PB4L School-Wide (Positive Behaviour for Learning)
At Faith City School we aim to “build a safe, supportive, exciting environment within our school community, encouraging positive and respectful relationships that will lead to improved academic achievement and support lifelong learning”. We do this through our Positive Behaviour for Learning Principles (PB4L).
Our school’s values Respect for God, Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Respect for the Environment are encapsulated in the logo below which is displayed around the school grounds.
What is PB4L?
The PB4L initiative has been very successful across many schools in New Zealand. It is an evidenced based framework and looks at behaviour and learning from a whole school, individual student and community perspective.
It provides schools with a process for teaching social and behavioural skills and helps to develop and reinforce a positive, proactive and systematic approach based on school data. It takes the approach that opportunities for learning and achievement increase if:
- the school environment is positive and supportive
- expectations are consistently clear
- students are consistently taught expected behaviours
- expected behaviours are consistently acknowledged
- inappropriate behaviours are consistently responded to in a fair and equitable way
Positive Behaviour for Learning is a set of principles that emphasise the positive. All staff are active participants in this process. This includes the principal, teachers, teacher aides, administration staff, the caretaker and any other staff or members of the community who interact with students at Faith City School. All adults on site will seek to acknowledge students who are meeting our behavioural expectations.
The PB4L Difference
Outcomes that we will see throughout the school are:
- children and young people more engaged and achieving at school
- the behaviour of students improve
- the incidents of problem behaviour decline
- parents and whānau will have confidence and strategies to build positive relationships with their children
- school leaders will monitor and improve approaches to build a positive culture and increase engagement of their students
- students will be able to explain why they received recognition for their behaviour (when questioned, students will be able to respond connecting their actions to the school respect ‘values’)
- a culture of positivity will prevail throughout our school
Matrix of Expected Behaviours:
A matrix of expected behaviours explicitly outlines the behavioural expectations and deliberate acts of teaching required to reinforce our school-wide expectations. These will be taught by classroom teachers and reinforced by all staff.
Please click below to view Faith City Schools Behaviour Matrix:
Rewards and Reinforcements:
Acknowledging and rewarding correct and exemplary behaviour is an integral part of PB4L. Students earn respect points for displaying appropriate behaviours according to the matrix lessons taught both in the class and at break times. Once they reach a benchmark level they are rewarded.
Restorative Practices:
Faith City School is a restorative school. Restorative Practices focus upon dealing with any behavioural concerns but in a manner that enables respect for each other’s mana.
It is all about relationships at Faith City School and establishing a positive culture of care. In dealing with any expectations not being met we work alongside our students to bring growth.