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URANGAN STATE HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENT HANDBOOK

2021

School Vision

Pursuit of Excellence..Every Minute, Every Day

School Motto

Working Together to Learn

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

TIMETABLE STRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................................ 4

SCHOOL MAP ................................................................................................................................................................... 7

KEY STAFF DIRECTORY ................................................................................................................................................. 8

CONTACT INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................................ 8

EXECUTIVE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8

GENERAL INFORMATION .............................................................................................................................................. 15

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................................................... 19

STUDENT ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................................... 23

JUNIOR ASSESSMENT POLICY .................................................................................................................................... 29

SCOPE ............................................................................................................................................................................. 29

PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................................................ 29

PRINCIPLES .................................................................................................................................................................... 29

STUDENT ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................................... 30

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY .......................................................................................................................................... 30

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY ......................................................................................................................................... 30

PROMOTING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ........................................................................................................................... 30

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION ............................................................................................................. 33

MANAGING ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT ........................................................................................................................ 45

SENIOR ASSESSMENT POLICY .................................................................................................................................... 47

SCOPE ............................................................................................................................................................................. 47

PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................................................ 47

PRINCIPLES .................................................................................................................................................................... 47

STUDENT ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................................... 48

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY .......................................................................................................................................... 48

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY ......................................................................................................................................... 48

PROMOTING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ........................................................................................................................... 49

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION ............................................................................................................. 51

MANAGING ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT ........................................................................................................................ 65

SUBJECT CHANGE POLICY .......................................................................................................................................... 67

TAFE IN SCHOOLS .................................................................................................................................................... - 70 -

SCHOOL UNIFORM.................................................................................................................................................... - 71 -

CODE OF CONDUCTION (POLICIES, ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND DRESS CODE ................................................ 76

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INTRODUCTION

Urangan High is a friendly, happy and busy community where our school vision “Pursuit of

Excellence…every minute, every day” and motto “Working Together to Learn” is enacted on

a day to day basis. Our school operates on a philosophy of setting high standards and

expecting students to strive to be the best they can be, in all facets of their lives.

We provide many opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom, for students to

develop to their full potential. This is done in an orderly, friendly and supportive

environment.

Urangan State High School is dedicated to discovering the best within all students through

high quality educational and social experiences that expose them to new ideas, new ways

and new possibilities for future success.

We believe in creating a school, which is based upon mutual respect and empowerment,

where:

✓ Students feel safe and able to achieve to their full potential,

✓ Parent involvement is valued,

✓ Staff are enthusiastic and supportive, and

✓ Teamwork, confidence and communication are the basis of success and

happiness.

Parents are always welcome in our school, as you play a very important role in our school

community and students benefit from you taking an active interest in their high school

activities.

We look forward to meeting you.

Yours sincerely

Glen Robinson

Principal

19 January 2021

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TIMETABLE STRUCTURE

TERM 1 INTERIM TIMETABLE

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TERM 2 TIMETABLES FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS

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KEY DATES

Semester One: Wednesday 27th January 2021 – Friday 25th June 2021

Term 1 Wednesday 27th January – Friday 3rd April

Student's First Day Tuesday 27th January – Year 7, 11 & 12 Commence

Thursday 28th January – All Students Attend

Term 2 Monday 19th April – Friday 25th June

Anzac Day Sunday 25th April

Labour Day Holiday Monday 3rd May

Show Holiday Friday 21st May

Semester Two: Monday 13th July – Friday 11th December 2021

Term 3 Monday 12th July – Friday 17th September

Queen’s Birthday Monday 4th October

Term 4 Tuesday 5th October – Friday 10th December

Last Day for Years 8 & 9

Last Day for Years 10 &11

Last Day for Year 12

Friday 10th December

Friday 26th November

Friday 19th November

Student free days for 2021:

Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd January and Monday 25th January

Thursday 15th April and Friday 16th April

Friday 3rd September

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SCHOOL MAP

r

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KEY STAFF DIRECTORY

CONTACT INFORMATION

EXECUTIVE

Principal Glen Robinson

Deputy Principal – Inclusion Ley Anson Deputy Principal – Behaviour / Indigenous Education Shane Bird

Deputy Principal – HR / Wellbeing Kelly Dorries

Deputy Principal – Staff Performance Nick McMorrow

Deputy Principal – Student Performance Andrew Rye

Business Manager - Facilities Kacey Zirkel Business Manager - Finance Rebecca Fuery

heads of year

A/Deputy Principal – Senior Schooling Ben Austin

A/Deputy Principal – International / Vocational Paths Meade Barnes

A/Deputy Principal – Special Education Marnie Fader

A/Deputy Principal – Student Enrichment Brian Harrington

A/Deputy Principal – Student Engagement Katie O’Neill

Office Staff

Office Manager / HR Therese Shorten

Finance Manager Maria Huxham

Attendance Officer Kate Page

Enrolment Officer Jessica Hartley

Executive Secretary Shonda Cameron

Parent Reception Bianca Phillips Project Officer Melissa Field

SEP Annette Hammond

SEP Kirsty Quinn

Student Services - Absences Faan Jaemsaidee

Student Services - Payments Stephanie Cobb

Student Services

Guidance Officers Mike Bennion (Tue, Thu, Fri SEP)

Reschelle Cathcart / Lisa Cooper Years 7 / 9 / 11

Nathan Wyer Years 8 / 10 / 12

Chaplain TBA

School Based Youth Nurse Gillian Patterson (Mon -Thurs)

School Based Police Officer Tom MacKinnon____ (Mon, Wed)

Community Liaison Officer Paula Chalmers

Community Education Counsellors Leann Alberts

Jermaine La Rocca

Nikita Sexton

Youth Support Co-ordinators Bev Dangerfield

Trisha Houguet

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Staff Rooms

1 Science 7 Business, HASS, Languages

2 Creative Futures 8a Resources

3 Technologies 8b YLMs

4 Mathematics 9 SEP

5 English 10 SEP TAs

6 HPE 11 The Hub

Ancillary Staff

Home-Stay Co-ordinator TBA

Technical Officer Scott Fitzgerald

Computer Assistant Adam Cork

Grounds & Facilities Manager Maria Gould

School Cleaning Co-ordinator Aileen Price

Schools Officer (Facilities) James Lyttleton ____________

Schools Officer (Grounds) Graham Kimber

Science Technician Tiffany Staines / Kelly Larkin / Hayden Roll________________

Workplace Rehabilitation Co-ordinator Kelly Dorries __________

Workplace Health & Safety Officers Peter Abra / Tiffany Staines / Kacey Zirkel_________________

Leadership Team

Clancy Anthony Science SR1

DiLegge Joe Success Coach GB09

Fitzgerald Terry Technologies SR3

Pipe Michelle Business / HASS / Languages SR7

Powell Andrea Learning Innovation / IT SR1

Reimann Gemma English / EALD SR5

Richardson Kurt Mathematics SR4

Spencer Nathan HPE / Early Childhood SR6

Stroud Clare Learning Improvement The Hub

Young Liza Creative Futures / Instrumental Music SR2

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USEFUL CONTACTS

School General Phone 4197 0111

Student Absences 4197 0166

Police 4128 5333 Police Link 131 444

Hervey Bay Hospital 4325 6666 Ambulance NON-URGENT 131 233

Fire 4338 5400 PO Box 5100, Torquay Q 4655 ABN – 16 973 276 484

School Email: principal@uranganshs.eq.edu.au P&C Email: pandc@uranganshs.eq.edu.au

TEACHING STAFF

Teacher Name FACULTY

Abra Peter HPE

Antcliff Steven Technologies

Peters Ashleigh Science

Ashford Rhani Creative Futures

Ashford Robyn English

Baker Trent Technologies

Barich Elsa Creative Futures

Barram Dale Technologies

Bennett Jessica Science

Birgan Janelle SEP

Brown Chantal Business

Byrne Carmen Technologies

Byrne Cassie Technologies

Chen Yan Languages

Clancy Liza Science

Year Level Managers Student Development Coaches

Staff Name Staff Name

Year 7 Chapman Victoria Frazer Colleen

Year 8 Austin Kate Landon Lesa

Year 9 Oades-Davis Susan Psaila Monique

Year 10 Jones Michael Messenger Marilyn

Year 11 Saunders Julia Parry David

Year 12 Landon Adam Letondeur Damien

SEP Henningsen Kaye Weeks Jess

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Teacher Name FACULTY

Cole Amanda Maths

Collins Jarren Science

Cooper Sarah English

Dawson Jing Languages

Eyre David SEP

Ford Renee Science

Geldenhuys Amber English

Gibson Kara HASS

Giles Suzie Technologies

Goss Karly HPE

Guandalini Tony Maths

Gunn Chris (CJ) HPE

Hardy Josh Creative Futures

Harrington Shari HPE

Hayward Todd Technologies

Heck Mikaylah HASS

Hine Linda SEP

Hohn Nicole Creative Futures

Holder Alison Science

Hooper Vanessa SEP

Howard Glenn Science

Hughes Pauline SEP

Isenhardt Tim Languages

Jeffries Marcus Science

Johnston Kellie Maths

Jones Michelle Science

Keen Selina Technologies

Kennedy Paul English / HASS

Kent Patrick Maths

Thompson Tamara English / HASS

Laskowski Pauline Technologies

Lau Nicole English

Lethborg Ben Maths

Lewis Michael Maths

Loft Sarah Creative Futures

Long Melissa Maths

Love Steven Maths

McCook Brett LRT

McMaster Ken Maths

McQuilty Charlene HPE

Marler Prudence SEP

Marshman Lisa Creative Futures / School Events

Mewett Sheryl English

Miller Rebecca English

Morey Matt Technologies

Morris Nikki-Lee Creative Futures

Morton Charlie English

Muir Steve HASS

Muhamad Deb Resource Centre

Olive Leanne Technologies / Student Support Officer

Olsen-McPhee Freya English

Olsen Sandy LRT

Palmer Ashley SEP

Meyer Michelle SEP

Parry Dave HPE

Pennell Andy Technologies

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Teacher Name FACULTY

Pennell Lee-Anne HASS

Perrott Sonia HPE

Pratt Chris HASS

Puetter Danielle Science

Plumridge Gary SEP

Quigley Erica Science

Rasby Joanne English

Robinson Dave HPE / Sports Co-ordinator

Clough Kylie Creative Futures

Sallaway Tony HASS

Sedgwick Lee English

Shelton Nathan HPE

Sheppard Ben Maths

Silk Hannah Creative Futures

Simonds Dana HPE

Symes Damien Technologies / Community Events

Talbot Emily English

Turner Mitchell HPE

Vasudevan Elayathu Latha SEP

Wang Lu Maths

Lincoln Kathleen Science

Wake Ryan Science

Warren Sheree HASS

Watt Joe English

Watters Renee Maths

Whittaker Danni ETT

Whittaker Owen English

White Matt Creative Futures

Whitehead Stephanie Science

Williams Meghan SEP

Siemsen Terri SEP

Worth Kayla HPE

Yeo Tassia SEP

Zande Leah Creative Futures

Zande Michael Maths

Zelow Trisha Technologies

Zinnerman Michael SEP

Teacher Aides

Ayres, Katrina The Hub Grundy, Rose Home Ec.

Barber, Vanessa The Hub Hinds, Kerry Resource

Centre Barr, Melissa The Hub Kerby, Michael The Hub

Bong, Jenny Resource Centre Shipp, Lillian The Hub

Brennan, Derek Creative

Futuress, HPE,

TECHNOLOGIES

Yvonne Webb The Hub

Gossip, Tamara The Hub Young, Lana The Hub

Green, Belinda The Hub

Teacher Aides: SEP - 235

Alexander,

Gaye Hewitt, Natalie

Litzow, Ros Pearce, Julie

Randall,

Shirley Vale, Helen

Cadden, Vicki Imbesi, Carly McCormack,

Iris

Quemard,

Dannelle

Schiffke,

Lesleigh

Heck, Darryl Keig, Julie Morgan,

Nicole Quinn, Kirsty

Spano,

Tonino

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ADDRESSES

Address: 120 Robert Street, Urangan Q 4655

Postal Address: PO Box 5100, Torquay Q 4655

Email Address: principal@uranganshs.eq.edu.au

Website Address: https://uranganshs.eq.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx

CONTACT NUMBERS

General Phone Number: 4197 0111

Student Absences Phone Number: 4197 0166

OPENING HOURS

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8am – 3:45pm, Tuesday and Friday: 8am – 3:30pm

P&C ASSOCIATION

The P&C Association meets on the second Tuesday of each month (during the school term) at 7pm in the school’s administration building.

Email address: pandc@uranganshs.eq.edu.au

NEWSLETTER

The school newsletter, Austnews is emailed out to registered recipients on a fortnightly basis on a Tuesday. To register to receive the school newsletter go to the following browser address:

https://epublisher.net.au/public/dashboard

SCHOOL CALENDAR

The 2021 Events Calendar is maintained by the HR Deputy Principal and can be accessed via the school home page at https://qedu.sharepoint.com

CANTEEN

The USHS P&C operate the following SCHOOL SERVICES:

The School Canteen has a delicious healthy menu available for both students/families and staff. The Canteen follow the Smart Choices (Healthy Food and Drink Supply Strategy). All food lines are set by Green, Amber or Red designation.

Each day there is the set menu, along with ‘special’ food items. Ask the Canteen Staff for the special ‘Meal Combos’ for the staff.

There are EFTPOS facilities available.

Meals from the Canteen can be pre-ordered. Meals for first break must be ordered in person before school. Meals for second break must be ordered before the end of first break. Staff collecting pre-ordered meals can approach the counter from the side away from the queue (exit door). There is a sign to indicate the collection point, or speak to a friendly staff member.

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The Canteen is open:

• 8.15am - 8.45am (before school) • 11.25am - 12.10pm (first break) • 1.20pm - 1.50pm (second break) • 3.00pm - 3.15pm (after school)

If you need to contact the School Canteen call 4197 0137.

Canteen Convener – Sandy Turnbull

Canteen Menu

UNIFORM SHOP

Approved junior and senior uniforms are only available through the P&C Uniform Shop at the Urangan State High School campus, in Robert Street. USHS P&C are the ONLY suppliers of the USHS uniform (from shirts and shorts; hats to jumpers; formal uniform to bags). Please refer to the Uniform Dress Code and Price-List for details of the uniform.

The Uniform Shop opening hours during the school term are:

• DAILY 8.00am to 9.30am

• TUESDAY and THURSDAY 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Uniforms can be either ordered via the USHS QKR app (instructions can be downloaded from the USHS Website), or purchased by cash, Centrepay or EFTPOS.

If you need to contact the Uniform Shop call 4197 0104.

Uniform Shop Convener – Shirley McVicar

Uniform Price List and Order Form

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GENERAL INFORMATION

SAFETY

The school is a registered work site, which means Industrial legislation applies to many aspects of the school, i.e.

• open footwear (thongs/sandals) is NOT permitted to be worn at any time.

• extra protection is required in some classrooms e.g. U-Tech, Science, Manual Arts, Art and Home Economics. Departmental and Industrial safety regulations require that students not complying with these regulations be excluded from these lessons.

• any potentially dangerous material/objects are not permitted to be brought onto school campuses, e.g. knives, matches, lighters, cigarettes, aerosol cans or drugs.

POSSESSIONS, MONEY AND VALUABLES

Parents are asked to ensure only essential items for their child's studies are brought to school. Students

are also encouraged to clearly name all their possessions. Valuables and large amounts of money should

not be left in school backpacks. These can be left in the office for safekeeping. Mobile phones and other

types of personal electronic devices are generally not used at school during class time. If students do

bring such personal electronic devices to school, their use is strictly forbidden during classes. The only

exception is when the classroom teacher determines that there is an educational purpose in that specific

lesson on that specific day.

Appropriate action through the school’s Responsible Behaviour Plan will be taken against students who

photograph or film other individuals without their consent or send harassing or threatening messages.

The school will not be held responsible for the loss or damage to personal electronic devices brought to

the school by students and will not interrupt educational time to launch enquiries.

The school strongly encourages students NOT to bring such items to school. Students found with such

items during class time will have them confiscated. They will be stored securely until a parent or

guardian picks up the item in person.

BIKES, SCOOTERS AND SKATEBOARDS

Bikes, scooters and skateboards are to be locked in the secure bike compound, located at the back of

the school via Emerald Park Way. You must provide your own lock. Bikes, scooters and skateboards are

not to be ridden within the school grounds.

MEDICATION

Essential medicines or tablets will be stored in Student Services until required by a student. Medications

will be administered by staff and only if it is labelled by a chemist.

STUDENT WELFARE

The School has a team of student engagement and welfare staff who are only too willing to discuss

courses, career planning and any kind of personal problems. The school has a School Based Nurse,

School Based Police Officer, Youth Support Coordinator School Chaplain, Guidance Officers and a range

of support personnel who provide support services to students and our local community. If you wish to

see any member of the support team, please contact the school or come to Student Services to make an

appointment.

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APPOINTMENTS

If you would like to speak with any of the school staff for any reason, please make an appointment through either:

• Phoning the school office

• Visiting Student Services or

• Emailing the subject teacher via the Student Assessment Calendar on our school website.

EXCURSIONS AND TRIPS

Prior to partaking in any school excursion or activity, payment (if required) must be made in full. The

parent/guardian consent slip (found at the bottom of the information letter) and a medical consent form

must be signed and returned to Student Services or the supervising teacher.

ID CARDS

All students who attend photo day will have an ID card produced for them. This will be issued to students

if they are up to date with their Student Resource Scheme payments. If they were not present on photo

day, they can get their photo taken in the school resource centre so that one can be created for them.

These are useful for obtaining student concessions. If a replacement ID card is required, these can be

obtained from the office for a nominal fee.

RESOURCE CENTRE

The Resource Centre is open from 8.15am–3pm. As this is a study environment, quiet and considerate

behaviour is expected from all students.

PHOTOCOPYING

Students can buy credits for photocopying (B&W/Colour) through Student Services. A colour photocopier

is available at the Resource Centre.

SCHOOL ABSENCES

Attendance at school is compulsory by law if you are under 16 years old. From 16 – 17 years old,

students must be in attendance in Senior School, post-secondary education or training or employment. If

you are sick or unable to attend school, please ask your parent/guardian to phone the School’s Absence

Line 4197 0166. Alternatively, a note of explanation signed by your parent/guardian can be presented to

the office when you return to school.

If a student is going to be away for more than 10 consecutive school days, an exemption application form

needs to be completed and returned to the school for approval from the Principal.

Parents of students not marked as present at school or students late without an excuse will be messaged

via sms at approximately 10:30 each day. Parents may respond to this sms with reasons for the absence.

LATE ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL

All students must attend Form Class at 8.50am. If you arrive after form class, you must report to Student

Services on arrival. A signed note from your parent / guardian, or telephone call from home MUST be

provided to explain the reason for lateness. If no notification is received, it will be recorded as an

unexplained absence. Student Services staff will issue you with a late pass which you give to the teacher

of your scheduled class.

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EARLY DEPARTURE FROM SCHOOL

Leave will only be granted for early departure for: medical/dental appointments or specialised

instruction. No lunch passes can be issued as per the guidelines in the Education Act. If a student

needs to leave school early the parent/guardian must either:

• call the school at least 1hour prior to departure on 4197 0159 so that a leave pass can be created

for your child to collect then present to their class teacher at the time of departure, or

• provide your child with a note which they can bring to Student Services at any time before the

class to receive their leave pass to present to their class teacher at the time of departure.

Students are not permitted to leave their class without a valid office issued pass or note from a

parent/guardian. All students leaving the school early must be signed out through Student Services so

that we have an accurate record of the students currently at the school in case of an emergency.

ILLNESS

If in class, ask your teacher for a note and report to Student Services. During lunch breaks, go to Student

Services. Do not contact your parents directly. Student Services will call the parent/guardian if a student

wishes to leave school due to their illness. Exit from the school must be via Student Services.

EXCLUSION FROM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

In case of an injury or medical condition which requires a student to be excluded from physical activity, a

note is required from the parent/guardian and given to the relevant teacher.

LOST PROPERTY

Report any losses to Student Services. Take any lost property to Student Services.

EXITING THE SCHOOL

If a student is leaving the school permanently, a Student Transfer form needs to be completed and

provided to the school. All borrowed text books and library books must be returned. This form also

needs to be completed to determine if there is a refund due to the student.

CHANGE OF DETAILS

All notifications of changes to address, parent/guardian details or emergency contact details must be

notified to the school via the Change of Details form.

YOU HAVE A SERIOUS CONCERN OR ISSUE

As soon as possible please see your teacher, Student Development Coach, House Manager/Head of

Department or relevant Head of Year/Deputy Principal.

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HOMEWORK

Students can expect to receive regular homework. Therefore, parents can expect that their children will normally have homework to do. Homework will be set, not for its own sake, but to reinforce and extend student learning beyond the classroom. Teachers will use work completed at home to provide an on-going evaluation of student understanding.

In general terms, junior students should complete 1½ -2 hours and senior students 2-3 hours of homework five times per week. This may be from any of the following three types of work:

1. Specific set tasks (e.g. Questions 1, 6, 8 on Page 238).

2. Preparation for a major assign (Reading, Research).

3. Regular revision of each subject studied (¼-½hr/subject/week).

If neither type 1 or 2 is set, then more time should be spent doing type 3.

Good learning goes on forever, and as student of this school you need to take the initiative to ensure that

your learning continues outside the immediate environment of the classroom. Doing homework has

major positive benefits. Homework builds progress and confidence in subjects, personal success, self-

discipline for study and work in the future, and the motivation to build self-esteem.

