Page 44 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 2019
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acknowledges that communication has not been as clear or as frequent as parents may have liked. Minister, why is the positive behaviour model not working effectively in this school?
MS BERRY: The positive behaviour for learning module that is being rolled out across all of our schools also exists across New South Wales schools. It is shown to be a very evidenced-based program that supports positive behaviour and learning in schools, hence the title.
It is not that that is not working in the schools, as I said. It is about ensuring that the school communities are aware of all the programs that are in place to support the teachers, the parents and families, and the children to ensure a positive and safe learning environment in schools.
MR WALL: As the minister responsible for this school, what steps have you taken to assure yourself that matters are under control at this school and that children will in fact be safe when they are at school?
MS BERRY: I refer Mr Wall to my previous responses to Ms Lee’s questions. I have spoken directly to the Education Directorate and the director-general seeking assurances from them that there are systems in place to deal with this. There are systems in place; I have been assured of that. There are policies and procedures. On this occasion, however, the communication to families was not as good as it could have been. I have sought assurances from the Education Directorate that that communication absolutely must occur across all of our schools, not for individual circumstances on their own but for whole school communities so that schools understand very clearly what systems are in place, what procedures are there, what policies exist, and how they and their children are supported through any incidents of violence that might occur.
MS LEE: Minister, why did it take so long for this information to be distributed to parents, and why was the communication not as clear or as frequent as parents would like?
MS BERRY: There are probably a number of reasons that I still have not been advised of yet. I have asked the Education Directorate to look very thoroughly at what occurred during these four individual instances at Theodore Primary School, to find out exactly where the communication breakdown was for these families and to make sure that that communication improves.
I have already described circumstances particularly with the writer of the letter with the petitions that was referred to in the paper yesterday. My office had direct contact with the writer, and I am still finalising correspondence to her and another parent from the school who has written to me. Because of the article yesterday, I need to change the level of detail that is in those letters.
The Education Directorate and the school did respond appropriately; it was just that the communication to those families about that response was inadequate and
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