PB4L School-Wide looks at behaviour and learning from a whole-of-school as well as an individual child perspective. The framework is based on international evidence. The Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide framework, otherwise known as PB4L School-Wide, is helping New Zealand schools build a culture where positive behaviour and learning is a way of life. The framework can be tailored to your school’s own environment and cultural needs. It’s not about changing the students; it’s about changing the environment, systems and practices we have in place to support them to make positive behaviour choices. PB4L School-Wide is based on the Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework developed at the University of Oregon in the 1990s. PBIS is now in thousands of schools across the United States and there are over 800 School-Wide schools in New Zealand. A short video is below: https://vimeo.com/99194157
Where are we on our PB4L journey?
PB4L School-Wide takes schools through a tiered process.
Tier 1 is the foundation on which the other two tiers are built. It looks at the support systems and processes across the whole school – things that impact on all students and adults.
Tier 2 looks at interventions for students who require additional behaviour and learning support.
Tier 3 looks at more individualised and intensive support for students who experience chronic, severe and challenging behaviour.
We are in our third year of training working between Tier 1 and 2 and we have in place many aspects of PB4L school wide.
School Values
Our school values were decided upon in 2016 as Respectful, Confident, Resilient and Caring. This was done in consultation with the community. Each teacher explicitly teaches/reinforces our values daily and as a staff we plan and teach specific lessons to a need, depending on what the data shows.
Whanau Group Leaders
We have 4 whanau grouped houses: Opihi, Opawa, Orari and Opuha named from local rivers and lakes. They have a corresponding colour. This gives students a sense of belonging and whanaungatanga. Year 6 leaders are asked to apply and then chosen at the start of each year, they attend a Physical Activity Leaders Workshop and run house sport/activities most Wednesdays in the last block.
Peer Mediators
Year 5&6 Peer Mediators are on duty at break times and help resolve minor issues in the playground. They use the restorative chat to reach a resolution:
Calming down, what has happened?
How can we repair the harm?
Reach an agreement.
Acknowledgements at Fairlie Primary
Class dojo - students gain individual points for displaying our school values and these correspond to a reward pre determined by each individual class at the start of each year. House Tokens - given out on duty by teachers and PB4L mediators. Also can be earned during house group activities. Once a house reaches the top of the cylinder with tokens the whole house receives a team reward, overall house for the year will have a major reward. Values gram/prize draw - given out by teachers over a 2 week period at least once a term, drawn out of box by house leaders. PB4L Assembly Certificates - each fortnight the class teacher chooses a student who has been displaying outstanding school values and a certificate is presented at assembly. Term Values Award - At the end of each term a student is chosen for the school wide values award by the staff. They receive a certificate at assembly and also go for morning tea at the Fairlie Bakehouse with the Principal.
Click here to see our school-wide Expectations Matrix
Click here to see our school-wide Behaviour Management Matrix
