The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all students and members of our school community understand:
Bayswater Primary School is committed to providing a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment for all students. We understand that students reach their full potential only when they are happy, healthy and safe, and that a positive school culture, where student participation is encouraged and valued, helps to engage students and support them in their learning. Our school acknowledges that student wellbeing and student learning outcomes are closely linked.
The objective of this policy is to support our school to create and maintain a safe, supportive and inclusive school environment consistent with our school’s values.
This policy applies to all school activities, including camps and excursions.
Bayswater Primary School was founded in 1879 and has been an integral part of the Bayswater community for over 140 years. Bayswater is an outer eastern suburb of Melbourne.
Bayswater Primary School is a collaborative and inclusive learning community committed to ensuring every student is known, valued, and supported. We embrace diversity and work together to create a culture of belonging, high expectations, and success for all learners. The school implements a whole-school Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to promote positive behaviour and support the learning and wellbeing of all students through tiered systems of instruction and intervention. Our approach is data-driven and strengthened by high-quality, ongoing professional learning for all staff.
Teachers at Bayswater Primary School are committed to explicit and evidence-based instruction. We are working towards fully embedding structured approaches to literacy and mathematics that prioritise mastery of essential skills and support students to achieve success through carefully sequenced, systematic teaching. Consistent, school-wide routines promote a calm, predictable, and supportive learning environment, allowing students to focus on learning and thrive. This approach aligns with the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0 and supports consistency of high-quality practice across all classrooms.
The school has extensive grounds that provide students with a variety of passive and active play areas, including a large oval, soccer field, and two full-sized outdoor basketball/netball courts. The school also has indoor sports facilities including a school hall with a full-sized volleyball court, a half-sized basketball court, and bat tennis courts.
There is an onsite Kindergarten, which is run by Uniting Limited and hosted within Bayswater Primary School’s Early Learning Centre. This is an integral part of the school community.
Contemporary facilities provide space for generalist classes, as well as Performing Arts and Instrumental Music, Health and Physical Education, Science, Visual Arts, and Buddies, with venues for community groups and meetings.
The school values family and community partnerships, fostering close links with parents and the broader school community. This partnership promotes a cooperative school culture where the child is at the heart of everything we do. Bayswater Primary School is one of the five schools forming the Bayswater Education Plan, working collaboratively to improve educational outcomes across the local network.
Bayswater Primary School’s Statement of Values and School Philosophy is integral to the work that we do and is the foundation of our school community. Students, staff and members of our school community are encouraged to live and demonstrate our core values of excellence, respect, connection and resilience at every opportunity.
Our school’s vision is to empower students to reach their personal best, and fully equip them to contribute positively to society as happy, healthy young adults.
Our Statement of Values is available online here.
Bayswater Primary School has developed a range of strategies to promote engagement, an inclusive and safe environment, positive behaviour, and respectful relationships for all students in our school. We recognise the importance of student friendships and peer support in helping children and students feel safe and a strong sense of belonging. We acknowledge that some students may need extra social, emotional or educational support at school, and that the needs of students will change over time as they grow and learn.
At Bayswater Primary School, we are continuing to build and strengthen our Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) – a school-wide, evidence-informed approach designed to ensure that every student receives the right teaching and support, at the right time.
Our approach aligns with the Victorian Department of Education’s Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and brings together the way we support students across learning, behaviour and wellbeing.
In literacy and numeracy, our approach aligns with Victoria’s Literacy and Numeracy Position Statements. In behaviour and wellbeing, our work is supported by School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) and the Department’s Positive Classroom Management Strategies (PCMS).
Together, these approaches help us build a consistent school-wide system that starts with high-quality teaching and support for every student, identifies needs early, and provides additional support when it is needed.
Our aim is simple: to identify needs early, respond quickly and continually check whether the support we provide is working.
Source: Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), Introduction to a multi-tiered system of supports, 2024.
A summary of the universal (whole of school), targeted (year group specific) and individual engagement strategies used by our school is included below:
Tier 1 is the foundation of our approach and includes the teaching and support provided to every student.
All students receive high-quality, evidence-informed teaching aligned with the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0). We explicitly teach new knowledge and skills, provide plenty of opportunities for students to practise what they are learning, and support them to use their learning in different situations.
For behaviour and wellbeing, our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) approach helps us establish clear and consistent expectations and routines across the school. Teachers also use Positive Classroom Management Strategies (PCMS) to create safe, predictable and engaging classrooms where students are supported to learn and succeed.
Regular school-wide assessment helps us understand how well our teaching and supports are working for all students and identify students who may need some additional help.
Some students need additional teaching and support to help them make progress. This is provided alongside the high-quality teaching and support they continue to receive at Tier 1.
In literacy and numeracy, this may include targeted small-group intervention and additional opportunities to learn and practise particular skills.
For behaviour and wellbeing, students may receive additional teaching and support to develop specific social, emotional, self-regulation or behavioural skills. This includes opportunities to learn, practise and receive positive feedback for using these skills successfully.
We regularly monitor how students are progressing so that we can see whether the additional support is working and make changes when needed.
A smaller number of students may need more intensive and individualised support.
In literacy and numeracy, we use detailed assessment to understand exactly where a student is experiencing difficulty and identify the specific skills they need to develop. This helps us carefully match teaching and intervention to each student's needs.At Bayswater Primary School, we use Precision Teaching approaches as part of our intensive intervention. This means frequently measuring a student's progress so that we can see how they are learning over time. If the data shows that something is not working as well as we would like, we can quickly adjust the teaching, practice or level of support.For students with significant or ongoing behavioural needs, we use function-based behaviour support planning. This means carefully looking at why a behaviour may be occurring and what the student may be communicating or trying to achieve. We can then teach helpful new skills and develop individualised supports that better meet the student's needs.At Tier 3, families are important members of the team. Families, teachers and relevant professionals work together to understand the student's needs, develop appropriate supports, monitor progress and make changes when needed.
Tier 3 (Individual)
Bayswater Primary School implements a range of strategies that support and promote individual engagement. These can include:
Where necessary the school will support the student’s family to engage by:
Bayswater Primary School is committed to providing the necessary support to ensure our students are supported intellectually, emotionally and socially. The MTSS and Inclusion teams play a significant role in developing and implementing strategies help identify students in need of support and enhance student wellbeing. Bayswater Primary School will utilise the following information and tools to identify students in need of extra emotional, social or educational support:
All members of our school community have a right to experience a safe and supportive school environment. We expect that all students, staff, parents and carers treat each other with respect and dignity. Our school’s Statement of Values highlights the rights and responsibilities of members of our community.
Students have the right to:
Students have the responsibility to:
Students who may have a complaint or concern about something that has happened at school are encouraged to speak to their parents or carers and approach a trusted teacher or a member of the school leadership team. Further information about raising a complaint or concern is available in our Complaints Policy.
Behavioural expectations of students are grounded in our school’s Statement of Values.
Violence, bullying, and other offensive and harmful behaviours such as racism, harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated and will be managed in accordance with this policy. Bullying will be managed in accordance with our Bullying Prevention Policy.
When a student acts in breach of the behaviour standards of our school community, Bayswater Primary School will institute a staged response, consistent with the Department’s policies on behaviour, discipline and student wellbeing and engagement. Where appropriate, parents will be informed about the inappropriate behaviour and the disciplinary action taken by teachers and other school staff.
Our school considers, explores and implements positive and educational interventions to support student behaviour before considering disciplinary measures, such as detention, withdrawal of privileges or withdrawal from class.
Disciplinary measures may be used as part of a staged response to inappropriate behaviour in combination with other engagement and support strategies to ensure that factors that may have contributed to the student’s behaviour are identified and addressed. Disciplinary measures at our school will be applied fairly and consistently. Students will always be provided with an opportunity to be heard.
Disciplinary measures that may be applied include:
Suspension, expulsion and restrictive interventions are measures of last resort and may only be used in situations consistent with Department policy, available at:
In line with Ministerial Order 1125, no student aged 8 or younger will be expelled without the approval of the Secretary of the Department of Education.
The Principal of Bayswater Primary School is responsible for ensuring all suspensions and expulsions are recorded on CASES21.
Corporal punishment is prohibited by law and will not be used in any circumstance at our school.
Bayswater Primary School values the input of parents and carers, and we will strive to support families to engage in their child’s learning and build their capacity as active learners. We aim to be partners in learning with parents and carers in our school community.
We work hard to create successful partnerships with parents and carers by:
Bayswater Primary School will collect data each year to understand the frequency and types of wellbeing issues that are experienced by our students so that we can measure the success or otherwise of our school-based strategies and identify emerging trends or needs.
Sources of data that will be assessed on an annual basis include:
Bayswater Primary School will also regularly monitor available data dashboards to ensure any wellbeing or engagement issues are acted upon in a timely manner and any intervention occurs as soon as possible.
This policy will be communicated to our school community in the following ways:
Our school will also ensure it follows the mandatory parent/carer notification requirements with respect to suspensions and expulsions outlined in the Department’s policies at:
The following Department of Education policies are relevant to this Student Engagement and Wellbeing Policy:
The following school policies are also relevant to this Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy:
Policy last reviewed
October 2026
Consultation
Approved by
Principal
Next scheduled review date
Before October 2028
