What are they and why are they important? 

Purpose of School Food Plans: 

A School Food Plan allows a school community to have an agreed approach about how and what foods are available at school. It documents the relationship between nutritious food and the happiness of children. It is about the pleasures of growing, cooking and eating food cooked from scratch, with friends. It is also about creating a positive school culture. This in turn improves the academic performance, health and wellbeing of our children.  

What is a School Food Culture? 

A school food culture is a school’s philosophy and approach to food. It is also about experiencing the enjoyment of eating together for students and staff. 

What is meant by a whole school approach? 

A whole school approach to food is one where students, staff and families receive consistent messages about food and eating. These messages are communicated in the school, home, and local community.   

Food throughout the school day can comprise some, or all, of the following: 

• Breakfast 
• School made Lunches 
• Packed Lunches 
• Recess food 
• Food and Curriculum – Paddock to Plate food education 
• Emergency Food 
• Drinks 
• School Trips 
• Celebrations 
• Special Dietary Requirement 

The following resources in the School Food Plan toolkit will help you create your own School Food Plan. Your Plan can be developed to meet the needs of your students and community.   

• School Food Plan Checklist (tick box) (DOCX, 2.2MB) – individual reflection 
• School Food Plan Group Audit (DOCX, 2.2MB) – for staff, family, student discussion 
• School Food Plan Policy template (DOCX, 2.3MB) – completed once checklist and/or audit completed 
• School Food Plan template (DOCX, 2.3MB) 
• School Food Plan Exemplar Example (PDF, 7MB) 
• Existing Curriculum resources for food at school (DOCX 2.2MB) 

For further information and support, visit School Food Matters.   
www.schoolfoodmatters.org.au or email alicia@schoolfoodmatters.org.au 

Evidence suggests that wellbeing impacts on academic outcomes. Learners with higher levels of wellbeing are eager to learn and better able to participate. This can, lead to higher rates of engagement and attendance, and improved overall performance.  

Student wellbeing, engagement and learning are reciprocal and inter-related. By working on these three aspects at the same time, we can have a stronger impact from our efforts to provide quality education.  

Engagement 

A student’s engagement in their learning environment is critical to their learning outcomes. 

We will be better equipped to engage students with their learning if we focus on four key elements of engagement: 

• belonging and strong relationships 
• positive school culture  
• quality teaching for learning  
• student voice and agency. Extensive research highlights the impact of these four elements on engaging students in learning. 

The Approach to Student Engagement outlines the four key elements of student engagement. It guides schools on where to focus their effort.    

These elements highlight a universal approach to engagement. Some students may need extra support to engage with their learning. For more information on support for student engagement click here. 

Schools should use this document as a companion to the Our Approach to School Improvement. 

To see how schools are implementing the elements of engagement with their students click the links below. 

• Burnie High School – Belonging and Strong Relationships 
• Lilydale District School – School Culture 
• St Marys District School – Student Voice and Agency 

The Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy puts the child at the centre of our work to improve wellbeing. The strategy: 

• supports a universal approach to wellbeing 
• recognises that students impacted by trauma may need extra support to engage in learning 
• will help deliver better outcomes for all children and students.  

Model for Supporting Students Impacted by Trauma 

The Department has a Model for Supporting Students Impacted by Trauma. This model identifies and addresses student need at a:  

• Universal level (all schools, students, and children) 
• Targeted whole-of-school level 
• Individual student level.  

Through this approach, we can build strong and consistent practice across the Department.  

Individual Student Support 

Each year, schools can apply for funding to support individual students impacted by trauma. Schools determine how funding is used to support these students, and a range of supports and adjustments are sought, including: 

• additional time for collaborative planning and support 
• one-on-one support for an individual student or small group of students 
• individual or group programs focussing on social and emotional learning 
• establishing a mentor or youth worker to support a student’s connection to school  
• access to services or programs that support engagement in learning. 

Targeted Support for Schools with Identified Need 

The Department uses data to identify schools to receive targeted funding, based on need. This whole-school funding is over two years and: 

• supports schools to build long-term, sustainable, whole-school practices 
• build staff capacity and confidence and in trauma-informed practices 
• meet as a collective network.  

In 2022-2023, 33 schools receive targeted support and meet as a network. This is the second network of schools receiving targeted support, with a total of 66 schools involved to date. 

Schools use the targeted funding to implement a range of approaches. These approaches focus on the specific needs of their student cohort, including: 

• upskilling staff 
• providing staff with time to review school policies and procedures 
• individual and group learning programs where students feel they belong and build relationships 
• creating calming, safe spaces in classrooms and within the school for self-regulation. 
    

