Student Wellbeing at Brisbane Boys' College

Student Wellbeing

I’m pleased to introduce a refreshed student wellbeing model for Brisbane Boys’ College; one that is grounded in the science of positive psychology, is inspired by Christian example and draws inspiration from the best pastoral care systems and evidence-based research from around the world.

The objective of this model is to build upon our strong pastoral care foundations to promote a stronger alignment of student wellbeing across Junior, Middle and Senior Schools, so as to equip our boys with the skills and competencies to lead purposeful and meaningful lives.

The nature of pastoral care has changed profoundly in recent years, shifting from a welfare model to a wellbeing model. Further to that, our responsibilities around the protection and care of students have never been greater.

In this landscape, an explicit and contemporary wellbeing strategy is imperative if we are to safeguard our students from falling behind in this domain.

If we are to build the leaders of tomorrow, it is our duty to ensure we are at the forefront of providing a quality, well-rounded education that combines best practice teaching and learning with the science of wellbeing – it’s an approach we at BBC have termed A New School of Thought.

At the heart of this approach, is our positive education framework, which places the wellbeing and happiness of each boy at the centre of our decision-making. This whole-school approach is designed to develop and reveal a child’s ability to engage effectively with their character strengths in order to build and foster positive relationships, manage their emotions, prioritise their health, develop an altruistic outlook, excel intellectually and lead a purposeful life.

Our aim is to produce well-rounded, resilient individuals who are capable of thriving personally, academically and professionally.

Our refreshed student wellbeing model better enables us to realise this vision through providing greater opportunity and access for staff to know each boy individually and deliver purposeful and age-specific programs to equip students with much-needed skills to confidently navigate their way through their school years and beyond.

The following framework places us at the forefront of positive education so that we may realise our collective ambition to develop confident young men ready to face the world with courage, compassion and conviction.

PAUL BROWN HEADMASTER

“Positive Education is the application of wellbeing science into an educational setting aimed at increasing the resilience, achievement and wellbeing of students, staff and whole school communities�

- DR SUZY GREEN Clinical and Coaching Psychologist (Maps) Founder and Ceo, The Positivity Institute

Our Wellbeing Promise As outlined in our 2019-2021 Strategic Direction WE WILL… • Build upon our strong pastoral care foundations through an evidence-based approach to positive education to create a strengths-based, holistic, wellbeing environment • Provide a whole-school wellbeing curriculum to guide our students to take responsibility for their actions, learning and concern for others • Nurture the resilience and tenacity of each student so they can thrive throughout their lives

KEY CHANGES - AT A GLANCE • The College will move from a single point of contact to a dual point of contact House based and Year based - utilising the strengths of both systems • The introduction of a horizontal (Year based) system of student wellbeing will facilitate the delivery of age-appropriate, sequential wellbeing programs and initiatives • The House system will be retained and expanded as the forum for celebration, connection, service and spirituality at a whole of school level • A tenth House, Cole House, will be introduced in 2020 • The role and work of the Head of House will be redefined • Two new roles, Year Team Leader and Assistant Year Team Leader, will be introduced for Years 7 to 12 to provide for greater effectiveness in the delivery of our student wellbeing strategy and philosophy for the College, to ensure a point of contact for students and for parents (along with the Mentor) • The changes will promote stronger alignment of student wellbeing across Junior, Middle and Senior Schools

A Whole of School Student Wellbeing Model Central to our refreshed student wellbeing model is the change in focus to whole student care which will see us move from a single point of contact model for students (currently Housemaster), to a dual point of contact, being a Year Team Leader and a Head of House.

Together, these roles will oversee and lead the academic, intellectual, emotional, psycho-social, community, leadership and spiritual development of every boy.

HORIZONTAL WELLBEING: YEAR LEVEL FOCUSSED The Year Level wellbeing structure ensures that we are addressing developmental themes appropriate to the age group and allows for year identity to remain strong.

The Director of Positive Education and Wellbeing provides theoretical and practical expertise to support the work of the year-based teams.

Key focus: • Knowledge and skill building • Reactive and intervention-based care of students • Developmental work around social and emotional development • Discipline and behavioural matters • Parent contact Staff Roles: Year Team Leaders and Assistant Year Team Leaders will be introduced across Years 7 to 12 to manage academic performance and wellbeing of boys in year groups. There will be an emphasis on the ‘whole child’ nature of student wellbeing and a purposeful and evidencebased wellbeing curriculum. Year Team Leaders will coordinate and manage individual year groups within the enhanced structure and report to the Heads of School.

Year Team Leaders will report to their respective Head of School, while Assistant Year Team Leaders will report to the Year Team Leaders.

Mentors will remain central to our model of wellbeing and will meet with their students several times a week, focussing on each individual according to their interests, abilities and potential for personal growth. Mentors will take a holistic view of their students and come to know them across all domains of school life. They will proactively assist students to develop the skills they need to achieve their goals and further their potential. Mentors will report to Year Team Leaders.

VERTICAL WELLBEING: THE HOUSE SYSTEM The House is the place where the sense of who and what BBC is, resides. The Head of House (and the House System) is the keeper of the BBC flame and the champion of the BBC tradition within the community.

We will retain and nurture the House System to focus more clearly on celebration and community at a whole-school level.

Key focus: • Establish key events across the calendar year for vertical connections to promote interaction between year groups • Promote Interhouse activities to strengthen the whole school community • Maintain a strong focus on the spiritual development of each boy across year levels so there is a shared sense of spirituality in the College • Further develop and enhance student leadership programs • Further promote and develop a whole-school Service Learning program Staff Roles: The Head of House role will be redefined to manage community, leadership, celebratory, service and spiritual care of the boys.

