School Policy Health and Wellbeing Approved By Robert Thorogood Deputy Principal Approval Date August 2016 Last Reviewed May 2017
WHY WE HAVE A HEALTH AND WELLBEING POLICY Rationale: Success in life is best achieved when people are healthy, safe and happy. The school and the wider community support wellbeing by building a positive learning culture that is mutually respectful, inclusive and safe. Wellbeing of an individual includes the physical, social, spiritual, emotional and mental health. Promotion of a healthy lifestyle at Harmony Primary School is important so children become adolescents and adults who are resilient, responsible, active and healthy members of the community. Establishing lifelong healthy habits is a key aspect of a child s complete education. The school as a workplace is bound by relevant legislation in order, to protect the health and wellbeing of its employees, and students. Harmony Primary School values: Care Excellence Cooperation Responsibility Perseverance Harmony Primary School Vision Core Beliefs Promote the health and wellbeing of staff, students and community Enhance the learning outcomes of students so they can reach their potential. Provides a safe and supportive environment Encourage student participation and empowerment Encourage all members of the community to uphold the school values Collaborate with others to create a positive environment Harmony Primary School believes: In a wholistic approach towards health and wellbeing Staff, students and community members should be supported to access appropriate services without judgement A healthy lifestyle should be modelled and embedded in all that we do. In a proactive approach towards challenges that arise Students should be active throughout the day as much as possible including sensory/activity breaks when appropriate i.e after screen time. WHO IS THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING POLICY FOR? Rights and responsibilities: All staff, students and community members have the right to: Feel safe, cared for and respected Be valued and treated with dignity and respect Have a pleasant, healthy and safe environment School Policy - Dress Code Page 2 of 6
Staff must comply with all legislation as per the Teacher Registration Board and the Department of Education and Training. All staff and students and community members have the responsibility to protect the rights of all individuals. WHAT DO WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE WITH A HEALTH AND WELLBEING POLICY Outcomes for Harmony Primary School Community Through the Health and Wellbeing policy it is hoped the following outcomes will be achieved: Respect: We believe that all people have equal worth and equal claim to be treated with dignity and respect. Our community members are encouraged to have consideration for others and are expected to treat others fairly and to expect respect in return. Responsibility: We believe that a shared responsibility between all community members makes for a lasting connection. We value accepting one s accountability, not attributing blame, becoming reliable and trustworthy leaders who see themselves as the primary cause of their decisions and actions, especially in relation to making healthy choices. Our community are encouraged to develop self-control and selfdependability concerning their own positive healthy behaviours. The community are encouraged to contribute to the wellbeing of others, to be helpful and to participate willingly in healthy practices. Harmony Primary school feels the responsibility is shared between students, staff, families, and the wider community. Responsiveness: We value caring for others and having concern, particularly in times of need. Through evoking the sensitivity to the feelings of our self and others, be it family, community, nation or world, our students are encouraged to be pro-active in their approach to helping others and solving problems. Resourcefulness: We value self-reliant and resourceful community members who are able to assist not only themselves but others. Harmony Primary School strives to develop independent, pro-active, self-motivating members of the community in order to develop meaningful relationships and increase the skill set of community members to make a positive impact upon the broad range of situations they face. All of these outcomes are direct measures of the health and wellbeing of an individual and a community as a whole. School Policy - Dress Code Page 3 of 6
HOW ARE WE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING POLICY Key Principle Health and Wellbeing is promoted when individuals are more physically active. Evidence The Health and Wellbeing policy of Harmony Primary School is supported by the Department of Health (Australian Government) Physical Activity Guidelines which encourages people to move more and sit less. The guidelines for children aged 5-12 years of age are: 60 minutes of physical activity a day No more than 2 hours screen time a day. These guidelines are based on a significant body of evidence that has identified that meeting these targets children gain social, emotional, intellectual and physical health benefits. These guidelines form the key principle of the health and wellbeing policy as the positive impact of physical activity is evident in all areas of health and wellbeing. Harmony Primary addresses the health and wellbeing outcomes through a range of curriculum areas, policies, specific school services and a range of specific school based and community based activities. Curriculum Links: Specific health and wellbeing programs and initiatives at Harmony Primary School include: Physical Social Emotional Spiritual /Cultural Environmental Physical Education Policy SAER Committee Harmony Day Waste free lunches Life be in it Van Health and Wellbeing Committee Chaplain Wastewise, waterwise, sunsmart schools Animal Fun Positive behaviour School Board Sustainability Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program Meeting the mandated Department of Education Physical Activity guidelines FMS/core strength support Policy Paths Friendly Schools Buz Restorative justice Staff Social Club P and C Charter Earth hour and screen free day Australian Government Links: Harmony Primary School actively reviews all AEDC and On-entry testing data to ensure the needs of students are being met via curriculum and extra curricula programs. School Policy - Dress Code Page 4 of 6
Policy Links All Harmony Primary School policies are available via the school website and have specific statements relating to responsibilities of teachers, students and community members. Each of these policies should be considered individually and collectively along with the overarching departmental policies and guidelines. Policies that are seen as correlating to the health and wellbeing policy include but not limited to: ICT acceptable use policy Sunsmart Policy Physical Education Policy First Aid Healthy Eating Policy Sustainability Charter Volunteer Policy Occupational health and safety Workload advisory committee (as per union guidelines) School Services Chaplain Kagan Co-operative learning School Health Nurse OT and Speech Screening School Psychologist Students at Risk Team School activities Walk to school Nude food Screen free day Earth hour Harmony Day First aid training REFERENCES: Department of Health, Australian Government, 2014 Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines Department of Education, Western Australian Government, An Initiative of Classroom First, Building a Culture of High Performance and High Care in Every School. School Policy - Dress Code Page 5 of 6
Model of Health and Wellbeing KEY SUPPORT COMMUNICATION LIFELONG PHYSICA L Families Health and wellbeing of students School Community SPIRITUAL School Policy - Dress Code Page 6 of 6