Whatever homework you do, it should NEVER be the case that you don’t have any. Homework can mean:

• the completion of set work that was unfinished in class, or

• completing specific extra exercises set by the teacher as part of your course of study.

• going over the day’s work, making notes on things that you have learned that day or week

• setting yourself tasks to practice areas where you may have a weakness or need

• re-reading texts, reading ahead, or revising in preparation for assessment There can be no set limit on how long to spend on homework, simply because people’s needs and

abilities differ. However, the use of time is particularly important. The time spent on homework should be

productive, purposeful and spent in an environment that is comfortable and as free as possible from

distraction.

Balance of all activities is vital for your success and well-being. Just as school timetable strives for

balance, your time outside of school should also have balance. While outside sporting interests, family

responsibilities and part-time employment are a legitimate part of your life, as a student, they should all

be balanced against study requirements.

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STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

AVAILABLE SUPPORT STAFF

The School provides access to a vast range of student support staff including:

• Community Education Counsellor

• Chaplain

• School-based Youth Nurse

• School-based Police Officer

• Youth Support Coordinator

• Guidance Officer

• Head of Department

• Various other Mentors and Agencies who visit the school.

STUDENT SERVICES OFFICE

Student Services is where a student goes to:

• Pay money for excursions, print credits etc. Payments will not be accepted during class time.

• Make an appointment to see one of the support staff. Students are only to come up during break times to request an appointment. Students who wish to access one of the above providers without an appointment may do so during their breaks, before school or possibly after school if the provider is available. Students who have appointments will be notified through student notices which are read out during form class each morning.

• Sign in when arriving to school late

• Sign out from school if leaving early

• Collect forms such as subject changes, change of details, assessment extension etc.

• Get first aid when feeling ill or having an injury

• Hand in excursion permission forms and medical consent forms

• Request a loan uniform or hat

• Hand in or look for lost property

• Request a replacement ID card

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HOUSE MANAGERS / YEAR LEVEL MANAGERS AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT COACHES

Year Level Managers and Student Development Coaches are people students can go to if:

• they are having problems in the playground

• they need someone to talk to or need advice/information about services and opportunities in the school.

Students may also be asked to report to a Year Level Manager or Student Development Coach for

other reasons, such as inter-house sports and activities, or simply to find out what’s going on

around the school.

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HEADS OF DEPARTMENT

Heads of Department are located in the staffrooms. They take responsibility for particular subject

areas. Students can talk with the Head of Department for the subject area if they need:

• subject information.

• approval for an assignment or exam extension.

• advice on subject enrolment.

• help within the subject beyond what is already available.

Students may also be asked to report to a Head of Department / Student Co-ordinator for other

reasons. It might be to discuss their behaviour or application within particular subject, results or

the suitability of doing that subject.

FORM CLASS TEACHERS

Form Class teachers mark students present on the roll and give information about what is

happening that day or during the week. Form class teachers can be approached if a student is

uncertain about an aspect of school life and needs further information, e.g. where to go, who to

see.

CHAPLAIN

While the Chaplain is obviously available to students who seek communication and support with

spiritual matters, that is NOT their primary function at USHS. They provide more general support

for students including, but not limited to:

• supporting families and students experiencing difficult times

• assistance with management of grief and trauma, mediation and conflict resolution

• running programs aimed at developing resilience, confidence and self-esteem

• space and an opportunity to talk and communicate

• is often a first point of contact for students who are then referred on to other support staff

• supports student services in a range of programs aimed at building confidence, self-esteem and resilience e.g. peer mentoring, girls’ groups, boys’ groups, breakfast program.

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COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCILLOR

The Community Support Coordinator provides assistance and support for Indigenous students,

and their families. This involves liaison with a broad range of groups and agencies in the

community. The Community Support Coordinator also supports student services in a range of

programs including RAGE, Rock and Water and Taming the Bull.

SCHOOL BASED POLICE OFFICER

The School Based Police Officer:

• provides ongoing assistance, support and information regarding legal matters, situations which could/may pose legal issues, etc. This includes, but is not limited to: bullying and harassment; violence and threatening behaviour; theft; illegal objects/substances; truancy and/or refusal to attend school; any situation or action which threatens the health, well-being or liberty of another person.

• supports Student Services in a range of programs aimed at building confidence, self-esteem and resilience.

SCHOOL BASED YOUTH HEALTH NURSE

The School Based Youth Health Nurse:

• works on behalf of Queensland Health, to provide advice and support for students dealing with ongoing physical, emotional, psychological issues which may impair health and wellbeing

• can provide advice and/or training and promote awareness to teachers who are managing these students e.g. asthma, diabetes, use of epi-pen, eating disorders etc.

• submits reports to other agencies in cases where students may be experiencing harm

• administers first aid if it is beyond the capabilities of other school staff

• Support Student Services in a range of programs aimed at building confidence, self-esteem and resilience e.g. peer mentoring, girls’ groups.

• Assistance with management of grief and trauma, and all aspects of mental and emotional wellbeing

• Space and an opportunity to talk and communicate.

YOUTH SUPPORT COORDINATOR

The Youth Support Coordinators:

• work towards ‘re-engaging’ mainly Year 10, 11 and 12 students who have, or who are starting to feel disengaged. This can involve:

o placements in work experience, school-based apprenticeships and traineeships o connecting students with the support of agencies and services in the broader

community o mentoring students e.g. assisting with assessment, liaising with teachers, liaising with

families, acting in lieu of a buddy class, assisting where students are in need e.g. access to food, uniforms

o assistance with mental and emotional health and wellbeing, self-management and relationships.

• Supports Student Services in a range of programs aimed at building confidence, self-esteem and resilience e.g. peer mentoring, girls’ groups.

OUT OF HOME CARE STLAN CO-ORDINATOR

The Support Teacher Out of Home Care Coordinator:

• is responsible for the case management of students who have been removed from their families and who are now living in ‘care’ situations

• is the primary contact for the Department of Children’s Services and the many case and social workers who connect with these students

• applies for and manages funding through the development of Educational Support Plans to support the needs of these students.

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• Offers very limited Learning Support in conjunction with the SEP through the delivery of a program aimed at developing basic skills for students who appear to present with characteristics consistent with a Speech Language Impairment

GUIDANCE OFFICERS

Guidance Officers provide guidance to students in the areas of:

• appropriate course and subject selection.

• preparation for careers and/or tertiary education by supplying advice and information.

• personal counselling and support.

• support for you and your parents.

• help with study programs and techniques.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Assessment is an integral part of the school curriculum and is defined as any item of work that enables students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, application of skills or evaluation of learning experiences.

To ensure all students meet their obligations regarding completion of a course of study, this school assessment policy ensures staff, students and parents are aware of the expectations and responsibilities regarding assessment practices.

The assessment process will be supportive, encourage student participation and provide learning experiences appropriate for assessment completion.

Progressive monitoring is important and may be used for making a judgment in the absence of final summative assessment.

There will be consistent consequences across all year levels and subject areas for missed, late or non-submission of work to ensure fair and equitable decision making and treatment.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Students are expected to:

• Attend lessons regularly and to participate in class.

• Perform and complete appropriate assessment tasks to enable fair and valid grades to be determined.

• Ensure assessment items are completed and submitted on time.

• Complete missed assessment items as per this policy.

• Hand assessment directly to the teacher or to office reception. (under certain circumstances)

• Backup computer files.

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TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

Teachers are expected to:

• Complete Assessment Calendars using advertised deadlines.

• Use the Assessment Calendar to log submission of student work.

• Contact home re non-submission or work of poor quality.

• Follow the Assessment Policy conditions

• Grade assessment in a timely manner.

• Provide feedback to students and profile data in a timely manner.

• Store assessment items according to faculty policy.

SPEAKING OR PERFORMING ASSESSMENT

Ongoing assessment items such as orals and performances may take several days to complete. In such instances, teachers will negotiate reasonable times with students. If a student has an oral or performance presentation on the same day as two exams, teachers are asked to be flexible and allow students to present on another day.

Refusal to perform on the due date will be treated as a non-submission.

Absence on the due date will require a phone call to the school.

ASSESSMENT COLLECTION PROCESS

Assessment must be handed to the teacher in person and the teacher will have a process in place that records the submission.

Assessment must be handed to the teacher personally, not left in staffrooms with other teachers

If a student is unable to hand the assessment directly to the teacher, it should be left at the office and a receipt will be issued accordingly.

EXTENSIONS/ABSENCES/TECHNOLOGY BREAKDOWNS

In all cases, the student needs to complete the Alternate Test Date and Assignment Extension Application form. The Head of Department may grant an extension prior to the due date if in her/his opinion a sufficient reason exists.

If a student is absent on the day for:

Examinations: - the school must be phoned on the day and the advice relayed to the Head of Department as soon as possible.

- A medical certificate is recommended for senior students.

Other submissions: send the task to the office with a friend or parent, OR have the parent / carer phone the office to explain the absence.

Technological breakdowns will not be accepted as a valid reason for work handed in late. Students are expected to save and backup their work for submission in the event of a technology failure.

CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM

If a student is caught cheating or plagiarising, they should be aware that a 'no credit' may jeopardise successful completion of the semester and will be dealt with as per below.

The student's parent/carer will be notified of the breach.

If a student is caught cheating, he/she will be deemed to have failed to demonstrate the required outcomes. The matter will be referred to the Head of Department (HOD) who will determine the extent of non-credit that is given to the student. If any communication (verbal or non-verbal) occurs during a test, this will be treated as cheating. The teacher who identifies the act of cheating will sign and date the paper accordingly. The parent/carer of the student will be notified.

If a student plagiarises, the assessment piece or part thereof will be penalised in accordance with the relevant work program requirements for demonstrating the unit outcomes.

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LATE AND NON-SUBMISSION

Judgments of student achievement in Authority and Authority-registered subjects are made by matching a body of evidence provided by students’ responses to assessment instruments to the standards associated with exit criteria outlined in the relevant syllabus.

Urangan State High School provides each student an individual assessment calendar at the beginning of each semester. Students are expected to complete all assessment items. A number of scenarios exist where a student does not satisfy the requirements of the assessment instrument. In all scenarios an explanatory note will be recorded on the student’s profile.

Scenario Action

Student does not submit an assessment item Teacher makes judgments using evidence available on or before the due date.

Student submits an assessment item after the due date

Teacher makes judgments using evidence available on or before the due date.

Student is absent on the due date Principles of Special Provision are applied. Where Special Provision is not appropriate the teacher makes judgments using evidence available on or before the due date.

Student requests extension Student applies for an extension prior to the due date. Principles of Special Provision are applied. Where an extension is not granted then teacher makes judgments using evidence available on or before the due date.

Student absent on day of test/examination Principles of Special Provision shall be applied provided adequate communication exists on or before the due date

No evidence available Standards are not awarded and an 'N' is recorded on the students’ profile.

A letter is sent to the student’s caregiver indicating the possibility of no credit for the semester.

As part of the development process, students should be monitored as they undertake the requirements of the assessment instrument. Evidence will be gathered prior to student submission or completion of an assessment task.

Direct evidence includes: emails, photographs, journals, recordings, etc.

Indirect evidence includes: annotated task specific criteria sheets, notes of an interview, peer assessment.

Where indirect evidence is used there will be a balance with direct evidence. The method by which monitoring evidence will be gathered will be specified on the task sheet. School procedures are outlined in the attached flowchart. After school detentions will be scheduled during Leadership Team meetings and on Wednesday afternoons. Staffing will be on a rotation basis from the Leadership team and from volunteers.

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SPECIAL PROVISION

Special provisions mean making reasonable adjustments to conditions of assessment to ensure equitable opportunities for all students. Urangan State High School provides opportunities to all students, including those with specific educational needs, to demonstrate their current knowledge and skills. Reasonable adjustment involves varying the conditions under which assessment occurs in order to enable students to have opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a course of study. For example:

• allowing the use of specialised equipment to accommodate a student's disability (e.g. keyboarding rather than handwriting)

• providing a reader or scribe

• providing assistance with the interpretation and comprehension of assessment items for students with language difficulties

• allowing additional time for students to complete assessable tasks

• giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, migrant and refugee students the opportunity to present their cultural experiences in responses to assessment items

• rescheduling an assessment item to cater for unexpected circumstances

• A reasonable adjustment does not include adjustments which are a component of the knowledge or skill being assessed.

EXEMPTION

Exemption refers to a school allowing non-completion of a piece of assessment.

• An exemption shall only be allowed when there is sufficient alternative information to make a judgement about an exit level of achievement.

• An exemption is inappropriate if it results in insufficient evidence being available to make a judgment about the student’s exit level of achievement.

• An exemption is inappropriate if it results in the student being unable to meet the mandatory requirements stated in a syllabus or study area specification.

SEMESTERS OF CREDIT

“Students may not be awarded semester units in which there is insufficient coverage or inadequate assessment. When a result is awarded, the number of semesters credited to a

student’s course of study is at the principal’s discretion”

A student may receive no credit for a particular semester if a Level of Achievement cannot be determined from information gathered about student achievement in those aspects stated in the syllabus as being mandatory. Teachers will consult with the Head of Department in such cases. Appropriate letters sent to caregivers will be followed with a letter indicating no credit.

The principal will use the principles of selective updating and fullest and latest to determine the number of semesters credited to a student when the student exits the course.

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LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT

On completion of the course of study, Urangan State High School awards each student an exit level of achievement. Judgment of student achievement at exit from the two-year course of study is derived from information gathered about student achievement in those aspects stated in the syllabus as being mandatory.

When teachers are determining a standard for each criterion, it is not always necessary for the student to have met each descriptor for a particular standard for each assessment item; the standard awarded should be informed by how the qualities of the work contained in the student folio match the descriptors overall. In the application of decisions about individual students, the set of assessment results does not have to be the same for all students. Opportunities may be provided for students to complete and submit additional tasks; however, students will not rework or resubmit previously graded assessment tasks.

The Student Achievement Index, SAI, provides the capacity to distinguish between student work for complete and incomplete folios.

CONSEQUENCES

If a teacher is concerned that a student is not going to complete their assessment task to a satisfactory standard, then they will make contact with parents. The students will be directed to attend After School Detentions and/or withdrawal from class in order to complete the task and achieve their best possible result.

If the work is not submitted on the due date, a mark will be awarded for drafts or other evidence sighted by the teacher on this date or beforehand

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ASSESSMENT POLICY SUPPLEMENT - ASSESSMENT CONDITIONS

JUNIOR ASSESSMENT POLICY

This policy is also available as an interactive version available on our school website.

https://uranganshs.eq.edu.au/Curriculum/Juniorschool/Pages/Juniorschool.aspx TBA

SCOPE

This policy provides information for teachers, students and parents/carers about roles, responsibilities, processes and procedures to ensure the integrity of assessment that contributes to the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The framework for the policy is developed from the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook available from www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-and-qualifications/qce-qcia-handbook-2019 and applies to Applied, Applied (Essential), General, General (Extension) subjects, and Short Courses across all faculties.

PURPOSE

Urangan State High School is committed to an educational philosophy that encourages all students to achieve personal excellence by developing their talents and abilities. This policy is designed to build capacity as students work towards summative assessment completion for the QCE. This policy;

• Informs students, parents and teachers of the key principles around assessment and assessment requirements at Urangan State High School.

• Ensures consistency of practice in the application of assessment conditions and treatment of assessment issues.

PRINCIPLES

Urangan State High School’s expectations for teaching, learning and assessment are grounded in the principles of academic integrity and excellence. Assessment includes any examination, practical demonstration, performance or product that allows

students to demonstrate the objectives as described by the subject syllabus. Assessment should be:

• aligned with curriculum and pedagogy

• equitable for all students

• evidence-based, using established standards and continua to make defensible and comparable

judgments about students’ learning

• ongoing, with a range and balance of evidence compiled over time to reflect the depth and breadth

of students’ learning

• transparent, to enhance professional and public confidence in the processes used, the information

obtained and the decisions made

• informative of where students are in their learning.

High-quality assessment is characterised by three attributes:

• validity, through alignment with what is taught, learnt and assessed

• accessibility, so that each student is given opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do

• reliability, so that assessment results are consistent, dependable or repeatable.

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STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Assessment is an integral part of the school curriculum and is defined as any item of work that enables students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, application of skills or evaluation of learning experiences. To ensure all students meet their obligations regarding completion of a course of study, this school assessment policy ensures staff, students and parents are aware of the expectations and responsibilities regarding assessment practices. The assessment process will be supportive, encourage student participation and provide learning experiences appropriate for assessment completion. Progressive monitoring is important and may be used for making a judgment in the absence of final summative assessment. There will be consistent consequences across all year levels and subject areas for missed, late or non -submission of work to ensure fair and equitable decision-making and treatment.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Students are expected to:

• Attend lessons regularly and to participate in class

• Perform and complete appropriate assessment tasks to enable fair and valid grades to be

determined

• Ensure assessment items are completed and submitted on time

o Attend scheduled exams

o Submit assessment

▪ via SafeAssign (online electronic submission)

▪ Through student services and receive your submission notification

▪ Emailed to your teacher

▪ Folios of evidence to be collected by your class teacher

• Adhere to this policy regarding late/ non-submissions

• Backup digital files.

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

Teachers are expected to:

• Complete Assessment Calendars using advertised deadlines

• Use the Assessment Calendar to log submission of student work

• Contact home re non-submission or work of poor quality

• Follow the Assessment Policy conditions

• Grade assessment in a timely manner

• Provide feedback to students and profile data in a timely manner

• Store assessment items according to faculty policy.

PROMOTING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Urangan State High School promotes academic integrity by developing students’ skills and modelling appropriate academic practices. The following whole-school procedures support this endeavour.

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LOCATION AND COMMUNICATION OF POLICY

The school assessment policy is located on the school website at TBA

https://uranganshs.eq.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx and in the school prospectus. All questions regarding

this policy should be directed to Mr Andrew Rye (Deputy Principal – Curriculum) / Mr Ben Austin (HOD

Senior Schooling & VET).

To ensure the assessment policy is consistently applied, it will be revisited at the beginning of each

unit in form classes. Students will receive an electronic copy, emailed to their school email address. An

electronic copy is also saved on the local school network at the following pathway;

G:\Curriculum\Urangan SHS Policy Documents\Assessment Policy. Relevant processes will be

revisited:

• at enrolment interviews

• during SET planning

• at Parent / Teacher Interviews & ECP meetings

• when the assessment schedule is published

• through class reminders leading up to and during an assessment phase

• in the school newsletter and by email in response to phases of the assessment cycle.

EXPECTATIONS ABOUT ENGAGING IN LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 1.2.4, Section 2, Section 8.5.1)

Urangan State High School has high expectations for academic integrity and student participation and

engagement in learning and assessment. Students become eligible for a QCE when they have accrued

the set amount of learning, at the set standard, in a set pattern, while meeting literacy and numeracy

requirements. Students are required to complete all course and assessment requirements on or before

the due date for their results to contribute credit to the QCE.

Student responsibility

Students are expected to:

• engage in the learning for the subject or course of study

• produce evidence of achievement that is authenticated as their own work

• submit responses to scheduled assessment on or before the due date.

To emphasise the importance of sound academic practices, staff and students will complete the QCAA

academic integrity courses. The course will be embedded in the Year 11 / 12 SELF program. The form

class teacher will be responsible for compiling a list of students who have successfully completed the

academic integrity course.

The online training for students can be found at https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/academic-integrity-for-

students.html

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DUE DATES

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.7)

School responsibility

Urangan State High School is required to adhere to QCAA policies for gathering evidence of student

achievement on or before the due date.

Due dates for final responses, checkpoints and drafts will be published in the student assessment

schedule. All students will be provided with their assessment schedule by the end of Week 3 each unit.

The assessment schedule will:

• align with syllabus requirements

• provide sufficient working time for students to complete the task

• allow for internal quality assurance processes

• enable timelines for QCAA quality assurance processes to be met

• be clear to teachers, students and parents/carers

• be consistently applied

• be clearly communicated by the end of Week 3 each unit

• give consideration to allocation of workload.

Student responsibility

Students are responsible for:

• recording due dates in their diaries / individual planners

• planning and managing their time to meet the due dates

• informing the school as soon as possible if they have concerns about assessment load and meeting

due dates.

In cases where students are unable to meet a due date, they will:

• inform classroom teacher (with support from the Head of Department) as soon as possible. This will

commence discussions regarding AARA

• provide the school with relevant documentation, e.g. AARA application / documentation, medical

certificate

• adhere to alternative arrangements for submission of assessment, if applicable, as decided by the

school and where necessary, QCAA.

All final decisions are at the principal’s discretion.

SUBMITTING, COLLECTING AND STORING ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 9)

Assessment instruments will provide information about Urangan State High School’s arrangements for

submission of draft and final responses, including due dates, conditions and file types.

All assessment evidence, including draft responses, will be submitted on or before their due date.

Draft submissions and final responses for all assessment will be collected and stored in each student’s

folio. In cases, where a student fails to submit a final version on / before the due date, their draft

response will be utilised to mark. All evidence used for making judgments is stored within the faculty

storage process. This may include; storage compactors / filing cabinets or by digital means.

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APPROPRIATE MATERIALS

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.2)

Urangan State High School is a supportive and inclusive school. Material and texts are chosen with

care in this context by students and staff.

Ensuring academic integrity

Urangan State High School has procedures to ensure that there is consistent application

of the assessment policy and that staff and students optimise opportunities to

understand academic integrity. The following procedures are to be applied in this

context.

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION

SCAFFOLDING

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.3)

Scaffolding for assessment helps students understand the process for completing the task. Scaffolding

will:

• maintain the integrity of the requirements of the task or assessment instrument

• allow for unique student responses and not lead to a predetermined response.

