The emphasis at Hopetown is always on preventative and proactive strategies to enable students to experience the use of positive socially acceptable solutions to behaviour problems.
A component of each student's behaviour support is a process for dealing with problem behaviour when it occurs. Students with extremely violent and challenging behaviour should also have a crisis management plan detailing the process to be followed in extreme and unsafe behavioural episodes.
Classroom approaches
Most behaviour is generally dealt with by classroom teachers within the classroom. Teachers use a range of strategies to support students' behaviour. Classroom teachers are expected to detail the process for each student in dealing with unacceptable behaviour:
Timeout/loss of privilege
Following the range of strategies designed to teach and support students to develop improved behaviours, teachers may use time away from positive reinforcement or loss of privilege. Students may lose access to the range of school rewards for inability to follow school and classroom rules. Timeout from classroom activities when students are extremely disruptive may be used. Timeout should be supervised by an adult at all times. It is generally understood that ‘time-out' involves a loss of privileges. Students cannot earn access to privileges when they are not engaged in classroom activities.
Referral to principal
Students can be referred to the principal when classroom and ‘time-out' strategies have been unsuccessful. Teachers should generally indicate to the principal the nature of the problem behaviour and the desired outcome. A range of consequences may result from a referral to the principal. It is generally understood that time with the school principal involves a loss of some privileges.
Phone contact with parents/carers
Parents/carers are considered equal partners in student's educational and behavioural programs. The principal and staff may make contact with parents/carers through the course of the school day to discuss a student's behaviour, clarify any home circumstances that may contribute to the behaviour and discuss possible solutions.
In-school consequences
In-school organised consequences result from persistent failure to follow school rules and/or extreme acts of violence or property destruction. "In-school" consequences are often used as an alternative to suspension as it is generally understood by the school that students have the best chance of developing appropriate skills within the school context. It also recognises that for some student's time at home may be counter-productive to the school aims and programs.