Guidance

Overview

Naval Base Secondary School (NBSS) places strong emphasis on its people. As a caring school, we take pride in fostering a supportive and inclusive culture. A commonly shared sentiment is: “Navalites are warm, lovable and highly teachable” — a reflection of our students’ character and spirit. As a school, we are committed to building a culture of Care and Excellence, which we believe is essential for the success of both staff and students.

To develop a school culture grounded in Care and Excellence, we believe in guiding students towards responsible behaviour and self-management. At NBSS, our approach to student management is termed Guidance, where we adopt a proactive and developmental stance, replacing what is traditionally referred to as discipline. With this in mind, we seek to look beyond the mere enforcement of behavioural compliance based on school rules, choosing instead to shape values and develop sound habits in all students.

Providing guidance to students involves leadership, direction, and support. At NBSS, every teacher is a guidance teacher and we work closely together to actively guide students in their personal development. Our goal as a school is to cultivate self-discipline and self-regulation. Teachers are therefore not just custodians of order, but mentors who help students discover and develop their potential for both personal fulfillment and social contribution.

Our Focus

Our focus is not on short-term behavioural fixes, but on nurturing students’ ability to make thoughtful, responsible choices in the long term. We are therefore committed to creating an orderly and caring school environment where students feel safe, both physically and psychologically, where students feel cared for, encouraged, and are supported to learn and grow from mistakes. To this end, we explicitly teach values and essential social-emotional skills that promote positive behaviour and personal development. When misbehaviour occurs, it is addressed through timely reinforcement and meaningful guidance, rather than punitive measures.

Our Approach

To support our students in developing responsibility and sound character, NBSS adopts a student-centric, whole-school approach that takes reference from the Restorative Practice (RP) framework and the Discipline with Dignity approach (Curwin, Mendler, & Mendler, 2008). These complementary approaches share a common goal: to manage behaviour in ways that are respectful, fair, and focused on long-term growth through the cultivation of positive teacher-student relationships (TSR) and a strong sense of community.

Central to our approach is the belief that strong relationships and a supportive school culture lay the foundation for character development. Teachers, Year Heads, School Counsellors, and Guidance Coordinators work together to provide corrective counselling, helping students reflect on their actions, understand the consequences, and take responsibility. We believe that when students are treated with dignity and empathy, and given the opportunity to make amends, they grow in maturity, self-awareness, and empathy — key qualities of a respectful and resilient Navalite.

“Dignity refers to the importance and value that a person has, that makes other people respect them or makes them respect themselves.” – Cambridge Dictionary

Treating others with dignity means treating them the way we would like to be treated ourselves — with fairness, understanding, and respect.

At NBSS, teachers:

• accept that managing student behaviour is an essential part of teaching.

• understand that rules alone do not motivate students. It is the values and rationale behind rules that matter. When students understand the purpose, they are more likely to honour the rules and accept consequences.

• always treat students with dignity and respect.

• provide students with opportunities to lead, make decisions, and contribute.

• see students as partners in shaping school culture, not just passive recipients.

• focus on long-term development, not quick fixes.

• take a balanced approach with students who have ongoing behavioural issues — being caring and firm, and responding promptly to disruptions.

• believe that effective discipline comes from the heart and values of the teacher. Teaching responsibility is as essential as teaching academic subjects.

Over time, we have found that Navalites respond positively to approaches that are consistent, respectful, and preserve their dignity — even when firm action is required. These principles underpin a safe, supportive environment where students learn not only academic content, but also the character and social skills needed to thrive.