Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy

Help for non-English speakers If you need help to understand the information in this policy, please contact the school on 9311 9325

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all students and members of our school community understand:

1. our commitment to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for students
2. expectations for positive student behaviour
3. support available to students and families
4. our school’s policies and procedures for responding to inappropriate student behaviour.

Western English Language School is committed to providing a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment for all newly arrived refugee and migrant students from language backgrounds other than English. We understand that students reach their full potential only when they are happy, healthy and safe, and that a positive school culture helps to engage students and support them in their learning. Our school acknowledges that student wellbeing and student learning outcomes are closely linked.

The objective of this policy is to support our school to create and maintain a safe, supportive and inclusive school environment consistent with our school’s values.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all school activities, including camps and excursions.

CONTENTS

1. School profile
2. School values, philosophy and vision
3. Engagement strategies
4. Identifying students in need of support
5. Student rights and responsibilities
6. Student behavioural expectations and management
7. Engaging with families
8. Evaluation

POLICY

1. School profile

Western English Language School (WELS) was established in 2000 and is a multi-campus school in Melbourne’s South Western Region. WELS delivers intensive English language programs as well as the cultural information newly arrived refugee and migrant students need to engage successfully in mainstream schools. WELS enrols between 460 and 600 students from Foundation to Year 10 for a period of 6 – 12 months so that they can gain the intensive skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English ahead of transiting to their local primary or secondary schools.

WELS has approximately 150 school staff members including teachers, multicultural education aides and ES staff. Our F-10 and Administration Campus is situated in South Road Braybrook, which is well serviced by public transport. Students at the Braybrook Campus live in a variety of Melbourne’s Western suburbs, with some secondary students travelling from as far away as Melton.

Two WELS campuses are situated in Wyndham – the Wyndham Campus is located within the grounds of Wyndham Central College in Shaws Road, Werribee and has close links with the College. Manor Lakes campus is situated on the corner of Scholar Drive and Howqua Way, within the Manor Lakes P-12 College precinct.

WELS Footscray Campus is located within the grounds of Footscray City Primary School in Hyde Street, Footscray.

WELS St Albans Campus is located within the grounds of St Albans Primary School in West Esplanade, St Albans.

WELS Melton Campus is located in Raleighs Road, Melton within the grounds of Melton Primary School.

Our school is culturally diverse with 100% of families having a language background other than English (LOTE). Language backgrounds change frequently, depending on the Federal Government’s migrant and refugee intakes.

We strive to provide a nurturing, challenging and multiculturally supportive environment that empowers students to reach their personal best, both academically and socially.

2. School values, philosophy and vision

Western English Language School’s Statement of Values and School Philosophy is integral to the work that we do and is the foundation of our school community. Students, staff and members of our school community are encouraged to live and demonstrate our core values of respect, responsibility and caring at every opportunity.

The vision of the Western English Language School (WELS) is to empower newly arrived students through the delivery of an excellent EAL curriculum and to assist in their future success through strong working relationships with educational providers in the West.

Our Statement of Values is available online at: Statement of values and School philosophy

Values: Respect, Responsibility and Kindness

Respect
We show respect for the cultures and experiences of students and their families through knowledge and understanding of them in every interaction we have with them.
We show respect for colleagues by listening and actively supporting them – in the classroom, at meetings and by speaking well of them at all times.
We show respect for the community by working cooperatively with them.

Responsibility
We give students clear guidelines and models of good behaviour so that they know what is expected of them.
We invite parents to be part of the school.
We share duties with colleagues – curricular and extracurricular activities so that we are always cooperating with each other.
We involve ourselves in community activities so that new communities know that we support them.

Kindness
We show compassion for students by understanding their backgrounds and by listening to them and actively supporting the WELS program.
We understand parents’ backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
We empower our students and celebrate their strengths and successes. We recognise the different skills and experiences, both academic and non-academic, that they bring with them. We listen to colleagues, understand and support them and acknowledge their differences. We model and demonstrate kindness for each other, and take every opportunity to help others that may be in need.

3. Wellbeing and engagement strategies

Wellbeing at WELS emphasises building the skills and capabilities each student requires to thrive, adapt and succeed as a global citizen, confidently navigating life’s challenges and opportunities. At WELS we celebrate the diverse perspectives, experiences and knowledge each student contributes to our collaborative learning environment. Guided by the principle of equity, our school actively promotes a wellbeing culture of safety, inclusivity and respect, embracing and celebrating diversity across the entire school community.

Western English Language School works within a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework to promote engagement, positive behaviour and respectful relationships for all students in our school. We acknowledge that some students may need additional social, emotional or educational support at school, and that the needs of students will change over time as they grow and learn.

The school provides a range of targeted proactive programs to support students’ social and emotional development and create a positive climate for learning. This includes the Respectful Relationships Program, Human Relations and consent programs, and specific wellbeing programs and interventions.

A summary of the universal (whole of school), targeted (year-group specific) and individual engagement strategies used by our school is included below:

Universal Tier 1

Targeted Tier 2

Individual Tier 3

4. Identifying students in need of support

Western English Language School is committed to providing the necessary support to ensure our students are supported intellectually, emotionally and socially. We have systems, processes and practices to identify and support students with additional needs. Student Wellbeing staff at each WELS campus follow a clear pathway that identifies the steps to identify and plan for students with additional learning or social and emotional learning needs.

