Wellbeing & Inclusion

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS)

At Barton Primary School, we know that SWPBS is an evidence-based school improvement approach that creates a positive and supportive learning environment for all students. It focuses on teaching and reinforcing the expected behaviours required for students to be safe, known and successful members of our school community. We understand that all students come to school with varied experiences and capabilities, and SWPBS provides targeted assistance to students who need extra support, leading to a more successful and inclusive learning community. When implemented well, SWPBS uses a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) (pictured) to ensure that all students receive the kind of support they need to maximise behavioural, wellbeing and academic growth.

 

We are committed to fostering an environment where our values empower our students to excel academically and personally while becoming responsible, compassionate, and engaged members of society. Our school values are Be Safe, Be a Learner, Be Respectful & Be Kind

These values are widely displayed and explicitly taught to all students in all classrooms – beginning in Prep, continuing across the grade levels and extending to all Specialist subjects. This ensures a consistent and predictable understanding for all members of our school community.


			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Teaching Expected Behaviours


The ‘hidden’ social curriculum that requires students to observe and figure out what is expected creates confusion and inefficiencies leading to unexpected behaviour. Traditionally, teaching social behaviour has consisted of stating the rule, expecting students to always follow the rule and then providing negative consequences when the rule was not followed. Using this approach to teach academics – for example, teaching the maths formulas to calculate the area of a square and then isolating a student who did not remember the rule – would not be considered an effective instructional approach. Our SWPBS Matrix of Expectations can be considered our social behaviour curriculum. Changing behaviour requires time and commitment and a consistent approach. To support that, our reinforcements are school wide, our expectations are school wide, and the responsibility to uphold and reinforce these expectations is school wide. Expectations are taught simultaneously across the school to support our ‘Value of the Week’, and are linked to a higher rate of reinforcement (two Dojo points instead of the usual one). 


Please refer to the Matrix of Expectations for a full list of the Barton primary School expected behaviours.



			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Ready To Learn


Ready to Learn is a Tier 1 program that runs during the first two weeks of a new school year and the first week of each term, aimed at laying the foundations for learning and classroom culture. It includes collaboration and teamwork, professional relationship building between students and staff, reviewing Child Safe practices, introducing the Zones of Regulation and teaching social behaviours. For initial skill acquisition of social behaviours, lesson plans are created using the instructional model of ‘Tell, Show, Practice’. As students work towards generalising the behaviour skill to other settings, they are provided ongoing support or scaffolding with:


    

  • Pre-corrects
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  • Reminders
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  • Active supervision
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  • Observational feedback.
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Lesson content in Ready to Learn is primarily guided by the age of the students and their prior learning histories. Our staff use a variety of resources, scaffolds and teaching strategies to help students become fluent with procedures, routines and specific behavioural skills. Examples might include:


    

  • Role playing and rehearsal
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  • Playing games that include use of the skill
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  • Watching videos of examples and non-examples
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  • Drawing images of the skills in practice at school 
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Positive Acknowledgement System


When a behaviour is followed by a positive consequence (i.e. reinforcement), then that behaviour is more likely to occur again in the future. At our school, students are extrinsically motivated using Class Dojo as the positive acknowledgement system. Class Dojo points are given out to students to reinforce the whole school values when expected behaviours are displayed. It refers to the Matrix of Expectations within all areas of our schools grounds and community. The use of Class Dojo extends across the school, and students are encouraged to make the link between their behaviour and the earning of points by adding on the points themselves. Once students have earned a certain amount of points they can redeem these points for rewards. 


 


For more information about SWPBS, please refer to the Barton Primary School SWPBS Handbook.



			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)


At Barton Primary school, we acknowledge that a culture of learning stems from students having the necessary social and emotional skills to flourish in a school environment. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (pictured) explains that for students to reach their full potential, their basic needs must first be met.




 Through SEL, students at our school develop resilience and emotion management, and learn how to build positive relationships while navigating challenges. This, in turn, allows them to better engage in school life and access the learning. Our SEL curriculum is supported by several programs and initiatives (Zones of Regulation, the eSmart Program and Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships) and is guided by and adapted to the needs presented within cohorts.  


 



			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Zones of Regulation (ZoR)


The Zones of Regulation is a complete social-emotional learning curriculum, created by an Occupational Therapist to teach children self-regulation and emotional control. This program teaches a variety of social and emotional skills to children, starting with early emotional skills and advancing on to self-regulation and navigating social situations. Staff at Barton Primary School use this curriculum when teaching the ZoR to maintain consistency and accuracy with the language, strategies and supports that make up the ZoR framework.


 


The ZoR uses four colours (pictured) to help students self-identify how they are functioning in the moment given their emotions and states of alertness. 










There are times where it is expected to be in each of the zones and times it would be unexpected.