Scaffolding may include:

• breaking a complex task, learning experience, concept or skill into discrete parts

• modelling thought processes required to complete parts of an assessment instrument

• pre-teaching vocabulary specific to the subject and assessment instrument

• questioning to develop students’ conceptions, describe interpretations or challenge opinions that

inform a response

• showing examples of responses and demonstrating the match to performance descriptors

• using visual frameworks or graphic organisers to plan responses

Across the phases of learning, students will gradually be given more responsibility for understanding

the processes required to complete their tasks.

CHECKPOINTS

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2)

Checkpoints will:

• be detailed on student task sheets

• monitor student progress

• be used to establish student authorship.

Students will work on assessment during designated times and show evidence of progress at

scheduled checkpoints.

Teachers will use these checkpoints to identify and support students to complete their assessment

including;

• clarify assessment expectations for students (e.g. task requirements, how judgments are made)

• discuss progress towards the task completion

• help students develop strategies to submit assessment by the due date

• gather evidence on or before the due date

• provide points of intervention, if needed

• embed authentication strategies

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Drafting

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.5)

Drafting is a key checkpoint. Types of drafts differ depending on subject, e.g. written draft, rehearsal of

a performance piece, or a product in development. The draft strategy chosen may differ depending on

the mode of response. A draft may be used as evidence of student achievement in the case of illness or

misadventure, or non-submission for other reasons.

Feedback on a draft is:

• provided on a maximum of one draft of each student’s response

• a consultative process that indicates aspects of the response to be improved or further

developed

• delivered in a consistent manner and format for all students

• provided within one week of a submission of a draft.

Feedback on a draft must not:

• compromise the authenticity of a student response

• introduce new ideas, language or research to improve the quality and integrity of the student

work

• edit or correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and calculations

• allocate a mark.

A copy of the feedback will be stored electronically or hard copy within the students’ folio.

Parents and caregivers will be notified by phone / email or text message regarding non-submission of

drafts and the processes to be followed.

GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS (PROVIDING FEEDBACK)

Two different types of feedback are equally valuable in the classroom: feedback for teaching and learning, and feedback for assessment, including on a draft response. Both are led by the classroom teacher.

FEEDBACK AS PART OF A TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS

Feedback is designed to provide meaningful information about a student’s strengths and areas for improvement. It helps the student understand where and how they are going, and where they need to go next.

FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

Effective feedback encourages self-reflection, allows students to actively monitor and evaluate their own learning, and facilitates self-direction and motivation. Together, assessment and feedback support continuous, collaborative, active and self-directed learning. Effective feedback is:

• ongoing

• individualised

• specific to the teaching, learning and assessment

• related to the standards or descriptions

• clear, and in language students understand

• timely, so the student can act on it to adjust their learning

• collaborative, so that teachers can work with the student and their parents/carers to support the

student’s learning

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• supportive, so that the student is encouraged to reflect and act on the feedback, and build their

capacity for self-assessment.

FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITIES

Teachers provide feedback that varies throughout the teaching, learning and assessment process. Opportunities for feedback in the classroom may include:

• ensuring a positive learning environment where students are aware of the protocols and practices

for giving and receiving feedback in a constructive way

• reviewing how students are working towards their learning goals

• working with students on classroom tasks in preparation for the assessment task

• encouraging a classroom culture that supports students to appropriately give and receive feedback

when peer editing

• enabling students to practise self-assessment, such as using checkpoints — key stages in the

assessment process at which students engage with peers and/or the teacher to check they are on

track for both content and assessment conditions, e.g. mode, response length.

FEEDBACK ON A DRAFT RESPONSE

A draft is a preliminary version of a response to an assessment task. It should contain most of the features of the final response. A draft is a point-in-time demonstration of a student’s learning and their understanding of the assessment task requirements. The draft response that a student submits to a teacher should be developed over a period of time after a process of practising (e.g. their presentation or performance), reflecting and editing. Teachers can use a student’s draft response to confirm that a student’s assessment is their own work, as the draft shows the progression of a student’s thinking.

FORMATS AND MODES

Students may present a draft in a variety of formats or modes, depending on the subject and the assessment task. For example, in Ancient History, a student will prepare written drafts when developing a response to the topic. A student in English presenting a spoken task will have opportunities in class to practise the speech before the final presentation. In Drama or Dance, students will practise their performance in class. In each of these examples, a student is preparing their draft response, whether it is written or spoken. These opportunities may be outlined as checkpoints for peer review or discussion or for more formal feedback from the teacher.

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PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON A DRAFT

Teachers may also present feedback on a written or spoken draft in a variety of ways, e.g. orally, in writing, to an individual or the whole class, and/or through questioning. Teacher feedback on a draft may include advice to:

• consider other aspects of the text, report, performance or activity

• develop the response to show more awareness of the intended audience or purpose

• rearrange the sequence and structure of the response to prioritise the most important points

• investigate further to expand the response

• synthesise the response by editing or removing excess information.

PARAMETERS

When giving feedback on a draft, a teacher:

• may provide feedback on a maximum of one draft of each student’s response

• may, for a written response, indicate key errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and calculations.

They may also remind the student that the draft requires more editing, but should not edit or correct

all errors in the draft

• may, for a spoken response, indicate ways to improve spoken/signed and nonverbal features in the

student’s presentation

• should encourage the student to reflect on strategies they might use to refine their response,

drawing attention to aspects of the response that need to be improved or developed to meet the

requirements

• should not introduce new ideas, language or research that would compromise the authenticity of

student work

• feedback on a draft should form only one part of the feedback the teacher provides to a student

throughout their study.

MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.6)

Students must adhere to assessment response lengths as specified by syllabus documents. The

procedures below support students to manage their response length;

• All assessment instruments indicate the required length of the response

• Teaching and learning programs embed subject-specific strategies about responding purposefully

within the prescribed conditions of the task

• Model responses within the required length are available

• Feedback about length is provided by teachers at identified checkpoints.

After all these strategies have been implemented, if the student’s response exceeds the word length

required by the syllabus, the school will mark only the work up to the required length, excluding

evidence over the prescribed limit.

Teachers will also annotate any such student work submitted for confirmation purposes to clearly

indicate the evidence used to determine a mark.

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GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS (MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH)

Schools, teachers and students have specific responsibilities for ensuring that students can respond within the required length.

SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITIES

Schools develop school-based policies and procedures that:

• encourage students to respond to assessment instruments within the required length

• provide students with the knowledge and skills to respond within the required length

• emphasise the use of checkpoints, which include the draft due date, to provide students with

feedback about their responses

• include strategies to be implemented when a response exceeds the required length, and indicate

any used in the review at confirmation.

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Teachers:

• implement their school’s policies and procedures

• take reasonable steps to ensure that students can respond to assessment within the required length

• work with students at checkpoints throughout the process, emphasising the conditions of the task

including response length

• use proactive strategies to support students to meet the syllabus requirements for the response

length

• annotate any student responses submitted on or before the due date that exceed the required length

to indicate the policy strategy used to mark the response.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Students:

• develop a response that meets the conditions of the assessment

• respond to draft feedback about the length of their response

• document the length of their response in the measurement indicated in the syllabus: either a word

length, duration of time, or page count.

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH

School assessment policy should include strategies for:

• proactively managing response length to develop students’ ability to meet assessment conditions

• managing student responses of a length that do not meet the conditions when assessments have

been submitted on or before the due date.

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH BEFORE ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION

Teachers proactively support students to meet the syllabus requirements for the response length indicated in the assessment conditions when they:

• develop and administer valid assessment instruments of suitable scope and scale

• implement effective teaching and learning strategies so students can learn effective skills to use

when responding to assessment techniques, e.g.

• provide examples of assessment responses within the response length (word length, duration of

time or page count)

• explicitly model how to create and draft a response to an assessment in the required mode

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• provide feedback on one draft or at checkpoint dates if the student work does not meet the

assessment conditions

• give advice to students about why and how to synthesise and develop ideas or information to

meet the assessment conditions.

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH AFTER ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION

Schools develop policy strategies for marking student responses that exceed assessment conditions for response length and are submitted on or before the assessment due date. These strategies should be suitable for the school and assessment context and may include:

• marking only the work that meets the assessment conditions for response length, excluding

evidence outside the required length

• allowing a student to redact a response to meet the required length before a judgment is made on

the student work.

Note, however, that when marking student responses, schools cannot:

• change the tool being used for making a judgment

• penalise students for submitting a response that does not meet the response length conditions by

arbitrarily reducing their result.

CONSIDERATIONS

Schools assessment policy provides details about how the school will administer strategies fairly and consistently across all subjects and students. In determining policy strategies for managing response length after submission, schools consider how:

• different strategies may be more appropriate than others for specific techniques and response types

• excluding evidence in parts of student work may affect the student’s mark/s

• other students’ work or marks may be affected if the response was completed in a group, e.g. a

performance in Drama.

INDICATING RESPONSE LENGTH STRATEGIES USED IN THE REVIEW AT CONFIRMATION

In the review at confirmation, schools must clearly indicate the strategy implemented when submitting a sample that exceeds the response length. This might include:

• submitting only the student work used to determine a mark

• annotating the student work to indicate the evidence used to determine a mark.

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AUTHENTICATING STUDENT RESPONSES

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.8)

Accurate judgments of student achievement can only be made on student assessment responses that

are authenticated as their own work.

Urangan State High School uses the authentication strategies promoted by the QCAA. The

authentication strategies will be specified on assessment instruments.

In cases where a student response is not authenticated as a student’s own work, procedures for

managing alleged academic misconduct will be followed.

Teachers can collect evidence during the development of responses in order to establish authorship of

final responses. Teachers may:

• monitor, collect or observe progressive samples of each student’s work at various stages. This

process could be documented using an authentication record, checklist or photographs

• interview or consult with each student at checkpoints during the development of the response to

ensure that it is based on the student’s own work.

To establish authorship of final responses, teachers may:

• directly compare the responses of students who have worked together in groups

• for text, analyse final student responses using plagiarism-detection software, if available

• interview a sample of students after their responses have been submitted to determine their

understanding of and familiarity with their responses

• use internal quality assurance processes such as cross-marking if there is more than one class for a

subject cohort.

MANAGING NON-SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT BY THE DUE DATE

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2)

Teachers will collect progressive evidence of student responses to assessment instruments at the

prescribed checkpoints.

The checkpoints on the instrument-specific task sheets provide details of the evidence that will be

collected.

In circumstances where students are enrolled in a subject but do not submit a final response to an

assessment (other than unseen examinations) and where evidence of student work:

• provided by the student for the purposes of authentication during the assessment preparation period

is available, teachers make judgments based on this

• was not provided by the student on or before the due date as specified by the school and no other

evidence is available, ‘Not-Rated’ (NR) is to be recorded on the student profile for the particular

assessment item in question.

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GATHERING EVIDENCE OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Urangan SHS is responsible for gathering evidence of student achievement in response to assessment on or before the due date for internal assessment instruments in all subjects for all units. Strategies may vary according to the assessment technique. In light of maintaining the integrity of assessment, it is not possible to gather evidence for the examination technique before the due date where the student is required to respond under supervised conditions to unseen questions or stimulus materials. There may be adjustments to processes or due dates in situations when a student is eligible for an extension. Urangan SHS will be proactive in developing strategies to gather evidence about student achievement throughout the teaching, learning and assessment process. Urangan SHS will;

• establish effective strategies for gathering evidence before students submit or complete assessment

tasks, e.g. work completed in class in response to the instrument such as a draft, rehearsal notes,

photographs of work

• establish school approaches to assessment practices, e.g. declared due dates for assessment tasks,

approaches to ensure evidence is gathered on or before the assessment due date such as

checkpoints or a draft

• ensure information in this handbook and school-based policies are shared with school staff, students

and their parents/carers, and that the procedures and processes are consistently applied across all

subjects

• provide points of intervention so that teachers, other school staff and parents/carers can provide

support to prevent the non-submission of a response to assessment.

Evidence collected on or before the due date and teacher observations may be used to authenticate responses as the students own work. Schools may use a variety of methods, both direct and indirect, to collect evidence and authenticate student responses. For the purpose of confirmation, direct evidence of the student’s response is required. Teacher observations are not sufficient on their own to support a judgment.

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ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION FLOW CHART

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INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESSES

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 9)

Urangan State High School’s quality management system ensures valid, accessible and reliable

assessment of student achievement. This includes:

• quality assurance of all assessment instruments before they are administered to students

• quality assurance of judgments about student achievement.

GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS – STRATEGIES FOR QUALITY ASSURING

JUDGMENTS

The following strategies for quality assuring judgments may be used by schools to suit their local context. They

should be used before reporting and external quality assurance.

For subjects with:

• multiple classes, judgments may be quality assured by a designated quality assurance team

• a single class, the teacher may quality assure judgments with a quality assurance (QA) team, if possible or a

subject leader, if not.

Strategy Single class Multiple classes

Calibration

Before beginning to mark

Practise using relevant tools for making judgments

to build confidence in applying marking guides.

Tools for making judgments include:

• instrument-specific marking guide (ISMG)

• instrument-specific standards matrix (ISSM)

• internal marking guides.

Other useful resources include annotated sample

responses (in the QCAA Portal).

Use the calibration

exercise to build a QA

team, if possible;

otherwise calibrate with

the subject leader.

Use calibration to build

capacity in a designated

QA team.

During marking

Meet after marking some student responses to

discuss the performance levels awarded and the

characteristics of the responses.

Discuss differences of emphasis or other variations

between perceived levels of quality. Refer to the

tools for making judgments throughout this

process.

Select some responses

(e.g. first four) and

discuss decisions with

the QA team or subject

leader.

Use calibration to build

capacity in a designated

QA team.

Select some responses

(e.g. first four) as a QA

team and discuss the

decision-making process.

Blind marking

Mark a de-identified copy of a student response. De-identify and make

copies of a response.

De-identify and make

copies of a response.

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Strategy Single class Multiple classes

Mark a copy and compare

with the QA team’s or

subject leader’s marking

of a copy to check for

consistency of

judgments.

Mark and compare

marking across the QA

team’s copies to check

for consistency of

judgments.

Peer reviewing random responses (sampling)

Randomly select marked responses for each

performance level. If inconsistencies are found in

the marking, discuss these and consider whether a

recalibration exercise would be useful (see

‘Calibration’ above).

Cross-check with the QA

team or subject leader for

reliability of judgments —

including accuracy and

consistency of the

teacher’s judgments —

across the class.

Cross-check within the

QA team for reliability of

judgments — including

accuracy and consistency

of judgments — across

the classes.

Checking borderline and best-fit results

Check borderline and best-fit responses to ensure

decisions are accurate before returning responses

and providing results to students.

Select complex or difficult

judgments and check for

reliability with the QA

team or subject leader.

Select complex or difficult

judgments and check for

reliability with QA team.

Peer review or cross

mark.

Distributed marking

Use distributed marking when an assessment

instrument is composed of many different sections

or items and has a numerical marking guide, such

as Mathematics. All teachers mark the allocated sets

of distributed responses and then discuss

differences in judgments to gain a clear and

consistent understanding of the ISMG.

N/A Allocate a specific section to a teacher or QA team. Mark a selected sample (e.g. three) and discuss. Each teacher then marks their own class.

Cross marking

Distribute student responses across teachers of the

same subject.

N/A Mark work from other

classes only.

Double marking

Mark responses twice. N/A Provide more than one

teacher with the same

response to mark and

check the consistency of

the teachers’ judgments.

Use this strategy for all

responses or a random

selection of responses.

Not Rated (NR)

For each NR decision

Check that school assessment policy has been

followed.

Check that the

school’s assessment

policy is consistently

applied and

documented.

Check that the school’s

assessment policy is

consistently applied and

documented.

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REVIEW

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 9)

Urangan State High School’s internal review processes for student results (including NR) for all

General subjects (Units 1 and 2), Applied subjects, and Short Courses is equitable and appropriate for

the local context.

MANAGING ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

CHEATING WHILE UNDER SUPERVISED CONDITIONS

A student:

• begins to write during perusal time or continues to write after the instruction to stop writing is given

• uses unauthorised equipment or materials

• has any notation written on the body, clothing or any object brought into an assessment room

• communicates with any person other than a supervisor during an examination, e.g. through speaking,

signing, electronic device or other means such as passing notes, making gestures or sharing

equipment with another student.

COLLUSION

When:

• more than one student works to produce a response and that response is submitted as individual work

by one or multiple students

• a student assists another student to commit an act of academic misconduct a student gives or

receives a response to an assessment.

CONTRACT CHEATING

A student:

• pays for a person or a service to complete a response to an assessment

• sells or trades a response to an assessment.

COPYING WORK

A student:

• deliberately or knowingly makes it possible for another student to copy responses

• looks at another student’s work during an exam

• copies another student’s work during an exam.

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DISCLOSING OR RECEIVING INFORMATION ABOUT ASSESSMENT

A student:

• gives or accesses unauthorised information that compromises the integrity of the assessment, such

as stimulus or suggested answers/responses, prior to completing a response to an assessment

• makes any attempt to give or receive access to secure assessment materials.

FABRICATING

A student:

• invents or exaggerates data

• lists incorrect or fictitious references.

Impersonation

A student:

• arranges for another person to complete a response to an assessment in their place, e.g.

impersonating the student in a performance or supervised assessment.

• completes a response to an assessment in place of another student.

MISCONDUCT DURING EXAMINATION

A student distracts and/or disrupts others in an assessment room.

PLAGIARISM OR LACK OF REFERENCING

A student completely or partially copies or alters another person’s work without attribution (another

person’s work may include text, audio or audio-visual material, figures, tables, design, images,

information or ideas).

SELF-PLAGIARISM

A student duplicates work, or part of work already submitted as a response to an assessment

instrument in the same or any other subject.

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION OF HELP

A student arranges for, or allows, a tutor, parent/carer or any person in a supporting role to

complete or contribute significantly to the response.

PROCEDURES FOR MANAGING ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

For authorship issues

When authorship of student work cannot be established or a response is not entirely a student’s own

work the school will provide an opportunity for the student to demonstrate that the submitted response is

their own work.

For all instances of academic misconduct

Results will be awarded using any evidence from the preparation of the response that is available that

is verifiably the student’s own work and that was gathered in the conditions specified by the syllabus,

on or before the due date.

For instances of academic misconduct during examinations

Students will be awarded a Not-Rated (NR). See the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook

Section 8.1). Where appropriate, the school’s behaviour management policy will be implemented.

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SENIOR ASSESSMENT POLICY

This policy is available as an interactive version on our school website.

https://uranganshs.eq.edu.au/Curriculum/Seniorschool/Pages/Seniorschool.aspx

SCOPE

This policy provides information for teachers, students and parents/carers about roles,

responsibilities, processes and procedures to ensure the integrity of assessment that

contributes to the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The framework for the

policy is developed from the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook available

from www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-and-qualifications/qce-qcia-handbook-2019

and applies to Applied, Applied (Essential), General, General (Extension) subjects, and

Short Courses across all faculties.

PURPOSE

Urangan State High School is committed to an educational philosophy that encourages all

students to achieve personal excellence by developing their talents and abilities. This

policy is designed to build capacity as students work towards summative assessment

completion for the QCE.

This policy;

• Informs students, parents and teachers of the key principles around assessment and

assessment requirements at Urangan State High School.

• Ensures consistency of practice in the application of assessment conditions and

treatment of assessment issues.

PRINCIPLES

Urangan State High School’s expectations for teaching, learning and assessment are

grounded in the principles of academic integrity and excellence.

Assessment includes any examination, practical demonstration, performance or product

that allows students to demonstrate the objectives as described by the subject syllabus.

Assessment should be:

• aligned with curriculum and pedagogy

• equitable for all students

• evidence-based, using established standards and continua to make defensible and

comparable judgments about students’ learning

• ongoing, with a range and balance of evidence compiled over time to reflect the depth

and breadth of students’ learning

• transparent, to enhance professional and public confidence in the processes used, the

information obtained and the decisions made

• informative of where students are in their learning.

High-quality assessment is characterised by three attributes:

• validity, through alignment with what is taught, learnt and assessed

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• accessibility, so that each student is given opportunities to demonstrate what they

know and can do

• reliability, so that assessment results are consistent, dependable or repeatable.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Assessment is an integral part of the school curriculum and is defined as any item of

work that enables students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, application

of skills or evaluation of learning experiences.

To ensure all students meet their obligations regarding completion of a course of study,

this school

assessment policy ensures staff, students and parents are aware of the expectations and

responsibilities regarding assessment practices.

The assessment process will be supportive, encourage student participation and provide

learning

experiences appropriate for assessment completion.

Progressive monitoring is important and may be used for making a judgment in the

absence of final

summative assessment.

There will be consistent consequences across all year levels and subject areas for

missed, late or non

-submission of work to ensure fair and equitable decision-making and treatment.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Students are expected to:

• Attend lessons regularly and to participate in class

• Perform and complete appropriate assessment tasks to enable fair and valid grades to be

determined

• Ensure assessment items are completed and submitted on time

o Attend scheduled exams

o Submit assessment

▪ via SafeAssign (online electronic submission)

▪ Year 10, 11, 12 (all subjects with assignments)

▪ Through student services and receive your submission notification

▪ Folios of evidence to be collected by your class teacher

• Adhere to this policy regarding late/ non-submissions

• Backup digital files.

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

Teachers are expected to:

• Complete Assessment Calendars using advertised deadlines

• Use the Assessment Calendar to log submission of student work

• Contact home re non-submission or work of poor quality

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• Follow the Assessment Policy conditions

• Grade assessment in a timely manner

• Provide feedback to students and profile data in a timely manner

• Store assessment items according to faculty policy.