Universal Support 

The Department has two key resources, Good Teaching: Trauma Informed Practice and Good Teaching: Trauma Informed Practice in Action workbook, that support educators to integrate trauma informed practice in their planning and teaching.  

The resources provide educators with theoretical knowledge, practical strategies, and activities for the whole-school, classroom, and to support individual students. 

The Department has partnered with the Australian Childhood Foundation and the University of Tasmania to deliver a comprehensive professional learning program on trauma informed practice in education settings. This will be available for all principals, school leaders, teachers and teacher assistants.  

Schools use data from the annual Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey to measure student wellbeing at a school and system level, inform planning and measure the impact of embedding trauma informed practices and approaches. 

Back on Track is an outreach approach to support young people who have not successfully transitioned from year 10 to 11 &12.  

Back on Track aims to: 

• reconnect with young people who are not currently enrolled, and assist them to re-engage in education or training 
• help identify a young person’s barriers to engagement 
• connect them with the appropriate services and supports to allow them to develop skills for independence 
• provide monitoring and support for young people who have been re-engaged back into a learning pathway for the following 3 months 

The Back on Track team includes a teacher, social worker, and youth engagement officer. The Team will work with education and training providers to locate and engage young people back into learning. 

Back on Track uses a range of platforms to access information to locate and support a young person not currently enrolled. These may include: 

• Youth Participation Data Base 
• Department for Education, Children and Young People data platforms- Enrolment, Student Support System 

For more information please email backontrack@decyp.tas.gov.au  

Staying connected and checking in on the wellbeing of students is more important than ever. The Wellbeing Check-in is available for school staff to support the wellbeing of their students. 

The Check-in assists school staff to understand the wellbeing of their students. Staff can use the tool while students are learning in the classroom as well as learning from home. This is not a diagnostic mental health tool and is not intended to replace student/teacher connection. 

The Wellbeing Check-in can prompt discussion with a student who indicates their wellbeing is suffering. For example, they are feeling unhappy, tired, isolated or behind on their school work. It can be used daily or weekly and is not compulsory. 

The questions in the Wellbeing Check-in align with the domains of the Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey (see table below). 

For more information on how the Wellbeing Check-in can be used in your school, email wellbeing.unit@decyp.tas.gov.au 

Start using the Wellbeing Check-in. 

The Tasmanian Government has a commitment and goal of becoming the healthiest state by 2025. To support this, the Department hired three Regional Sport Coordinators in 2020. 

The role of Regional Sports Coordinator is to help students increase and sustain physical activity and sport. There are three priorities: 

• increasing physical activity and sport options for students 
• improving access by breaking down key barriers preventing student participation 
• Helping students continue physical activity and sport during transition periods (i.e. from primary school to high school).  

More information for schools can be found  here.  

To contact your local Regional Sports Coordinator email regional.sport.coordinator@decyp.tas.gov.au 

Limited access to sanitary products can affect student wellbeing and also be a barrier to learning. 

Due to this, the Tasmanian Government has committed to providing sanitary items in all Government schools from Term 3, 2021 to support student engagement in school. 

This supports the implementation of the 2021-22: Wellbeing and Me Action Plan, as part of the Department’s commitment to child and student wellbeing. 

Schools will receive an annual allocation to support the provision of sanitary products for those students who may need them. The allocation is calculated on the enrolment of female students, year 5 and above who are supported by the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS). 

The Department for Education, Children and Young People is supporting schools to incorporate student voice in decisions about which items are provided and where students will access them. 

The Department for Education, Children and Young People is committed to providing safe, inclusive, and welcoming spaces for all students. 

The extended School Lunch Pilot has been running since May this year and is a joint initiative with the Department of Education, Communities Tasmania, and School Food Matters to deliver on this commitment. Support has also been provided by the Department of Health through dietician expertise.

All schools in the pilot receive support by School Food Matters to purchase kitchen equipment to run the lunch program. School Food Matters will work with the schools to develop food plans and implement a healthy lunch program, with dietician support.

Congratulations to the following schools who will join the School Lunch Pilot from Term 1, 2023:

Our new Approach to Digital Inclusion for 21^st Century Learners and Action Plan puts the child at the centre, recognising that our learners have a right to equitable access to technology. It recognises that they also have a right to access a skilled workforce that can deliver digital learning opportunities to develop their technological capabilities.

Aligned to our Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy (Wellbeing for Learning) the Approach aims to:

• Improve access to devices and connectivity.

• Increase access to online learning at school and at home through digital technology.

• Improve inclusion for diverse learners to access content and learning online.

• Increase the digital capability of teachers to leverage online learning opportunities for students, at school and at home.

• Improve the digital literacy, skills and online safety and wellbeing of students.

• Increase the digital capability of families to confidently support their child to navigate online environments for learning

To find read the Approach and Action Plan please click here.