STUDENT WELLBEING & ENGAGEMENT POLICY 

STUDENT WELLBEING & ENGAGEMENT POLICY Policy 2026-2028 

Help for non-English speakers 

If you need help to understand this policy, please contact Glenroy College on 9304 0400  

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 behaviours of concern

Glenroy College is committed to providing a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment for all students.  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 College acknowledges that student wellbeing and student learning outcomes are closely linked.  

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

Scope: 

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

Policy: 

School profile  

Glenroy College is a co-educational Year 7-12 school in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. The school is on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, with students drawn from the communities of Glenroy, Coburg, Oak Park, Hadfield and Pascoe Vale. Our school began post the merger of Glenroy High, Fawkner Technical, Glenroy Technical, Hadfield High and Oak Park High in the 1990’s. Initially called Box Forest College, it was renamed as Glenroy College in 2010. 

The College Values of Respect, Integrity, Achievement and Teamwork underpin all of our student management processes and our student leadership. These values also underpin the College motto of 'Aspiring Together'

The College has a diverse student and family composition, with both families from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, as well as families who have lived in Glenroy for generations. This diversity feeds our desire to be an inclusive community where we share a passion for lifelong learning, a drive to build 21st Century skills and assist learners in seeking quality pathways.

We pride ourselves on our links to the community, including our involvement with Merri-Bek Council, the Glenroy Hub, and the inner Northern Local Learning and Employment Network. Our site is home to the Mulberry Community Gardens, and we host multiple Vocational Education and Training subjects (VET) available to local students including, VET Beauty Services, VET Business and VET Allied Health Service Assistance. We have close ties with Tertiary institutions including Melbourne University’s STEM Centre of Excellence, the Swinburne University ‘Children’s University’ program, where students engage broadly in the community for university credits, and we are host to the RMIT Master of Teaching Northern Hub, where the next generation of teachers experience ongoing learning within our school. All of these relationships support our vision of Glenroy College as a hub of Learning and opportunity.

Our Gym and Performing Arts Spaces are utilized for community sport and Calisthenics 7 days a week, and our classrooms are used by Language schools on the weekends. Our Performing Arts Centre regularly hosts community cultural events and Dancing competitions, and we are currently developing a joint use agreement for community use of our oval and outdoor spaces.

A number of plans are in motion to redevelop the outdoor spaces of the college, as well as a great deal of advocacy for government funding for a new master plan and Stage 2 and 3 funding.  The College has approximately 80+ staff, comprised of a Principal, 2 Assistant Principals, 3 Learning Specialists, 3 Leading Teachers, a number of Learning Tutors and MYLNS coaches, 2 Careers Advisors, 45 classroom teachers, 12 Inclusion Support, IT, First Aid and admin staff. Enrolment numbers are approximately 460 students.

Through strong relationships and community partnerships, our students experience authentic opportunities to "Aspire Together" and impact our world in positive ways.

School values, philosophy and vision  

Glenroy College is an inclusive community where we share a passion for lifelong learning. ​Our dedication to high-quality education enables students and staff to engage in a broad curriculum with diverse and collaborative learning opportunities. We challenge and support all students to achieve personal success, understand their own wellbeing, and face the future with resilience, empathy and optimism.​​

Through strong relationships and community partnerships, our students experience authentic opportunities to "Aspire Together" and impact our world in positive ways.

Our school values of Achievement, Respect, Integrity and Teamwork drive everything we do at Glenroy College. We collectively strive to provide the highest standards of care and learning, so that our local community can consider Glenroy College an excellent choice for its students.

• Achievement: We hold ourselves to high standards, and celebrate both our successes and our efforts.
• Integrity: We have strength of character, and strive to make good choices for ourselves and everyone around us.
• Respect: We respect ourselves, our community and our school.
• Teamwork: We look out for each other, we support each other in our learning, and we work together to make our school a place where every student learns and thrives.

Engagement strategies 

Glenroy College has developed a range of strategies to promote engagement, positive behaviour and respectful relationships for all students in our school. We acknowledge that some students may need extra social, emotional or educational support at school, and that the needs of students will change over time as they grow and learn.  

Students are encouraged to actively contribute to school improvement, wellbeing initiatives and decision-making processes through student leadership, student voice forums, surveys and consultation opportunities.

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

Universal 

• High and consistent expectations of all staff, students and parents and carers 

• Prioritise positive relationships between staff and students, recognising the fundamental role this plays in building and sustaining student wellbeing  

• Creating a culture that is inclusive, engaging and supportive 

• Welcoming all parents/carers and being responsive to them as partners in learning 

• Analysing and being responsive to a range of school data such as attendance, Attitudes to School Survey, parent survey data, student management data and school level assessment data 

• Deliver a broad curriculum including VCE, VET Programs, VCEVM and VPC to ensure that students are able to choose subjects and programs that are tailored to their interests, strengths and aspirations 

• Teachers at Glenroy College utilise our instructional framework to ensure an explicit, common and shared model of instruction to ensure that evidenced-based, high yield teaching practices are incorporated into all lessons 

• Teachers at Glenroy College adopt a broad range of teaching and assessment approaches to effectively respond to the diverse learning styles, strengths and needs of our students and follow the standards set by the Victorian Institute of Teaching 

• Our school’s Statement of Values are incorporated into our curriculum and promoted to students, staff and parents so that they are shared and celebrated as the foundation of our school community 

• Carefully planned transition programs to support students moving into different stages of their schooling 

• Positive behaviour and student achievement is acknowledged in the classroom, and formally in school assemblies and communication to parents 

• Monitor student attendance and implement attendance improvement strategies at a whole-school, cohort and individual level 

• Students have the opportunity to contribute to and provide feedback on decisions about school operations through the Student Leadership group. Students are also encouraged to speak with their teachers, Level Leader, Assistant Principal and Principal whenever they have any questions or concerns. 

