Wellbeing & Inclusion News
Social Emotional Learning at FWPS
At Footscray West, we implement a variety of evidence-based practices to support our students to feel safe, happy, and healthy. Our staff share a collective belief about the intertwined importance of wellbeing and learning; learning is maximised when students have good wellbeing, and good wellbeing is supported by students being engaged in their learning.
At FWPS, we explicitly teach strategies to support children to flourish socially and emotionally. Our school values of Belonging, Respect, Resilience, and Responsibility are threaded through the curriculum and whole school activities. These values encourage students to make positive choices in their day-to-day learning and interactions with others.
We focus on a well-rounded education which overlays academic skills with social skills, emotional regulation and resilience. Social and emotional learning and our school values are explored using a range of teaching strategies and resources appropriate to each year level. These are underpinned and supported by the Berry Street Education Model and the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) learning materials which are utilised in every classroom from Prep to Year 6.
In the classroom, students are given opportunities to work with others, which helps to foster cooperation and teamwork. In the playground, we work to reinforce positive relationships, with the support of teachers on yard duty. There are a number of lunchtime activities and clubs which run each term to support students to solve problems and continue to build respectful relationships across the school.
At Footscray West Primary School, we provide a comprehensive Social Emotional Learning curriculum. Our goal is to equip students with essential life skills that foster respect, resilience, empathy, and effective communication. By integrating activities that promote self-awareness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal skills, we strive to create a supportive environment where every child feels valued and empowered. Our teachers are committed to modelling positive behaviour and cultivating a culture of kindness and respect throughout the school community. By prioritising social emotional learning, we aim to prepare our students not only for academic success but also for lifelong personal and social well-being.
All of Footscray West’s Social Emotional Learning supports learning and wellbeing as outlined in the Department of Education Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0).
Currently, our staff are working on documenting our school’s approach to explicitly teaching wellbeing and behaviour (also known as our behaviour curriculum). Alongside Department of Education resources, we are being led by the extensive, gold-standard research and practices from Australia Education Research Organisation. For families interested in starting to understand our intended approach and direction, we suggest the following discussion paper:
