Signing example
Sign a student code of conduct online
Signing a student code of conduct online is an acknowledgement, not a contract: the school needs to show that the student read the rules and that a parent read them too, each in their own name. This six page Queensland code ends with two columns on the last page, the Year 10 student signing first from a school email and the parent second from her own.
The document, with its fields
The pages as a signer sees them, with the signature, name, title and date fields placed where each party has to complete them.
Student Code of Conduct 2026
1. Principal's foreword
Banksia Downs State College is a community of about 1,400 students and 120 staff. This Student Code of Conduct sets out what every student can expect from the college, what the college expects from every student, and what happens when those expectations are not met. It is written so a student in Year 7 can read it and know where they stand.
Every student starting at the college reads the code with a parent or carer, and both sign the acknowledgement on the last page. Signing does not change any right a student or parent has; it confirms that the family has read the code and knows where to find it. The code is on the college website, and a printed copy is available from the front office.
Dr Annelise Corrigan-Tate, Principal
2. Who this code applies to
The code applies to every student enrolled at the college, at school, on the way to and from school, on excursions, camps and sport, and online whenever their behaviour affects another student or a staff member. It sits alongside the department's student discipline procedure and the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, which set the formal rules for suspension and exclusion that the college follows.
3. Consultation
This version was developed with students, staff and the Parents and Citizens' Association during Term 3 2026. The student council ran two surveys and a forum with Years 7 to 12, and their suggestions are why the phone rules in section 8 explain the reasons and not only the rule. The P&C endorsed the code on Tuesday 15 September 2026.
4. Our three expectations
Everything in this code comes back to three expectations, which are taught in every year level and displayed in every classroom.
| Expectation | What it means |
|---|---|
| Be safe | Keep yourself and others physically and emotionally safe. Follow staff directions straight away in an emergency. |
| Be respectful | Treat every person as you would like to be treated, including when you disagree. Respect property, yours and everyone else's. |
| Be a learner | Arrive on time, ready to learn, with what you need. Let others learn. Ask for help when you need it. |
5. How the college supports behaviour
Most students meet these expectations most of the time, and they are recognised for it through class acknowledgements, the weekly year level awards and positive notes home. When a student needs more help, teachers use a staged approach: reminding and re teaching the expectation, a conversation with the student, contact with home, and a support plan designed with the student and the family. Specialist staff, including the guidance officer, the youth worker and the school nurse, are part of that support.
6. The behaviour matrix
The matrix shows what the three expectations look like in the places students spend their day.
| Place | Be safe | Be respectful | Be a learner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classroom | Walk, keep bags under desks, use equipment as shown | Listen when others speak, use kind words | Be on time, bring your device charged, complete set work |
| Playground | Stay in bounds, wear a hat in play areas | Include others, take turns with equipment | Follow game rules, return equipment |
| Canteen | Line up, keep food in eating areas | Say please and thank you, wait your turn | Know your order before you reach the front |
| Toilets | Wash hands, report any problem | Respect privacy, leave it as you found it | Go during breaks where possible |
| Online | Keep passwords private, report anything unsafe | Post nothing you would not say face to face | Use devices for learning in class |
| Excursions | Stay with your group, follow staff directions | Represent the college well in public | Take part in every activity |
7. Attendance and punctuality
Students attend every school day unless they are sick or have another reasonable excuse. Parents tell the college about an absence by 9.30 am on the day through the absence line or the parent app. A student who arrives after the 8.40 am bell signs in at student services. The college contacts home the same morning about any unexplained absence, and meets with the family when absences start to affect learning.
8. Mobile phones and personal devices
Mobile phones and smart watches are switched off and kept in a student's bag from the time they arrive until the end of the school day, including at breaks. They are "away for the day". A student who needs to contact home goes to student services. A parent who needs to reach their child calls the office.
Laptops provided or approved for learning are used in class only as the teacher directs. A phone or device used against this rule is handed to a staff member, kept at student services, and collected by the student at the end of the day; a second time in a term, by a parent. A student with a health plan that needs a phone, for example to monitor diabetes, keeps it under that plan.
9. Bullying and cyberbullying
Bullying is ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social or psychological harm. It can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious or hidden. A single incident or a disagreement between equals is not bullying, but it is still dealt with.
A student who is bullied, or who sees it, tells a teacher, a year level coordinator or the guidance officer, or uses the anonymous report form on the student portal. Every report is recorded and responded to within one school day. The college works with everyone involved, contacts the families, and checks in with the student who was targeted until they say they feel safe.
Online behaviour outside school hours that harms another student's safety or wellbeing at school may be dealt with under this code. Where content online is seriously harmful, families can also report it to the eSafety Commissioner.
10. Respectful relationships
Discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment of any kind, including comments about a person's gender, sexuality, race, culture, religion or disability, are never acceptable at the college. Staff act on every report and take the student's account seriously. Students learn about consent and respectful relationships through the health curriculum in every year level.
