This article was written by our Education Specialist Practitioner, Anna M.
To learn more about Anna and Insight PBS’ Education PBS services, head to the bottom of the article.
Recent national and international studies continue to highlight a concerning decline in student behaviour across mainstream classroom settings. In a 2023 enquiry into increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms, students were labelled as “disruptive”, “disengaged” and “noncompliant”, while classroom environments were described as “disorderly” and lacking consistency and support (Australian Education Resource Organisation, 2023).
School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) is an evidence-based framework being implemented in classrooms around the world. It assists schools to build consistent, whole-school systems to proactively promote positive behaviour, promote inclusion and focus on improving wellbeing for all students (Victorian Government, 2025).
The focus is on frequent positive reinforcement for meeting school-wide expectations, collecting and summarising behaviour data, incorporating specific training for staff, and ensuring consistency across the board (Horner et al. 2010). As a holistic, collaborative and preventative approach, SWPBS moves away from traditional disciplinary measures, which are disproven to work, and instead prevents problem behaviour by “altering a situation before problems escalate” (Carr et al. 1999).
Three Tier System
SWPBS operates as a three-tiered intervention of supports, meaning all students can benefit from its implementation, regardless of their prevalence of challenging behaviours.
The First Tier, known as Primary Prevention, focuses on all students within the school, to establish school-wide expectations, teach behavioural skills directly and explicitly, implement consistent positive reinforcement, and create a positive, safe learning culture.
The Second Tier, known as Secondary Prevention, intervenes at a small-group level, to target students who may not necessarily respond to universal strategies. This may look like increased structure, social skills support and Check In/Check Out approaches.
The Third Tier, known as Tertiary Prevention, zones in on an individualised approach, based on the collection of data, functional behavioural assessments, and using comprehensive and intensive intervention planning to design individualised supports that build on the student’s strengths, respond directly to their needs, and create positive pathways for success (Horner et al. 2010). Perhaps one of the reasons SWPBS is such a successful approach is its overarching capacity to meet the diverse needs of students, providing a structured yet adaptable framework that supports learners from all backgrounds and levels of behavioural complexity.
Recently Published National Survey (UK)
A recent National Behaviour Survey (Department for Education) highlights key areas that students, teachers and leadership face in behaviour management within the classroom. While this was published in the UK, its findings can be meaningfully applied to the Australian education context, where schools face similar challenges in maintaining consistency, engagement, and positive behaviour. Below, I will delve into some of these survey findings and explicitly apply SWPBS to address the challenges faced on a day-to-day basis in the classroom.
Read the National Behaviour Survey here
Calm and Orderly Environments
57% of pupils said that their school had been calm and orderly ‘every day’ or ‘most days’ in the past week
Jackson & Panyan (2002) describe the etiology of behaviour as an interaction between the environment and the child, rather than existing exclusively within the student. The classroom environment is the most crucial element when supporting students to thrive in an educational setting.
A key element of SWPBS is to target the implementation of consistent, predictable environments by employing routines, common language and preventative structures (Horner et al. 2010). This could be as simple as the use of visuals and checklists, introducing accessible sensory items, and providing regular, purposeful movement breaks. These simple strategies consider the needs of the individual child and aims to meet these needs in a proactive manner, reducing behavioural outbursts within the classroom.
At a higher level, the aim is to change the school environment through the creation of improved systems and procedures, which promote positive change in staff, filtering down to alter student behaviours (Bradshaw et al. 2010). When adults operate within a unified, well-structured framework, the resulting stability and predictability positively shape student behaviour, school climate, and overall learning outcomes.
More Learning, Less Behaviour Management
Teachers reported 7 minutes lost due to misbehaviour for every 30 minutes of lesson time,” and 62% of pupils say misbehaviour interrupts learning.
