Philosophy Statement
Harrietville Bush Kinder believes that
contact with nature is critical for our
physical, mental, social and spiritual
wellbeing. It has
positive effects on our ability to
concentrate, to learn, to solve problems, to
relax and to be creative.
Harrietville Bush Kinder will focus on each
child’s self-esteem, confidence and kindness
to others through creativity, persistence
and social connectedness. The natural
setting will allow the strengths of each
child to emerge. Children will see the
world around them with wonder and will learn
to explore, consider and communicate what
they find, need and offer. Our
Bush Kinder program allows the children to
experience nature and its elements across
the seasons, recognising the place the bush
has in Australia and the significance of the
land in Aboriginal culture.
Learning outdoors using
the Early Years Framework:
Identity.
Children develop a sense of security with
familiarity. Regular
sessions learning outdoors helps children
build and explore their identity.
Community.
Through firsthand experience, children
develop an awareness of their impact on the
local environment and can get involved in
caring for nature.
Wellbeing.
Regular contact with nature relieves
children’s minds and ignites curiosity.
Outdoor environments allow children
to expand and refine their abilities,
mentally and physically.
Learning. Ever
changing outdoor environments invite
hypothesising, imagination, interaction,
problem solving and experimenting.
Communication.
Children can share stories, use natural
materials to create art and interact with
each other and their surroundings to create
drama and music.
National Quality
Standards for Early Childhood
A
child’s ability to access nature and learn
outdoors is fundamental within the National
Quality Framework.
Learning outdoors promotes a child’s health
(Quality Standard 2) through relaxation,
physical activity and spontaneous
experiences. By placing children in a
natural outdoor setting (Quality Standard
3), they have the opportunity for
independent exploration and to participate
in real-life projects and care for the
environment they live in.
CHILD SAFE STANDARDS
Harrietville Primary School has always set high standards and expectations to ensure our school is a safe, happy and productive environment. New Child Safe Standards came into force on 1 July 2022 after an amendment to the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic) was passed by the Victorian Parliament in June 2021 and upon self-reflection as a school, we are in a great place with a lot of the work we have done and continue to do. We hope this information helps you and the wider community become more familiar with the Standards, what your role is within the community and how we as a school continue to work towards these standards. (Extracted from Ministerial Order No. 870)
To create and maintain a child safe organisation, Harrietville Primary School will be implementing, reviewing and improving each of the 11 standards as below:
Standard 1: Culturally safe environments – Establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
Standard 2: Leadership, governance and culture – Ensure that child safety and wellbeing are embedded in school leadership, governance and culture.
Standard 3: Child and student empowerment – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
Standard 4: Family engagement – Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Standard 5: Diversity and equity – Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice.
Standard 6: Suitable staff and volunteers – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
Standard 7: Child-focused complaints processes – Ensure that processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.
Standard 8: Child safety knowledge, skills and awareness – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Standard 9: Physical and online environments – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Standard 10: Review of child safety practices - Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.
Standard 11: Implementation of child safety practices – Policies and procedures that document how schools are safe for children, young people and students.
In complying with the child safe standards, Harrietville Primary School includes the following principles as part of each standard:
- promoting the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
- promoting the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds
- promoting the safety of vulnerable children and children with a disability make reasonable efforts to accommodate all students
Please contact our school principal, Samantha Pellegrini or our Business Manager, Kristie Corbett for further information.
Phone: (03) 5759 2533 Email: HARRIETVILLE.PS@EDUMAIL.VIC.GOV.AU