PROMOTING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Urangan State High School promotes academic integrity by developing students’ skills

and modelling appropriate academic practices. The following whole-school procedures

support this endeavour.

LOCATION AND COMMUNICATION OF POLICY

The school assessment policy is located on the school website at

https://uranganshs.eq.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx and in the school prospectus. All questions regarding

this policy should be directed to Mr Andrew Rye (Deputy Principal – Curriculum) / Mr Ben Austin (HOD

Senior Schooling & VET).

To ensure the assessment policy is consistently applied, it will be revisited at the beginning of each

unit in form classes. Students will receive an electronic copy, emailed to their school email address. An

electronic copy is also saved on the local school network at the following pathway;

G:\Curriculum\Urangan SHS Policy Documents\Assessment Policy. Relevant processes will be

revisited:

• at enrolment interviews

• during SET planning

• at Parent / Teacher Interviews & ECP meetings

• when the assessment schedule is published

• through class reminders leading up to and during an assessment phase

• in the school newsletter and by email in response to phases of the assessment cycle.

EXPECTATIONS ABOUT ENGAGING IN LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 1.2.4, Section 2, Section 8.5.1)

Urangan State High School has high expectations for academic integrity and student participation and

engagement in learning and assessment. Students become eligible for a QCE when they have accrued

the set amount of learning, at the set standard, in a set pattern, while meeting literacy and numeracy

requirements. Students are required to complete all course and assessment requirements on or before

the due date for their results to contribute credit to the QCE.

Student responsibility

Students are expected to:

• engage in the learning for the subject or course of study

• produce evidence of achievement that is authenticated as their own work

• submit responses to scheduled assessment on or before the due date.

To emphasise the importance of sound academic practices, staff and students will complete the QCAA

academic integrity courses. The course will be embedded in the Year 11 / 12 SELF program. The form

class teacher will be responsible for compiling a list of students who have successfully completed the

academic integrity course.

The online training for students can be found at https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/academic-integrity-for-

students.html

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DUE DATES

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.7)

School responsibility

Urangan State High School is required to adhere to QCAA policies for gathering evidence of student

achievement on or before the due date.

Due dates for final responses, checkpoints and drafts will be published in the student assessment

schedule. All students will be provided with their assessment schedule by the end of Week 3 each unit.

The assessment schedule will:

• align with syllabus requirements

• provide sufficient working time for students to complete the task

• allow for internal quality assurance processes

• enable timelines for QCAA quality assurance processes to be met

• be clear to teachers, students and parents/carers

• be consistently applied

• be clearly communicated by the end of Week 3 each unit

• give consideration to allocation of workload.

Student responsibility

Students are responsible for:

• recording due dates in their diaries / individual planners

• planning and managing their time to meet the due dates

• informing the school as soon as possible if they have concerns about assessment load and meeting

due dates.

In cases where students are unable to meet a due date, they will:

• inform classroom teacher (with support from the Head of Department) as soon as possible. This will

commence discussions regarding AARA

• provide the school with relevant documentation, e.g. AARA application / documentation, medical

certificate

• adhere to alternative arrangements for submission of assessment, if applicable, as decided by the

school and where necessary, QCAA.

All final decisions are at the principal’s discretion.

SUBMITTING, COLLECTING AND STORING ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 9)

Assessment instruments will provide information about Urangan State High School’s arrangements for

submission of draft and final responses, including due dates, conditions and file types.

All assessment evidence, including draft responses, will be submitted by their due date and where

appropriate, via the School’s academic integrity software; SafeAssign.

Draft and final responses for all internal assessment will be collected and stored in each student’s

folio. Live performance assessments will be recorded and stored as required for QCAA processes. All

evidence used for making judgments is stored within the faculty storage process. This may include;

storage compactors / filing cabinets or by digital means.

APPROPRIATE MATERIALS

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.2)

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Urangan State High School is a supportive and inclusive school. Material and texts are chosen with

care in this context by students and staff.

All materials and texts are selected from the pre-approved list of options as outlined by the QCAA

within subject syllabus documentation.

Ensuring academic integrity

Urangan State High School has procedures to ensure that there is consistent application

of the assessment policy and that staff and students optimise opportunities to

understand academic integrity. The following procedures are to be applied in this

context.

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION

SCAFFOLDING

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.3)

Scaffolding for assessment helps students understand the process for completing the task. Scaffolding

will:

• maintain the integrity of the requirements of the task or assessment instrument

• allow for unique student responses and not lead to a predetermined response.

Scaffolding may include:

• breaking a complex task, learning experience, concept or skill into discrete parts

• modelling thought processes required to complete parts of an assessment instrument

• pre-teaching vocabulary specific to the subject and assessment instrument

• questioning to develop students’ conceptions, describe interpretations or challenge opinions that

inform a response

• showing examples of responses and demonstrating the match to performance descriptors

• using visual frameworks or graphic organisers to plan responses

Across the phases of learning, students will gradually be given more responsibility for understanding

the processes required to complete their tasks.

CHECKPOINTS

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2)

Checkpoints will:

• be detailed on student task sheets

• monitor student progress

• be used to establish student authorship.

Students will work on assessment during designated times and show evidence of progress at

scheduled checkpoints.

Teachers will use these checkpoints to identify and support students to complete their assessment

including;

• clarify assessment expectations for students (e.g. task requirements, how judgments are made)

• discuss progress towards the task completion

• help students develop strategies to submit assessment by the due date

• gather evidence on or before the due date

• provide points of intervention, if needed

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• embed authentication strategies

Parents/carers will be contacted via email, phone or text message if checkpoints are not met. The

relevant Head of Department, and Year Level Management team will also be notified as to be informed

of the student being at risk of not attaining credit. This provides an opportunity for tracking of student

performance and participation. If students refuse to engage in assessment activities, the cancellation

of enrolment process will commence. All assessment submissions are due on or before the scheduled

due date. No exceptions to this ruling will be allowed (aside from a formal AARA application – and

AARA approved). If a student does not meet the required due date and there is no evidence of work

provided; an N is awarded for the assessment item.

Drafting

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.5)

Drafting is a key checkpoint. Types of drafts differ depending on subject, e.g. written draft, rehearsal of

a performance piece, or a product in development. The draft strategy chosen may differ depending on

the mode of response. A draft may be used as evidence of student achievement in the case of illness or

misadventure, or non-submission for other reasons.

Feedback on a draft is:

• provided on a maximum of one draft of each student’s response

• a consultative process that indicates aspects of the response to be improved or

further developed

• delivered in a consistent manner and format for all students

• provided within one week of a submission of a draft.

Feedback on a draft must not:

• compromise the authenticity of a student response

• introduce new ideas, language or research to improve the quality and integrity of

the student work

• edit or correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and calculations

• allocate a mark.

A copy of the feedback will be stored electronically or hard copy within the students’ folio.

Parents and caregivers will be notified by phone / email or text message regarding non-submission of

drafts and the processes to be followed.

GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS (PROVIDING FEEDBACK)

Two different types of feedback are equally valuable in the classroom: feedback for

teaching and learning, and feedback for assessment, including on a draft response. Both

are led by the classroom teacher.

FEEDBACK AS PART OF A TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS

Feedback is designed to provide meaningful information about a student’s strengths and

areas for improvement. It helps the student understand where and how they are going,

and where they need to go next.

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FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

Effective feedback encourages self-reflection, allows students to actively monitor and

evaluate their own learning, and facilitates self-direction and motivation. Together,

assessment and feedback support continuous, collaborative, active and self-directed

learning.

Effective feedback is:

• ongoing

• individualised

• specific to the teaching, learning and assessment

• related to the standards or descriptions

• clear, and in language students understand

• timely, so the student can act on it to adjust their learning

• collaborative, so that teachers can work with the student and their parents/carers to

support the student’s learning

• supportive, so that the student is encouraged to reflect and act on the feedback, and

build their capacity for self-assessment.

FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITIES

Teachers provide feedback that varies throughout the teaching, learning and assessment

process. Opportunities for feedback in the classroom may include:

• ensuring a positive learning environment where students are aware of the protocols

and practices for giving and receiving feedback in a constructive way

• reviewing how students are working towards their learning goals

• working with students on classroom tasks in preparation for the assessment task

• encouraging a classroom culture that supports students to appropriately give and

receive feedback when peer editing

• enabling students to practise self-assessment, such as using checkpoints — key

stages in the assessment process at which students engage with peers and/or the

teacher to check they are on track for both content and assessment conditions, e.g.

mode, response length.

FEEDBACK ON A DRAFT RESPONSE

A draft is a preliminary version of a response to an assessment task. It should contain

most of the features of the final response. A draft is a point-in-time demonstration of a

student’s learning and their understanding of the assessment task requirements.

The draft response that a student submits to a teacher should be developed over a period

of time after a process of practising (e.g. their presentation or performance), reflecting

and editing. Teachers can use a student’s draft response to confirm that a student’s

assessment is their own work, as the draft shows the progression of a student’s thinking.

FORMATS AND MODES

Students may present a draft in a variety of formats or modes, depending on the subject

and the assessment task.

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For example, in Ancient History, a student will prepare written drafts when developing a

response to the topic. A student in English presenting a spoken task will have

opportunities in class to practise the speech before the final presentation. In Drama or

Dance, students will practise their performance in class. In each of these examples, a

student is preparing their draft response, whether it is written or spoken. These

opportunities may be outlined as checkpoints for peer review or discussion or for more

formal feedback from the teacher.

PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON A DRAFT

Teachers may also present feedback on a written or spoken draft in a variety of ways,

e.g. orally, in writing, to an individual or the whole class, and/or through questioning.

Teacher feedback on a draft may include advice to:

• consider other aspects of the text, report, performance or activity

• develop the response to show more awareness of the intended audience or purpose

• rearrange the sequence and structure of the response to prioritise the most important

points

• investigate further to expand the response

• synthesise the response by editing or removing excess information.

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PARAMETERS

When giving feedback on a draft, a teacher:

• may provide feedback on a maximum of one draft of each student’s response

• may, for a written response, indicate key errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and

calculations. They may also remind the student that the draft requires more editing,

but should not edit or correct all errors in the draft

• may, for a spoken response, indicate ways to improve spoken/signed and nonverbal

features in the student’s presentation

• should encourage the student to reflect on strategies they might use to refine their

response, drawing attention to aspects of the response that need to be improved or

developed to meet the requirements

• should not introduce new ideas, language or research that would compromise the

authenticity of student work

• feedback on a draft should form only one part of the feedback the teacher provides to

a student throughout their study.

MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.6)

Students must adhere to assessment response lengths as specified by syllabus documents. The

procedures below support students to manage their response length;

• All assessment instruments indicate the required length of the response

• Teaching and learning programs embed subject-specific strategies about responding purposefully

within the prescribed conditions of the task

• Model responses within the required length are available

• Feedback about length is provided by teachers at identified checkpoints.

After all these strategies have been implemented, if the student’s response exceeds the word length

required by the syllabus, the school will mark only the work up to the required length, excluding

evidence over the prescribed limit.

Teachers will also annotate any such student work submitted for confirmation purposes to clearly

indicate the evidence used to determine a mark.

GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS (MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH)

Schools, teachers and students have specific responsibilities for ensuring that students

can respond within the required length.

SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITIES

Schools develop school-based policies and procedures that:

• encourage students to respond to assessment instruments within the required length

• provide students with the knowledge and skills to respond within the required length

• emphasise the use of checkpoints, which include the draft due date, to provide

students with feedback about their responses

• include strategies to be implemented when a response exceeds the required length,

and indicate any used in the review at confirmation.

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TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Teachers:

• implement their school’s policies and procedures

• take reasonable steps to ensure that students can respond to assessment within the

required length

• work with students at checkpoints throughout the process, emphasising the conditions

of the task including response length

• use proactive strategies to support students to meet the syllabus requirements for the

response length

• annotate any student responses submitted on or before the due date that exceed the

required length to indicate the policy strategy used to mark the response.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Students:

• develop a response that meets the conditions of the assessment

• respond to draft feedback about the length of their response

• document the length of their response in the measurement indicated in the syllabus:

either a word length, duration of time, or page count.

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH

School assessment policy should include strategies for:

• proactively managing response length to develop students’ ability to meet assessment

conditions

• managing student responses of a length that do not meet the conditions when

assessments have been submitted on or before the due date.

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STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH BEFORE ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION

Teachers proactively support students to meet the syllabus requirements for the

response length indicated in the assessment conditions when they:

• develop and administer valid assessment instruments of suitable scope and scale

• implement effective teaching and learning strategies so students can learn effective

skills to use when responding to assessment techniques, e.g.

­ provide examples of assessment responses within the response length (word length,

duration of time or page count)

­ explicitly model how to create and draft a response to an assessment in the

required mode

­ provide feedback on one draft or at checkpoint dates if the student work does not

meet the assessment conditions

­ give advice to students about why and how to synthesise and develop ideas or

information to meet the assessment conditions.

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH AFTER ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION

Schools develop policy strategies for marking student responses that exceed assessment

conditions for response length and are submitted on or before the assessment due date.

These strategies should be suitable for the school and assessment context and may

include:

• marking only the work that meets the assessment conditions for response length,

excluding evidence outside the required length

• allowing a student to redact a response to meet the required length before a judgment

is made on the student work.

Note, however, that when marking student responses, schools cannot:

• change the tool being used for making a judgment

• penalise students for submitting a response that does not meet the response length

conditions by arbitrarily reducing their result.

CONSIDERATIONS

Schools assessment policy provides details about how the school will administer

strategies fairly and consistently across all subjects and students. In determining policy

strategies for managing response length after submission, schools consider how:

• different strategies may be more appropriate than others for specific techniques and

response types

• excluding evidence in parts of student work may affect the student’s mark/s

• other students’ work or marks may be affected if the response was completed in a

group, e.g. a performance in Drama.

INDICATING RESPONSE LENGTH STRATEGIES USED IN THE REVIEW AT CONFIRMATION

In the review at confirmation, schools must clearly indicate the strategy implemented

when submitting a sample that exceeds the response length. This might include:

• submitting only the student work used to determine a mark

• annotating the student work to indicate the evidence used to determine a mark.

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AUTHENTICATING STUDENT RESPONSES

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 8.2.8)

Accurate judgments of student achievement can only be made on student assessment responses that

are authenticated as their own work.

Urangan State High School uses the authentication strategies promoted by the QCAA. The

authentication strategies will be specified on assessment instruments.

In cases where a student response is not authenticated as a student’s own work, procedures for

managing alleged academic misconduct will be followed.

Teachers can collect evidence during the development of responses in order to establish authorship of

final responses. Teachers may:

• monitor, collect or observe progressive samples of each student’s work at various stages. This

process could be documented using an authentication record, checklist or photographs

• interview or consult with each student at checkpoints during the development of the response to

ensure that it is based on the student’s own work.

To establish authorship of final responses, teachers may:

• directly compare the responses of students who have worked together in groups

• for text, analyse final student responses using plagiarism-detection software, if available

• interview a sample of students after their responses have been submitted to determine their

understanding of and familiarity with their responses

• use internal quality assurance processes such as cross-marking if there is more than one class for a

subject cohort.

Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments, including illness and

misadventure (AARA)

Applications for AARA

Urangan State High School is committed to reducing barriers to success for all students. AARA are

actions taken by the school to minimise, as much as possible, barriers for a student whose disability,

impairment, medical condition or other circumstances may affect their ability to read, respond to or

participate in assessment.

The School follows the processes as outlined in the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook

available from www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-and-qualifications/qce-qcia-handbook-2019.

The School Principal manages all approval of AARA for students.

All AARA applications must be accompanied by the relevant supporting documentation (outlined in

Section 6.4.5) and made as far in advance as possible to meet the QCAA published timelines. All

evidence used to make decisions is recorded in the student’s file by the principal or their delegate.

Students are not eligible for AARA on the following grounds:

• unfamiliarity with the English language

• teacher absence or other teacher-related issues

• matters that the student could have avoided (e.g. misreading an examination timetable,

misreading instructions in examinations)

• timetable clashes

• matters of the student’s or parent’s/carer’s own choosing (e.g. family holidays or sporting

events)

• matters that the school could have avoided (e.g. incorrect enrolment in a subject)

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Applications for extensions to due dates for unforeseen illness and misadventure

Students and parents/carers must contact the principal’s delegate as soon as possible and submit the

relevant supporting documentation.

Copies of the AARA application templates and other supporting documentation are available from the school website. Students are also able to access electronic copies located at G:\Curriculum\Urangan SHS Policy Documents\AARA Application Information

AARA PROCESS AT URANGAN SHS:

1. If students are uncertain they can meet submission deadlines – they are to initiate conversations with their class teacher.

2. The class teacher (with support of their Head of Department) will consider if an AARA is appropriate.

3. If an AARA is appropriate, the student is to initiate the completion of required documentation (available through student services and G:\Curriculum\Urangan SHS Policy Documents\AARA Application Information)

a. Student report b. School report (to be completed by the class teacher, with House Manager / Head of Year

as required) c. Medical report (to be completed by GP, Specialist)

4. Once all reports are completed – submit these to your House Manager / Head of Year. 5. House Manager / Head of Year will complete application through the AARA function on the

QCAA portal. 6. Once AARA application is complete, the HOD Senior Schooling / Head of Special Education will

submit AARA application 7. The Principal will consider all school based AARA applications and confirm outcome with the

Head of Year / House Manager / Class teacher. 8. QCAA will review all other AARA applications and award provisions as deemed necessary. 9. School to implement AARA decisions as notified.

MANAGING NON-SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT BY THE DUE DATE

Teachers will collect progressive evidence of student responses to assessment instruments at the

prescribed checkpoints. The checkpoints on the instrument-specific task sheets provide details of the

evidence that will be collected.

In circumstances where students are enrolled in a subject but do not submit a final response to an

assessment (other than unseen examinations) and where evidence of student work:

• provided by the student for the purposes of authentication during the assessment preparation period

is available, teachers make judgments based on this

• was not provided by the student on or before the due date as specified by the school and no other

evidence is available, ‘Not-Rated’ (NR) must be entered in the Student Management system by the

date published in the SEP calendar.

In circumstances where a student response is judged as NR, the student will not meet the requirements

for that subject. As such;

• Students may not receive credit for Unit 1 / Unit 2 (depending on if all assessment objectives have

been assessed)

• A non-submission in Unit 3 / 4 will deem students ineligible for any credit in that particular subject.

• The student will be removed from the subject and will be enrolled in other educational offerings at

Urangan which include Cert I and / or Cert II courses.

For students enrolled in Year 11 and 12, individual circumstances will be considered regarding

cancellation of enrolment. The Head of Year in collaboration with Principal, will consider whether the

behaviour of the student (who is older than compulsory school age) amounts to a refusal to participate

in the educational program provided at the school.

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GATHERING EVIDENCE OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Urangan SHS is responsible for gathering evidence of student achievement in response to assessment on or before the due date for internal assessment instruments in all subjects for all units. Strategies may vary according to the assessment technique. In light of maintaining the integrity of assessment, it is not possible to gather evidence for the examination technique before the due date where the student is required to respond under supervised conditions to unseen questions or stimulus materials. There may be adjustments to processes or due dates in situations when a student is eligible for AARA. Urangan SHS will be proactive in developing strategies to gather evidence about student achievement throughout the teaching, learning and assessment process. Urangan SHS will;

• establish effective strategies for gathering evidence before students submit or complete assessment

tasks, e.g. work completed in class in response to the instrument such as a draft, rehearsal notes,

photographs of work

• establish school approaches to assessment practices, e.g. declared due dates for assessment tasks,

approaches to ensure evidence is gathered on or before the assessment due date such as

checkpoints or a draft

• ensure information in this handbook and school-based policies are shared with school staff, students

and their parents/carers, and that the procedures and processes are consistently applied across all

subjects

• provide points of intervention so that teachers, other school staff and parents/carers can provide

support to prevent the non-submission of a response to assessment.

Evidence collected on or before the due date and teacher observations may be used to authenticate responses as the students own work. Schools may use a variety of methods, both direct and indirect, to collect evidence and authenticate student responses. For the purpose of confirmation, direct evidence of the student’s response is required. Teacher observations are not sufficient on their own to support a judgment.

SUBMISSION OF STUDENT WORK

Student work will be collected by the following means (draft and final submission);

• Exams

o Examinations will be conducted in class or in scheduled block exam periods. The class teacher will collect all

exams at the conclusion of the exam session.

• Folios of work

o The class teacher will collect evidence to complete the folio as the assessment phase progresses. Students

may also be responsible for submitting a complete folio of work as their assessment item.

• Research assignments / reports

o Urangan SHS will utilise the online platform of SafeAssign for assignment submissions. All students in the

following Year level breakdowns are required to submit assignments through Safe Assign (exceptions to this

may include possible Maths assessment items, where there are handwritten responses, working out etc).

▪ Year 10 Semester 2 subjects

▪ Year 11 – All subjects

▪ Year 12 – All subjects

o If students are unable to submit online via SafeAssign, students are to submit their assignment through

student services where a receipt will be issued and provided to the student

o Students are UNABLE to email or hand their assessment directly to their teacher.

• Performances

o Students will be required to either present live to the peers or possibly submit a pre-recording. Please note;

this is dependent on subject specific requirements as outlined in syllabus documentation.

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ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION FLOW CHART

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INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESSES

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 9)

Urangan State High School’s quality management system ensures valid, accessible and reliable

assessment of student achievement. This includes:

• quality assurance of all assessment instruments before they are administered to students using

quality assurance tools provided by the QCAA

• quality assurance of judgments about student achievement.