Western English Language School has systems, processes and pathways that utilise the following information and tools to identify students who need to access additional Tier 2 and 3 supports:

• personal, health and learning information gathered upon enrolment and while the student is enrolled
• attendance records
• academic performance
• information gained through meetings with parents & carers (primary sector’s socio-linguistic profiles)
• observations by school staff such as changes in engagement, behaviour, self-care, social connectedness and motivation
• attendance, detention and suspension data
• engagement with families
• self-referrals or referrals from peers
• Student Support Group meetings
• screeners

5. Student rights and responsibilities

All members of our school community have a right to experience a safe and supportive school environment. We expect that all students, staff, parents and carers treat each other with respect and dignity. Our school’s Statement of Values highlights the rights and responsibilities of all members of our community.

Students have the right to:

• participate fully in their education
• feel safe, secure and happy at school
• learn in an environment free from bullying, harassment, violence, discrimination or intimidation
• freely express their ideas, feelings and concerns.

Students have the responsibility to:

• participate fully in their educational program
• display positive behaviours that demonstrate respect for themselves, their peers, their
  teachers and members of the school community
• respect the right of others to learn.

Students who may have a complaint or concern about something that has happened at school are encouraged to speak to their parents or carers and approach a trusted teacher or a member of the school leadership team. Further information about raising a complaint or concern is available in our Complaints policy.

6. Student behavioural expectations and management

At WELS we use the School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports (SWPBS) framework to create an environment where our students thrive within their social, emotional and academic learning. SWPBS is a school wide-system of support that includes proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting behaviours that create positive school environments. A continuum of positive behaviour support for all students within our school is implemented using common language to ensure consistency from Foundation to Secondary level.

Behavioural expectations of students, staff and families are grounded in our school’s Statement of Values and the Student Code of Conduct. Student bullying behaviour will be responded to consistently with Western English Language School’s Bullying prevention policy and Code of Conduct. Homegroup and classroom teachers teach expectations consistently with assistance from bilingual multicultural education aides to ensure that newly arrived students clearly understand the expectations of the school.

When a student acts in breach of the behaviour standards of our school community, Western English Language School will institute a staged response, including the school’s SWPBS response flowcharts and the Department’s Student Engagement and Inclusion Guidelines. Where appropriate, parents will be informed about the inappropriate behaviour and the restorative and/or disciplinary action taken by teachers and other school staff.

Behavioural interventions may be used as part of a staged response to inappropriate behaviour in combination with other engagement and support strategies to ensure that factors that may have contributed to the student’s behaviour are identified and addressed. Behavioural interventions at our school will be applied fairly and consistently. Students will always be provided with an opportunity to be heard.

The school supports the use of restorative practices in our conversations and interactions with students. Restorative practices are a range of strategies that seek to repair relationships that have been damaged, including those damaged through bullying. It does this by bringing about a sense of remorse and restorative action on the part of the offender and forgiveness by the victim. This concept underpins our approach to behaviour management.

Behavioural intervention measures that may be applied include:

• guiding a student that their behaviour is inappropriate linked to the SWPBS language
• supportive strategies such as moving a student in a classroom
• referral to the Campus Coordinators, Wellbeing personnel and Assistant Principals.
• restorative practices
• opportunities to reflect
• family meetings
• behaviour reviews
• suspension
• expulsion

Suspension, expulsion and restrictive interventions are measures of last resort and may only be used in situations consistent with Department policy, available at:

• https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/suspensions/policy
• https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/expulsions/policy
• https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/restraint-seclusion/policy

In line with Ministerial Order 1125, no student aged 8 or younger will be expelled without the approval of the Secretary of the Department of Education.

The Principal of Western English Language School is responsible for ensuring all suspensions and expulsions are recorded on CASES21.

All disciplinary measures will be proportionate, age-appropriate and consider the student’s language acquisition stage, trauma background and disability status.

Corporal punishment is prohibited by law and will not be used in any circumstance at our school.

7. Engaging with families

Western English Language School values the input of parents and carers, and we will strive to support families to engage in their child’s learning and build their capacity as active learners. We aim to be partners in learning with parents and carers in our school community.

We work hard to create successful partnerships with parents and carers by:

• ensuring that all parents have access to our school policies and procedures, available on our school website, and as much as possible, through regular verbal communication with parents using the school’s multicultural education aides, at parent meetings and at parent teacher-meetings across all WELS campuses.
• maintaining an open, respectful line of communication between parents and staff, supported by our Communicating with School Staff Policy.
• providing parent volunteer opportunities so that families can contribute to school activities
• involving families with homework and other curriculum-related activities
• involving families in school decision making
• coordinating access to resources and services from the community for families
• including families in Student Support Groups and developing individual plans for students

8. Evaluation

Western English Language School will collect data each year to understand the frequency and types of wellbeing issues that are experienced by our students so that we can measure the success or otherwise of our school-based strategies and identify emerging trends or needs.

Sources of data that will be assessed on an annual basis include:

• student survey data
• incidents data (for example through the SMT)
• school reports
• parent survey
• case management
• CASES21
• SOCS

COMMUNICATION

This policy will be communicated to our school community in the following ways

• Available publicly on our school’s website
• Included in staff induction processes
• Included in transition and enrolment packs

FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

The following Department of Education and Training policies are relevant to this Student Engagement and Wellbeing Policy:

• Attendance
• Student Engagement
• Child Safe Standards
• Supporting Students in Out-of-Home Care
• Students with Disability
• LGBTIQ Student Support
• Behaviour – Students
• Suspensions
• Expulsions
• Restraint and Seclusion

The following school policies are also relevant to this Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy:

• Bullying Prevention Policy
• Child Safe Standards Policy
• Inclusion and Diversity policy
• Statement of Values and School Philosophy

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL