The pressures on students and families in the Warburton community has changed.
Parents work longer hours to pay for the rising cost of living, students experience higher levels of anxiety, and the community is impacted by potential rental properties being bought up by investors who turn them into online bed and breakfast destinations, forcing many residents to move further out. Schools are a community hub, and there is a lot they are doing to support these issues.
One concern in the community has been the access to local schools where there is not any before and after school care onsite. Many schools are opting for third party Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services, but in an area like the Upper Yarra, this means the student must travel often long distances by bus to and from the OSHC service, before they have even arrived at school.
Parents considering schools in the Warburton area do not want their child, who may just be starting Prep, to be making such a trip. To combat this, Warburton Primary School has successfully applied for a $150,000 grant and are setting up an OSHC for the Upper Yarra onsite, meaning that families in the local area can access the vital service, knowing their child is safe and in one location.
To support student wellbeing, Warburton Primary School has embedded many positive behaviour strategies and has embedded wellbeing programs to support student resilience, mental health, and mindful practices. These include the School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) program, where schools proactively plan for healthy and positive behaviours in the classroom and in the yard, and students have a strong voice in how this behaviour is rewarded at whole school level. Warburton also teaches the Respectful Relationships program, taught through a lesson a week using Melbourne University’s Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships teaching and learning materials.
This program works to build emotional literacy, coping strategies, problem solving and positive relationships throughout the school and at home.
Warburton Primary School has also collaborated with the Community Enterprise Foundation to raise funds for their thriving Platypus Playgroup, which is a free playgroup running from 9:30-11:30am every Wednesday. The funding has enabled the school to organise a qualified early childhood educator to facilitate the sessions, which is full of play-based developmental learning games and activities.
One of the many parents who attend said, “After so many years of disconnection, the Platypus Playgroup enables families with young children in the area to associate and feel connected, as well as providing my child a safe and highly engaging program of activities to help them develop. I’m grateful for it.”
Furthermore, many families who already attend Warburton Primary School have found finding rental and affordable housing increasingly challenging in the current market, partly due to the upsurge of bed and breakfast locations, which are then rented out online. This has meant that some families have had to move further out.
To further support families, the Warburton Primary School leadership team has been collaborating with Upper Yarra Secondary and the Department of Transport to apply for a small route change to an existing bus route, helping support students now living in the Reefton and surrounding areas to maintain access to their beloved school. This is still in the application process and not yet confirmed. However, the potential bus change route will also support families in accessing the OSHC service, further alleviating current pressures on the Warburton community.
If you would like more information about the OSHC service starting in 2023, Platypus Playgroup, or would like a school tour please contact Warburton Primary School on (03) 5966 2010.
