• Reference to the Education Act
• Definition
• Authority
• Purpose
• Guidelines

Reference to the Education Act

Punishment

37 The principal of a State school, if satisfied that a student has behaved in an unacceptable manner, may -

1. suspend the student full-time or part-time from that school for a period of 2 weeks or less; or
2. impose a detention on that student.
   
   

Definition

1. A "detention" is any relatively short period when a student is:
   1. detained at school, or in a particular class, in student's "non-class" time (recess, lunchtime, recreation time, after school); or
   2. excluded from normal classes, or from a particular class, pending negotiated conditions for re-entry (time-out).
2. This is an appropriate level of response for much irresponsible classroom behaviour. It signals to a student that irresponsible behaviour which breaks class rules or school rules will be met with an immediate consequence.
3. Detentions are a deterrent to irresponsible behaviour or a first-level response to it. They prevent a student either from enjoying pleasant recreational activities (recess, lunchtime, recreation time or after school) or from participating in normal classes (time-out).
4. At the most serious level, "time-out" is "in-school suspension".

Authority

A principal can impose a detention on a student. This authority may also be delegated to teaching staff.

Purpose

Detention is intended to:

• provide an immediate consequence for inappropriate, irresponsible behaviour;
• reinforce the position that participation in class depends upon behaving appropriately; and
• provide an opportunity for a student to work out a solution to his or her behavioural problem without monopolising lesson time or interfering with others.

Guidelines

1. Detentions must be supervised by a member of teaching staff.
2. Where students are detained at school before or after normal school hours, it may be necessary to notify parents. If detention will cause a student to miss a crucial bus or jeopardise a student's safe transport home, it is appropriate to postpone the detention until alternative arrangements can be negotiated with the student's parents.
3. The guidelines for detentions should be made explicit in the school's discipline policy.
4. Where 'time-out' involves out-of-class time, the following should be noted:
   • Time-out should be one stage in an explicit discipline plan involving fair warning systems which all students and their parents understand. The procedure and the organisation of the procedure should be well thought out beforehand.
   • The time-out place or room should be comfortable but uninteresting. It should not be so public that it calls attention to the student (such as outside the principal's office).
   • A time-out room should not be regarded as a punitive environment - the value of time-out is deprivation from normal participation in class, contingent on behaving in an appropriate way.
   • The student should be readily observable and supervised.
   • The student should understand that return to class is contingent on a negotiated agreement to behave in an appropriate way.
   • Time-out will not be effective if the student does not want to return to class or views time-out as an escape from an undesirable situation.
   • Interaction between a student and the supervising teacher should be emotionally neutral: the aim should be for the student to devise a plan that negotiates re-admission to class.