Student Wellbeing

We have a number of programs and activities in place to support our students at Wattle Park Primary.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS)

At WPPS, we implement the School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework, an evidence-based framework to encourage and reinforce positive behaviours throughout the school community. SWPBS is designed to teach and encourage positive behaviours in all students. It does this by setting clear expectations and providing support to meet those expectations in order to enhance our school culture and improve the social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for our
students.

Our school has established clear behaviour expectations to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. These expectations are consistently reinforced across all school settings and are linked to our school values of:

Respect
We treat people, places and things with kindness and care.

Responsibility

We take responsibility for ourselves, our learning and our behaviours.

Resilience
We keep going or adapt when things become challenging. We bounce back when things don’t turn out as expected.

How expected behaviours are acknowledged - Personal Points

Rewards are a valuable part of the learning environment and can support, rather than undermine, intrinsic motivation. They are particularly helpful in building early confidence and fluency in areas such as literacy, numeracy, and social skills.

Clear expectations, paired with consistent recognition of positive behaviour, help create a safe, predictable, and supportive school culture. Acknowledging students’ efforts reinforces the importance of both social and academic goals, and encourages ongoing engagement, especially when students have input into the rewards. SWPBS incentives provide meaningful feedback, celebrate progress, and help strengthen positive behaviours and expectations.

At WPPS, we use a ‘Personal Points’ system. When teachers acknowledge expected behaviours, students are awarded Personal Points aligned with the school value they have demonstrated. These points contribute to both the school’s house system and each student’s individual points.

Over time, students accumulate Personal Points which can be redeemed for rewards. Each year level offers a range of rewards for 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 points, allowing students to work towards goals that are meaningful and motivating for them.

These reward options are reviewed and updated each year, with student input helping to shape choices that are engaging and relevant.

Start Up Program

At the beginning of each year in all year levels, we implement the Start Up Program which aims to:

• Allocate significant time to get to know our new group of students and allow them time to get to know their teacher as a significant adult in their lives and each other.
• Allow our students to identify the unique qualities they have, that make them special.
• Recognise that each student and adult brings something to the group and that each should be valued as an individual.
• Develop clear understandings about the ‘Ways We Want to be Treated’ from both an adult and student’s perspective.
• Assist students and staff to make the transition between levels within the school.
• Support staff new to our school or a level in developing an understanding about what we value as a school.
• Introduce skills and tools to students using information that is known to them, so they can use the same strategies later with challenging new information and learning.

We take great care to promote positive transitions and pathways throughout the school. A range of strategies including our school Start Up Program is complemented by our:

• Kinder to Foundation Transition Program
• Year 6 to Secondary Transition Program

Restorative Practice

Wattle Park Primary School implements Restorative Practice to repair relationships.

Restorative practice is a strategy that seeks to repair relationships that have been damaged, including those damaged through bullying. It does this by bringing about a sense of remorse and restorative action on the part of the offender and forgiveness by the victim.

The rationale behind this approach is that when offenders reflect upon their harm to victims: 

• They become remorseful and act restoratively. 
• Practitioners can focus on the unacceptable behaviour of offenders rather than their moral character.
• This can lead to healthier interpersonal relations among members of the school community and more effective learning.

Restorative practices can be undertaken in a variety of forums. It may be conducted with varying degrees of formality and may include just those students most directly involved in bullying or in some circumstances a whole class.

‘Community Conferences’ include supportive third parties such as friends, families and possibly a community figure such as a police community liaison officer. This forum is used to address the concerns of both individuals and the wider community. 

1. Restorative Practice in WPPS is commonly guided by a 'Think Sheet', which directs staff to ask the perpetrator to describe what happened and to reflect on what harm it has done. The victim is asked to say how they have been affected and what needs to be done to put things right. 
2. In the spirit of personal responsibility, forgiveness and commitment to positive future behaviour, both the target and the perpetrator express their acceptance of the proposed solution/s and discuss what can be done to prevent a recurrence. 
3. The situation is then monitored by school staff, and further intervention occurs if the situation does not improve. 
4. Parents/guardians are informed by the sending home of the 'Think Sheet' so all parties are aware of the situation, the resolution and may monitor accordingly.
5. Digital records are held on WPPS's Compass platform and revisited as required.

We encourage families to seek support from external services when needed, including:

Kids Helpline
Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Lifeline
Family Mental Health Support Services
Parentline
Raising Children Network
Neurowild
Yellow Ladybugs
Emerging Minds
Minus18
Rainbow Door
Orange Door