    

  • Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness (e.g. sad, tired, sick or bored) when our body and/or brain is moving slowly or sluggishly.
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  • Green Zone is used to describe a regulated state of alertness (e.g. calm, happy, focused or content). Being in the Green Zone shows control and is generally the zone we need to be in for schoolwork and being social.
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  • Yellow Zone is used to describe a heightened state of alertness (e.g. stressed, frustrated, anxious, excited, silly, nervous or confused). The Yellow Zone is starting to lose some control.
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  • Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness or very intense feelings (e.g. anger, rage, panic, terror or elation). Being in the Red Zone can best be explained by not being in control of one’s body.
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A core belief of the Zones of Regulation is that ‘all the Zones are okay’. People routinely experience several of the Zones across a day. We believe it’s critically important that we not convey the message that the Green Zone is the only acceptable Zone to be in. We acknowledge, accept, and support all emotions, and never make anyone feel like the Green Zone is the norm. The Zones of Regulation is not a behaviour management system or discipline model and at Barton Primary School we do not treat it as such.


 


The skills taught in the ZoR curriculum include:


    

  • Vocabulary of emotional terms 
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  • How to recognise their own emotions 
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  • How to detect the emotions of others (read others’ facial expressions) 
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  • What may trigger certain emotions 
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  • How others may interpret their behaviour 
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  • Problem solving skills
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  • Self-regulation
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For more information about the Zones of Regulation by Leah M. Kuypers, please view the website. 



			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR)


At Barton Primary School, we use age appropriate and evidence based materials from the Department of Education to develop students’ social and emotional capabilities and promote positive, healthy and respectful relationships. Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships is a whole school approach towards SEL which aims to tackle family violence through education. Mandated by the Victorian Government, it supports school communities in promoting and modelling respect and gender equality. In the classroom, students learn problem-solving skills to develop empathy, support their own wellbeing and build healthy relationships with others. 


 


For additional information about this curriculum, please use the following links to access the RRRR handbooks.



Grades 5 & 6: Level 5-6 Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships



			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Inclusion


Inclusion at Barton Primary School is a collective responsibility that goes beyond simply addressing disabilities; it involves meeting the diverse needs of all students, parents and the wider community. The approach emphasises celebrating differences while finding ways to foster connections among everyone. Clear adjustments are made to ensure that each student has the opportunity to engage and succeed. The underlying belief is that, with appropriate support and sufficient time, every student can grow.


Disability Inclusion


Disability Inclusion is rolling out to Victorian government schools between 2021 – 2025. In 2024, Barton Primary School moved to the Disability Inclusion model – a new approach to school based funding to help us improve support for our students and build a more inclusive school. Inclusive schools have better outcomes in learning, engagement and wellbeing for all students.


The Disability Inclusion Profile will help us to find out more about the strengths and needs of our students. It will inform funding allocations and help us to plan student learning and adjustments (see below for more information on adjustments). It is a collaborative, strengths based process between school staff, allied health/external experts and home  (please include this image then delete this text). Our school can use this model to apply for funding for students with a disability, including students who may have not been eligible for individual funding through the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) in the past. We can use this funding for a range of activities including:


    

  • Additional training, coaching and professional development for teachers and school staff
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  • Equipment and resources to support learning
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  • Additional staffing to help plan and deliver changes and adjustments for students
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  • More professionals in schools who are experts in disability
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We will identify students who may benefit from having a Disability Inclusion Profile. If we consider that your child’s education will benefit from having a profile, we will contact you. The process can be quite lengthy as it requires extensive documentation from classroom teachers, wellbeing and relevant support staff including any external allied health professionals. At Barton, we are dedicated to ensuring that all of our students are receiving the support and adjustments they need to be successful. 



			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Adjustments in the School Environment


At Barton Primary School, all possible actions are taken to enable all students to access and participate in school life. Adjustments reflect the assessed individual needs of the student. They can be whole school level, in the classroom or at an individual student level. Our school Inclusion Team ensures that materials and resources that support teaching and learning activities are always available. Examples of these adjustments include;


    

  • Manipulatives
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  • Modified work
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  • Visuals
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  • Technology
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  • Sensory tools
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  • Extra breaks
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  • Calm spaces
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  • Additional adult support
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By providing adjustments, Barton Primary School accesses and meets the functional needs of the student. This includes the impact of Communication, Mobility, Learning and Applying Knowledge, Self Care, General Tasks and Demands and Interpersonal Interactions, which link to the Disability Inclusion Profile process.



			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				
				
			

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Trauma-Informed Practice


Being trauma informed means recognising that some children and families in our school may have experienced trauma, either currently or in the past. We acknowledge how adversity and trauma can affect an individual’s behaviour, learning, and emotional wellbeing. Our school aims to establish safety, help children to manage emotions, facilitate connections and develop relationships. Trauma-informed practice involves setting clear boundaries and communicating expected behaviours while minimising punitive responses to these behaviours. It operates under the understanding that the behaviours we observe are frequently coping mechanisms developed by children in response to trauma. At Barton Primary School, we view behaviour as a form of communication and our goal is to equip children with effective strategies to manage overwhelming situations. We approach each student’s behaviour with curiosity, seeking to understand what they are expressing through their actions.


 


The challenges of modern teaching make it difficult to individualise every classroom process. Therefore, our school-wide trauma-informed classroom strategies offer resources to all students at a Tier 1 level. These practices include:


    

  • Positive greetings at the door
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  • Morning meetings
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  • Preparing for transitions
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  • ‘Soft landings’
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  • Calm corners
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  • Strategies for co-regulation
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  • Ready to Learn
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  • SWPBS
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For more information about trauma-informed practices in schools, please consider the Calmer Classrooms guide.