Te Ara Tika

Our school provides a safe physical and emotional environment for students and staff.

Papatoetoe South School is a PB4L school. PB4L stands for Positive Behaviour for Learning and is a positive, proactive, schoolwide organisational framework for behaviour and discipline. We use restorative practices to deal with any issues that arise.

Managing behaviour relies on consistently applying both our school’s behaviour plan and strategies to promote positive student behaviour. We also expect high standards of conduct from our school community, which includes modelling good behaviour for students.

At Papatoetoe South School:

• staff, including relievers, coaches, and tutors, etc, maintain positive learning environments and relationships with students.

• we make a clear statement of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour known to all staff, parents and students.

• all members of the school, including the students themselves, have a responsibility to recognise bullying and to take action when they are aware of it happening.

• we consistently apply our behaviour plan in all cases of unacceptable behaviour, and endeavour to maintain the dignity of the student at all times.

• staff manage challenging behaviour and use de-escalation techniques if a student’s behaviour is becoming out of control and/or poses a danger to themselves or others. Physical restraint is used only in an emergency situation, and only according to our physical restraint guidelines.

• the school actions the procedures outlined by the Ministry of Education for the stand-down, suspension, or exclusion of students, in cases of extreme and persistent behaviour.

• individual programmes and strategies for students with particular behaviour difficulties are devised with parents and staff, and outside agencies if necessary, and these students may be dealt with outside the school’s behaviour plan.

• seclusion and corporal punishment are not used at this school – see our ‘Care and Management of Students’ procedure on SchoolDocs.

Our schoolwide PB4L programme is called Te Ara Tika. Our values are:

• Whanaungatanga – relationships and making connections

• Ako – teaching and learning for all

• Kaitiakitanga – guardianship of people, environment and language

• Aroha – love and respect

These values are connected with expectations of behaviour in different areas of our school and are taught as lessons weekly throughout the whole school.