All marks for summative internal assessment for General and General (Extension) subjects are

provisional until they are confirmed by the QCAA.

Results for Applied and Applied (Essential) subjects and Short Courses may be subject to advice from

the QCAA.

GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS – STRATEGIES FOR QUALITY ASSURING JUDGMENTS

The following strategies for quality assuring judgments may be used by schools to suit their local context. They

should be used before reporting and external quality assurance.

For subjects with:

• multiple classes, judgments may be quality assured by a designated quality assurance team

• a single class, the teacher may quality assure judgments with a quality assurance (QA) team, if possible or a

subject leader, if not.

Strategy Single class Multiple classes

Calibration

Before beginning to mark

Practise using relevant tools for making judgments

to build confidence in applying marking guides.

Tools for making judgments include:

• instrument-specific marking guide (ISMG)

• instrument-specific standards matrix (ISSM)

• internal marking guides.

Other useful resources include annotated sample

responses (in the QCAA Portal).

Use the calibration

exercise to build a QA

team, if possible;

otherwise calibrate with

the subject leader.

Use calibration to build

capacity in a designated

QA team.

During marking

Meet after marking some student responses to

discuss the performance levels awarded and the

characteristics of the responses.

Discuss differences of emphasis or other variations

between perceived levels of quality. Refer to the

tools for making judgments throughout this

process.

Select some responses

(e.g. first four) and

discuss decisions with

the QA team or subject

leader.

Use calibration to build

capacity in a designated

QA team.

Select some responses

(e.g. first four) as a QA

team and discuss the

decision-making process.

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Strategy Single class Multiple classes

Blind marking

Mark a de-identified copy of a student response. De-identify and make

copies of a response.

Mark a copy and compare

with the QA team’s or

subject leader’s marking

of a copy to check for

consistency of

judgments.

De-identify and make

copies of a response.

Mark and compare

marking across the QA

team’s copies to check

for consistency of

judgments.

Peer reviewing random responses (sampling)

Randomly select marked responses for each

performance level. If inconsistencies are found in

the marking, discuss these and consider whether a

recalibration exercise would be useful (see

‘Calibration’ above).

Cross-check with the QA

team or subject leader for

reliability of judgments —

including accuracy and

consistency of the

teacher’s judgments —

across the class.

Cross-check within the

QA team for reliability of

judgments — including

accuracy and consistency

of judgments — across

the classes.

Checking borderline and best-fit results

Check borderline and best-fit responses to ensure

decisions are accurate before returning responses

and providing results to students.

Select complex or difficult

judgments and check for

reliability with the QA

team or subject leader.

Select complex or difficult

judgments and check for

reliability with QA team.

Peer review or cross

mark.

Distributed marking

Use distributed marking when an assessment

instrument is composed of many different sections

or items and has a numerical marking guide, such

as Mathematics. All teachers mark the allocated sets

of distributed responses and then discuss

differences in judgments to gain a clear and

consistent understanding of the ISMG.

N/A Allocate a specific section to a teacher or QA team. Mark a selected sample (e.g. three) and discuss. Each teacher then marks their own class.

Cross marking

Distribute student responses across teachers of the

same subject.

N/A Mark work from other

classes only.

Double marking

Mark responses twice. N/A Provide more than one

teacher with the same

response to mark and

check the consistency of

the teachers’ judgments.

Use this strategy for all

responses or a random

selection of responses.

Not Rated (NR)

For each NR decision

Check that school assessment policy has been

followed.

Check that the

school’s assessment

policy is consistently

Check that the school’s

assessment policy is

consistently applied and

documented.

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Strategy Single class Multiple classes

applied and

documented.

REVIEW

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 9)

Urangan State High School’s internal review processes for student results (including NR) for all

General subjects (Units 1 and 2), Applied subjects, and Short Courses is equitable and appropriate for

the local context.

EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION

EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT IMPLEMENTATION

(QCE / QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook Section 10)

See the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook (Section 10.1) and follow the External

assessment — administration guide for processes, roles and responsibilities of the school external

assessment (SEA) coordinator, teachers and students.

MANAGING ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

CHEATING WHILE UNDER SUPERVISED CONDITIONS

A student:

• begins to write during perusal time or continues to write after the instruction to stop writing is given

• uses unauthorised equipment or materials

• has any notation written on the body, clothing or any object brought into an assessment room

• communicates with any person other than a supervisor during an examination, e.g. through speaking,

signing, electronic device or other means such as passing notes, making gestures or sharing

equipment with another student.

COLLUSION

When:

• more than one student works to produce a response and that response is submitted as individual work

by one or multiple students

• a student assists another student to commit an act of academic misconduct a student gives or

receives a response to an assessment.

CONTRACT CHEATING

A student:

• pays for a person or a service to complete a response to an assessment

• sells or trades a response to an assessment.

COPYING WORK

A student:

• deliberately or knowingly makes it possible for another student to copy responses

• looks at another student’s work during an exam

• copies another student’s work during an exam.

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DISCLOSING OR RECEIVING INFORMATION ABOUT ASSESSMENT

A student:

• gives or accesses unauthorised information that compromises the integrity of the assessment, such

as stimulus or suggested answers/responses, prior to completing a response to an assessment

• makes any attempt to give or receive access to secure assessment materials.

FABRICATING

A student:

• invents or exaggerates data

• lists incorrect or fictitious references.

Impersonation

A student:

• arranges for another person to complete a response to an assessment in their place, e.g.

impersonating the student in a performance or supervised assessment.

• completes a response to an assessment in place of another student.

MISCONDUCT DURING EXAMINATION

A student distracts and/or disrupts others in an assessment room.

PLAGIARISM OR LACK OF REFERENCING

A student completely or partially copies or alters another person’s work without attribution (another

person’s work may include text, audio or audio-visual material, figures, tables, design, images,

information or ideas).

SELF-PLAGIARISM

A student duplicates work, or part of work already submitted as a response to an assessment

instrument in the same or any other subject.

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION OF HELP

A student arranges for, or allows, a tutor, parent/carer or any person in a supporting role to complete or

contribute significantly to the response.

PROCEDURES FOR MANAGING ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

For authorship issues

When authorship of student work cannot be established or a response is not entirely a student’s own

work the school will provide an opportunity for the student to demonstrate that the submitted response is

their own work.

For all instances of academic misconduct

Results will be awarded using any evidence from the preparation of the response that is available that

is verifiably the student’s own work and that was gathered in the conditions specified by the syllabus,

on or before the due date.

For instances of academic misconduct during examinations

Students will be awarded a Not-Rated (NR). See the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook

Section 8.1). Where appropriate, the school’s behaviour management policy will be implemented.

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SUBJECT CHANGE POLICY

Students requesting a change of subject are to complete a Senior subject change form.

Forms are located at Student Services (Administration) and at G:\Curriculum\Urangan SHS Policy

Documents\Assessment Policies. The Senior subject change form is also provided on the following

page.

PROCESS FOR CHANGING SUBJECTS;

1. Discuss concerns with current class teacher

2. Seek advice regarding the ability of passing current subject

3. Review Senior Subject Handbook for potential options

4. Discuss options with parents / carers. At this stage it may also be beneficial to

seek advice from Guidance Officers regarding career pathways

5. Collect a subject change form from Student Services

6. Fill in personal details indicating current subject and new subject

7. Parent / Carer to sign, indicating support of the subject change

8. Current subject Head of Department to complete and sign their relevant section

9. New subject Head of Department to review application. If deemed suitable and

positions in subject / course available, HOD to complete and sign relevant section

10. Submit your application to the Head of Year

11. Head of Year will finalise application by confirming career pathway / checking

ATAR eligibility and tracking for QCE attainment

12. A new timetable will be issued

13. Student responsibility to catch up all required class work and complete required

assessment instruments

REASONS FOR CHANGING SUBJECTS MAY INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO;

• Medical conditions / injury

• Potential unsatisfactory results for Unit 1 or 2

• Enrolment in a TAFE course or VET Certificate through an External RTO

• Commencement of a Traineeship / Apprenticeship

• Enrolment in USC Headstart program

• Change in career pathway / pre-requisite requirement.

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DUE DATES FOR SUBJECT CHANGES

All subject change requests are due within the first three weeks of the commencement of a new unit of

work.

Applications are open during the following blocks of time;

• Term 4 Year 10 – all students will select their subjects for the commencement of Unit 1, day 1

Year 11

• End of Unit 1 changes – Week 8 to 10, Term 2

• End of Unit 2 changes – Week 5 to 7, Term 4

• No further changes will be permitted for Units 3 & 4. It is a condition that Unit 3 and 4 be

completed as a block.

The Deputy Principal / Head of Year will consider applications outside of these times on an individual

basis.

G:\Coredata\Admin\HBooks 2021\STUDENT HANDBOOK MASTER.docx

URANGAN STATE HIGH SCHOOL PATHWAY REVIEW (SETP)

SUBJECT CHANGE APPLICATION

1. PATHWAY REVIEW (Student to complete)

STUDENT NAME YEAR LEVEL

DATE

2. STUDENT AND PARENT CONSENT

Student Reason for Subject Change: Student Signature:

Parent/Guardian Comments: Parent/Guardian Signature:

I understand in signing my consent for this subject change I am accepting associated course fees and taking responsibility for payment of associated course fees.

3. CURRENT SUBJECT

Current Subject: HOD CODE:

Teacher SIGNATURE: Exit Result A B C D E

WTC / CA / CNA

Units complete 1 2 3 4

0 (no credit)

Comments: Markbook updated with exit result/competencies

4. PROPOSED SUBJECT / EXTERNAL COURSE

Proposed Subject: Subject CODE: HOD CODE:

Proposed External Course: External Course Start Date/Day: HOD SIGNATURE:

Comments: Positions available Current No. in class

5. ADMINISTRATION (Deputy / Head of Year) - PATHWAY REVIEW (SETP)

ATAR Eligibility Review

Current Eligibility Eligible Ineligible Proposed Eligibility Eligible Ineligible

Current: <4 General Subjects for unit 3-4 and/or 1 Applied or certificate III or higher

Eligible Ineligible

Proposed: <4 General Subjects for unit 3-4 and/or 1 Applied or certificate III of higher

Eligible Ineligible

English subject Eligible Ineligible English subject Eligible Ineligible

QCE Eligibility

Current: 12 points from core learning

Eligible Ineligible

Proposed: 12 points from core learning

Eligible Ineligible

Current: 20 credits

Eligible Ineligible

Proposed: 20 credits

Eligible Ineligible

Literacy requirement met requirement NOT yet met

Numeracy requirement met requirement NOT yet met

Additional Comments: Signature: Date:

6. DEPUTY PRINCIPAL / HEAD OF YEAR APPROVAL

Change Approved

Details of Approval: From: To:

Deputy / Head of Year OS update including HOD Senior School / finance officer / teachers Student timetable issued Understand implications of QCE attainment HOD Senior Schooling provided with approved subject change form

Change Not Approved

Reasons:

Signature: Student Management Operator Student Management updated Markbook checked VET certification issued (where applicable) Subject change application filed

Comments: Date:

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TAFE IN SCHOOLS

TAFE in Schools is a vocational pathway partnership between Urangan State High School and East Coast TAFE which presents some great opportunities for those students who know what they want to study and are focused on their career goals.

The TAFE in Schools program allows students to study their chosen vocational field, obtain structured work placement in their field of study, as well as achieve their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) at the end of the two-year program.

It is important to note that successful completion of a VET Certificate Course undertaken at East Coast TAFE will utilize a student’s allocation of VETiS funding. All students are entitled to 1 x VETiS funded Cert II Course. This means training and participation in the course is free – aside from some specialty courses which require Personal Protective Equipment, of which a student may have to purchase.

In regards to QCE points;

• Certificate I courses are worth 2 to 3 credits (depending on the course)

• Certificate II courses are worth 4 credits

• Certificate III courses are worth 8 credits and also contribute towards ATAR

• Certificate IV courses are worth 8 credits and also contribute towards ATAR

Urangan SHS students who undertake a VET Certificate though TAFE, participate in one day of Training / Assessment at East Coast TAFE and 4 days of normal schooling at Urangan SHS. Training days at TAFE are dependent on which course is being undertaken. In previous years, TAFE courses have been delivered on either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Students in the TAFE in Schools program will be enrolled in 5 x QCAA subjects or VET Certificate courses. Their 6th subject will be the TAFE in Schools course. Students will be required to catch up any missed classwork in the remainder of their subjects. Students undertaking this program will be awarded a FLT line (3 x 70min lessons across a week) to assist in catching up work.

Students who complete a TAFE in Schools course in Year 11:

• Option to re-enrol in another TAFE in Schools course for Year 12, or

• Enrol in a school-based subject for Unit 3 and Unit 4 (Year 12)

Students who do not complete a TAFE course in Year 11 are able to undertake a course for Year

12.

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SCHOOL UNIFORM

DRESS CODE POLICY

The Urangan State High School Dress Code Policy has been developed in consultation with parents and caregivers, school staff, students and the Parents’ and Citizens’ Association.

The Urangan State High School community endorses supports and expects students to be in uniform.

A uniform is an important part of the development of our school as we agree it presents the first (and often lasting) impression people form about our school and its students. The Urangan State High School Dress Code assists our school community by:

• allowing for the easy identification of our students on school premises and during regional sporting and cultural events and excursions, critical incidents, safety drills or evacuations.

• alerting our school staff to people who may not belong on our school grounds.

• reducing the pressure of buying name brands and following the latest trends and fads, which minimises any visible economic or social differences between students.

• promoting a sense of common purpose and belonging, consistency and unity in the daily activities of students.

• reflecting the Urangan State High School’s community expectations of student safety and is consistent with the Department of Education and Training’s Occupational Health and Safety and Anti-discrimination Legislation and Sun Safe Strategy.

Dress and Personal Appearance Expectations

Students wearing items that do not comply with the requirements set out below will be asked to remove the offending item and to store it out of sight for the remainder of the school day. In the case of non-uniform jumpers or tracksuit pants worn during autumn and winter, students will not be required to remove these items unless an equivalent replacement uniform item is provided to replace it during the school day. A refusal to comply will be dealt with in accordance with managing compliance set out below.

All students must be in full school uniform when:

• attending or representing the school

• travelling to and from school and

• engaging in school activities out of school hours.

Students are to wear items related to safety, such as safe footwear and eye protection, which may be necessary in order to participate in certain school activities.

The school requires all students to come to school with a clean and tidy appearance which includes:

• Hair is to be washed, combed/brushed.

• Clothes are to be clean.

• Hair colour is to be natural tones i.e. not multi-coloured, not unnatural hair colours (such as pink, blue, green, purple etc.).

• Hair styles are to be neat and tidy, e.g. no shaved styles, no mohawks, no words / symbols shaved into the scalp etc.

• Make-up is not to be worn.

• Clear nail polish is permitted.

• Jewellery is permitted to be worn only if it complies with the following requirements:

• Small sleepers (no bigger than a five cent piece) or small studs (non-protruding items only).

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• One small pendant (no bigger than a twenty cent piece) on a thin chain. (Due to Workplace Health and Safety requirements, this necklace must be worn inside the student’s collar/school shirt and may have to be removed to enable participation in certain activities).

• A signet ring.

• Medical alert bracelets and necklaces

• Other piercings that are not ordinarily covered by the school uniform (i.e. facial piercings) must be covered by tape/band-aid or removed during the school day.

Uniform Modifications and Exemptions

Urangan State High School recognises that in some situations students may require modifications to the requirements of the school dress code. These modifications are designed to permit a student to attend the school with maximum compliance with the dress code, recognising that the student may not be able to fully comply (for example, if a student gets permission from the school to colour or shave their head in order to participate in a charitable activity or if a student with a disability finds the present uniform unsatisfactory for their disability).

Conscientious Exemptions

The exceptional circumstances of some students or families may require parent/s to request an exemption.

Conscientious objection. Urangan State High School recognises that some students and parents may have a conscientious objection (for example, on the basis of genuine religious or cultural grounds) to their children wearing a school uniform and may wish to apply for individual circumstances modification or exemption.

Financial Hardship

Personal financial circumstances may make purchasing school uniform items seem unrealistic for some families. Parents should note that Urangan State High School can provide relevant assistance to families for uniform items where financial stress is genuine. Loan uniforms are available which may be borrowed by students until uniforms are able to be purchased. Second hand uniforms are available for purchase from the P & C Uniform Shop. If these arrangements are unsatisfactory, parents may apply for a flexible payment plan with the school’s Business Services Manager.

Pre-Existing Exemption or Modification

The Principal will also consider granting an exemption or modification where a student has had a dress code exemption or modification in place at another school, immediately prior to enrolling at Urangan State High School.

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Application Process

An application for individual circumstances modification or for exemption should be made in writing to the school Principal. The school Principal in considering the application may require additional information from an applicant to satisfy themselves that the application has a genuine basis (as opposed to a mere preference or dislike). The school Principal will endeavour to respond to such an application as soon as practicable after receiving it, either granting the application or refusing it. The school Principal’s response will be in writing. Applicants will be afforded natural justice. The school Principal’s decision is final.

Consequences of Approval

Where a student is granted an individual circumstances modification or exemption, they will be provided with a card outlining the individual circumstance modification or exemption. The exemption or modification allows the student to attend school without receiving a disciplinary consequence applied for the uniform non-compliance, but these students may however be prevented from attending, or participating in, any school activity that, in the reasonable opinion of the school Principal, is not part of the essential educational program of the school (this can include school excursions, extra-curricular activities where the student is associated with the school) and / or be prevented from attending, or participating in, any school activity for which the student would have been representing the school.

The student is obliged to carry the card while they are at school and is obliged to present it if school staff query their uniform status. Failure to carry the card may result in disciplinary action in line with the sanctions for non-compliance

RELATED POLICIES

http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Pages/Student-Dress-Code.aspx

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SCHOOL UNIFORM SPECIFICATIONS

UNIFORM DETAILS

SHIRT Junior - red polyester micromesh polo with white and grey inserts; Senior - grey polyester micromesh polo with red & white inserts; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest

SHORTS All - Mid-grey micro fibre sports shorts -with approved school logo embroidered on front left hem

SKIRT

*Mid-grey polyester viscose knee length skirt with box pleats; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left hem *Tartan polyester viscose knee length skirt with box pleats; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left hem

FORMAL

Shirt - Blouse / Business Shirt: white poly-cotton; piping: corded, red; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest pocket Pants - long mid-grey; dress pants -with approved school logo embroidered on back right pocket Tie - Button Tie (red crossover) / (grey with red stripes) – junior / senior Long Tie (grey with red stripe)

WINTER

Fleece jumper / Pullover / Button-up Cardigan - mid-grey cotton acrylic; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest Tracksuit: Jacket - red, grey & white micro fibre outer with white poly cotton interlock inner; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest; Pants - grey microfiber with red piping down the side with white poly cotton interlock lining -with approved logo embroidered on front left upper leg

HAT Style: Bucket; material: polyester micro mesh red; -with approved school logo embroidered on front

SHOES Lace-up, Velcro or gusseted shoes must be worn at all times. Classes in workshops/labs/kitchens, regulations recommend leather shoes. Workplace Health & Safety requires that entire foot must be covered.

SOCKS Short ankle socks - plain white or black.

BAGS (Optional) – ergonomic backpack / sports bag

JEWELLERY

Earrings - Small sleepers (no bigger than five cent piece); small studs (non-protruding items only); One small pendant (no bigger than twenty cent piece) on thin chain. (Due to Workplace Health and Safety requirements, necklace to be worn inside student’s collar/ shirt - may need to be removed to enable participation in certain activities). Ring - a signet / plain ring. Medical alert bracelets and necklaces

MAKE-UP Make-up is not to be worn. Clear nail polish is permitted.

HAIR Hair styles are to be clean, neat and tidy. Hair colour is to be natural tones.

• Uniform Modifications and Exemptions; support for Financial Hardship - available upon request to administration

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CODE OF CONDUCTION (POLICIES, ELECTRONIC DEVICES

AND DRESS CODE

Urangan State High School

2021-2023

Student

Code of Conduct

Every student succeeding Every student succeeding is the shared vision of Queensland state schools. Our vision shapes regional and

school planning to ensure every student receives the support needed to belong to the school community,

engage purposefully in learning and experience academic success. Queensland Department of Education

State Schools Strategy 2020-2024

Contact Information

Postal address: PO Box 5100 Torquay Queensland 4655

Phone: 07 4197 0111

Email: the.principal@uranganshs.eq.edu.au

School website address: www.uranganshs.eq.edu.au

Contact Person: Glen Robinson (Principal)

78

Endorsement

Contents

Purpose 5 Data Overview 9 Learning & Behaviour Statement 12 Consideration of Individual Circumstances 12 Whole School Approach to Discipline 13

PBL Expectations 14 Differentiated and Explicit Teaching 17 Focussed Teaching 17 Intensive Teaching 18

Student Wellbeing 19 Disciplinary Consequences 21 School Policies 25 Dress Code / Uniform 25 Temporary removal of student property 27 Use of mobile phones and other devices by students 29 Preventing and responding to bullying 31 Appropriate use of social media 38 Restrictive Practices 40 Critical Incidents 41 Legislative Delegations 42 Related Procedures & Guidelines 43 Resources 44 Conclusion 45

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Purpose

Urangan State High School is committed to providing a safe, respectful and disciplined learning environment for all students, staff, parents and visitors. The Urangan State High School Student Code of Conduct sets out the responsibilities and processes we use in our school to promote a productive, effective whole school approach to discipline. Its purpose is to facilitate high standards of behaviour from all in the school community, ensuring learning and teaching in our school is prioritised, where all students are able to experience success and staff enjoy a safe workplace.

