A school-wide approach to positive behaviour supports encourages staff to develop, implement and monitor school and classroom behavioural expectations in response to the needs of students, staff and the school community. Carefully chosen and clearly understood school-wide expectations:

• use clear language stated in a positive manner
• are designed to support academic achievement
• are present, visible and understood throughout the school
• include all students
• target specific types of behaviour and areas of the school and times of day
• are known and understood by all students and adults in the school
• ensure consistent reinforcement of positive student behaviour
• create a framework that guides decision making
• create a culture of consistency and encourage staff members to work collaboratively.

Clearly stated expectations communicate to students what school staff want to see. In addition, they guide student behaviour and create a focus that strengthens the effectiveness of staff monitoring.

Schools must develop and secure agreement from all school staff regarding school‑wide behavioural expectations before the start of the school year. Ideally, these expectations are taught on the first day of school and positive behaviour is reinforced throughout the school year.

Developing behavioural expectations

In addition to specific behavioural expectations, school staff need to identify overarching expectations that cross over multiple settings. For example, one school used these three statements to summarize the school rules:

• Be safe.
• Respect yourself and others.
• Be responsible.

“Be safe” implies a feeling of social, emotional and physical safety, and creates a feeling of belonging. “Respect yourself” encourages students to consider their own safety and their own learning. “Respect others” promotes cooperation with teacher requests, and positive peer and adult relationships. “Be responsible” addresses goals such as being ready for class, completing work, and keeping the school and classroom clean and orderly.

Many schools make a list of school areas such as hallways, entranceways and playgrounds, and then identify specific behavioural expectations for each. For example:

• Walk, don’t run in the hallways.
• When entering the school, proceed directly to lockers or classrooms in an orderly fashion.
• Play only in safe, designated areas.

Some schools may decide to focus only on the most important expectations.

One elementary school developed these expectations for hallway behaviour.

Setting: Hallways
School-wide expectations	Related behaviour
Respect Yourself	Walk with your head up to keep safe. Keep to the right when walking.
Respect Others	Keep hands to self. Give other students room to move past you safely. Use a quiet voice.
Respect Property	Put litter in trash basket. Look at hallway displays, but don’t touch.

Another elementary school used four school-wide expectations as a framework for outlining appropriate behaviour on the playground.

Setting: Playground
School-wide expectations	Related behaviour
1.   Be Responsible	Return equipment to supply box. Use trash cans.
2.   Cooperate	Wait your turn in games. Share equipment with others. Line up when you hear the bell.
3.   Be Safe	Keep hands and feet to self. Walk in the breezeway.
4.   Be Respectful	Use your problem-solving words.

Use positively stated expectations⁵

Research indicates that students are more likely to comply with “Do” requests. “Walk in the hallway” is more likely to promote compliance than “Don’t run in the hallway.” A negatively stated expectation may even prompt the behaviour you are trying to discourage. Also, teachers can give positive feedback when they see behaviour that relates to a positively stated expectation.

Students need to understand what the behaviour looks like. For example, “Students will walk in the hallway” is clearer than “Students will behave in the hallway.”

When teaching a specific behavioural skill, it may be helpful to identify and describe examples of what the behaviour is not. Use negative examples cautiously and always end the session by describing, modelling and practising the positive version of the behaviour.

Communicating and teaching expectations

Once behavioural expectations are identified, the school must consistently and clearly communicate these expectations to students, staff and parents. When asked about rules and expectations, any student or adult in the school should be able to provide a consistent answer. If students can’t quickly state what is expected, they won’t know what to do. If the adults in the school agree upon and can state all specific behavioural expectations, minor inappropriate behaviour will diminish significantly.

Staff can communicate behavioural expectations in a number of ways. For example:

• Put up posters listing behavioural expectations in student-friendly language. These positive messages focus the whole school community on targeted goals.
• Plan lessons that all teachers can use to teach and practise the behavioural expectations. Arrange to take classes to the particular area involved and practise the expectations.
• Involve parents through classroom newsletters, frequent positive home–school communications and information evenings. When parents are actively involved, students receive more consistent messages, and there is increased reinforcement when they meet expectations.