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Online resources to help schools

A NEW online resource will help schools support positive behaviours and create a constructive school environment.
The Supporting Positive Behaviours - Information website brings together information from New Zealand schools which are managing behaviour successfully and provides contacts for schools to seek help with improving behaviour in their own school, the Ministry of Education's National Operations, operational policy manager Jim Greening says.
"The online resource was developed in response to growing concerns about behaviour in our schools. Bullying and other difficult behaviours don't just upset students, they can seriously derail their learning opportunities, and they are things every school needs to take seriously.
"For the first time, principals and staff of schools have a one-stop-shop to learn and share ideas from each other, and get access to overseas programmes on stopping bullying and creating a happy, safe and respectful school community.
"The website is designed for ongoing input from principals, staff and school trustees, and will change and grow over time."
Inglewood Primary School associate principal Karen Houghton says the principle behind supporting positive behaviours is about modelling good behaviour.
"When a child comes to school, they can't read, so you teach them to read. When a child comes to school, they can't write, so you teach them to write. But when a child comes to school you expect them to behave...behaviour, we believe, has to be taught and we do this by modelling and acknowledging appropriate behaviour, while correcting inappropriate behaviour proactively."
Jim Greening says the online resource will help schools construct a positive environment across the whole school, while other support such as learning and behaviour support staff, Special Education Services and the Interim Response Fund can be utilised to deal with concerns around individual students.
Examples of the sort of information available on the site include stories from principals of schools who are successfully managing behaviour, building positive school environments and using whole school approaches.