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Principal’s Foreword

Urangan State High School has proud tradition of providing high quality education to students from across the Fraser Coast. We believe strong, positive relationships between all members of our school are the foundation to supporting the success of all students.

Urangan State High School has three core values of Respect that influence the performance of students, staff and broader school community. These values of Respect, combined with our expert teachers, contribute to the positive outcomes that Urangan State High School has an excellent reputation for producing.

Respect Yourself

Respect Others

Respect the Environment These values have been used in the development of this Student Code of Conduct, with the aim of helping shape and build the skills of all our students to be confident, self-disciplined and kind young people. Our school staff believe that communication and positive connections with other people are the most valuable skills our communities need now and in the future. Urangan State High School staff take an educative approach to discipline, that behaviour can be taught and that mistakes are opportunities for everyone to learn. Our Student Code of Conduct provides an overview of the school’s local policies on dress code, use of mobile phones and other technology, removal of student property and the approach to preventing and addressing incidents of bullying. It also details the steps school staff take to educate students about these policies and how students are explicitly taught the expected behaviours. Finally, it details the consequences that may apply when students breach the expected standards of behaviour, including the use of suspension or exclusion. I thank the students, teachers, parents and other members of the community for their work in bringing this Urangan State High School Student Code of Conduct together over the last six months. Your interest and views shared through the process of developing this document have been invaluable. It provides a clear explanation of what we expect from students and how we will support them to meet those expectations.

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P&C Statement of Support

As President of the Urangan State High School (USHS) P&C Committee, I am proud to support the new

Student Code of Conduct for USHS. The inclusive, transparent consultation process led by Mr Glen

Robinson and his team has ensured parents have had multiple opportunities to contribute and provide

feedback through surveys and open discussion at P&C Meetings. This has been an important aspect in

the development of the USHS Student Code of Conduct, as the awareness and involvement of

parents/school community is critical to ensuring all adults are able to support the students of the school

to meet the set expectations.

We encourage all parents/school community to familiarise themselves with the USHS Student Code of

Conduct, and to take time to talk with their children about the expectations and discuss any support they

may need. In particular, it is important to emphasise the systems in place to help support students

affected by bullying.

Bullying is a community-wide issue in which we all have a role to play in combating its occurrence and

impact. It can have particularly devastating impacts on our young people. It is important that every

parent and child of USHS knows what to do if subjected to bullying, regardless of where it occurs. This

includes cyberbullying, through the misuse of social media or text messaging. It is important that

parents and children know that schools provide support and advice to help address problems of bullying,

and the flowchart on page 33 provides an excellent starting point to understand how to approach the

school about these types of concerns.

Any parents/school community who wish to discuss the USHS Student Code of Conduct and the role of

families in supporting the behavioural expectations of students, are welcome to contact myself or to

join the USHS P&C Association and attend meetings to have a voice. It is with your support that we can

work collaboratively with school staff to ensure all students are safe and appropriately supported to

meet their individual social and learning needs.

On behalf of the 2021 USHS P&C,

Yours in working together to strengthen the home and school partnership

Lisa Cooper (on behalf of the 2020 P&C Executive and Members)

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School Captains’ Statement

On behalf of the student body at Urangan State High School, we endorse the Student Code of Conduct for 2021. We have been presented the draft Code of Conduct and been given an opportunity to provide feedback and put forward the views of young people on a range of issues affecting their lives at school. Throughout the year, we will continue to work with the school administration team and the Urangan State High School P&C Association on how the Student Code of Conduct is working, identify areas for improvement and present alternative options or suggestions for consideration. Any student who has questions or issues they would like raised by the School Captains are first encouraged to talk with their Year Level representative, however they are also invited to approach any of us directly.

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Data Overview

This section is used to report on key measures related to student discipline, safety and wellbeing using existing data sets available to all schools. This provides an open and transparent reporting mechanism for the school community on the perceptions of students, parents and staff about school climate, attendance and school disciplinary absences. The Parent, Student and Staff Satisfaction data in the tables below is drawn from the School Opinion Survey. The School Opinion Survey is an annual collection designed to obtain the views of parents/caregivers, students and school staff from each school on what they do well and how they can improve. Opinions on the school, student learning, and student wellbeing are sought from a parent/caregiver in all families and a sample of students from each state school. Opinions on the school as a workplace are sought from all school staff and principals. There are additional questions for teaching staff on their confidence to teach and improve student outcomes. Principals are also asked about their confidence to lead the school and improve student outcomes. There are four different confidential surveys for

• parents

• students

• staff

• principals. For more information, refer to frequently asked questions page.

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School Opinion Survey

Parent opinion survey

Student opinion survey

Performance measure

Percentage of students who agree# that: 2017 2018 2019

My school celebrates student achievements (S2066)

96.6 91.5 90.0

My teachers expect me to do my best* (S2039) 92.4 94.5 98.9

I use computers and other technologies at my school for learning (S2054)

92.4 90.0 95.6

My maths skills are being developed at my school (2050)

90.7 89.2 81.3

My teachers encourage me to do my best (S2059) 90.7 90.0 86.8

I am getting a good education at my school (S2048) 90.6 92.3 87.8

My teachers provide me with useful feedback about my school work* (S2040)

89.8 80.6 83.9

I can access computers and other technologies at my school for learning (S2052)

89.0 89.2 93.4

My teachers motivate me to learn* (S2038) 87.9 83.2 77.4

My schoolwork challenges me to think (S2057) 87.8 86.7 86.8

My teachers use a variety of resources to help me learn (S2062)

87.3 81.7 78.9

I like being at my school* (S2036) 87.2 76.3 77.4

My teachers help me with my school work when I need it (S2061)

87.2 89.2 80.9

My school looks for ways to improve (S2045) 87.1 87.5 88.2

Performance measure

Percentage of parents/caregivers who agree# that:

2017 2018 2019

Teachers at this school expect my child to do his or her best* (S2005)

96.6 87.6 94.4

My child is getting a good education at this school (S2016)

94.3 88.5 87.5

My child’s Mathematics skills are being developed at this school (S2018)

94.3 85.6 81.7

This is a good school (S2035) 93.2 84.5 86.4

The school celebrates student achievements (S2033)

93.1 92.2 92.8

I understand how my child is assessed at this school (S2019)

92.9 89.4 90.1

My child is making good progress at this school* (S2004)

92.1 84.0 88.7

My child feels safe at this school* (S2002) 91.0 88.6 94.5

Teachers at this school provide their child with useful feedback about his or her school work* (S2006)

90.9 84.6 87.1

I can talk to their child's teachers about their concerns* (S2009)

90.9 85.7 92.5

My child’s English skills are being developed at this school (S2017)

89.9 87.4 84.5

My child's learning needs are being met at this school* (S2003)

89.9 83.0 91.8

I would recommend this school to others (S2034) 88.8 86.4 81.4

My child likes being at this school* (S2001) 88.8 85.8 86.3

This school is well maintained* (S2014) 88.6 82.9 88.6

Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn (S2007)

88.5 80.8 85.9

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Staff opinion survey

Performance measure

Percentage of school staff who agree# that: 2017 2018 2019

I am aware of occupational health and safety procedures at my school (S3226)

98.9 93.2 91.7

My school encourages me to take responsibility for my work (S3211)

97.7 90.6 86.7

Students with a disability are well supported at my school (S3201)

93.8 97.3 95.2

Students are encouraged to do their best at their school (S2072)

93.0 89.7 89.3

Students are treated fairly at this school (S2073) 91.9 88.8 82.1

My school provides useful information online (S3218)

91.9 88.6 86.6

I enjoy working at this school (S2069) 90.8 78.6 77.6

I am proud to tell others I work for this school (S3227)

90.7 79.5 70.7

This is good school (S2108) 89.7 76.7 69.0

My school has an inclusive culture where diversity is valued and respected (S3202)

89.5 92.1 89.3

My work has direct positive impact on the community (S3228)

89.2 82.7 82.5

* Nationally agreed student and parent/caregiver items # ‘Agree’ represents the percentage of respondents who Somewhat Agree, Agree or Strongly Agree with the statement. DW = Data withheld to ensure confidentiality.

School Disciplinary Absences (SDA)

Principals use a range of disciplinary consequences to address inappropriate behaviour. Suspensions, exclusions and cancellations of enrolment are only used as a last resort option for addressing serious behaviour issues. Principals balance individual circumstances and the actions of the student with the needs and rights of school community members. All state schools are required to report School Disciplinary Absences (SDA) for the school year in their school annual report. There are four main categories of SDA: short suspension, long suspension, exclusion and charge-related suspension. The following table shows the count of incidents for students recommended for each type of school disciplinary absence reported at the school.

URANGAN STATE HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY ABSENCES

Type 2017 2018 2019

Short Suspensions – 1 to 10 days 647 628 671

Long Suspensions – 11 to 20 days 14 23 36

Cancellations 12 6 6

Exclusions 5 12 5

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Learning and Behaviour Statement

Everyone brings their own sets of personal beliefs to a school community. These beliefs influence their decisions, behaviour and social practices. It is reasonable to expect that not everyone will share the same sets of beliefs, and this contributes to a richly diverse social environment in each school. It can also contribute to differences in expectations and force us to reflect on our own understanding of what we consider acceptable and unacceptable. We encourage any student or parent to make an appointment with the principal to discuss the model of behaviour support and discipline used at this school.

Consideration of Individual Circumstances

Staff at Urangan State High School take into account students’ individual circumstances, such as their behaviour history, disability, mental health and wellbeing, religious and cultural considerations, home environment and care arrangements when teaching expectations, responding to inappropriate behaviour or applying a disciplinary consequence. In considering the individual circumstances of each student, we recognise that the way we teach, the support we provide and the way we respond to students will differ. This reflects the principle of equality, where every student is given the support they need to be successful. This also means that not everyone will be treated the same, because treating everyone the same is not fair. For example, some students need additional support to interpret or understand an expectation. Others may benefit from more opportunities to practise a required skill or behaviour. For a small number of students, the use of certain disciplinary consequences may be considered inappropriate or ineffective due to complex trauma or family circumstances. These are all matters that our teachers and principal consider with each individual student in both the instruction of behaviour and the response to behaviour. Our teachers are also obliged by law to respect and protect the privacy of individual students, so while we understand the interest of other students, staff and parents to know what punishment another student might have received, we will not disclose or discuss this information with anyone but the student’s family. This applies even if the behavioural incident, such as bullying, involves your child. You can be assured that school staff take all matters, such as bullying, very seriously and will address them appropriately. We expect that parents and students will respect the privacy of other students and families. If you have concerns about the behaviour of another student at the school, or the way our staff have responded to their behaviour, please make an appointment with the principal to discuss the matter.

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Whole School Approach to Discipline

Urangan State High School uses Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) as the multi-tiered system of support for discipline in the school. This is a whole-school approach, used in all classrooms and programs offered through the school, including sporting activities and excursions. PBL is an evidence-based framework used to:

• analyse and improve student behaviour and learning outcomes

• ensure that only evidence-based practices are used correctly by teachers to support students

• continually support staff members to maintain consistent school and classroom improvement practices.

At Urangan State High School, we believe discipline is more than just punishment. It is a word that reflects our belief that student behaviour is a part of the overall teaching and learning approach in our school. Our staff take responsibility for making their expectations clear, for providing supportive instruction about how to meet these expectations and strive to use behavioural incidents as opportunities to re-teach. The development of the Urangan State High School Student Code of Conduct is an opportunity to explain the PBL framework with parents and students, and gain their support to implement a consistent approach to teaching behaviour. The language and expectations of PBL can be used in any environment, including the home setting for students. Doing everything we can do to set students up for success is a shared goal of every parent and school staff member. Any students or parents who have questions or would like to discuss the Student Code of Conduct or PBL are encouraged to speak with the class teacher or make an appointment to meet with the principal.

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PBL Expectations

Our staff are committed to delivering a high quality of education for every student, and believe all adults in the school, whether visiting or working, should meet the same three Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) expectations in place for students, that being Respect Yourself, Respect Others and Respect the Environment. The following rights provide the foundations of Urangan SHS’s positive behaviour focus.

1) Everyone has a right to work in an environment which enables them to learn.

2) Everyone has the right to be treated respectfully and courteously.

3) Everyone has the right to work in a safe and clean environment.

4) Everyone has the right to demonstrate and promote pride in the school.

5) Parents/Guardians have a right to share in their student's education. Students Below are examples of what these PBL expectations look like for students across the school. In addition, each classroom will have their own set of examples to help students and visitors understand the expectations and meet the standards we hold for everyone at Urangan State High School. Respect Yourself

• Wear the correct uniform

• Be on time for class and ready to learn

• Complete required class tasks on time

• Make safe choices

• Use mobile phone as directed by staff Respect Others

• Be positive, polite and inclusive

• Follow staff member directions

• Use appropriate physical contact for the time and place

• Allow others to learn Respect the Environment

• Put rubbish in bins provided

• Keep all environments clean, tidy and undamaged

• Use school equipment, resources and facilities properly

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Parents and staff Staff at Urangan SHS are committed to ‘Working Together’ with parents and guardians to ensure students are provided with a variety of learning experiences, extra-curricular opportunities and relevant individual support to achieve quality outcomes. Understanding the following rights and responsibilities will assist in producing successful outcomes. Parents agree to:

• Accept joint responsibility, with the school, for the education of their children.

• Develop in students, positive attitudes to school, learning and other individuals.

• Look after the physical, social and emotional needs of their children, so that they are ready and able to learn to the best of their ability when at school.

Rights Responsibilities

1. Communicate with the school 2. Be informed about your child’s

progress and development 3. Have concerns listened to in a

timely and at a mutually convenient time

4. Be involved in decision making regarding your child

5. Feel valued and comfortable in the school setting

6. Play an active role in the school community

1. Be responsive to the school’s communication via the various methods available

2. Inform the school of any circumstances that may affect your child’s engagement and performance at school

3. Establish and maintain positive communication with teachers and the school

4. Respect the privacy of others 5. Interact with members of the school

community in a positive and respectful way.

6. Support the agreed school policies and procedures

7. Respect Yourself, Others and the School Environment

8. Enter the school via the school office

The table below explains the PBL expectations for parents when visiting our school and the standards we commit to as staff.

What we expect to see from you What you can expect from us

You make an appointment to speak with the class teacher or principal to discuss any matters relating to your child.

We will respond as soon as practicable to your request for an appointment and negotiate a mutually agreeable date and time with you.

You are positive and respectful in your conversations at home about school staff.

We will ensure positive behaviours are role modelled for all students.

You respect the obligation of staff to maintain student and family privacy.

We will maintain confidentiality about information relating to your child and family.

You ensure your children attend school every day and notify the school promptly of any absences or changes in contact details.

We will create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for every student.

You support your child to meet the learning and behavioural expectations at school.

We are clear about our learning and behavioural expectations, and contact you to provide regular feedback about your child’s progress.

What we expect to see from you What you can expect from us

You support your child to meet the learning and behavioural expectations at school.

We are clear about our learning and behavioural expectations, and contact you to provide regular feedback about your child’s progress.

You stay informed about school news and activities by reading the various forms of communication produced by staff. These may include: school newsletter, Facebook posts, email, text messages, school sign and written correspondence sent home by school staff.

We will use various methods of as a means of notifying parents about school news, excursions or events.

You approach the class teacher or principal if you are concerned about the behaviour of a staff member, another student or parent.

We will work with every family to quickly address any complaints or concerns about the behaviour of staff, students or other parents.

You share relevant information about your child’s learning, social and behavioural needs with school staff.

We will share relevant information with you about your child’s learning, social and behavioural progress at school.

You take a positive, solution-focused approach to resolving complaints.

We will nominate a contact person for you to work with to resolve a school related complaint.

You respect school, student and staff privacy in your online communications.

We will act quickly to address social media issues that affect staff, students or families.

You share relevant information about your child’s learning, social and behavioural needs with school staff.

We will share relevant information with you about your child’s learning, social and behavioural progress at school.

You take a positive, solution-focused approach to resolving complaints.

We will nominate a contact person for you to work with to resolve a school related complaint.

You respect school, student and staff privacy in your online communications.

We will act quickly to address social media issues that affect staff, students or families.

You seek out opportunities to provide positive feedback to the classroom teacher about their work with the class, a student or colleagues.

We will work closely with families to accommodate their personal needs, including work commitments, finances and family structure.

You help your child to see the strengths and benefits in diversity and difference in their classmates.

We will promote every child’s individuality and build a cohesive, inclusive classroom and school culture.

You notice when others need help, parents, staff and students, and ask if there is anything you do to assist.

We will check in with you about your child’s needs or any support your family may require.

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Differentiated and Explicit Teaching

Urangan State High School is a disciplined school environment that provides differentiated teaching to respond to the learning needs of all students. This involves teaching expected behaviours and providing opportunities for students to practise these behaviours. Teachers reinforce expected behaviours, provide feedback and correction, and opportunities for practise. Teachers at Urangan State High School vary what students are taught, how they are taught and how students can demonstrate what they know as part of this differentiated approach to behaviour. These decisions about differentiation are made in response to data and day-to-day monitoring that indicates the behavioural learning needs of students. This enables our teachers to purposefully plan a variety of ways to engage students; assist them to achieve the expected learning; and to demonstrate their learning. There are three main layers to differentiation, as illustrated in the diagram below. This model is the same used for academic and pedagogical differentiation.

Every classroom in our school uses the PBL Expectations Matrix, illustrated below, as a basis for developing their behaviour standards. Using this matrix, the class teacher works with all students to explain exactly what each of the expectations look, sound and feel like in their classroom. The completed matrix is on display in every classroom, used as the basis of teaching expectations throughout the year and revisited regularly to address any new or emerging issues.

Focused Teaching

Approximately 15% of all students in any school or classroom may require additional support to meet behaviour expectations, even after being provided with differentiated and explicit teaching. These students may have difficulty meeting behavioural expectations in a particular period of the day or as part of a learning area/subject, and focused teaching is provided to help them achieve success.

Whilst a member of the USHS community I will…

Respect Myself by: Respect Others by: Respect the Environment by:

❖ following the dress code

❖ being on time and ready to learn

❖ completing tasks on time

❖ making safe choices ❖ using electronic

devices as instructed

❖ following all staff directions and procedures

❖ being positive, polite and inclusive with my language and behaviour

❖ allowing others to learn ❖ using appropriate physical

contact for the time and place

❖ taking and/or using others’ property with permission

❖ upholding the laws of the broader community

֍ keeping all environments clean, tidy and undamaged

֍ using resources, equipment and facilities properly

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Focused teaching involves revisiting key behavioural concepts and/or skills and using explicit and structured teaching strategies in particular aspects of a behaviour skill. Focused teaching provides students with more opportunities to practise skills and multiple opportunities to achieve the intended learning and expected behaviour. Support staff, including teachers with specialist expertise in learning, language or development, work collaboratively with class teachers at Urangan State High School to provide focused teaching. Focused teaching is aligned to the PBL Expectations Matrix, and student progress is monitored by the classroom teacher/s to identify those who:

• no longer require the additional support

• require ongoing focussed teaching

• require intensive teaching. Urangan State High School has a range of Student Support Network staff in place to help arrange and deliver focused teaching to students who need more support to meet expectations. In addition, the school invests in the following support and engagement programs to address specific skill development for some students:

• Rock and Water

• RAGE

• SCREAM

• Peer Skills

• Drumbeat For more information about these programs, please speak with the Head of Department, Katie O’Neill.

Intensive Teaching

Research evidence shows that even in an effective, well-functioning school there will always be approximately 5% of the student population who require intensive teaching to achieve behavioural expectations. Intensive teaching involves frequent and explicit instruction, with individuals or in small groups, to develop mastery of basic behavioural concepts, skills and knowledge. Some students may require intensive teaching for a short period, for particular behaviour skills. Other students may require intensive teaching for a more prolonged period. Decisions about the approach will be made based on data collected from their teacher or teachers, and following consultation with the student’s family. For a small number of students who continue to display behaviours that are deemed complex and challenging, then individualised, function-based behaviour assessment and support plans and multi-agency collaboration may be provided to support the student. This approach will seek to address the acute impact of barriers to learning and participation faced by students who are negotiating a number of complex personal issues. Students who require intensive teaching will be assigned an individual mentor at the school that will oversee the coordination of their program, communicate with stakeholders and directly consult with the student.

Student Wellbeing

Urangan State High School offers a range of programs and services to support the wellbeing of students in our school. We encourage parents and students to speak

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with their Head of Year or make an appointment to meet with the guidance officer if they would like individual advice about accessing particular services.

Learning and wellbeing are inextricably linked — students learn best when their wellbeing is optimised, and they develop a strong sense of wellbeing when they experience success in learning. The student learning and wellbeing framework supports state schools with creating positive school culture and embedding student wellbeing in all aspects of school life through connecting the learning environment, curriculum and pedagogy, policies, procedures and partnerships for learning and life.

Wellbeing Student Support Team

Urangan State High School is proud to have a comprehensive Wellbeing Student Support Team in place to help the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of every student. In addition to the assistance provided by class teachers, we have a team of professionals whose dedicated roles are to help ensure our school is an inclusive, nurturing environment.

Students can approach any trusted staff member at Urangan State High School to seek assistance or advice. If they are unable to assist they will provide guidance and help ensure the student is connected to the appropriate representative of the Wellbeing Student Support Team.

Parents who would like more information about the student support roles and responsibilities are invited to contact the Head of Department, Student Engagement, Katie O’Neill on the school phone number.

