Flexibility for principals, fairer suspension rules and more support for students and teachers are the major focus of a draft NSW schools behaviour strategy released last Thursday for consultation.
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But former president of NSW Secondary Principals' Council, Jim McAlpine, has criticised the plan for not factoring in the extra time and staff needed to carry out the recommendations.
Commenting on the media release from Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell, he said consultation with teachers at the coal face of student behaviour would be beneficial.
"From what I can gather, the Minister's media release contains no detail of any additional support to be provided to schools to assist in implementing any changes," said Mr McAlpine, who was also previously principal of Moss Vale High.
"Mandating that there will be no mandating on suspensions and not being explicit about how schools are to implement the Minister's requirements makes it look not all that useful for schools.
"Additional counselling hours would be needed as they are currently insufficient, and consultation with those who manage student behaviours every day would enable the Minister to be better informed on what changes are needed."
Ms Mitchell said the new strategy will support teachers to manage complex behaviour and improve the long term educational outcomes for some of our most disadvantaged students.
"We need a behaviour system in our schools that considers a student's circumstances to help them stay engaged in school and their education," Ms Mitchell said.
"We will be empowering schools to increase proactive early intervention and prevention, balanced with strong and appropriate discipline using evidence based best practice to support students inside and outside of the school gate.
"Student behaviour has sat in the too hard basket for too long and the best tool for success we can give these students is a world class education."
But Mr McAlpine was scathing in his summary of the Department of Education's plans.
"I am concerned that Education Ministers and senior Departmental officers tend to make decisions that are not based on the experiences of teachers and principals; they are more concerned on appeasing the many critics of schools in some of the less professional sections of the media," Mr McAlpine.
"Unfortunately, the senior executive in the Department of Education are for the most part not from an education background so their thinking is more about making a Minister look good rather than what is best for students, parents, teachers, principals and our communities."
The strategy will limit suspension for K-2 students to instances of physical violence, and the maximum length of long suspensions will be halved from 20 to 10 days to break the cycle of suspension.
"This strategy gives principals more power to make the right decisions based on the student's situation," Ms Mitchell said.
"We know that suspension disproportionately affects vulnerable students, particularly those with disability, leaving them even further behind in their education than they were at the beginning of the suspension."
Schools will be asked to provide work for suspended students to learn from home and check in with students daily and provide more opportunity for in-school suspension.
"Managing behaviours in the classroom is a complex task which is why this strategy is now out for extensive workshopping and in-school testing to make sure we get this right and give our schools the support they need," Ms Mitchell added.
The consultation period runs to the end of Term 3 with the final strategy to be revised and implemented for Term 1, 2021.
Mr McAlpine said that student behaviour has always been a challenging area for schools, and for parents as well.
"It is a pity that some students go into kindergarten having had no pre-school experience and thus find it very difficult to accept the type of discipline required for large numbers of young kids to get on with their learning," he said.
"Having said that, the vast majority of Kindergarten students seem to really adapt quickly and enjoy learning, making friendships and developing the important skills.
"There are some students whose behaviour does interfere with the rights of other students to learn and the rights of teachers to teach.
There are some students whose behaviour does interfere with the rights of other students to learn and the rights of teachers to teach.
"Schools already have a lot of strategies for behaviour management and suspension is a last resort. From my own experience in four decades in high schools, suspension is used reluctantly but does serve a useful purpose in certain circumstances.
"Students who are violent towards fellow students and their teachers are special cases for whom suspension gives some clear air for behaviour management strategies to be put in place in consultation with parents and the school counsellor.
"In some cases, schools implement in-school suspension because of family circumstances (this usually involves extra duties for teachers but the Department does not generally provide any staffing support for this)."
He added that it is of benefit for all students in schools as well as teachers and principals if the Department has some mandatory rules around suspension.
"This can avoid unnecessary disputes with parents but can also be defended to other parents and students," said Mr McAlpine.
"The rights of students to learn and feel safe at school are important, and I believe mandatory rules relating to violence against students and teachers are needed.
"The length of a suspension is usually determined by the school taking into account all circumstances. A long suspension can be in order if a student continues to interfere with the rights of other students, having had previous interventions by the school to improve the behaviour.
"This is done in consultation with the counsellor and parents/guardians, with teachers providing work that is to be done under home supervision. The effective return to school is part of this plan, generally involving an interview with the parent and student."
The Advocate for Children and Young People, Ms Zoë Robinson welcomed the reform to school suspensions and increased support through new positions and training.
"This reform is a positive step in responding to and meeting the needs of children and young people in NSW," Ms Robinson said.
"We have heard feedback from more than 32,000 children and young people in NSW and time and time again they have told us that long suspension periods have a detrimental effect on them.
"Children and young people have asked that their individual circumstances are taken into consideration and this reform supports that."
