St Mary’s is a School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) school. SWPBS is a whole school approach to positive behaviour that provides student behaviour support and fosters social and emotional wellbeing. 

SWPBS schools promote and reinforce positive behaviours by consistently and consciously:

• Teaching positive and expected behaviours 

• Targeting social and emotional learning in a curriculum context

• Providing immediate and targeted positive feedback using behaviour specific language

• Developing a culture of trust and mutual respect with all students and staff

• Consistently and constantly modeling positive behaviours

• Placing emphasis on intrinsic rewards while recognising those who display positive behaviours.

What is School Wide Positive Behaviour Support? 

SWPBS is a systems approach for establishing the social culture and behavioural supports needed for a school to be an effective learning environment for all students.

It is evidence based and incorporates: 

• Explicitly teaching positive social expectations

• Acknowledging positive behaviour

• Ensuring there is a consistent response to unacceptable behaviour across the school.

Why is a focus on positive behaviour important?

• To strengthen our Catholic school behaviour policies and practises

• To build authentic relationships with all members of the school

• To emphasise that positive behaviour is the responsibility of individuals and the entire school community

• To build positive student engagement and academic achievement

• To create a safe, supportive learning environment for all students.

A core component of SWPBS is our school Matrix. The Matrix details behavioural expectations that all students at St Mary’s are expected to meet. We teach the behaviours outlined in the Matrix at all year levels and refer to it consistently throughout the school.