"It's okay here at school, better than in the city or when I'm out where sometimes as an African I get discriminated against. At school we
all play basketball at lunchtime, different grades, different
cultures, we all join in together. We are having fun,
no one thinks about bullying and we are all
encouraged to be mature. Teachers
at this school take care of me."

...Year 10 male student from Sudan

We are an inner city school with growing numbers of English as a Second Language (ESL) and refugee students. Our large ESL Unit supports refugee students in an environment based upon the respectful care of all.

Where It Began... Our growing numbers of ESL and refugee students were at risk because of significant gaps in their schooling, and trauma and torture experiences, in addition to the challenges of second language learning. This was stretching each individual teacher's skills and attitudes towards students with high support needs. There was a perception that the presence of these students was damaging educational outcomes, which caused conflicts within the school community. The level of risk for these students, the aggression from other students and the negative approach by some teachers further hindered students' learning and were major barriers to them feeling safe.

Getting Started... We recognised a need to change by encouraging shifts in staff attitudes, beliefs and assumptions. Our goal was to create a school environment that acted as a safety net for students, based on accepting the individual. We started by creating respect, caring and 'bridge building' through individuals sharing their stories at informal and formal school gatherings. Key staff helped teachers to understand student behaviours and develop culturally appropriate teaching strategies.

How We Went About It... We established a gradual inclusion policy from the ESL Unit, which allows for individually paced entry into mainstream classrooms based on abilities in language and education and on social and emotional preparedness.

Professional development supports our staff in developing or adapting curriculum to match the needs of individual students.

Our school's predominantly punishment approach to behaviour was replaced by a supportive model that asks 'What can we do to help?'

We have also developed a number of partnerships with community groups to support refugee and ESL students, in the classroom and in the playground.

What We Are Learning... Our school has created an environment that is known for its positive ability to retrieve students at risk, to make young people feel safe and valued. Pastoral care includes most staff, including teacher aides, teachers, tutors and administrators.
We have maintained an above average (88.5%) retention rate to end of Year 12. We believe this demonstrates the school's ability to provide a culture that supports students at risk.

What's Next... We are going into partnership with a local university to research bullying within our diverse cultural context. Surveys about bullying and victimisation will be carried out and the results used to create a prevention program targeting Year 8 students.

"There used to be more separation between the ESL Unit and the mainstream school. We have worked to increasingly
integrate the two areas. Most of our students
are severely deprived and this is recognised
across the school. A combination of factors
has sensitised the school culture
to addressing needs."

...ESL Teacher