Child Safety

This week, we highlight Child Safe Standard 3: Child and Student Empowerment. 

Standard 3 focuses on schools ensuring that children, young people and students are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously. 

Below are the policies and processes in place at St John's Primary School, that support the implementation of Child Safe Standard 3.

Policies & Processes

• Code of Conduct - Student, Staff and Parents / Carers
• Transition Program 
• Student Wellbeing Policy
• Behaviour Policy
• Bullying Prevention Policy (including online)
• Engaging Families in Child Safety Policy
• Pastoral Care of Students Policy

How St John's implements Standard 3

1. St John's Rights and Responsibilties

• Students are taught St John's Rights and Responsibilities - all students are explicitly taught our rights and responsibilties  - To be Respectful, To be Safe and To Learn and how these rights and responsibilities enacted as members of the St John's school community.

• Students contribute to their Class Pledge - All classes create a Class Pledge sharing agreed behaviours. Teachers revisit the pledge throughout the year, positively reinforcing appropriate behaviours. Please see 1M's classroom pledge below:

• St John's Behaviour Matrix - students are explicitly taught expected behaviours of being respectful, safe and learn in all spaces, in learning time, at playtime and online. 

• Students are rewarded for positive behaviour through a House Points System and individual classroom reward systems, positively reinforcing positive behaviours.

2. Safety Curriculum - RRRR Curriculum

• Students are taught Social Emotional Literacy  in an ongoing way across all subjects and during SEL lessons including the RRRR Curriculum (Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships and Building Respectful Relationships)  and PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) lessons. These lessons cover topics including positive behaviours, Emotional Literacy, Personal Strengths, Positive Coping, Problem Solving, Stress Management, Help Seeking, Gender and Identity and Positive Relationships.

3. St John's Better Buddies Days  and CyberSafety Sessions

• All students participate in Better Buddies Days where faith based values are taught celebrating friendship, inclusion and safety.

• The Better Buddies faith based values are highlighted throughout the day – these are friendliness, caring for others, respect, valuing difference, including others and responsibility.

• On Monday 24 March St John's will be celebrating Harmony Day promoting respect and inlcusion of all cultures.

• In 2025 St John's will celebrate a Better Buddies Safety Day on Monday 19 May focusing on students learning about people in their safety network and who students would speak with should they feel unsafe. 

• Students participate in Cybersafety sessions each term with Inform and Empower, equipping students with knowledge and skills about how to respond to unsafe bahaviours online. 

4. Student Leadership Opportunities

• St John's has embedded practices in building student leadership. All students see themeselves as leaders with and opportunity to lead others in service. Formal opportunities include SRC and SAT Teams.  

• SRC Student Representative Council - students Prep to Year Six are elected each Semester to represent peers in discussions around decision making.

• Student Action Team Leaders and Team Members - All Year 6 students are members of the St John's Student Action Teams promoting school belonging, inclusion and actions at a local, community and global level.  This is clearly evident through Student Led Lunchtime Clubs and Celebration Days.

4. Student Social & Emotional Surveys

• Students Year 2-6 participate in the OARS ACER (Australian Council of Education Research) SEW (Social Emotional Wellbeing) survey. Students complete this survey annually providing the school with valuable insights into students emotional literacy and sense of belonging. Data collected is analysed and staff use this information to inform decision making in building inclusion and emotional literacy. 

• Students Year 4-6 participate in MACSSIS surveys annually, providing important insight into student experience of school with questions exploring student perception of school climate, student safety, enabling safety and student voice. 

5. Staff Training and Awareness

• Staff complete Mandatory Reporting Modules annually building their understanding of how to recognise and act on signs of child abuse or harm. 

• Child Safety is a standing order at all meetings, discussed at the commencement of leadership meetings, staff meetings and planning meetings, building an ongoing dialogue about the safety of all students in our care.

• Teachers discuss safe spaces with students where students can express concerns about safety.

6. Partnering with Families 

• All staff, contractors and volunteers must hold a current WWCC

• All school volunteers must attend a Parent Helpers / Volunteer Induction Session Including Child Safety Standards at St John's Friday 14 March 2.30pm 

• School Volunteers must complete an online module explaing the 11 Child Safe Standards

At St John’s, we are committed to fostering a culturally safe environment where all students feel seen, heard, and respected. By embedding cultural safety into our everyday practices, we ensure that every child feels a strong sense of belonging at our school and know that there are safe adults that support them to feel safe and be safe.