STUDENT WELLBEING A CLEAR PRIORITY

Swan Valley Anglican Community School teachers are responding to the increased prevalence of mental health issues in young people by prioritising the development of positive wellbeing strategies across all aspects of school life.

Principal Melissa Powell said the increasing trend of mental health issues in young people, such as anxiety and depression, was well documented.

“In our Primary School, we have a strong focus on fostering learning environments that support student voice and student agency. We have recognised that developing these can result in improved engagement, achievement, and wellbeing in our students,” she said. Early Years teachers have commenced a year-long project with the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) that enables and promotes student agency within the classroom.

The aim is to reframe learning and assessments so that they are student-led and promote student voice, while simultaneously following the Kathy Walker approach (play-based inquiry learning) and aligning this to the curriculum. By encouraging students to steer their own learning, they are developing their sense of self-efficacy, which, in turn, promotes feelings of positive wellbeing.

Alongside this, teachers are actively promoting the development of emotional intelligence and wellbeing practices. The ability to recognise and express challenges with emotional regulation, identify feelings and actively seek support for them, has been developed not only through the enactment of the School’s Values, but also through the trust placed in student voice.

In the Junior Years, students have been empowered to voice their worries, anxieties and feelings by completing regular ‘Wellbeing Check-ins’. They are encouraged to indicate the emotions they are experiencing, such as ‘happy’, ‘overwhelmed’, ‘anxious’, ‘worried’, or ‘chilled, and reflect on why this is the case. They also have the option to request a ‘Check-in’ with their teacher or a safe adult. As a result, many students have become more confident in the knowledge that when they are open and honest about their feelings and emotions, they will be heard and supported.