Student welfare

For some students and families, barriers related to health, wellbeing and social services can significantly hinder their access to learning. Creating a school hub is one solution. In today’s article we find out more about the Mirrung Program at Ashcroft Public School – a bespoke model that’s meeting community needs and having positive impacts for everyone involved.

Transitioning to formal schooling, and from primary to secondary school, is a big change for students. New research shines a light on the impact of student absenteeism during these transition years, and recommends primary and secondary schools work together to support attendance. We’re joined by the study’s lead author to find out more.

‘Teachers and parents can help to foster social-emotional functioning among students, which is important for their healthy development more broadly.’ In this reader submission, Rebecca J. Collie and Richard M. Ryan share findings from their recent study that examined the role teachers and parents play in relation to students’ social-emotional competence. 

Childhood is a foundational period for the development of body image. The Butterfly Body Bright program provides a framework to help primary schools take significant steps toward achieving both staff and student self-compassion and body appreciation. 

For more than 20 years, ReachOut Australia has been helping young people access support as they experience mental health challenges. Free, anonymous and confidential, ReachOut is a safe place where young people can express themselves, get a deeper understanding of what's happening in their lives, connect with judgment-free support, and build resilience to manage their challenges now and in the future.

Arts Therapists integrate their knowledge of arts and psychotherapy to facilitate healing and growth, using art materials and techniques alongside psychological principles. ANZACATA is the regulatory body for all qualified Art Therapists, and in this article, they share more about art therapy and how it can help people.

The Song Room’s Social and Emotional Learning through the Arts program is a place-based, trauma-informed, and strengths-based program that uses the arts to explicitly teach social and emotional skills. At Wantirna Primary School in Melbourne’s east, this arts-based social and emotional learning has become a key part of the school’s wellbeing strategy.

In this episode of Behaviour Management, Teacher’s Dominique Russell is joined by Associate Professor Brendon Hyndman from Charles Sturt University to share 6 key areas of consideration for schools to support student wellbeing by setting up for healthy play behaviours at school. 

Schools play a critical role in supporting student mental health and promoting wellbeing initiatives. The Australian Council for Educational Research has produced the Wellbeing Program Guide – a comprehensive catalogue of 233 wellbeing programs designed to help teachers and schools find suitable programs that are evidence-based, locally relevant, and practical for educators to implement.

Adolescence is a period of rapid development. To support students through various challenges during this time, educators need effective tools to help them understand how they’re coping – and how they can do so more effectively. Find out more about the Adolescent Coping Scale for Schools (ACS-S) in this article.