Guidance Officer • Student support, student advocate, conflict resolution, management plans for relevant students

• Career guidance and subject selection

• Student, parent and staff support

• Functional behaviour assessment

• Cognitive assessment

• Referrals to external support agencies/professionals

School Based Police Officer

• Early intervention, education programs in and out of classrooms, road safety, police work within schools

School Base Youth Health Nurse

• Student support, health counselling

• Classroom education program

• Education Programs

Indigenous Support Team • Address specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

• Develop an awareness of cultural issues across the whole school community

• Assist the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to work with Urangan State High School

Student Development Coaches

• Student support, student advocate, wellbeing programs

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• Facilitate Positive Behaviour for Learning, celebrate appropriate behaviour and student achievement

• Development of curriculum resources for the Social and Emotional learning Framework

Year Level Manager • Support and assist with resolving behaviour concerns and peer conflict

• Student support, student advocate, wellbeing programs

Head of Department • Support and assistance with subject specific class issues

School Chaplain • Student support, student advocate, conflict resolution

Youth Support Coordinator

• Student support, student advocate

• Community network support

• Facilitate work experience, school-based apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities

Advisory Visiting Teachers

• To assist in program development for students with disabilities.

Wellbeing Committee • Unification and combined approach of the student support services within the school

• Coordination of Education Programs

• Management of internal referral of students

It is also important for students and parents to understand there are regional and state-wide support services available to supplement the school wellbeing team. These include Principal Advisor Student Protection, Mental Health Coach, Autism Coach, Inclusion Coach, Success Coach, Advisory Visiting Teachers and Senior Guidance Officers. For more information about these services and their roles, please speak with the Head of Department – Student Engagement, Katie O’Neill.

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Disciplinary Consequences

The disciplinary consequences model used at Urangan State High School follows the same differentiated approach used in the proactive teaching and support of student behavioural expectations. The majority of students will be confident and capable of meeting established expectations that are clear, explicitly taught and practised. In-class corrective feedback, sanctions and rule reminders may be used by teachers to respond to low-level or minor problem behaviours. Some students will need additional support, time and opportunities to practise expected behaviours. Approximately 15% of the student population may experience difficulty with meeting the stated expectations, and even with focussed teaching, in-class corrective feedback, sanctions and rule reminders continue to display low-level problem behaviour. A continued pattern of low-level behaviour can interfere with teaching and learning for the whole class, and a decision may be needed by the class teacher to refer the student to the school administration team immediately for determination of a disciplinary consequence. For a small number of students, approximately 2-5%, a high level of differentiated support or intensive teaching is required to enable them to meet the behavioural expectations. This may be needed throughout the school year on a continuous basis. The determination of the need will be made by the principal in consultation with staff and other relevant stakeholders. On occasion the behaviour of a student may be so serious, such as causing harm to other students or to staff, that the principal may determine that an out of school suspension or exclusion is necessary as a consequence for the student’s behaviour. Usually this course of action is only taken when the behaviour is either so serious as to warrant immediate removal of the student for the safety of others, and no other alternative discipline strategy is considered sufficient to deal with the problem behaviour. The differentiated responses to problem behaviour can be organised into three tiers, with increasing intensity of support and consequences to address behaviour that endangers others or causes major, ongoing interference with class or school operations.

Differentiated

Class teachers provide in-class or in-school disciplinary responses to low-level or minor problem behaviour. This may include:

• Pre-correction (e.g. “Remember, place all rubbish in the bins provided”)

• Non-verbal and visual cues (e.g. posters, hand gestures)

• Whole class practising of routines

• Ratio of 5 positive to 1 negative commentary or feedback to class

• Corrective feedback (e.g. “Hand up when you want to ask a question”)

• Rule reminders (e.g. “When the bell goes, stay seated until I dismiss you”)

• Explicit behavioural instructions (e.g. “Open your book and complete the activity”)

• Proximity control

• Tactical ignoring of inappropriate behaviour (not student)

• Revised seating plan and relocation of student/s

• Individual positive reinforcement for appropriate behaviour

• Class-wide incentives

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• Reminders of incentives or class goals

• Redirection

• Low voice and tone for individual instructions

• Give 30 second ‘take-up’ time for student/s to process instruction/s

• Reduce verbal language

• Break down tasks into smaller chunks

• Provide positive choice of task order (e.g. “Which one do you want to start with?”)

• Prompt student to take a break or time away in class

• Model appropriate language, problem solving and verbalise thinking process (e.g. “I’m not sure what is the next step, who can help me?”)

• Provide demonstration of expected behaviour

• Peer consequence (e.g. corrective feedback to influential peer demonstrating same problem behaviour)

• Private discussion with student about expected behaviour

• Reprimand for inappropriate behaviour

• Warning of more serious consequences (e.g. removal from classroom)

• Detention

Focussed Class teacher is supported by other school-based staff to address in-class problem behaviour. This may include:

• Functional Behaviour Assessment

• Individual student behaviour support strategies (e.g. Student behaviour plan)

• Targeted skills teaching in small group

• Token economy

• Detention

• Behavioural contract

• Counselling and guidance support

• Self-monitoring plan

• Check in Check Out strategy

• Teacher coaching and debriefing

• Referral to Wellbeing Support Team for team-based problem solving

• Stakeholder meeting with parents and external agencies

Intensive School leadership team work in consultation with Wellbeing Support team to address persistent or ongoing serious problem behaviour. This may include:

• Functional Behaviour Assessment based individual support plan

• Complex case management and review

• Stakeholder meeting with parents and external agencies including regional specialists

• Temporary removal of student property (e.g. mobile phone)

• Short term suspension (up to 10 school days)

• Long term suspension (up to 20 school days)

• Charge related suspension (student has been charged with a serious criminal offence is suspended from school until the charge has been dealt with by the relevant justice authorities)

• Suspension pending exclusion (student is suspended from school pending a decision by the Director-General or delegate (principal) about their exclusion from school)

• Exclusion (student is excluded from a particular state school site, a group of state schools or all state schools in Queensland for a defined period of time or permanently)

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• Cancellation of enrolment for students older than compulsory school age who refuse to participate in the educational program provided at the school.

School Disciplinary Absences A School Disciplinary Absence (SDA) is an enforced period of absence from attending a Queensland state school, applied by the Principal as a consequence to address poor student behaviour. There are four types of SDA:

• Short suspension (1 to 10 school days)

• Long suspension (11 to 20 school days)

• Charge-related suspension

• Exclusion (period of not more than one year or permanently). At Urangan State High School, the use of any SDA is considered a very serious decision. It is typically only used by the Principal when other options have been exhausted or the student’s behaviour is so dangerous and/or unacceptable that continued attendance at the school is considered a risk to the safety or wellbeing of the school community. Parents and students may appeal a long suspension, charge-related suspension or exclusion decision. A review will be conducted by the Director-General or their delegate, and a decision made within 40 school days to confirm, amend/vary or set aside the original SDA decision by the Principal. The appeal process is a thorough review of all documentation associated with the SDA decision and provides an opportunity for both the school and the family to present their case in the matter. Time is afforded for collection, dissemination and response to the materials by both the school and the family. It is important that the purpose of the appeal is understood so that expectations are clear, and appropriate supports are in place to ensure students can continue to access their education while completing their SDA. Re-entry following suspension Students who are suspended from Urangan State High School will be invited to attend a re-entry meeting prior to or on the day of their scheduled return to school. The main purpose of this meeting is to welcome the student, with their parent/s, back to the school. It is not a time to review the student’s behaviour or the decision to suspend, the student has already received a punishment through their disciplinary absence from school. The aim of the re-entry meeting is for school staff to set the student up for future success and strengthen home-school communication. It is not mandatory for the student or their parents to attend a re-entry meeting. It may be offered as a support for the student to assist in their successful re-engagement in school following suspension. Arrangements The invitation to attend the re-entry meeting will be communicated via telephone and/or in writing, usually via email. Re-entry meetings are short, taking less than 10 minutes, and kept small with only the Principal or their delegate attending with the student and their parent/s. A record of the meeting is saved in OneSchool, under the Contact tab, including any notes or discussions occurring during the meeting. Structure The structure of the re-meeting should follow a set agenda, shared in advance with the student and their family. If additional items are raised for discussion, a separate

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arrangement should be made to meet with the parent/s at a later date and time. This meeting should be narrowly focussed on making the student and their family feel welcome back into the school community. Possible agenda:

• Welcome back to school

• Check in on student wellbeing

• Discuss any recent changes to school routine or staffing

• Offer information about supports available (e.g. guidance officer)

• Set a date for follow-up

• Thank student and parent/s for attending

• Walk with student to classroom

Reasonable adjustments In planning the re-entry meeting, school staff will consider reasonable adjustments needed to support the attendance and engagement of the student. This includes selecting an appropriate and accessible meeting space, organising translation or interpretation services or supports (e.g. AUSLAN), provision of written and/or pictorial information and other relevant accommodations. The inclusion of support staff, such as guidance officers or Community Education Counsellors, may also offer important advice to ensure a successful outcome to the re-entry meeting.

School Policies

Urangan State High School has tailored school discipline policies designed to ensure students, staff and visitors work cooperatively to create and maintain a supportive and safe learning environment. Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the responsibilities for students, staff and visitors outlined in the following policies:

• Dress Code / Uniform Policy

• Temporary removal of student property

• Use of mobile phones and other devices by students

• Preventing and responding to bullying

• Appropriate use of social media

Dress Code / Uniform

The Urangan State High School Dress Code Policy has been developed in consultation with parents and caregivers, school staff, students and the Parents’ and Citizens’ Association.

The Urangan State High School community endorses and expects students to be in uniform.

A uniform is an important part of the development of our school as we agree it presents the first (and often lasting) impression people form about our school and its students. The Urangan State High School Dress Code assists our school community by:

• allowing for the easy identification of our students on school premises and during regional sporting and cultural events and excursions, critical incidents, safety drills or evacuations.

• alerting our school staff to people who may not belong on our school grounds.

• reducing the pressure of buying name brands and following the latest trends and fads, which minimises any visible economic or social differences between students.

• promoting a sense of common purpose and belonging, consistency and unity in the daily activities of students.

• reflecting the Urangan State High School’s community expectations of student safety and is consistent with the Department of Education and Training’s Occupational Health and Safety and Anti-discrimination Legislation and Sun Safe Strategy.

Dress and Personal Appearance Expectations

Students wearing items that do not comply with the requirements set out in the school dress code will be asked to remove the offending item and to store it out of sight for the remainder of the school day. For items that the school has an equivalent replacement, students will be asked to change into a school loan item for the day. In the case of non-uniform jumpers or tracksuit pants worn during autumn and winter, students will not be required to remove these items unless an equivalent replacement uniform item is available on that school day. Refusal to comply with dress code procedures will be dealt with by the Year Level Team in accordance with the disciplinary consequences available.

All students must be in full school uniform when:

• attending or representing the school

• travelling to and from school and

• engaging in school activities out of school hours.

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Students will be required to wear items related to safety, such as safe footwear and eye

protection, in order to participate in certain school activities.

The following table outlines the dress code requirements for all students to ensure they come to school with a clean and tidy appearance.

SHIRT Junior - red polyester micromesh polo with white and grey inserts; Senior - grey polyester micromesh polo with red & white inserts; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest

SHORTS All - Mid-grey micro fibre sports shorts -with approved school logo embroidered on front left hem

SKIRT

*Mid-grey polyester viscose knee length skirt with box pleats; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left hem *Tartan polyester viscose knee length skirt with box pleats; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left hem

FORMAL

Shirt - Blouse / Business Shirt: white poly-cotton; piping: corded, red; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest pocket Pants - long mid-grey; dress pants -with approved school logo embroidered on back right pocket Tie - Button Tie (red) (grey with red stripes) – junior/senior Long Tie (grey with red stripe)

WINTER

Fleece jumper / Pullover / Button-up Cardigan - mid-grey cotton acrylic; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest Tracksuit Jacket - red, grey & white micro fibre outer with white poly cotton interlock inner; -with approved school logo embroidered on front left chest; Pants - grey micro fibre with red piping down the side with white poly cotton interlock lining -with approved logo embroidered on front left upper leg

HAT Style: Bucket; material: polyester micro mesh red; -with approved school logo embroidered on front

SHOES Lace-up, Velcro or gusseted shoes must be worn at all times. Classes in workshops/labs/kitchens, regulations recommend leather shoes. Workplace Health & Safety requires that entire foot must be covered.

SOCKS Short ankle socks plain white or black.

BAGS (Optional) – ergonomic backpack / sports bag

JEWELLERY

Earrings - Small sleepers (no bigger than five cent piece); small studs (non-protruding items only); Other piercings that are not ordinarily covered by the school uniform (i.e. facial piercings) must be covered by tape/band-aid or removed during the school day. One small pendant (no bigger than twenty cent piece) on thin chain. (Due to Workplace Health and Safety requirements, necklace to be worn inside student’s collar/ shirt - may need to be removed to enable participation in certain activities) Ring - a signet ring Medical alert bracelets and necklaces

MAKE-UP Make-up is not to be worn Clear nail polish is permitted

HAIR Hair styles are to be clean, neat and tidy (e.g. no shaved styles, no mohawks, no words / symbols shaved into the scalp etc). Hair colour is to be natural tones

Uniform Modifications and Exemptions

Urangan State High School recognises that in some situations students may require modifications to the requirements of the school dress code. These modifications are designed to permit a student to attend the school with maximum compliance with the dress code, recognising that the student may not be able to fully comply (for example, if a student gets permission from the school to colour or shave their head in order to participate in a charitable activity or if a student with a disability finds the present uniform unsatisfactory for their disability).

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Conscientious Exemptions

The exceptional circumstances of some students or families may require parent/s to request an exemption.

Conscientious objection. Urangan State High School recognises that some students and parents may have a conscientious objection (for example, on the basis of genuine religious or cultural grounds) to their children wearing a school uniform and may wish to apply for individual circumstances modification or exemption.

Financial Hardship

Personal financial circumstances may make purchasing school uniform items seem unrealistic for some families. Parents should note that Urangan State High School can provide relevant assistance to families for uniform items where financial stress is genuine. Loan uniforms are available which may be borrowed by students until uniforms are able to be purchased. Second hand uniforms are available for purchase from the P & C Uniform Shop. If these arrangements are unsatisfactory, parents may apply for a flexible payment plan with the school’s Business Manager.

Pre-Existing Exemption or Modification

The Principal will also consider granting an exemption or modification where a student has had a dress code exemption or modification in place at another school, immediately prior to enrolling at Urangan State High School.

Application Process

An application for individual circumstances modification or for exemption should be made in writing to the school Principal. The school Principal in considering the application may require additional information from an applicant to satisfy themselves that the application has a genuine basis (as opposed to a mere preference or dislike). The school Principal will endeavour to respond to such an application as soon as practicable after receiving it, either granting the application or refusing it. The school Principal’s response will be in writing. Applicants will be afforded natural justice. The school Principal’s decision is final.

Consequences of Approval

Where a student is granted an individual circumstances modification or exemption, they will be provided with a card outlining the individual circumstance modification or exemption. The exemption or modification allows the student to attend school without receiving a disciplinary consequence applied for the uniform non-compliance, but these students may however be prevented from attending, or participating in, any school activity that, in the reasonable opinion of the school Principal, is not part of the essential educational program of the school (this can include school excursions, extra-curricular activities where the student is associated with the school) and / or be prevented from attending, or participating in, any school activity for which the student would have been representing the school.

The student is obliged to carry the card while they are at school and is obliged to present it if school staff query their uniform status. Failure to carry the card may result in disciplinary action in line with the sanctions for non-compliance.

Temporary removal of student property The removal of any property in a student’s possession may be necessary to promote the caring, safe and supportive learning environment of the school, to maintain and foster mutual respect between all school staff and students. The Temporary removal of student property by school staff procedure outlines the processes, conditions and responsibilities for state school principals and school staff when temporarily removing student property. In determining what constitutes a reasonable time to retain student property, the principal or state school staff will consider:

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• the condition, nature or value of the property

• the circumstances in which the property was removed

• the safety of the student from whom the property was removed, other students or staff members

• good management, administration and control of the school. The Principal or state school staff determine when the temporarily removed student property can be returned, unless the property has been handed to the Queensland Police Service. The following items are explicitly prohibited at Urangan State High School and will be removed if found in a student’s possession:

• illegal items or weapons (e.g. guns, knives*, throwing stars, brass knuckles, chains)

• imitation guns or weapons

• potentially dangerous items (e.g. blades, rope)

• drugs** (including tobacco)

• alcohol

• aerosol deodorants or cans (including spray paint)

• explosives (e.g. fireworks, flares, sparklers)

• flammable solids or liquids (e.g. fire starters, mothballs, lighters)

• poisons (e.g. weed killer, insecticides)

• inappropriate or offensive material (e.g. racist literature, pornography, extremist propaganda).

* No knives of any type are allowed at school, including flick knives, ballistic knives, sheath knives, push daggers, trench knives, butterfly knives, star knives, butter knives, fruit knives or craft knives, or any item that can be used as a weapon, for example a chisel. Knives needed for school activities will be provided by the school, and the use of them will be supervised by school staff. In circumstances where students are required to have their own knives or sharp tools for particular subjects or vocational courses, the school will provide information about the procedures for carrying and storing these items at school. ** The administration of medications to students by school staff is only considered when a prescribing health practitioner has determined that it is necessary or when there is no other alternative in relation to the treatment of a specific health need. Schools require medical authorisation to administer any medication to students (including over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol or alternative medicines). Responsibilities Staff at Urangan State High School:

• do not require the student’s consent to search school property such as lockers, desks or laptops that are supplied to the student through the school;

• may seize a student’s bag where there is suspicion that the student has a dangerous item (for example, a knife) in their school bag, prior to seeking consent to search from a parent or calling the police;

• consent from the student or parent is required to examine or otherwise deal with the temporarily removed student property. For example, staff who temporarily remove a mobile phone from a student are not authorised to unlock the phone or to read, copy or delete messages stored on the phone;

• there may, however, be emergency circumstances where it is necessary to search a student’s property without the student’s consent or the consent of

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the student’s parents (e.g. to access an EpiPen for an anaphylactic emergency);

• consent from the student or parent is required to search the person of a student (e.g. pockets or shoes). If consent is not provided and a search is considered necessary, the police and the student’s parents should be called to make such a determination.

Parents of students at Urangan State High School

• ensure your children do not bring property onto school grounds or other settings used by the school (e.g. camp, sporting venues) that:

o is prohibited according to the Urangan State High School Student Code of Conduct

o is illegal o puts the safety or wellbeing of others at risk o does not preserve a caring, safe, supportive or productive learning

environment o does not maintain and foster mutual respect;

• collect temporarily removed student property as soon as possible after they have been notified by the Principal or staff that the property is available for collection.

Students of Urangan State High School

• do not bring property onto school grounds or other settings used by the school (e.g. camp, sporting venues) that:

o is prohibited according to the Urangan State High School Code of Conduct o is illegal o puts the safety or wellbeing of others at risk o does not preserve a caring, safe, supportive or productive learning

environment o does not maintain and foster mutual respect;

• collect their property as soon as possible when advised by the Principal or staff it is available for collection.

Use of mobile phones and other devices by students

Digital literacy refers to the skills needed to live, learn and work in a society where communication and access to information is dominated by digital technologies like mobile phones. However, the benefits brought about through these diverse technologies can be easily overshadowed by deliberate misuse which harms others or disrupts learning. Urangan State High School has determined that explicit teaching of responsible use of mobile phones and other devices is a critical component of digital literacy. The knowledge and confidence to navigate and use these technologies safely while developing digital literacy is a responsibility shared between parents, school staff and students. It is also agreed that there are times and places at school where technology is not permitted, and students are encouraged to engage in other social learning and development activities.

Responsibilities The responsibilities for students using mobile phones or other devices at school or during school activities, are outlined below. It is acceptable for students at Urangan State High School to:

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• Use mobile phones or other devices as directed by staff for o assigned class work and assignments set by teachers o developing appropriate literacy, communication and information skills o authoring text, artwork, audio and visual material for publication on the intranet

or internet for educational purposes as supervised and approved by the school o conducting general research for school activities and projects o communicating or collaborating with other students, teachers, parents or

experts in relation to school work o accessing online references such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias, etc. o researching and learning through the department's eLearning environment

• be courteous, considerate and respectful of others when using a mobile device

• switch off and place the mobile device out of sight during lesson times, unless the device is being used in a staff directed activity to enhance learning

• seek teacher's approval where they wish to use a mobile device under special circumstances.

It is unacceptable for students at Urangan State High School to:

• use a mobile phone or other devices in an unlawful manner

• use a mobile phone in during lesson times without staff approval

• download, distribute or publish offensive messages or pictures

• use obscene, inflammatory, racist, discriminatory or derogatory language

• record and/or distribute recordings of other students, including conflicts such as fights.

• use language and/or threats of violence that may amount to bullying and/or harassment, or even stalking

• insult, harass or attack others or use obscene or abusive language

• deliberately waste printing and internet resources

• damage computers, computer accessories (e.g. keyboards, mouse), printers and/or network equipment

• commit plagiarism or violate copyright laws

• ignore teacher directions for the use of social media, online email and internet chat

• send chain letters or spam email (junk mail)

• knowingly download viruses or any other programs capable of breaching the department's network security

• use in-phone cameras anywhere a normal camera would be considered inappropriate, such as in change rooms or toilets

• invade someone's privacy by recording personal conversations or daily activities and/or the further distribution (e.g. forwarding, texting, uploading, Bluetooth use etc.) of such material

• use a mobile phone (including those with Bluetooth functionality) to cheat during exams or assessments

• take into or use mobile devices at exams or during class assessment unless expressly permitted by school staff.

