While Australia has many students who meet behavioural expectations in classrooms and school environments, Australian teachers and students report disruptive behaviour as a challenge. 43% of Australian students surveyed reported that their classrooms were noisy and disruptive, well above the average of 33% of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.¹ Poor behaviour is a major cause of stress for teachers and can have a lasting impact on the school experience and outcomes of students.^1,2

There is a need for schools to have consistent and clear approaches to behaviour that set and maintain behaviour expectations in lessons and throughout the school environment.

We know from the research evidence³ that effective behaviour supports: 

• Prioritise relationships – teachers know and understand their students
• Equip teachers to teach learning behaviours and use strategies and routines in their classroom
• Use targeted approaches to meet the individual needs of students; and 
• Are coherent and school-wide. 

This Guidance Report explores the best international research evidence on effective behaviour supports, and describes examples from Australian researchers and educators about how to put that evidence into practice. We hope that the evidence and illustrations help school leaders to reflect on and refine behaviour approaches in their settings. As many interconnected factors influence behaviour, we encourage readers to use the report in conjunction with other resources to support students’ overall learning, wellbeing and engagement.