RIPPONLEA PRIMARY SCHOOL

CHILD SAFETY IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY 

GETTING TO KNOW THE CHILD SAFE STANDARDS & WHAT RPS DOES

Child Safe Standard 3: Empowering Students 

Ripponlea Primary School: Empowering Students Through Child Safe Standard 3

 

Ripponlea Primary School is committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment where students are not only protected but also actively engaged in their own safety and wellbeing. 

 

Aligned with Child Safe Standard 3, the school implements a comprehensive approach to empower students, ensuring they understand their rights, feel heard, and are encouraged to participate in decisions affecting them.

1. Informing Students About Their Rights

Ripponlea Primary School provides age-appropriate and accessible information to students about their rights, including safety, information, and participation. This is achieved through: 

  • Curriculum Integration: Incorporating topics such as Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships, and Bully Stoppers into the curriculum to educate students about their rights and respectful interactions.
  • Visual Resources: Displaying child-friendly posters and materials throughout the school that outline students' rights and the expected behaviour of adults.
  • Orientation Programs: Conducting sessions at the beginning of each term to reinforce students' understanding of their rights and available support systems.

2. Recognising the Importance of Friendships and Peer Support

Understanding that friendships are vital for students' sense of safety and belonging, Ripponlea Primary School:

  • Peer Mentoring Programs: Establishes buddy systems where older students support younger ones, fostering a sense of community and reducing feelings of isolation.
  • Social Skills Development: Offers programs (Social Stencil) that teach students how to build and maintain positive relationships, emphasising empathy and effective communication.
  • Inclusive Activities: Organises group activities and events that encourage collaboration and strengthen peer connections.

3. Attuning Staff to Signs of Harm and Facilitating Student Expression

Ripponlea Primary School ensures that staff and volunteers are well-equipped to recognise signs of harm and create avenues for students to express their views:

  • Professional Development: Provides regular training for staff on identifying indicators of child abuse and harm, including those caused by peers.
  • Child-Friendly Reporting Mechanisms: Implements accessible channels such as suggestion boxes, surveys, and designated trusted adults to whom students can report concerns.
  • Active Listening Practices: Encourages staff to engage in active listening, ensuring students feel valued and understood when sharing their thoughts and concerns.

4. Developing a Culture That Facilitates Participation

The school fosters a culture that values student input and responds to their contributions:

  • Student Representative Council (SRC): Empowers students to represent their peers, voice concerns, and participate in decision-making processes.
  • Feedback Mechanisms: Regularly seeks student feedback through forums, surveys, and class discussions to inform school policies and practices.
  • Responsive Actions: Demonstrates responsiveness to student input by implementing changes based on their suggestions, thereby reinforcing the value of their participation.

5. Providing Opportunities for Student Participation

Ripponlea Primary School offers various opportunities for students to engage and contribute to the school community:

  • Leadership Roles: Offers positions such as House Captains, School Captains, SRC Leaders, classroom monitors, SRC class leaders, sustainability class captains, student wellbeing, and sustainability leaders, allowing students to take on responsibilities and develop leadership skills.
  • Extracurricular Activities: Provides a range of clubs and programs, including drama, music, and sports, where students can explore interests and build confidence.
  • Community Engagement: Encourages students to participate in community service projects and initiatives, fostering a sense of civic responsibility and connection.

Key Policies and Templates

  1. Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
    • This policy will outline Ripponlea Primary School’s commitment to protecting students and promoting their safety and wellbeing. It will detail actions for addressing child safety standards, including training staff, implementing empowerment initiatives for students, and creating safe reporting channels.
    • The policy will align with PROTECT guidelines and set clear expectations for maintaining a safe school environment.
  2. Complaints Policy
    • Ripponlea will have a clearly defined complaints policy, outlining how students, parents, and staff can raise concerns regarding safety, bullying, or other issues. This policy will provide a transparent process for the investigation and resolution of complaints, ensuring that students feel safe when reporting issues.
  3. Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy
    • This policy will focus on promoting student wellbeing through targeted programs that build resilience, social-emotional learning, and mental health support. It will include strategies to ensure that students are involved in decisions regarding their wellbeing and have access to the support they need.

Teaching and Learning Materials

  1. Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships

    • Ripponlea Primary School integrates Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships resources into the curriculum to empower students to understand their rights, develop resilience, and build respectful relationships. These materials are used to foster an inclusive and safe environment, teaching students how to manage conflict and work collaboratively.

       

  2. Building Respectful Relationships – Whole School Approach
    • The school implements a whole-school approach to respectful relationships, ensuring that the message of respect, safety, and inclusion is consistent across all school environments. This includes using classroom teachings, assemblies, and school-wide activities that emphasise the importance of positive relationships, personal boundaries, and mutual respect.

Practical Implementation and Actions

  1. Communication of Rights and Safety
    • Regular student assemblies, class discussions, and parent communication reinforce the rights of children to be safe, heard, and supported. Students also receive information about the resources available to them, such as child safety officers, mental health support, and trusted adults.
  2. Peer Support Initiatives
    • Buddy systems (Year 5/6 & Foundation Buddies, Playground Pals Program) are established to ensure that students have trusted peers to turn to for support. Older students are trained as mentors to younger students, creating an environment where friendships are nurtured, and students are less likely to feel isolated.
  3. Reporting and Participation Mechanisms
    • Student forums, surveys, and suggestion boxes are regularly conducted to gather feedback on student experiences and concerns. These platforms allow students to voice their opinions and participate in decisions affecting their school environment.
  4. Staff Training
    • Staff and volunteers undergo regular professional development sessions on child protection, the identification of signs of harm, and creating an open, supportive space for students to share their concerns.

By integrating these PROTECT Child Safe Standard 3 actions, Ripponlea Primary School ensures that the empowerment of students is central to its approach to child safety. 

 

Through clear policies, proactive teaching, and structured feedback systems, the school is committed to creating a supportive environment where students feel informed, included, and safe.