Wellbeing

At Finley Public School, student wellbeing and learning go hand in hand. We want every student to feel safe, included and ready to learn. Whether your child needs help with their mental, emotional, social or physical wellbeing, we are here to help them thrive at school and in daily life. We support this through our Positive Behaviour for Learning and The Resilience Project practices, which guide students in building strong habits, respectful relationships and postive mindsets.

How we support student wellbeing

Supporting each student’s mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing is part of everyday school life.

We do this by providing:

• implementing Positive Behaviour and Learning along with The Resilience Project to educate students
• teachers and support staff who help students feel welcome and included
• access to school counsellors, school psychologists and specialist staff
• programs that support health, social skills, attendance and positive behaviour
• help for students who are new or changing year levels
• clear expectations for behaviour and respectful relationships
• staff who get to know each child and work closely with families
• health care plan development meetings for students
• open communication about wellbeing and support.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a whole school program to ensure the consistent approach to awarding students for dedication to their learning and monitoring student behaviours. PBL focuses on the whole school values; Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be a Learner. Students are expected to adhere to these values at all times.

Teaching Staff explicitly teach these values along with the rules and expectations which are to be modelled by students in every area of the school, outside of school and in their learning behaviours.

A set of behavioural guidelines has been developed for each area of the school for students to be aware of and to follow. These guidelines ensure that a consistent approach to welfare and discipline is followed.

Students are aware of the consequences that follow if behavioural expectations are not met both in the classroom and in the playground or while representing the school.

The PBL awards system assists us to ensure that students continue to engage in their learning to see a progressive achievement of awards culminating in the Diamond Student Award.

The whole school approach is beneficial to the student’s understanding and development of respect, responsibility and life long learning.

The Resilience Project

At Finley Public School, we are committed to nurturing lifelong wellbeing by embedding The Resilience Project (TRP), a whole school, evidence based program grounded in Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness, and Emotional Literacy (GEM), across our primary years. Students engage in weekly TRP lessons within their classrooms, where they explore practical strategies to strengthen their mental health and build resilience. TRP equips students, educators, and families with research backed approaches to foster emotional strength, positive relationships, and lifelong wellbeing.

Independent research demonstrates that TRP has a measurable, long term impact on primary aged students. A University of Melbourne study found that children in TRP schools reported significantly higher use of gratitude strategies, helping them to better regulate their emotions and maintain positivity. Large scale research by the University of Adelaide, involving over 160,000 students, revealed that while non TRP students showed declines in wellbeing, TRP students maintained stable levels of life satisfaction, emotional health, and peer and school connectedness. More recently, a Monash University evaluation of more than 40,000 students confirmed that schools with multiple years of TRP delivery recorded reductions of around 20% in anxiety symptoms and 31% in depression symptoms. These findings highlight the powerful benefits of embedding resilience building practices consistently throughout the primary years.

Need support for your child's wellbeing?

Get in touch to talk about the right support for your child.

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