind and reteach” did not result in a change of behaviour error). This is recorded via COMPASS Chronicle.
3. clear thresholds for when to record a Major Behavioural Error. After this is recorded on COMPASS Chronicle. Clear process for communicating with executive staff/middle leaders. Consequences should be logical, proportionate consider function of behaviour (e.g. Reflection Room or similarly named, review of Behaviour Support Plan, SEL skill lesson, community service, etc). Parents should be informed following a major behaviour error.
4. a risk rating, using the CSO Risk Rating, should be applied to the significant incidents to discern best response platform for the school to record, via COMPASS or MN Response.
5. a clear threshold is to be used  when a major incident occurs using the Risk Assessment Guide.
6. Any incident with a confirmed rating as medium or above is to be recorded on COMPASS for the student/s involved and an mnResponse incident notification is to be created. A PDF of this MN Response incident notification can be attached to the COMPASS entry to maintain a line of sight between the two platforms.

(25) Effective Classroom Practices- Tier 1 - Schools are encouraged to make time for professional learning on evidence-based behaviour support practices in the classroom, and to support school workers in refreshing and growing in this area. This may be through arranging school-based professional learning, supporting school workers to attend relevant professional learning, and through team-based work within staff meetings. Some school workers may need further and more individualised support in this area and can be supported through peer mentoring, coaching approaches, and opportunities to observe and model from peers who have strengths in behaviour support.

(26) Review Data and Ongoing Monitoring.  Analysis of available data (acknowledgements, behaviour errors, staff or student surveys etc.) is an essential part of PB4L systems and processes. Data is regularly presented and discussed at the PB4L meeting to inform problem solving and to drive decision making. At least once a term data should be shared and discussed in staff meetings. 

Sustainability of Tier 1 Supports – To ensure ongoing fidelity for the PB4L Framework within the school, the following steps ensure its sustainability.

(27) Team Implementation Checklist. Schools are encouraged to use the Team Implementation Checklist (TIC). The TIC can be administered by school PB4L teams and used to provide school-based evaluation and action planning.

(28) Annual Review and the seeking of staff, student and parent community feedback on the core components of Tier 1 PB4L (Defining expectations, teaching expectations, acknowledging expectations, responding to errors) supports the sustainability of the PB4L framework. The review process ensures that the systems remain culturally relevant and contextual fit for the school, supports better connection between families and the school, and supports student and staff understanding of and engagement in the PB4L systems. Renewal of PB4L systems is an important and ongoing feature of good practice.

Tier 2 supports for Targeted Students

(29) Tier 2 supports are brief interventions that can address the immediate need for the student at that time. They consider the function of the behaviour and why behavioural errors are persisting.Tier 2 interventions should also include increase communication with parents/carers.

(30) School to have clear data driven decision process for identifying students requiring support at the Tier 2 level. Student identification for Tier 2 supports may also come through a teacher referral process or as a result of parent/carer consultation.

(31) Tier 2 supports are matched to the need of the student and can be small groups or individual.

(32) Tier 2 interventions could overlap to academic and attendance interventions in a holistic support for the child as each may impact the other in the child’s lived experience at school.

(33) Data should be collected and progress reviewed to support ongoing decision making. For example, around fading or finishing the intervention if significant progress has been made or escalating the intervention to Tier 3 if the data indicates that the student requires additional assessment and intervention.

Tier 3 Supports for Identified Students

(34) Tier 3 supports are always individualised and involve a wraparound approach (e.g. involvement of parents/carers, learning support coordinator/teacher, school counsellors, external health professionals) to develop and implement and regularly review a Behaviour Support Plan.

(35) Schools must have a clear data-driven decision process for identifying students requiring support at a Tier 3 level.

(36) Functional behaviour assessment processes should be completed to ensure interventions are aligned with the function of the student’s behaviour.

(37) Generally, Tier 3 supports students demonstrating chronic and pervasive behaviour problems who require significant adjustments to the supports provided at Tier 1 (usually adjustments are at a substantial or extensive level).

(38) Student Voice and a positive and person-centred approach should be used. Student strengths are identified, and the plan is focused on improving quality of life, not simply behaviour change.

(39) Collaboration with parents/carers will further enhance the supports and plans at the Tier 3 level.

Section 7 - Document Review

(40) This procedure will be reviewed when there is a legislative change, organisational change, delegation change, technology change or at least every 3 years to ensure it continues to be current and effective.