John Kennedy, Deputy Principal
Located in Brisbane, Coorparoo State School is a primary school committed to nurturing students' social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. With approximately 809 students from prep to year 6 and around 56 staff members, the school has made mental health and wellbeing a core priority.
John Kennedy, Deputy Principal and Be You Action Team Leader at Coorparoo State School, understands that prioritising mental health and wellbeing isn't just an initiative—it's a responsibility for schools to integrate the welfare of all young people into the heart of their community.
The recognition of the need to prioritise mental health and wellbeing within our community was shaped by various experiences, it became clear that fostering a supportive environment for mental health was crucial to the overall wellbeing of our students.
I reflected on whether we were doing enough to support the mental health of our students.
Coorparoo began its Be You journey in 2019 with a clear vision: to unify existing health and wellbeing programs into a cohesive, whole learning community approach that goes beyond standard curriculum requirements.
Building a foundation for success
At Coorparoo, the leadership team saw an opportunity to align their existing Health and Wellbeing units to the ACARA Version 9 Health Curriculum standards. Working alongside their Be You Consultant, Clarissa Fraser, they began to embed the Be You Framework to support their whole-school, proactive approach to fostering positive mental health and wellbeing.
The Be You online professional learning courses have played an important role in building the mental health literacy of staff and their confidence in addressing mental health and wellbeing concerns.
The role of the Be You Consultant
Clarissa Fraser has been supportive in guiding the school's implementation journey. Working alongside many schools in the Brisbane region, Clarissa works to provide tailored consultation that meets each school's unique needs.
I like to describe Be You as an umbrella encompassing the school's wellbeing policies, social and emotional learning programs, support and referral pathways, mental health and wellbeing goals, and professional development for staff.
For Coorparoo, Clarissa's support has focused on three main areas:
- Building and integrating proactive mental health initiative's
- Exploring opportunities to develop staff mental health literacy
- Partnering to showcase practice.
To ensure staff have access to relevant professional learning, resources, and tools to support their goals and initiatives, John maintains regular contact with Clarissa.
The standout feature of Coorparoo has been the strong leadership endorsement and investment in Be You, John's advocacy for educator wellbeing and the use of the Mental Health Continuum highlights the impact of committed leadership which has made it easier to implement Be You across the entire learning community.
Taking action in the classroom
Grace Kearney, Year 3/4 Teacher, and Action Team member has implemented several practical strategies to support student wellbeing in her classroom.One strategy draws on the Be You Mental Health Continuum, which has become a valuable tool for Grace.
In the classroom, I have a visual display of the Mental Health Continuum, where students can identify where on the continuum they are sitting. As a class we use student-friendly language which is displayed underneath the continuum. Every morning, we do a check-in where students use visual hand signals to show how they're feeling. This helps them understand their own emotions and allows them to check in on their friends. This daily routine normalises the conversation about how students are feeling, creating a supportive environment to encourage a help-seeking culture; where everyone is encouraged to share and help one another.
Measuring success and looking forward
To measure the effectiveness of their initiatives, Grace conducts two student wellbeing surveys throughout the year.The comparison of the data provides clear insights into areas of growth and any lingering challenges, helping me to make informed decisions about future lessons and support strategies.
Coorparoo has observed:
- Teachers feel more confident in recognising the signs when a student may require extra support,
- Teachers are more equipped to initiate a conversation with students, parents, and carers around mental health and wellbeing concerns,
- Students are more likely to express their emotions clearly and identify self-help strategies to manage how they feel.
Supporting educator wellbeing
Acknowledging the importance of educator wellbeing, Coorparoo initiated professional development sessions designed to equip teachers with the skills to support their own wellbeing, enhancing their ability to support students.
Some keyways Coorparoo leadership supports their educators include:
- Providing access to professional development on mental health and wellbeing,
- Using Be You resources to promote open discussions about wellbeing,
- Encouraging the use of tools like the Be You Mental Health Continuum to develop a better understanding of when and how to seek help.
Coorparoo's tips for implementing Be You:
- Obtain strong leadership endorsement and ongoing support,
- Create an Action Team with diverse representation,
- Integrate wellbeing practices into daily classroom routines,
- Use Be You tools that can support your school's mental health and wellbeing goals,
- Monitor and evaluate progress through regular surveys and feedback,
- Build a whole-school approach to wellbeing,
- Maintain regular contact with your Be You Consultant
Tools and Resources
Be You Mental Health Continuum
BETLS Observation Tool
Wellbeing Tools for Educators - Be You
Connect with us: https://beyou.edu.au/contact-us