Discipline
Crest Secondary School takes a caring, firm approach to discipline, focused on building self-discipline and good character. The school works closely with families to guide and support every student.
In line with MOE’s positive and proactive approach to discipline, Crest Secondary School believes that students learn best in a caring and conducive environment where there is order and discipline, yet at the same time encouragement and space for students to learn from their mistakes.
We believe that discipline is an iterative educational process, where our goal is to instil self-discipline and good character in our students, underpinned by the right values and social-emotional skills. It is thus necessary to mete out consequences for any inappropriate behaviour fairly, firmly and in a timely manner. At the same time, it is important to restore our students through restitution (fixing the problem), resolution (ensuring the problem does not happen again) and reconciliation (healing of relationships).
In order to achieve this, the Discipline Committee works very closely with the Year Head Team and the Student Support Department on the following three processes:
1. Promote & Prevent. At the core of effective discipline is strong teacher-student relationships. Through promoting a safe and supportive environment and a culture of care, we will be able to strengthen protective factors and minimise risk factors to prevent challenging behaviours from occurring.
2. Address and Correct. When students display inappropriate behaviour, it is important to address this behaviour promptly, and to correct it before it affects the development and well-being of themselves or their peers. It is also important to address the underlying reason for the inappropriate behaviour in order to achieve sustainable behavioural change.
3. Replace and Restore. As the ultimate goal is for students to develop self-discipline, good character and the right values, it is important to replace the inappropriate behaviour with prosocial, appropriate behaviour instead, and to restore their relationships with those who may have been hurt by their inappropriate actions. Through the consistent reinforcement of prosocial, appropriate behaviour, we will be able to encourage the formation of positive behavioural habits instead.
Finally, we believe very strongly in the importance of the school working closely and collaboratively with the family in order to achieve the best outcomes for our students. To this end, we maintain close communication with parents regarding any inappropriate behaviour, and proactively engage parents to understand the situation better and co-create strategies to guide and support our students.