SWPBS has been carefully designed to reduce lost instructional time by teaching expected behaviours explicitly, positively reinforcing these, and ensuring students have the tools to succeed academically. In a study completed by Bradshaw et al. (2010), it was demonstrated that the implementation of SWPBS reduced office discipline referrals by 33%. This increases learning time by minimising reactive behaviour management and allowing teachers to maintain instructional flow, creating more opportunities for sustained, high-quality educational outcomes. When the environment is free of disruption, students are able to learn best by engaging with multiple opportunities for meaningful participation and engagement (AITSL, 2021).
Improved Teacher Wellbeing
73% of teachers report negative well-being impacts from student behaviour.
Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate. A study by AITSL (2023) found that 35% of teachers who have been in the profession for a long time intend to leave the classroom before they reach retirement, a statistic that has increased from 26% in 2019. Furthermore, 50% of teachers intend to leave within the first five years of their career (Forsberg, 2024).
SWPBS improves staff wellbeing as it reduces the unpredictability and workload that is a direct result of behaviour management. An analysis of 184 teachers across 40 elementary schools found that those who were implementing SWPBS consistently school-wide had significantly lower levels of burnout and stress, with higher levels of job satisfaction and efficacy. Teachers who are supported to work together, develop team skills, collaborate and implement effective practices through SWPBS can reinforce appropriate behaviour, monitor students and use data for important decisions, leading to a more cohesive and predictable school environment that supports teacher wellbeing and professional satisfaction (Ross et al. 2011).
This reinforces a growing body of research suggesting that when schools invest in structured, evidence-based behaviour systems such as SWPBS, they create environments where teachers can thrive professionally, reducing burnout and strengthening the overall stability of the education workforce.
Ongoing Professional Skill Building
Only 54% of teachers can access behaviour training
SWPBS is implemented through ongoing, whole-school professional learning. In Victoria, schools joining the SWPBS initiative receive comprehensive professional learning, individualised coaching support, annual implementation assessments, access to an online resources hub, and eligibility for annual SWPBS awards (Victorian Government, 2025).
The professional development and skill building within an SWPBS program is intended as an ongoing approach, planned to ensure school capacity to adopt effective and preventative behavioural interventions, continuous data analysis and application, embedded coaching and personalised implementation integrity (Horner et al., 2010).
This ongoing, embedded professional learning approach strengthens a school’s capacity to implement SWPBS with fidelity, consistency, and confidence. By maintaining continuous coaching, data-driven decision-making, and staff support, schools are better equipped to adapt to emerging needs and sustain meaningful behavioural change over time.
SWPBS’ alignment with Trauma-Informed and Neuro-affirming Principles
SWPBS fosters a sense of predictability, with an emphasis on proactive, individualised support for all students. The reduction of punitive reactions and a focus on consistent school-wide expectations, routines, and data-informed decision-making create safe and reliable environments where students feel supported to thrive; a foundational element for reducing anxious or trauma-induced stress responses in students with diverse needs (Victorian Government, 2025).
Early intervention and emphasis on positive behaviour can support neurodivergent and trauma-impacted students by pinpointing and addressing the underlying needs of the student, rather than reacting to outward behaviour. Research indicates that when trauma-informed practices are integrated alongside SWPBS, schools can address emotional dysregulation and promote social-emotional wellbeing.
This improves behavioural outcomes and academic engagement for students with diverse backgrounds and support needs (Riggs & Landrum, 2023).
Overall, the adoption of SWPBS provides schools with a powerful framework to address behavioural disruption, protect instructional time, and enhance staff wellbeing. Its proactive, data-driven systems create predictable environments in which students are supported to learn, and teachers are able to teach. In the face of rising behavioural challenges, SWPBS stands out as a long-term, evidence-based investment in the success of the entire school community.
Importantly, SWPBS can only reach its full potential when schools are adequately supported with ongoing, specific and targeted professional learning. High-quality PBS training, delivered consistently and reinforced through coaching, data analysis, and implementation support, is essential to ensure staff maintain fidelity and confidence in the framework. As behavioural needs continue to grow in complexity across Australia and the world, investing in comprehensive PBS services becomes not just beneficial, but necessary for sustainable practice. When schools commit to long-term, system-wide PBS training and support, the result is a stronger, safer, and more inclusive educational environment in which both students and staff can truly thrive.