Wangala Primary School has a range of policies and procedures developed in line with Department guidelines and our educational aspirations for our students. These include child safety, operational, curriculum, and health and wellbeing policies, which are available on our website. Each policy outlines how the topic is implemented at our school and is reviewed and updated on a regular cycle.

Below is a reminder of the key policies that are communicated to our school community each year.

Duty of Care Policy

Statement of Values and Philosophy Policy

Complaints Policy: Our school’s Complaints Policy is available on our website. This policy outlines how concerns and complaints can be raised and managed. We encourage families to familiarise themselves with it should the need arise

Student Wellbeing and Engagement: Our ‘Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy’ communicates to our school community how we create and maintain a safe, supportive and inclusive school environment consistent with our school’s values.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all students and members of our school community understand:

• our commitment to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for students
• expectations for positive student behaviour
• support available to students and families
• our school’s policies and procedures for responding to inappropriate student behaviour

Wangala 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, health 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.

Child Safety and Wellbeing: Wangala Primary School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe. Our child safety framework explains how we support and maintain child safety and wellbeing at Wangala Primary School. 
It includes our:

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
• Child Safety Reporting and Responding Obligations / Procedures, and
• Child Safety Code of Conduct, which outlines acceptable and unacceptable behaviours for all staff and volunteers at our school.

Our students and families are important partners in providing a child safe environment. These regular newsletter reminders are one of the ways we ensure our school community is aware of:

• Our commitment to child safety, and
• How to provide feedback or raise child safety concerns.

If you have any concerns about child safety at any time, please contact our administration team on 03 5243 2997 and you will be transferred to the relevant staff member. Any child safety complaints or concerns are treated seriously. For more information about any of our school’s policies, including our complaints process please refer to https://wangalaps.vic.edu.au/school/policies-and-procedures/ 

We also welcome your ideas on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing. If you have any suggestions or comments please contact our administration team on 03 5243 2997 or wangala.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Yard Duty and Supervision: A reminder that school supervision is provided for 15 minutes before and after school. We ask that students arrive and depart when school supervision is available. Breakfast club is available from 8.45am daily. Parents and carers are responsible for the care and supervision of students travelling to and from school and outside the times of school supervision. For safety reasons students arriving after 9:00am need to be bought into the office by a parent or carer and signed in through the Compass kiosk.

At lunchtime and Recess Students begin supervised eating seated in their classrooms, and can leave once the teacher is confident that they have completed their food and/or after the bell rings.  Students can take any ‘nude food’ (without wrappers) out into the yard if they have not finished by the time the bell sounds. All students may play in designated areas of the school grounds; however, some areas are strictly out of bounds. Students are aware of these areas, and yard duty staff enforce these boundaries.

• Playground Rules:
  • Junior Playground (near the two buildings) – Prep to Year 2 only
  • Senior Playground (along the oval fence line) – Years 3 to 6 only

For any questions or concerns about yard duty/supervision, please contact the office for a copy of our policy.

Mobile phones: In line with Department of Education Policy, Mobile phones owned by students at Wangala Primary School are considered valuable items and are brought to school at the owner’s (student’s or parent/carer’s) risk.  Students are encouraged not to bring a mobile phone to school unless there is a compelling reason to do so.  Please note that Wangala Primary School does not have accident insurance for accidental property damage or theft. Students and their parents/carers are encouraged to obtain appropriate insurance for valuable items.  

At Wangala Primary School students are required to hand in their mobile phones to the school administration office upon arrival at school, where they will be placed in secure storage and collected at the end of the day. A reminder that smart or active watches are not acceptable and will be required to be removed and stored as per mobile phones. 

Please refer to our Mobile Phone Policy, Personal Property Policy AND/OR the Department’s Claims for Property Damage and Medical Expenses policy for further information. 

Accident Insurance / Ambulance cover: The Education Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. You can read more about school insurance issues at the following link https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/insurance/resources

Privacy Policy: Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please take time to remind yourself of the Department of Educations privacy policy and collection statement.

Student Dress Code Policy: As per our schools Student Dress Code policy: 

• For health and safety reasons (help restrict the spread of nits and lice), hair below shoulder length or longer for any student must be tied back.
• Cosmetics may not be worn at school. Only clear nail polish is permitted. 
• Students are not permitted to wear decorative jewellery to school. Cultural or religious jewellery is exempt. Stud earrings and sleepers worn in the ears, and watches, are the only acceptable jewellery. Smart or active watches are not acceptable in line with Department of Education Policy.