CHILD SAFETY IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY 

GETTING TO KNOW THE CHILD SAFE STANDARDS & WHAT RPS DOES

Child Safety Focus: Supporting Diversity and Equity at RPS

Upholding Child Safe Standard 5

At Ripponlea Primary School, we believe that every child deserves to feel safe, supported and respected—no matter their background, identity or circumstances. As part of our commitment to the Child Safe Standards, we actively uphold Standard 5: Equity and 

Respect for Diversity to ensure all children thrive in a safe and inclusive environment.

We know that children from diverse backgrounds—such as students with disabilities, children from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, international students, and students who identify as LGBTIQA+—can face additional barriers to feeling safe and supported. Our approach addresses these barriers in both policy and practice.

Here’s how we do it:

🛡 Inclusive Policies and Safe Practices

• Our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy clearly outline how we support the diverse needs of all students.
• We ensure that child safety information and complaints processes are culturally safe, accessible, and easy to understand.
• Discrimination, bullying and exclusion are addressed promptly and with a zero-tolerance approach, as outlined in our Bullying Prevention and Inclusion and Diversity policies.

🧠 Support for Staff and Volunteers

• Our team receives training to identify and respond to issues of racism, discrimination and inequity.
• We promote the respectful use of students' names and pronouns and build staff confidence in supporting vulnerable students.
• We also work closely with allied health professionals like psychologists, behaviour specialists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists to meet specific student needs.

📚 Education that Celebrates Difference

• We use curriculum resources such as Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships & Talking the Talk to help students understand and appreciate diversity.
• Classrooms incorporate age-appropriate materials (including books and scripts) that reflect varied perspectives and lived experiences.
• Our school recognises and celebrates key cultural and community events that reflect the identities of our families.

💬 Ongoing Reflection and Improvement

Our Child Safety Risk Register, reviewed annually, helps us monitor and improve how we support students from diverse backgrounds. We also regularly seek input from students and families on how we can better meet their needs.

At Ripponlea, we know that when children feel seen, heard, and safe—they flourish. 

Thank you for continuing to support our inclusive school community.