Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS)

As part of our ongoing professional learning and our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) priority to Maximise Student Engagement and Wellbeing, staff recently participated in a session focused on the effective use of visual supports in the classroom. This work aligns with our AIP action to ‘Embed agreed whole school practices in social and emotional learning, mental health and wellbeing.’ By building a shared understanding of visual supports and how to use them in classrooms, we are strengthening our ability to support all students to communicate, engage and learn.

The session was facilitated by our Inclusion Outreach Coach, Toby Dadson, who works alongside our school to strengthen inclusive practices. Inclusion Outreach Coaching (IOC initiative) is a system capability building initiative under the Victorian Government’s Disability Inclusion Reform agenda. Inclusion Outreach Coaches (IOC’s) build the capability of school leaders, teachers and staff to implement, monitor and embed high quality inclusive practices.

During the session, staff explored the power of visual supports and how they can be used to support routines, transitions and learning tasks for all students. Toby shared real examples from our classrooms and school environment, highlighting the strong use of visuals across our school and the positive impact they are having on student engagement. 

We explored three categories of visual supports including: 

Visual schedules- visual representations of planned activities in the order they will occur that will be easily understood by the learner, e.g. objects, photographs, symbols, pictures or words.

Visual cues- such as social stories, checklists, timers and visual prompts help provide consistent expectations, creating predictable and supportive learning environments. 

Visual boundaries- provides information about where an activity will take place in the classroom, and where particular areas begin and end. This may included task specific environmental expectations.

Staff explored why visual supports are so effective. Presenting information visually alongside verbal instructions can reduce anxiety, support working memory, increase independence and help students successfully navigate daily routines. These strategies benefit all learners and are particularly valuable for students with diverse learning profiles. 

By building a shared whole school consistency of visual supports and how to use them in classrooms, we are developing a clearer understanding of the diverse needs and strengths of our learners.

Thank you for supporting our school's commitment to student wellbeing. 

Kind regards,

Kristen Schultz

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader 

Learning Specialist - Wellbeing