• Create opportunities for crossage connections amongst students through school plays, athletics, music programs and peer support programs 

• All students are welcome to self-refer to the Student Wellbeing Coordinator, School Nurse, School Chaplain, Level Leaders, Assistant Principal and Principal if they would like to discuss a particular issue or feel as though they may need support of any kind. We are proud to have an ‘open door’ policy where students and staff are partners in learning 

• We engage in school wide positive behaviour support with our staff and students, which includes programs such as: 

  • Respectful Relationships 

  • Bully Stoppers 

  • Programs, incursions and excursions developed to address issue specific behaviour (i.e. anger management programs) 

  • Opportunities for student inclusion (i.e. sports teams, clubs, recess and lunchtime activities) 

Targeted 

• Each year level has a Level Leader responsible for their group, who monitor the health and wellbeing of students in their year, and act as a point of contact for students who may need additional support 

• All students from Year 10 and above will be assisted to develop a Career Action Plan, with targeted goals and support to plan for their future 

• Connect all Koorie students with a Koorie Engagement Support Officer 

• All students in Out of Home Care will have an Individual Learning Plan and will be referred to Student Support Services for an Educational Needs Assessment 

• Wellbeing and health staff will undertake health promotion and social skills development in response to needs identified by student wellbeing data, classroom teachers or other school staff each year 

• Staff will apply a trauma-informed approach to working with students who have experienced trauma  

Individual  

• Student Support Groups, see: Student Support Groups Policy 

• Individual Learning Plan and Behaviour Support Plan 

• Program for Students with Disabilities 

• Referral to Wellbeing Team and Student Support Services 

• Referral to Child and Family Services (including Orange Door where appropriate), headspace 

• Navigator 

• Lookout 

Glenroy College implements a range of strategies that support and promote individual engagement. These can include: 

• Building constructive relationships with students at risk or students who are vulnerable due to complex individual circumstances 

• Meeting with a student and their parent/carer to talk about how best to help the student engage with school 

• Developing an Individual Learning Plan and/or a Behaviour Support Plan 

• Considering if any environmental changes need to be made, for example changing the classroom set up 

• Referring the student to:  

• School-based wellbeing supports  

• Student Support Services 

• Appropriate external supports such as council based youth and family services, other allied health professionals, headspace, child and adolescent mental health services or ChildFirst 

• Re-engagement programs such as Navigator 

Where beneficial the school will support the student’s family to engage by:  

• Being responsive and sensitive to changes in the student’s circumstances and health and wellbeing 

• Collaborating, where appropriate and with the support of the student and their family, with any external allied health professionals, services or agencies that are supporting the student 

• Monitoring individual student attendance and developing Attendance Improvement Plans in collaboration with the student and their family 

• Running regular Student Support Group meetings for all students: 

• With a disability 

• In Out of Home Care  

• And with other complex needs that require ongoing support and monitoring. 

Identifying students in need of support 

Glenroy College is committed to providing the necessary support to ensure our students are supported intellectually, emotionally and socially. The Student Wellbeing Team plays a significant role in developing and implementing strategies to help identify students in need of support and enhance student wellbeing. Glenroy College will utilise the following information and tools to identify students in need of extra emotional, social or educational support: 

• Personal, health and learning information gathered upon enrolment and while the student is enrolled 

• Attendance records 

• Academic performance 

• 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 rights and responsibilities 

All members of our College 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 College’s Statement of Values highlights the rights and responsibilities of 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 

• 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 College Leadership Team. 

Student behavioural expectations and management 

Behavioural expectations of students, staff and families are grounded in our school’s Statement of Values. Student bullying behaviour will be responded to consistently with Glenroy College’s Bullying Prevention policy.  

Violence, bullying, and other offensive and harmful behaviours such as racism, harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated and will be managed in accordance with this policy. Bullying will be managed in accordance with our Bullying Prevention Policy.  

When a student acts in breach of the behaviour standards of our school community, Glenroy College will institute a staged response, consistent with the Department of Education policies and guidance relating to student wellbeing, engagement, suspension and expulsion. Where appropriate, parents will be informed about the behaviours of concern and the disciplinary action taken by teachers and other school staff.  

Disciplinary measures may be used as part of a staged response to behaviours of concern 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. Disciplinary measures at our school will be applied fairly and consistently. Students will always be provided with an opportunity to be heard.  

Disciplinary measures that may be applied include: 

• Informing a student why a specific behaviour is of concern

• Teacher controlled consequences such as moving a student in a classroom or other reasonable and proportionate responses to misbehaviour  

• Withdrawal of privileges 

• Referral to the Level Leader  

• Restorative practices 

• Detentions 

• 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  

Glenroy College prioritises prevention, de-escalation and positive behaviour support strategies to reduce the likelihood of restrictive interventions being required.

The Principal of Glenroy College is responsible for ensuring all suspensions and expulsions are recorded on CASES21.  

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

Engaging with families  

Glenroy College 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. Parents can contact the school for support on 9304 0400. 

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 

• 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 resources and services from the community for families 

• Including families in Student Support Groups, and developing individual plans for students.  

Evaluation  

Glenroy College 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 

• School reports 

• Parent survey 

• Case management 

• CASES21 

• SOCS  

Further information and resources: 

Bullying Prevention 

Child Safe Standards 

This policy should be read alongside the school’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Communication: 

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

• Discussed at staff briefings or meetings, as required 
• Included in our staff policy handbook 
• Made available in hard copy from school administration upon request 
• Uploaded to our school website 

Policy Review and Approval: