Support is one of the five key elements of the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework. Support for positive behaviour is a critical component for building students’ wellbeing. It’s important for school staff, students and families to share an understanding of how positive behaviour supports wellbeing and learning.

Whole-school support for positive behaviour

Sue Cahill explains how support for positive behaviour is central to students’ learning and wellbeing. The synergies between School-wide Positive Behaviour Support and Restorative Practices create a school culture that helps students develop lifelong skills. Everyone in the school community shares an understanding of the kinds of behaviours that promote respectful relationships and support students to restore these and learn from their experiences when mistakes are made.

Restoring relationships

A classroom teacher reflects

A Year 4 classroom teacher talks about the importance of early intervention to support students to restore relationships that have been fractured.

Restorative practice

A session in action

This video highlights how two Year 4 students use the social and emotional skills they’ve been taught to resolve an issue in a teacher-led restorative practice session. The classroom teacher brings the students together to work through the process of restoring their relationship following an incident at recess. She then leads the discussion by asking the students to relay the incident from their individual perspectives. Follow the chat to discover how students call on the skills they have learnt to work through the issue for a positive outcome.

Support is a key element of the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework. When families and communities collaborate as valued partners with the school they contribute to positive learning outcomes, safety and wellbeing for everyone. Effective partnerships enable students to be supported and the school to effectively respond to the diverse and changing needs of staff, students and families.