At all times, students using ICT facilities and devices supplied by the school, will be required to act in line with the requirements of the Urangan State High School Student Code of Conduct. In addition, students and their parents should:

• understand the responsibility and behaviour requirements (as outlined by the school) that come with accessing the department’s ICT network facilities

• ensure they have the skills to report and discontinue access to harmful information if presented via the internet or email

• be aware that: o access to ICT facilities and devices provides valuable learning experiences for

students and supports the school's teaching and learning programs

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o the school is not responsible for safeguarding information stored by students on departmentally-owned student computers or mobile devices

o schools may remotely access departmentally-owned student computers or mobile devices for management purposes

o students who use a school's ICT facilities and devices in a manner that is not appropriate may be subject to disciplinary action by the school, which could include restricting network access

o despite internal departmental controls to manage content on the internet, illegal, dangerous or offensive information may be accessed or accidentally displayed

o teachers will always exercise their duty of care, but avoiding or reducing access to harmful information also requires responsible use by the student.

Preventing and responding to bullying

Urangan State High School uses the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework to promote positive relationships and the wellbeing of all students, staff and visitors at the school. Our staff know student learning is optimised when they feel connected to others and experience safe and trusting relationships. Students who feel secure are more likely to be active participants in their learning and to achieve better physical, emotional, social and educational outcomes. Teachers who feel valued and supported are more likely to engage positively with students and build stronger connections within the school community. Parents who are positively engaged with their child’s education leads to improved student self-esteem, attendance and behaviour at school. Enhancing the wellbeing of students and their educators, delivers overall long-term social, health and economic benefits to the Australian community. Urangan State High School has a Student Council, with diverse representatives from each year level meeting regularly with the school leadership team to promote strategies to improve student wellbeing, safety and learning outcomes. The focus of the Student Council relates to the core elements of the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework:

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1. Leadership Principals and school leaders playing an active role in building a positive learning environment where the whole school community feels included, connected, safe and respected. 2. Inclusion All members of the school community actively participating in building a welcoming school culture that values diversity, and fosters positive, respectful relationships. 3. Student voice Students actively participate in their own learning and wellbeing, feel connected and use their social and emotional skills to be respectful, resilient and safe. 4. Partnerships Families and communities collaborating as partners with the school to support student learning, safety and wellbeing. 5. Support School staff, students and families sharing and cultivating an understanding of wellbeing and positive behaviour and how this supports effective teaching and learning. A priority for the Student Council is contributing to the implementation of strategies that enhance wellbeing, promote safety and counter violence, bullying and abuse in all online and physical spaces. At Urangan State High School, we believe students should be at the forefront of advising staff, parents and the broader community about emerging issues and practical solutions suitable to different contexts. Bullying The agreed national definition for Australian schools describes bullying as

• ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm;

• involving an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening;

• happening in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records);

• having immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:

• mutual arguments and disagreements (where there are no power imbalance)

• not liking someone or a single act of social rejection

• one-off acts of meanness or spite

• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence. However, these conflicts are still considered serious and need to be addressed and resolved. At Urangan State High School our staff will work to quickly respond to any matters raised of this nature in collaboration with students and parents. The following flowchart explains the actions Urangan State High School teachers will take when they receive a report about student bullying, including bullying which may have occurred online or outside of the school setting. Please note that the indicative

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timeframes will vary depending on the professional judgment of teachers who receive the bullying complaint and their assessment of immediate risk to student/s. Urangan State High School - Bullying response flowchart for teachers

Please note these timelines may be adjusted depending on the unique circumstances and risk associated with each situation. This is at the professional judgment of the staff involved. Timeframes should be clearly discussed and agreed with student and family.

Key contacts for students and parents to report bullying:

Year 7 to Year 12 – Form teacher, class teacher, Year Level Manager or Student Development Coach

Deputy Principal or Assistant Deputy Principal – 07 4197 0111

STYMIE (Safety & Wellbeing Notification System) - https://www.stymie.com.au/

• Ask the student for examples they have of the alleged bullying (e.g. hand written notes or

screenshots)

• Write a record of your communication with the student

• Check back with the student to ensure you have the facts correct

• Enter the record in OneSchool

• Notify parent/s that the issue of concern is being investigated

Day one

Document

First hour

Listen

• Provide a safe, quiet space to talk

• Reassure the student that you will listen to them

• Let them share their experience and feelings without interruption

• If you hold immediate concerns for the student's safety, let the student know how you will address

these. Immediate in this circumstance is where the staff member believes the student is likely to

experience harm (from others or self) within the next 24 hours

• Gather additional information from other students, staff or family

• Review any previous reports or records for students involved

• Make sure you can answer who, what, where, when and how

• Clarify information with student and check on their wellbeing

Day two

Collect

• Evaluate the information to determine if bullying has occurred or if another disciplinary matter is at issue

• Make a time to meet with the student to discuss next steps

• Ask the student what they believe will help address the situation

• Engage the student as part of the solution

• Provide the student and parent with information about student support network

• Agree to a plan of action and timeline for the student, parent and yourself

Day three

Discuss

• Document the plan of action in OneSchool

• Complete all actions agreed with student and parent within agreed timeframes

• Monitor student and check in regularly on their wellbeing

• Seek assistance from student support network if needed

Day four

Implement

• Meet with the student to review situation

• Discuss what has changed, improved or worsened

• Explore other options for strengthening student wellbeing or safety

• Report back to parent

• Record outcomes in OneSchool

Day five

Review

• Continue to check in with student on regular basis until concerns have been mitigated

• Record notes of follow-up meetings in OneSchool

• Refer matter to specialist staff within 48 hours if problems escalate

• Look for opportunities to improve school wellbeing for all students

Ongoing

Follow up

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Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is treated at Urangan State High School with the same level of seriousness as in-person bullying. The major difference with cyberbullying however, is that unlike in-person bulling, cyberbullying follows students into their community, their homes and their bedrooms, giving them no opportunity to escape the harassment or abuse during the evening, weekends or holidays. In the first instance, students or parents who wish to make a report about cyberbullying should approach the form class teacher or Year Level Manager for assistance in preventing and responding to cyberbullying. It is important for students, parents and staff to know that state school principals have the authority to take disciplinary action to address student behaviours that occur outside of school hours or school grounds. This includes cyberbullying. Parents and students who have concerns about cyberbullying incidents occurring during school holidays should immediately seek assistance through the Office of the e-Safety Commissioner or the Queensland Police Service. Students enrolled at Urangan State High School may face in-school disciplinary action, such as detention or removing of privileges, or more serious consequences such as suspension or exclusion from school for engaging in behaviour that adversely affects, or is likely to adversely affect, other students or the good order and management of the school. This includes behaviour such as cyberbullying which occurs outside of school hours or settings, for example on the weekend or during school holidays. It also applies to inappropriate online behaviour of enrolled students that is directed towards other community members or students from other school sites. Parents or other stakeholders who engage in inappropriate online behaviour towards students, staff or other parents may be referred to the Office of the e-Safety Commissioner and/or the Queensland Police Service. School staff will be referred for investigation to the Integrity and Employee Relations team in the Department of Education. Any questions or concerns about the school process for managing or responding to cyberbullying should be directed to the relevant Deputy Principal or Assistant Deputy Principal.

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Urangan State High School - Cyberbullying response flowchart for school staff

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Cybersafety and Reputation Management (CRM)

The Department of Education employs a dedicated team of experts to assist in maintaining the integrity of the department's reputation with regards to cybersafety and reputation management issues, effectively leading the development and implementation of departmental cybersafety processes. This team provides direct support for schools to respond to concerns of inappropriate online behaviour and misuse of information and communication technology. The team provides a guide for parents with important information about cybersafety and cyberbullying, and suggestions about what you can do if your child is a target or responsible for inappropriate online behaviour. The team has also developed a Cyberbullying and reputation management (Department employees only) resource to assist principals in incident management. Student Intervention and Support Services Urangan State High School recognises the need to provide intervention and support to all students involved in incidents of bullying, including cyberbullying. Students who have been subject or witness to bullying have access to a range of internal support staff, as identified in the Student Wellbeing Support Team section earlier in this document. Students are, however, also encouraged to approach any staff member with whom they feel comfortable sharing their concerns, regardless of their role in the school. All staff at Urangan State High School are familiar with the response expectations to reports of bullying, and will act quickly to ensure students’ concerns are addressed. Depending on the nature of the reported bullying incident, a formal plan of action may be developed and documented to support the implementation of strategies to assist the student. Students who engage in bullying behaviours towards others will also be provided with support to assist them to use more socially acceptable and appropriate behaviours in their interactions. This includes counselling, social development programs, referral to mental health services or involvement in a restorative justice strategy. School disciplinary measures may also be used to reinforce the seriousness with which the community takes all incidents of bullying. These measures may include internal school suspension, withdrawal from social events or celebrations or more severe punishments such as suspension or exclusion from school. Urangan State High School – Anti-Bullying Compact The Anti-Bullying Compact provides a clear outline of the way our community at Urangan State High School works together to establish a safe, supportive and disciplined school environment. This compact will be provided to all students and their parents in 2021 and upon future enrolment, and may be revisited with individual students if particular problems around bullying arise.

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Urangan State High School – Anti Bullying Compact

We agree to work together to improve the quality of relationships in our community at Urangan State High School. It is through intentional consideration of our behaviour and communication that we can reduce the occurrence of bullying, and improve the quality of the schooling experience for everyone.

The agreed national definition for Australian schools describes bullying as

• ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm;

• involving an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening;

• happening in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records);

• having immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

We believe that no one deserves to be mistreated and that everyone regardless of race, colour, religion, immigration status, nationality, size, gender, popularity, athletic capability, academic outcomes, social ability, or intelligence has the right to feel safe, secure, and respected.

I agree to:

• Treat everyone with kindness and respect.

• Abide by the school’s anti-bullying policies and procedures.

• Support individuals who have been bullied.

• Speak out against verbal, relational, physical bullying and cyber bullying.

• Notify a parent, teacher, or school administrator when bullying does occur.

Student’s signature Parent’s signature School representative signature Date

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Appropriate use of social media The internet, mobile phones and social media provide wonderful opportunities for students to network and socialise online. While these technologies provide positive platforms for sharing ideas, they also have the potential to cause pain and suffering to individuals, groups or even whole communities. It’s important to remember that sometimes negative comments posted about the school community have a greater impact than expected. This guide offers some information about how to use social media in relation to comments or posts about the school community. Reputations of students, teachers, schools, principals and even parents can be permanently damaged — and in some cases, serious instances of inappropriate online behaviour are dealt with by police and the court system. Being aware of a few simple strategies can help keep the use of social media positive and constructive:

• Before you post something online, ask yourself if the community or individual really need to know. Is it relevant, positive and helpful?

• Remember that what you post online is a direct reflection of who you are. People will potentially form lasting opinions of you based on what you post online.

• Be a good role model. If things get heated online consider logging out and taking a few moments to relax and think. Hasty, emotive responses could inflame situations unnecessarily.

• Be mindful when commenting, try to keep general and avoid posting anything that could identify individuals.

• A few years ago, parents may have discussed concerns or issues with their friends at the school gate. Today with the use of social media, online discussions between you and your close friends can very quickly be shared with a much wider audience, potentially far larger than intended.

• Taking a few moments to think about the content you are about to post could save upset, embarrassment, and possible legal action.

• As a parent you have a role in supervising and regulating your child’s online activities at home and its impact on the reputation and privacy of others. Parents are their child’s first teachers — so they will learn online behaviours from you.

Is it appropriate to comment or post about schools, staff or students?

Parental and community feedback is important for schools and the department. If you have a compliment, complaint or enquiry about an issue at school, the best approach is to speak directly to the school about the matter, rather than discussing it in a public forum. While many schools use social media to update parents of school notices, the department prefers that parents contact schools directly with a compliment, complaint or enquiry due to privacy considerations. Imagine if your doctor, accountant or banking institution tried to contact you to discuss important matters via Facebook.

If you have raised an issue with a school or know that another person has, consider refraining from discussing those details on social media, particularly the names of anyone involved. Keep comments calm and polite, just as you would over the telephone or by email. If you encounter negative or derogatory content online which involves the school,

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hinders a child’s learning and/or affects the school community at large, contact the school principal. Possible civil or criminal ramifications of online commentary A serious instance of inappropriate online behaviour may constitute a criminal offence and become a police matter. For example, online content may substantiate the offence of ‘using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence’ (Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) s. 474.17). School staff may contact their union or obtain personal legal advice if they feel that online content seriously impacts their reputation. Defamatory online content may give rise to litigation under the Defamation Act 2005 (Qld). What about other people’s privacy? If you upload photos of your children, be mindful of who might be in the background. You might be happy to share your child’s successes with your friends and family via social media, but some parents are not. If you are tagging or naming students, consider that other parents may not want their child’s name attached to images online. What if I encounter problem content? Taking the following steps may help resolve the issue in a constructive way:

• refrain from responding

• take a screen capture or print a copy of the concerning online content

• if you consider problem content to be explicit, pornographic or exploitative of minors, you should keep a record of the URL of the page containing that content but NOT print or share it. The URL can be provided to the school principal, or police, as needed for escalation of serious concerns

• block the offending user

• report the content to the social media provider.

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Restrictive Practices

Staff at Urangan State High School need to respond to student behaviour that presents a risk of physical harm to the student themselves or others. It is anticipated that most instances of risky behaviour can be de-escalated and resolved quickly. On some rarer occasions, a student’s behaviour may continue to escalate and staff need to engage immediately with positive and proactive strategies aimed at supporting the student to manage their emotional arousal and behaviour.

In some very rare situations, where there is immediate risk of physical harm to the student or other people, and when all other alternative strategies have failed to reduce the risk, it may be necessary for staff to use restrictive practices.

The use of restrictive practices will always be as a last resort, when there is no other available option for reducing the immediate risk to the student, staff or other people. Restrictive practices are not used for punishment or as a disciplinary measure.

The department’s Restrictive practices procedure is written with consideration for the protection of everyone’s human rights, health, safety and welfare. There are six fundamental principles:

1. Regard to the human rights of those students 2. Safeguards students, staff and others from harm 3. Ensures transparency and accountability 4. Places importance on communication and consultation with parents and

carers 5. Maximises the opportunity for positive outcomes, and 6. Aims to reduce or eliminate the use of restrictive practices.

Very rarely restrictive practices will be planned and staff will employ, when necessary, pre-arranged strategies and methods (of physical restraint/ mechanical restraint/ clinical holding) which are based upon behaviour risk assessment or clinical health need and are recorded in advance. The use of planned strategies will only be where there is foreseeable immediate risk consistent with the Restrictive practices procedure. To support the use of restrictive practices on the rare occasion it may be required, Urangan SHS provides staff with professional development and training in the Management of Actual and Potential Aggression.

Seclusion will not be used as a planned response and will only be used in serious circumstances for managing an unforeseeable situation in an emergency. It will be used for the shortest time possible and in a safe area that presents no additional foreseeable risk to the student. In such emergencies, a staff member will observe the student at all times and seclusion will cease as soon as possible.

Following the use of any restrictive practice, a focused review will help staff to understand how they responded to the risk in any incident that involved the use of a restrictive practice. Staff will consider whether there are other options for managing a similar situation in the future. This strategy works well for reducing the use of restrictive practices.

All incidents of restrictive practices will be recorded and reported in line with departmental procedures.

Critical Incidents

It is important that all school staff have a consistent understanding of how to respond in emergencies involving student behaviour that seriously endangers the student or others. This consistency ensures that appropriate actions are taken to ensure that both students and staff are kept safe. A critical incident is defined as an occurrence that is sudden, urgent, and usually unexpected, or an occasion requiring immediate action (e.g. in the community, on the road). The aim in these situations is to bring the behaviour of the student under rapid and safe control. It is not a time to try and to punish or discipline the student; it is a crisis management period only. Staff should follow the documented plan for any student involved in regular critical incidents, which should be saved and available for staff to review in OneSchool. For unexpected critical incidents, staff should use basic defusing techniques: 1. Avoid escalating the problem behaviour: Avoid shouting, cornering the

student, moving into the student’s space, touching or grabbing the student, sudden responses, sarcasm, becoming defensive, communicating anger and frustration through body language.

2. Maintain calmness, respect and detachment: Model the behaviour you want students to adopt, stay calm and controlled, use a serious measured tone, choose your language carefully, avoid humiliating the student, be matter of fact and avoid responding emotionally.

3. Approach the student in a non-threatening manner: Move slowly and deliberately toward the problem situation, speak privately to the student/s where possible, speak calmly and respectfully, minimise body language, keep a reasonable distance, establish eye level position, be brief, stay with the agenda, acknowledge cooperation, withdraw if the situation escalates.

4. Follow through: If the student starts displaying the appropriate behaviour briefly acknowledge their choice and re-direct other students’ attention towards their usual work/activity. If the student continues with the problem behaviour, then remind them of the expected school behaviour and identify consequences of continued unacceptable behaviour.

Debrief: At an appropriate time when there is low risk of re-escalation, help the student to identify the sequence of events that led to the unacceptable behaviour, pinpoint decision moments during the sequence of events, evaluate decisions made, and identify acceptable decision options for future situations.

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Legislative Delegations

Legislation

In this section of the Urangan State High School Student Code of Conduct are links to legislation which influences form and content of Queensland state school discipline procedures.

• Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld)

• Child Protection Act 1999 (Qld)

• Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992

• Commonwealth Disability Standards for Education 2005

• Criminal Code Act 1899 (Qld)

• Education (General Provisions) Act 2006

• Education (General Provisions) Regulation 2017

• Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld)

• Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld)

• Judicial Review Act 1991 (Qld)

• Right to Information Act 2009 (Qld)

• Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 (Qld)

• Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)

• Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Cwth)

Delegations

Under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, state school principals are responsible for “controlling and regulating student discipline in the school”. Principals are afforded a number of non-delegable powers to assist them to meet this obligation, including the authority to suspend, exclude or cancel the enrolment of a student at the school. These decision-making responsibilities cannot be delegated to other staff in the school, such as deputy principals. The details of these responsibilities are outlined in the legislative instruments of delegation and instruments of authorisation provided below:

• Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 Director-General’s delegations

• Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 Minister’s delegations

• Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 Director-General’s authorisations

• Education (General Provisions) Regulation 2006 Minister’s delegations

• Education (General Provisions) Regulation 2017 Director-General’s delegations

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Related Procedures and Guidelines

These are related procedures or guidelines which school staff use to inform decisions and actions around matters associated with student’s wellbeing, behaviour and learning.

• Cancellation of enrolment

• Complex case management

• Customer complaints management policy and procedure

• Disclosing personal information to law enforcement agencies

• Enrolment in state secondary schools

• Hostile people on school premises, wilful disturbance and trespass

• Inclusive education

• Police and Child Safety Officer interviews and searches with students

• Restrictive practices

• Refusal to enrol – Risk to safety or wellbeing

• Student discipline

• Student dress code

• Student protection

• Supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing

• Temporary removal of student property by school staff

• Use of ICT systems

• Using mobile devices

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Resources

• Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Behaviour Foundations professional development package (school employees only)

• Bullying. No Way!

• eheadspace

• Kids Helpline

• Office of the eSafety Commissioner

• Parent and community engagement framework

• Parent line

• Queensland Department of Education School Discipline

• Raising Children Network

• Student Wellbeing Hub

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Conclusion

Urangan State High School staff are committed to ensuring every student is supported to feel safe, welcome and valued in our school. There may, however, be occasions where parents need to raise a concern or make a complaint about an issue you feel is adversely affecting their child's education. All Queensland state schools are committed to ensuring that all complaints - whether they relate to a school staff member or a school's operations - are dealt with in a fair and equitable manner. As a parent or carer, you can express dissatisfaction with the service or action of the Department of Education or its staff, including decisions made or actions taken in a school and/or by the local regional office. As a complainant, it is your responsibility to:

• give us a clear idea of the issue or concern and your desired solution

• provide all the relevant information when making the complaint

• understand that addressing a complaint can take time

• cooperate respectfully and understand that unreasonable, abusive, or disrespectful conduct will not be tolerated

• let us know if something changes, including if help is no longer needed.

The Department of Education may not proceed with your complaint if your conduct is unreasonable. In most instances, staff members are told of complaints made about them and offered the right of reply. A complainant also has the right to have a support person throughout the process. The following three-step approach assists parents and school staff in reaching an outcome that is in the best interests of the student: 1. Early resolution: discuss your complaint with the school

The best place to raise any concerns is at the point where the problem or issue arose. You can make an appointment at the school to discuss your complaint with your child’s teacher or the principal. You are also welcome to lodge your complaint in writing or over the phone. You can also make a complaint through QGov.

Complaints may be lodged by telephone, writing or in electronic format. Email addresses can be accessed through the schools directory.

2. Internal review: contact the local Regional Office

If, after taking the early resolution step, you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint or how the complaint was handled, you can ask the local regional office to conduct a review. You need to submit a Request for internal review form within 28 days of receiving the complaint outcome.

3. External review: contact a review authority if you are dissatisfied after the internal review, you may wish to contact a review authority, such as the Queensland Ombudsman, and request an independent, external review. More information about external review options is available at www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au.

Some matters need to be handled in a different way to school matters and will be referred to other areas in the department. These include:

• issues about harm, or risk of harm, to a student attending a state school, which must be managed in accordance with the Student protection procedure.

• complaints about corrupt conduct, public interest disclosures; or certain decisions made under legislation, which will be dealt with as outlined in the Excluded complaints factsheet.