Moreton Bay College (MBC) has been recognised as a finalist in the Australian Education Awards for Best Student Wellbeing Program.
Moreton Bay College is the only Queensland Independent School nominated as a finalist in this category.
At MBC, student wellbeing has been a strategic priority for several years. In June 2018, the College launched a new evidence-based wellbeing framework called Hearts and Minds. Based on research conducted by the UK’s New Economics Foundation, the Hearts and Minds framework consists of five actions: Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, Take Notice and Give. The research shows that when these five actions are embedded into everyday life, wellbeing improves.
“To accurately measure wellbeing in a school, it is essential to have a measurement instrument that aligns with that school’s context and its approach to wellbeing,” said Mrs Michelle Mckersey, Deputy Head of Secondary (Students). “For this reason, we sought expertise in the area of wellbeing measurement in schools, forming a research partnership with Associate Professor Mathew White and Professor Faye McCallum from the University of Adelaide.”
International experts in student and staff wellbeing education and measurement, Associate Professor White and Professor McCallum worked with pastoral staff at MBC as they undertook an ethics-approved measurement project at the College. In this research project, Year 6 to 12 students were invited to participate in a wellbeing survey designed by Associate Professor White and Professor McCallum. Staff wellbeing was also measured in a separate survey and analysis of the data from the surveys informed next steps in terms of the wellbeing of the MBC community.
The research partnership with the University of Adelaide has enabled MBC to adopt an evidence-informed approach which is used to enhance the College’s wellbeing strategy. Based on the data from the project, several actions have evolved, one of which is to increase student engagement through the implementation of a student wellbeing action team, called the Hearts and Minds Committee (HMC).
“The Hearts and Minds framework, our research partnership with the University of Adelaide and the HMC have set us on an exciting pathway to being genuinely proactive about student wellbeing,” said Mrs Janet Stewart, Head of College. “We wholeheartedly believe in this evidence-based approach as we strive to educate the hearts and minds of the young women of MBC.”
The Australian Education Awards will be held on Friday 6 November in Sydney.
