Mungindi Central School students are on their first excursion in a decade. It’s not a treat – they have earnt every moment of their trip and have the stripes to prove it.

Each time a student demonstrated “keys” in organisation, cooperation, resilience, confidence and persistence they received a sticker merit in their “passport”. Once all merits were collected they received the golden key to unlock the door to the excursion at the Curramundi Sport and Recreation Centre, across the border in Queensland.

“The fact that they’ve worked hard all with this in mind as their goal is very affirming for them,” said Mungindi Central principal Irene Harpham from the Curramundi centre.

Over the past three years student behaviour in the remote Western region school has improved radically. The number of suspension days for the 50 or so students has fallen from 528 days in 2005 to just 70 in 2007.

The merit system is part of You Can Do It! Education, a program that helps set foundations for students’ achievement and wellbeing. From that program the school developed The Key Room, a behaviour strategy which has proven highly successful

“We found that when the students were suspended … all that did was increase the alienation from the school,” Mrs Harpham said.

“What we wanted to do was provide an opportunity for students to learn appropriate ways of responding to emotions such as anger or hurt or not wanting to participate in class.”

The Key Room is used when teachers have exhausted classroom discipline strategies. Students are referred to the room and work with The Key Room teacher to identify the key they had disregarded. They then practise the appropriate behaviour.

When the student returns to class they are monitored to check if they have met their outcomes. Additional support may be given, such as counselling. Bullied students, or those coping with difficult circumstances outside school, can also refer themselves to the room to take time out.

The most important aspect of the strategy is students know they are being listened to and that what they say is respected.

Mrs Harpham said the students are calmer and have taken the positive language home, exposing parents to the merit concept. This year a program incorporating MindMatters will be introduced to the school and, together with The Key Room concepts, taken to the broader community.

“The fact that we’re giving them positive ways to talk and think is having an effect – not only on their behaviour but on their learning,” she said.