Approach to student wellbeing

Brisbane Catholic Education seeks to create quality learning opportunities for all students and to grow engagement, progress, achievement and wellbeing. For the first time student wellbeing and engagement was measured through the Listens Survey. The aim was to better understand students’ perceptions of the school environment and how comfortable they feel at the school. It considered bullying, inclusivity, support services, and safety.

The results were overwhelmingly positive with:

• 89% of students agreeing that the school is safe

• 84% of students reporting they are happy at school

• 81% of students saying they feel like they belong at school.

To formalise Brisbane Catholic Education’s pastoral care and student wellbeing position a new Student Wellbeing policy was released. The policy recognises that student wellbeing and learning are inextricably linked, embedded in the life of the school, and achieved with the cooperation of family, school, parish and community.

In 2018, all schools commenced using the Engage System to record weapons incidents, drugs incidents, bullying and harassment incidents, and suspensions. The system also enables schools to monitor student behavioural patterns and trends and use data-based decision-making to proactively and positively support student behaviour.

Student protection

Brisbane Catholic Education is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students and the protection of students from harm and abuse. With a culture that student protection is everyone’s responsibility, our employees seek to prevent abuse and harm to students and respond appropriately to students who have been abused or harmed or are at risk of being abused or harmed.

A robust review of our Student Protection Policy was completed in 2018 to ensure that appropriate responses are made whenever matters of student protection come to the attention of staff. The processes are intended to ensure that the steps taken at all levels will result in prompt, professional, sensitive and appropriate action being taken by Brisbane Catholic Education personnel in schools and at the Brisbane Catholic Education Office.

Helping each student to find their voice

Brisbane Catholic Education empowers students to speak, be listened to, and be involved in decision making. During 2018, the Student Voice Project offered secondary students an opportunity to speak up and ‘be the change you want to see...’ with a focus on:

• students sharing perceptions of safe, supporting and inclusive school communities.

• issues that positively and negatively impact on students’ sense of safety and belonging within school communities.

• engaging student ideas on building safe, supportive and inclusive school communities.

• a 10-lesson program, Activating Student Ideas, was piloted with the aim of building students’ skills in emotional literacy, research, participatory decision making, problem solving and advocacy. The program links to the health and physical education curriculum and is a positive contribution to safe, supportive and inclusive school cultures and helps schools tap into student voice.