Heads of House will report to the Deputy Headmaster - Head of Senior School & Student Wellbeing P-12.

Head of House

• Head of House • Year Team Leader • Assistant Year Team Leader • Mentor

STUDENT POINTS OF CONTACT

Head of House

Head of House

Head of House

Head of House

Head of House

Head of House

Year Team Leader Assistant Year Team Leader Mentors x 10

Year 7

Head of House

Year Team Leader Assistant Year Team Leader Mentors x 10

Year 8

Head of House

Year Team Leader Assistant Year Team Leader Mentors x 10

Year 9

Head of House

Year Team Leader Assistant Year Team Leader Mentors x 10

Year 10

Key Staff

Year Team Leader Assistant Year Team Leader Mentors x 10

Key Staff

Year 11

HAMILTON

Year Team Leader Assistant Year Team Leader Mentors x 10

COLE

Year 12

C A M P B E LL

What does it look like?

Evolution of the BBC House system 1931

Mr Hamilton introduced the House System in Term 3, 1931, establishing School House (Boarders), Wesley House and Knox House

1950

School House was divided into two houses: Campbell and Rudd

1965

The boarders returned to a single house: Rudd House

1980

Five new houses were created as day boy numbers grew dramatically: Campbell House was reinstated as a Day Boys’ House and the addition of Flynn, Hamilton, McKenzie and Wheller Houses increased the number of Houses to eight

1998

Birtles House was established as the ninth House

2020

A tenth House, Cole House, is established

Organisational framework and responsibilities The below table outlines our broad organising framework, utilising the five domains of effective student wellbeing models: preventative and proactive; developmental; intervention and reactive; culture and environment; and management.

In adopting the five domains BBC can more clearly distinguish accountability and delivery across the College, providing us with a framework with which to: • Establish structures, roles and accountability for delivery of the various elements of student wellbeing • Clarify for staff, students and stakeholders the various elements of a robust student wellbeing system • Focus the work of staff at different levels on their responsibilities for the wellbeing of students • Develop and deliver programs • Focus activity into key areas of a total student wellbeing solution • Ensure strong leadership, management and cultural framework for action.

Student Wellbeing Domain

Leadership

Preventative and proactive knowledge and skill building within students that anticipates ‘critical incidents’ with an aim of preventing or reducing impact

Strategic focus

Developmental activities that promote social, moral, spiritual and culture development and wellbeing. This integrates all aspects of extracurricular development and core curricula programs.

Strategic focus

Intervention and reactive casework, critical incident management and partnerships with specialist agencies to support and assist individuals in need.

Escalated matters

Culture and environment school climate, leadership ethos, behaviours and values in action at every level and interaction with students, staff and stakeholders

Culture and values

Management direction, processes, policy and systems – planning, resourcing, monitoring, evaluating and facilitating all domains. A critical focus on quality, risk management, discipline and control, staff capability and capacity, measurement of outcomes and effectiveness.

Policy, systems, structure, capability, risk management, data and reporting

Head of House

Year Team Leader

Other

Program design and delivery

Mentor/staff

Socio-emotional

Mentor/staff

Identification and response

Counsellors

Leadership focus

Climate and environment

All staff

Culture and Community

Action and reporting

Mentors/staff

Celebration, Connection, Service, Spiritual

ASPIRE Positive Education Framework The following framework has been designed to guide the delivery of positive education through a planned, sequential and developmentally appropriate program that focuses on the development of essential human skills.

These intra and interpersonal skills, such as critical and creative thinking, communication, collaboration, digital citizenship and social and emotional intelligence, are embedded within the ASPIRE framework to ensure our boys have every opportunity to be future-minded and inquisitive life-long learners, caring citizens and resilient individuals.

Our Junior School years will focus on developing a deep, personal awareness of character strengths in each boy by exploring Kindness, Empathy, Gratitude, Mindfulness, Growth Mindsets, Keys to Happiness and Journaling & Storytelling while our Middle and Senior School drill down into specific ‘aspirations’ that develop and enhance a more Altruistic, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational and Emotional life – which we refer to as our ‘ASPIRE’ approach.

Aspiration

Character Strengths

Junior School

Middle and Senior School

ALTRUISM

Fairness, Leadership and Teamwork

Year 5 Joyful Me

Year 11 Altruistic Me

SPIRITUAL

Bravery, Honesty, Perseverance and Enthusiasm

Year 6 Reflectful Me

Year 12 Spiritual Me

PHYSICAL

Forgiveness, Modesty, Common Sense and Self-control

Year 3 Mindful Me

Year 9 Physical Me

INTELLECTUAL

Creativity, Curiosity, Openmindedness, Love of Learning and Perspective

Year 4 Gritty Me

Year 10 Intellectual Me

RELATIONAL

Kindness, Love and Social Intelligence

Prep Kind Me

Year 7 Relational Me

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, Hope, Humour and Belief

Year 2 Grateful Me

EMOTIONAL

Year 1 Empathetic Me Year 8 Emotional Me

KENSINGTON TERRACE, TOOWONG QUEENSLAND 4066 AUSTRALIA CRICOS 00491J ABN 43 257 489 023 +61 7 3309 3500 mail@bbc.qld.edu.au www.bbc.qld.edu.au A school of the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association.

The PMSA is a mission of the Presbyterian and Uniting Churches.