Creating a Safe, Supportive, and Engaging School Culture Using Team Teach with PBL in Australia

Schools across Australia are constantly looking for ways to create safe, supportive, and engaging learning environments for students. Two widely used approaches that have been highly effective in this space are Team Teach training and Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approaches like School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) / Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL).

While each has its own focus, schools often use both approaches to provide a comprehensive framework for fostering positive behaviour cultures, reducing restrictive practices, and ensuring the best outcomes for students.

In this blog post, we explore how these two approaches complement each other, offering a practical guide to how they can be used together to create a culture of safety, support, and success in schools.

What is Team Teach?

Team Teach is an internationally recognised training programme designed to support schools in reducing risk, and building positive, supportive relationships. This approach emphasises de-escalation techniques, effective behaviour strategies, and staff teamwork to ensure safe and supportive environments.

Key aspects of Team Teach include:

• A focus on de-escalation and preventative strategies.
• A holistic approach that includes policy, guidance, and staff training.
• A strong emphasis on teamwork and shared responsibility.
• A commitment to reducing restraint and restrictive practices.

At Team Teach, we recognise that behaviour is a form of communication, and we support staff in understanding the function of behaviours, rather than simply trying to manage them.

What is PBL?

PBL (also known as School-Wide Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports, or SW-PBIS) is a whole-school approach designed to build a positive learning culture. By implementing PBL, schools can improve student outcomes by creating structured, predictable, and supportive environments.

PBL operates on a three-tiered system:

• Tier 1: Universal supports for all students.
• Tier 2: Targeted supports for some students.
• Tier 3: Intensive, individualised supports for students with high needs.

The key aim of PBL is to proactively teach student behaviour, leading to improved social and academic outcomes, a reduction in exclusionary discipline practices, and more effective school staff.

How PBL and Team Teach work together

While PBL provides an overarching structure for promoting desired behaviour in schools, Team Teach training offers practical strategies for relationship-building, understanding why behaviours are happening, and approaches to positively support students, particularly in escalating situations.

Here are some key ways in which PBL and Team Teach align:

• Commitment to a Positive Culture: Both approaches emphasise the importance of a values-based, whole-school approach to student wellbeing.
• Focus on Prevention: Prevention is a priority in both models, with structured strategies to support students and staff, and reduce the need for crisis interventions.
• Behaviour as Communication: Both recognise that all behaviour serves a function, and interventions should seek to understand and support the student, rather than just manage behaviour.
• Reducing Restraint and Restrictive Practices: PBL promotes proactive, inclusive strategies, while Team Teach provides staff with the skills to de-escalate situations safely and reduce the need for physical intervention.
• Ongoing Training and Reflection: Both approaches encourage continuous professional learning and structured debriefing after incidents to ensure ongoing improvement and better student outcomes.

Implementing Team Teach in your PBL school

To effectively use PBL and Team Teach, schools can consider the following steps:

• Establish a Shared Vision: Ensure that leadership, staff, and the wider school community understand and support both approaches.
• Provide Comprehensive Training: Train staff in both PBL and Team Teach principles, ensuring alignment in philosophy and practice.
• Embed in School Policy: Incorporate both PBL and Team Teach strategies into school policies and behaviour support frameworks.
• Monitor and Reflect: Regularly review data and staff feedback to refine and improve implementation.
• Engage Families and Students: Communicate with families and students about behaviour approaches, supports, and strategies.

Final thoughts

By using PBL and Team Teach together, schools can create a culture where students feel safe, supported, and engaged in their learning. Both approaches share a common goal: to provide students with the best possible environment to succeed, while equipping staff with the skills and knowledge to support behaviour in a positive, proactive way.

Please get in touch any time if you’d like help with behaviour in your organisation.