Inclusivity & Diversity

At Kurrun Primary School, we strive daily to foster a diverse and welcoming environment for all individuals, regardless of their background, identity or abilities. Our school was built on the foundational values of respect and inclusivity, creating a culture where everyone feels valued, supported and empowered.

Cultural Diversity and Awareness

At Kurrun, whilst we’re guided by the Victorian curriculum and Department of Education, our daily teachings are enriched by the influences of our highly diverse community. A significant portion of our students were born overseas or have parents who were. Households in our community speak one of 28 different languages, in addition to English, and are guided by various religious and spiritual belief systems. Although many of our families migrated to Australia by choice, we also hold space for those in our community who came as refugees and are grateful to be able to welcome them into our community.

Equally, we commit to creating an environment of inclusion, safety and respect for members of our community who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more (LQBTQIA+). All of whom work with us to raise students who are embracing, informed and treat others with kindness and compassion. 

Furthermore, we acknowledge, embrace and celebrate our Koorie community at Kurrun. We believe all children have the right to understand and be introduced to Aboriginal perspectives every day. At Kurrun we are so fortunate to have proud Koorie students sharing their cultural learning and experiences with their peers and helping to educate the next generation of Australians on their people’s history. We support this through our Aboriginal curriculum, school-wide celebrations such as NAIDOC week, and a nurtured connection with First Nations culture for our Koorie students.

Disability and Inclusion

We firmly believe everyone has a right to a quality education, regardless of their ability and/or circumstance. We commit to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment that empowers and inspires every student to be their best. Our compassionate and highly qualified team supports families in identifying the physical, behavioural, and intellectual challenges faced by individual students. We connect them with professional Allied Health intervention services and implement strategies in the classroom to help students feel regulated, safe, and empowered.

We understand that every learner is different. We cultivate acceptance and inclusion amongst students and evolve our teaching, wherever possible, to meet the needs of the student. Through collaboration with carers, teachers and healthcare professionals, students with disabilities are supported with an Individual Education Plan and other plans as necessary. Regular Student Support Group Meetings (SSG) provide an opportunity for reflection, creation of goals, and ensure that we meet each student’s changing needs.

Wellbeing and Hardship Support

Whilst our purpose as a school is to guide and support our students, we understand that every household faces challenges. We hope to help our families through them by introducing them to external services, financial aid applications to subsidise school costs for families experiencing hardship, and referrals to approved parenting education providers.

CSEF – The department administers the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) to help eligible families with the costs of camps, sporting activities and excursions/incursions. For more information, including eligibility, go to: Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund | vic.gov.au or contact the school office. 

Food Bank and The Breakfast Club Program – In 2024, we partnered up with Food Bank to access food relief for families in our community experiencing hardship. We now also run a weekly Breakfast Club which brings families in our community together every Wednesday, ensuring that all students have access to a healthy breakfast and a positive start to the day. For more information, including eligibility, go to: Foodbank | Ending Hunger in Australia

State Schools Relief – SSR provides support to families of Victorian students attending a government school who are facing difficulty – i.e. issues such as poverty, neglect, family illness, abuse and homelessness – and need assistance providing the appropriate uniform, footwear or educational items for attending school. For more information, including eligibility, go to: State Schools’ Relief

Wellbeing and Inclusion Education

At Kurrun, we actively participate in education for both staff and students to ensure that we grow and adapt to new research, providing the best support for students. A few of the Wellbeing and Inclusion practices we have in place at Kurrun are:

  • School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) – the teaching and recognition of expected behaviours at school. Students are awarded for demonstrating positive behaviour and the school values.
  • Respectful Relationships
  • Zones of regulation – matrix of feelings to help students regulate
  • Elephant Ed – consent, respectful relationships and sexuality education provider
  • Social emotional learning in the curriculum
  • Mental health and wellbeing leader
  • Lunchtime social skills groups – student group sessions planned, Mental Health and Wellbeing Teachers and led by Education Support staff, teaching social skills through play
  • Wellbeing spaces across the school – break-out spaces equipped with sensory toys and resources to help with student regulation
  • Visible Wellbeing
  • Inclusion and Wellbeing Leader
  • Wellbeing and Inclusion boxes 
  • Tools, resources and adjustments put in place to enable students with disabilities to successfully participate in classrooms
  • High Impact wellbeing strategies
  • Whole school welbeing and cultural events i.e. R U Ok Day, Reconciliation Week, Harmony Day, NAIDOC Week, Child Safe Week

Discrimination Prevention at Kurrun

Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated in Kurrun. We are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment where discriminatory behaviours are addressed promptly and students are educated on the proper treatment of others. Discrimination against someone else based on their race, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, harms students’ mental health, learning and sense of belonging. We celebrate the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and faiths of all our students. It is up to all of us at Kurrun to make our school a place that is free of discrimination and where everyone feels respected and can learn in a safe and inclusive environment.

At Kurrun, we follow the Department of Education’s Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools Policy. We are building a culturally safe school with inclusive learning for everyone by working with staff, students, families, carers and communities. We commit to:

  • providing programs that teach about and celebrate diversity, inclusion and the impact of discrimination to build understanding and empathy
  • using practices that support all students to thrive, including adjusting teaching techniques to make sure that everyone can access the learning. This includes support through our EAL (English as a Second Language) and TLI (Tutor Learning Initiative) programs
  • making sure everyone feels safe, with clear and accessible pathways to report discrimination
  • celebrating diversity within our community by recognising key cultural dates throughout the year and sharing personal cultural stories through events such as Harmony Week and NAIDOC Week.
  • providing access to a variety of literature in the library that raises awareness of different minority groups and captures the school values of inclusion, courage, aspiration, respect and empathy.