Leading Teacher

What is our Assistant Principal of Wellbeing’s role?

Grace Searl, one of our Assistant Principals, plays a key role in supporting student wellbeing and inclusion at Fleetwood Primary School. She leads initiatives such as School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS), the Berry Street Education Model, Disability Inclusion, and the Mental Health in Primary Schools program. Grace also works closely with external providers, including NDIS supports, to ensure our students and families receive the assistance they need. Through her work, Grace helps foster a positive, inclusive environment where every child is supported to thrive and focus on their learning.

What support groups are offered at Fleetwood PS?

Our school is working on many different levels to support the children in our school. These include:

Mental Health & Wellbeing / Social Skills / Anger Management / Emotional Regulation / Inclusion

What do the different tiers of support mean?

There are three tiers of support offered for children in school: Tier 1, 2 and 3 support. Our Leading Teacher leads the Tier 1 work.

  • Tier 1: Positive mental health promotion – Universal interventions to help schools to create a positive, inclusive and supporting school climate, building the preconditions for optimal student learning, development and wellbeing.
  • Tier 2: Early intervention / cohort specific – Early interventions and those for specific cohorts of students complement universal interventions and provide essential additional support for students with specific needs or vulnerabilities.
  • Tier 3: Targeted support– Interventions for individuals or small groups of students requiring intensive tailored mental health support to engage positively in education.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

What is SWPBS?

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support is an approach our school uses to support our students to learn positive social and communication skills. These skills are based on Fleetwood Primary School’s core values of being Responsible, Safe and Respectful learners.

Evidence shows that teaching, recognising, acknowledging and rewarding positive behaviour helps reinforce these social skills and is an important step in our student’s education.

What is the purpose of SWPBS?

The purpose of SWPBS is to increase our student’s learning opportunities, and prevent or decrease problem behaviours. We can do this by all working as a team using problem solving strategies. We also can’t assume that students know these social skills so students must be explicitly taught the behaviours we want them to demonstrate.

What does SWPBS look like at Fleetwood Primary School?

All students will be explicitly taught the positive behaviours the school expects students to demonstrate (see Matrix below). This can be done during morning meetings, house time activities, assemblies and incidentally throughout each day.

  • Staff teach the behaviours as they would teach academics or any other skill.
  • Staff talk about the expected behaviours and discuss why it is important.
  • Staff demonstrate and model the social skills.
  • Staff acknowledge, pre correct, supervise and provide positive feedback.
  • Staff reflect on what they need to change to ensure the student is successful?

Behaviour Expectation Matrix

The Matrix translates our CORE values (Responsible, Safe and Respectful) into behaviours being taught.

It is displayed in each classroom around the school and is referred to and discussed regularly with students.

How can families help?

Teaching behaviours that we expect to see works best when there is a consistency across home and school settings.

SWPBS is an approach to help all students learn to self-manage behaviour. Family involvement is a key feature and important in all aspects of SWPBS. A strong partnership between school and family is important because when families are involved, outcomes for students are better.

You can be involved in SWPBS in many ways;

  • read materials offered by the school through compass and various school communications
  • make yourself familiar with the Matrix – perhaps put it on your fridge for easy reference?
  • teach behaviour expectations to your children, use and reinforce SWPBS strategies at home for example:
  1. Teach your child what behaviour you want to see
  2. Verbally acknowledge and recognise when they meet the expected behaviour
  3. Respond consistently and with meaningful consequences when problem behaviour occurs

Smiling Mind

What is the Berry Street Education Model?

The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) is a research-based approach that supports the social, emotional, and academic development of students. It provides strategies for teachers to build strong, positive relationships, create safe and predictable learning environments, and help students develop resilience, self-regulation, and a readiness to learn. BSEM focuses on trauma-informed practices, supporting all children—especially those who have experienced adversity—to thrive both emotionally and academically. By embedding these practices, we foster classrooms where students feel safe, connected, and engaged in their learning.

What is the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM)?

The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) is designed to help children feel safe, comfortable, and ready to learn by creating consistent, predictable routines in the classroom. Many students, especially those who have experienced challenges or change, thrive when they know what to expect each day.

At Fleetwood Primary School, we use BSEM strategies such as Circle Time, visual timetables, and clear daily structures to build a sense of security and belonging for every child. These routines support students to manage their emotions, stay engaged in learning, and develop positive relationships with their peers and teachers. We also focus on the use of unconditional positive regard, so all children feel safe and welcome at Fleetwood.

How can you support this at home?
You can help by creating simple, predictable routines in your child’s day—like regular morning routines, homework time, or bedtime rituals. Talking to your child about their classroom routines, using visual schedules at home, or encouraging them to share what they do during Circle Time can strengthen the connection between school and home, helping your child feel more confident and settled.

House Time

What is House Time?

House Time is a chance for our children and staff to collaborate in their house groups Nelson, Buchanan, Montague and Rothfield. This time together promotes connectedness, teamwork and school spirit.

What is the purpose of House Time?

The purpose of House Time is to build a community sense within our school. School connectedness is something that can be achieved through shared experiences. The additional benefit of House Time is that the multi-age groupings allow younger children to grow comfortable around their older peers and likewise it creates authentic opportunities for older children to display leadership qualities.

How does House Time work at Fleetwood Primary School?

Each fortnight the school gets sorted into our four houses and spends time participating in fun activities. All staff members (Prin class, admin, teachers, specialists, integration aides) are allocated a house and participate in the fun. We begin by sharing the current Power Up leader board (points given to acknowledge children displaying our values of safety, responsibility and respect) and then each house moves to a different space in the school to enjoy their planned activities. These are often small, simple games that allow for high levels of energy, enthusiasm, socialising and building team spirit.