11. Uniform and presentation
Students wear the college uniform, as set out in the dress code, to school and on excursions, unless a free dress day is announced. A broad brimmed hat is worn in all outdoor play areas. A student out of uniform is offered a spare item from student services. Families who cannot afford uniform items speak to the business manager, in confidence.
12. Property
Students look after their own property and the college's. Damage or graffiti is reported, and a student who damages property on purpose may be asked to help repair it. Staff may temporarily remove property from a student where it is unsafe or disrupting learning, following the department's procedure for the temporary removal of student property, and return it as that procedure requires.
Students do not bring valuables they do not need for learning. The college is not responsible for loss of or damage to personal property brought to school, but lost property is kept at student services until the end of each term and named items are returned to their owner.
13. Weapons, drugs and alcohol
Weapons, knives, imitation weapons, alcohol, illegal drugs, vapes and tobacco must never be brought to the college or to any college activity. Staff take any such item from a student, contact the family, and contact the police where the law requires. A student who brings a weapon or a drug to school can expect the most serious consequences in section 14.
14. Consequences
Consequences are chosen to help the student learn and to keep everyone safe. They are proportionate to the behaviour, take the student's age and circumstances into account, and are explained to the student and the family.
| Level | Examples of consequences |
|---|---|
| Classroom | Reminder, re teaching the expectation, a change of seat, a short time out in the room, a restorative conversation |
| Year level | A lunchtime meeting with the coordinator, a behaviour monitoring card, a phone call or meeting with home |
| Deputy principal | A support plan, a temporary change to the timetable, a referral to the guidance officer |
| Principal | Suspension, a charge related suspension, or a recommendation for exclusion, each under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 and the department's student discipline procedure |
A student who is suspended, and their parent, are told in writing why, for how long, and how to ask for a review of the decision. The college arranges school work for the student while they are away and a re entry meeting before they return to class.
15. Restorative practice
Where it is safe, the college uses restorative conversations to repair harm. The student who caused it hears how it affected others, takes responsibility, and agrees on how to put things right. Taking part is voluntary for the person who was harmed.
16. Raising a concern
A student or parent who is unhappy with how something was handled raises it first with the teacher, then the year level coordinator, then the deputy principal. A concern that is not resolved can be made as a formal complaint to the principal through the department's customer complaints process.
17. Critical incidents and emergencies
In an emergency, every student follows staff directions straight away, without stopping to collect belongings or use a phone. The college practises fire evacuations and lockdowns each term, and families receive a text message during and after any real incident, with instructions about collecting students.
18. Students with disability
Students with disability are supported to meet these expectations through reasonable adjustments, which are planned with the student and the family and recorded in the student's support plan. A behaviour that is linked to a disability is responded to in a way that takes the disability into account.
The college does not use restrictive practices, such as physical restraint or seclusion, as a consequence. They are used only in an emergency to prevent immediate harm, as the department's procedure allows, and the family is told the same day.
19. Related college documents
| Document | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Dress code | College website and student planner, page 4 |
| Student laptop agreement | Issued with each laptop, signed separately |
| Anti bullying procedure | College website, student portal |
| Assessment policy | Student portal, each subject's page |
| Department student discipline procedure | Queensland Department of Education policy and procedure register |
20. Review
The code is reviewed with students, staff and the P&C at least every four years, and sooner when the law or the department's procedures change. Families are told of any change at the start of the following term.
21. Privacy
Records about a student's behaviour, support plans and any disciplinary decision are kept securely in the department's student records system, seen only by staff who need them, and handled under the Information Privacy Act 2009. A parent may ask the principal to see the records the college holds about their child.
22. The code at a glance
- Three expectations: be safe, be respectful, be a learner.
- Phones and smart watches off and in your bag from arrival until the end of the day.
- Laptops are for learning, used in class as the teacher directs.
- Bullying, harassment and discrimination are acted on every time; report it in person or anonymously on the portal.
- Absences are reported by a parent by 9.30 am on the day.
- Weapons, drugs, alcohol and vapes are never brought to school.
- Suspension and exclusion follow the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, and every decision can be reviewed.
23. Who to contact
| For | Contact |
|---|---|
| Absences | Absence line 07 5443 9122, or the parent app, by 9.30 am |
| Year 10 coordinator | Mr Desmond Akintola, year10@banksiadownsssc.example |
| Guidance officer | Ms Petra Llewellyn, by appointment through student services |
| Deputy principal, Years 10 to 12 | Mrs Harriet Oduya, 07 5443 9100 |
| Front office | 07 5443 9100, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm on school days |
24. Acknowledgement
Student. I, Mateo Quellwood, Year 10, have read this Student Code of Conduct with my parent. I understand the three expectations, the phone rules, and what happens if I do not meet them, and I know who to talk to if I need help.
Parent. I, Ines Quellwood, have read this Student Code of Conduct with Mateo, and I know where to find it. I will support the college in helping Mateo meet these expectations and will contact the college if I have a concern.
