We are committed to ensuring a safe and happy environment for your child.
We support your child’s health and safety through a range of strategies including:
- the behaviour code for students, which outlines the standards of behaviour expected in all NSW public schools
- anti-racism education
- anti-bullying programs
- conflict resolution and mediation training
- peer support
- road safety education
- the Healthy School Canteen Strategy.
For more information, visit the student wellbeing section of the department’s website.
Like all NSW public schools, we promote the healthy development of students through:
- school programs and practices that protect and promote health and safety
- supporting individual students who need help with health issues
- providing first aid and temporary care of students who become unwell or who have an accident at school.
Yass High School – Bullying Policy 2021
Bullying is not tolerated at Yass High School.
At Yass High School we nurture our students to become autonomous, engaged and successful learners. We support high expectations and work hard to maintain positive and respectful relationships with and among our students.
At Yass High we expect that students demonstrate our school values whether they are in the classroom, on excursion or in the community. Students who fail to respect this, or choose to engage in negative or bullying behaviours, are managed accordingly. Students are responsible for their own actions and must accept the consequences that follow from those actions.
Perpetrators of bullying behaviours are dealt with very seriously. Students are encouraged and supported to participate in restorative conferencing to help repair the harm; and to restore the damaged relationship with the victim or stakeholder/s.
If the bullying behaviour continues, parents are informed and with their support, students work through a series of lessons to learn appropriate ways to engage with others. Other consequences for poor behaviour choices are monitoring cards, teacher interviews, detentions and in-school community service. Students who continue to ignore our school values may receive a Formal Warning of Suspension (Red Card). If the student’s behaviour does not improve, a student may be issued with a Suspension.
A whole school understanding of what bullying means, its consequences and effects and the importance of speaking up, is delivered through the school’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum. The SEL Curriculum is a program that is explicitly taught to students by staff every day in Roll Call and embedded across the school, in every classroom. The SEL Curriculum is guided and supported by our school’s Student Management, Bullying and Wellbeing policies.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is repeated verbal, physical, social or psychological behaviour that is harmful and involves the misuse of power by an individual or group towards one or more people.
Cyber bullying is bullying through information and communication technologies.
Bullying can involve humiliation, domination, intimidation, victimisation and all forms of harassment including that based on sex, race, disability, position of authority, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Bullying behaviour can be:
- verbal (name calling, teasing, abuse, putdowns, sarcasm, insults, threats).
- physical (hitting, punching, kicking, scratching, tripping spitting).
- social (ignoring, excluding, ostracising, alienating, making inappropriate gestures).
- psychological (spreading rumours, dirty looks, hiding or damaging possessions, malicious SMS and email messages, inappropriate use of camera phones).
Yass High School staff have a responsibility to:
- respect and support students
- model and promote appropriate behaviour
· respond in a timely manner to incidents of bullying
- have knowledge of school and departmental policies relating to bullying behaviour https://antibullying.nsw.gov.au/
Students have responsibility to:
- comply with the NSW Department of Education’s Student Behaviour Code, to behave appropriately, act inclusively and respect individual differences and diversity
- behave as responsible digital citizens
- follow the school Anti-Bullying Plan
- behave as responsible bystanders
- report incidents of bullying according to their school Anti-bullying plan
Parents and caregivers have a responsibility to
- support their children to become responsible citizens and to develop responsible online behaviour
- be aware of the NSW Department of Education’s Student Behaviour Code and the school Anti-Bullying Plan and assist their children in understanding bullying behaviour
- support their children in developing positive responses to incidents of bullying
- report incidents of school related bullying behaviour to the school in a timely manner
- work collaboratively with the school to resolve incidents of bullying when they occur
All members of the school community have a responsibility to
- act inclusively and model and promote positive relationships that respect and accept individual differences and diversity within the school community
- support the NSW Department of Education’s Student Behaviour Code and the school’s Anti–Bullying Plan through actions and words
- work collaboratively with the school to resolve incidents of bullying when they occur
Bullying with respect to Child Protection
Please note that if at any stage there is a child protection concern, the NSW Mandatory Reporting Guide will be used by the school to determine whether a report to the Principal and the Child Protection Helpline is required.
Yass High School Anti-Bullying Plan 2021
Dear Students
Do you need HELP?
Step 1. Click on this link https://forms.gle/2v8T72Qmx21Jk3G89
Step 2. Fill out the CONFIDENTIAL form to let us know that you need HELP!
OR Scan this YHS HELP! QR Code with the camera on your phone, and it will take you directly to the HELP! form.
Once submitted, you will be contacted by your Year Adviser, Student Welfare or the Learning & Support Team as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, come and see Ms Ward or your Year Adviser.
Student wellbeing
Like all NSW public schools, we provide safe learning and teaching environments to encourage healthy, happy, successful and productive students.
The department is committed to creating quality learning opportunities for children and young people. These opportunities support wellbeing through positive and respectful relationships and fostering a sense of belonging to the school and community.
The Wellbeing Framework for Schools helps schools support the cognitive, physical, social, emotional and spiritual development of students and allows them to connect, succeed and thrive throughout their education.
Positive Behaviour for Learning
At our school, we use Positive Behaviour for Learning – a whole-school approach for creating a positive, safe and supportive school climate where students can learn and develop. Our whole school community works together to establish expected behaviours and teach them to all students.