PBL at Glebe

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Our school uses Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) – a whole-school approach for creating a positive, safe and supportive school climate where students can learn and develop. Our school community works together to establish expected behaviours and teach them to all students.

What is Positive Behaviour for Learning?

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is an educational process that brings together the whole-school community to contribute to developing a positive, safe and supportive learning culture.

The PBL framework assists schools to improve social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for children and young people.

When PBL is implemented well, teachers and students have more time to focus on relationships and classroom instruction.

What does PBL look like at Glebe Public School?

Defining Expected Behaviour

The school has identified three positive school wide expectations that everyone – students, teachers, staff and parents – are asked to follow in all settings.

Our school wide expectations are:

Be Safe
Be Respectful
Be a Learner

Teaching Expected Behaviours

It is crucial that expected behaviour is taught as rigorously as we teach academics through explicit instruction, practice, feedback and reteaching to increase the likelihood that students will follow the expectations.

The school-wide expectations are explicitly taught. PBL Lessons occur weekly on Monday afternoons, in all classrooms, and focus on the targeted positive behaviour expectation for that week.

A snapshot of the weekly school focus is also shared with parents and community through Glebe Matters.

Encouraging Expected Behaviour

A school-wide acknowledgement system ensures all staff, students and parents/carers are aware of how student achievement will be acknowledged. It is important to note that not all students are encouraged by the same thing or in the same way.

Caught Being Goods are green paper tokens used school wide by all staff to deliver specific positive feedback to all students. The Caught Being Goods go into a barrel-type draw for a prize at the end of each week.

Class Reward Systems reflect the school wide expectations within the context of the class and stage. Class Dojo is an online based reward system where individual students are assigned an avatar and given points for positive actions demonstrated by behaviour and academic performance.

Student of the Week Awards. The weekly presentation of awards at a whole school assembly acknowledges positive behaviour and academic achievement. All teaching staff present a Student of the Week award for their class or support program at the weekly assembly on Friday afternoon. Awards are displayed in the Office building for the following week to acknowledge students’ achievement. Photos of students accepting their awards are shared in Glebe Matters (newsletter) each week to further acknowledge this success with the school community.

Responding to Inappriopriate Behaviour

Establishing systems to respond to inappropriate behaviour is important as it allows staff to efficiently and effectively respond to a range of behaviours with a focus on creating a positive learning environment for all students.

At Glebe Public School, negative behaviours are defined as Minor negative behaviours or Major negative behaviours. Staff refer to the Behaviour Code for Students and the school’s Student Behaviour Management Process to support the management of negative behaviour at school.

Minor negative behaviours are managed by teachers. Teachers support improvement through re‐teaching, pre‐correction, corrective feedback and behaviour consequences if necessary.

Major negative behaviours are managed at an executive level by the Assistant Principals or Principal, and may result in attending the Reflection Room during lunchtime. Parents will be contacted to discuss major negative behaviours.

Reflection Room. An Assistant Principal attends the Reflection Room and meets with the student/s where they participate in restorative practice conversations.

What happened?
What were you thinking about at the time?
What have your thoughts been since?
Who has been affected by what happened?
In what way have they/you been affected?
What do you think you need to do to make things right?
If the same thing happened again, what would you do differently?

Restorative Practice is non-punitive approach which accepts that we all make mistakes and have the ability to ‘fix’ the problem together and learn from our experiences.

Development and Implementation of Bullying Prevention Plan

Bullying behaviour has three key features. It involves the intentional misuse of power in a relationship. It is ongoing and repeated, and it involves behaviours that can cause harm. The NSW Department of Education requires all NSW public schools to have an Anti-bullying Plan which details the strategies implemented to reduce student bullying behaviours.

Glebe Public School’s Commitment

Our school rejects all forms of bullying behaviours, including online (or cyber) bullying by maintaining a commitment to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful learning community that promotes student wellbeing. Executive staff are committed to establishing evidence-based approaches and strategies that promote a positive climate where bullying is less likely to occur.

The following are published on our school’s website.