Who signs what
- Mateo Quellwood, student, Year 10
- Name, signature and stamped date in the left column of page 6 · Email link, sent to the student's school address
- Ines Quellwood, parent
- Name, signature and stamped date in the right column of page 6 · Email link, sent after the student signs
The signing journey
Step 1
Six fields on the last page
Two matching columns: full name, signature and date for the student on the left, the same for the parent on the right.
Step 2
The student signs first
Sign in order is on. Mateo's link goes to his school email, and Ines's link is held until his signature is stamped.
Step 3
Names come from the recipient record
Each name field fills from the name the school entered for that recipient, so the printed names match the people invited.
Step 4
Two people, two inboxes
The certificate lists both signers, each with their own email address, IP address and signing time.
Every field, and who fills it
Mateo Quellwood's name prints in the left column from his recipient record, he draws his signature, and his date stamps itself. Ines Quellwood does the same in the right column once he has signed. Nothing else is typed. Pages 1 to 5 carry the three expectations, the behaviour matrix, the phones away for the day rule, bullying and cyberbullying, and the consequences table, which the certified copy preserves exactly as both of them read it.
How to adapt this envelope
A student who is 18 or older can sign alone, with the parent removed. Separated parents can both be added as signers three and four, each with their own column. A school that wants a parent to sign first, before the student is even asked, can reverse the order. A year level rollout is one envelope per student, so the status page shows exactly which families are still outstanding.
Why an electronic acknowledgement works here
Australian electronic transactions law accepts an electronic signature that identifies the person and shows their intention by a reliable method. Queensland state schools are each required to have a Student Code of Conduct, published on the school website and given to newly enrolled students and their families, and the signed acknowledgement is the school's record that this family received it.
What makes this signing flow work
The student owns the first signature
The code is about the student's behaviour, so the student acknowledges it first, in his own session. Putting the parent second means the parent's signature confirms a code the student has already accepted, which is the order the acknowledgement paragraphs on page 6 assume.
Two different email addresses
A parent signing on a child's behalf from one inbox proves little. Sending the student's link to his school address and the parent's to her own gives the certificate two separate identities, which is what a school would point to if either later said they never saw the code.
Only the acknowledgement is signed
Nobody initials five pages of rules. The six fields all sit on page 6, under two short statements that say what each person read, so the envelope stays quick to complete while the certified PDF still carries the whole code above the signatures.
Questions people ask
Is a code of conduct signed online binding on a student?
It is an acknowledgement, not a contract. The school's authority to discipline comes from the law and the department's procedures, not from the signature. What the signature proves is that the student and the parent were given the code and read it, which the certificate records against each of them.
Can a parent sign from home while the student signs at school?
Yes. Each has their own link in their own inbox and signs in a browser on any device, with no account to create. The parent's link is sent automatically the moment the student's signature is stamped, wherever the student happened to sign from, so neither has to wait for the other to be home.
What if the family has not signed within a few weeks?
The envelope expires 30 days after it was created, and that period cannot be changed in the app. Before then the school can resend the current signer's invitation to the same address. After expiry, the school sends a new envelope.
What if a parent refuses to sign the code of conduct?
The envelope moves to declined, the school is emailed with the reason, and the student's signature stays on record in the event log but no final PDF is produced. The code still applies; the school would meet the family to talk through the concern.
Does the student need their own email address?
Each signer needs an email address where their link can be delivered, and the certificate prints it against their signature. Using the student's school address keeps the two signers clearly separate, which a shared family inbox would not, and it is an address the school already holds and can check.
Can the school change the code after families have signed?
The signed PDF is certified and cannot be edited, so a revised code needs a new acknowledgement. Clause 20 says families are told of any change at the start of the following term, which is the natural point to send the new envelope.
Build your own in about a minute
The button below opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own, generate, then edit anything you like.
Make one like thisOther signing examples
Sign a childcare enrolment agreement online
To sign a childcare enrolment agreement online, the parent has to supply the facts only a parent can give, the people allowed to collect the child and the consents for photos and sunscreen, before the centre accepts. This five page agreement for a three year old at a South Australian long day care centre has the parent type three pickup names, choose two consents as typed X marks and sign, and the director signs after.
Sign a scholarship acceptance online
Signing a scholarship acceptance online has to prove the student agreed to the conditions, especially repayment on withdrawal, and not just to the money. This three page offer of a $4,200 summer research scholarship at a Tasmanian university has the student initial all seven conditions, type a student number and sign behind an emailed code, with the scholarships officer countersigning.
Sign an after school care agreement online
An after school care agreement signed online has to settle who may collect the child at 6 pm and what happens when nobody comes. This three page enrolment for a Year 2 child at a Canberra outside school hours care service has the parent type two authorised collectors, type an X to acknowledge the late pickup fee, and sign, with the coordinator countersigning the same day.
Want the steps in the builder? Read Add several signers to one envelope, then Send a PDF for e-signature. For everything this generator can do, see the signing flow maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .