download "Solid school planning" review
The schools most successful in reducing and managing bullying use a planning committee to develop and implement school guidelines and practices. The committee establishes common goals, defined roles, consistent membership and communications and engages regularly with the whole school community. Aboriginal representation on the committee is essential to respond to the strengths and needs of Aboriginal students involved in bullying.
The role of the planning committee (which may have other behaviour management/pastoral care roles) is to develop and review the school bullying prevention and management guidelines and practices. The committee:
- represents and acts on behalf of the whole school community
- makes recommendations based on the school's needs about the content and implementation of the guidelines
- works with the school community to establish consistent school responses to incidents of bullying
- develops and circulates drafts of the bullying prevention and management guidelines
- seeks feedback from the whole school community, including parents
- prepares the final version of the guidelines and organises their promotion, dissemination and implementation
- facilitates the implementation of other strategies to reduce bullying within the school
- reflects upon and reviews action in the school to reduce bullying
Reflection questions for solid school planning
- Does your school have a behaviour management committee that oversees the whole-school plan to reduce and manage bullying?
- Does the planning committee include Aboriginal representatives to progress Aboriginal worldviews within the school?
- Are Aboriginal staff regularly consulted to ensure that school bullying guidelines and practices are consistent with Aboriginal worldviews?
- Has a committee coordinator been identified?
- Have times been set for the planning committee to meet regularly?
- Has time been allocated for the committee and coordinator to facilitate implementation of the bullying prevention and management guidelines?
- Have areas been identified where committee skill development is required?
- Have multiple communication channels for committee members been established?
- Are Aboriginal staff invited to mediate/assist with managing bullying incidents involving Aboriginal students?
Establishing a solid planning committee
The planning committee needs to comprise a group of individuals who represent the whole school community, including any or all of the following:
- Principal, deputy principal, school administrator
- teachers
- AIEOs (ATAs or AEWs)
- at least two Aboriginal student representatives
- at least two Aboriginal parents and carers (ideally they are also on a parents’ representative group)
- student services or behaviour management staff
- school psychologist/counsellors
- school nurse
- school chaplain
- Tips
- The size of the committee is determined by the size of the school and the availability of representatives. Some schools find it easier to have smaller committees that can meet regularly and are supplemented by the parent group, AIEOs (ATAs or AEWs), student services team, school psychologist and school nurse.
- Aboriginal students, parents and carers find it easier to be involved when there is more than one Aboriginal representative in the committee.
- Committees are more likely to be sustainable when they are established with the future in mind, such as providing mentoring for new parents and staff.
What does the committee coordinator do?
A committee coordinator maintains momentum for the implementation of the committee’s planned actions. This is most effective when the coordinator is allocated time to work in this role.
- Tips
- championing – promoting the importance of including Aboriginal worldviews in preventing and managing school bullying
- advocating – encouraging school staff and community members to join the committee and commit to supporting bullying prevention and management at a whole-school level
- collaborating – engaging with committee members to identify priorities and select strategies for change and implementation
