Tara Anglican School for Girls

The school embeds social and emotional learning (SEL) across its programmes. In Junior School, relationships and emotional connections are central to learning, and students are encouraged to develop caring, open-minded and resilient dispositions. The Wellbeing Policy aligns with CASEL's five elements of SEL and uses restorative practices (Circle Solutions) to build self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. A Senior School and Junior School network supports wellbeing with mentors, counsellors and school nurses who provide guidance and counselling. The Tara Enrichment Centre and cocurricular activities foster teamwork, service and personal growth, reinforcing social-emotional development across the Tara experience. Staff are attuned to students' social and emotional needs through language-rich, inclusive teaching and a holistic approach to education.

The Junior School Learning Support Team provides tailored support for every girl, with targeted interventions to achieve age-appropriate benchmarks or to extend learning. Interventions are offered before school or in-class to keep girls in their regular learning environment and avoid stigma. The program emphasises a growth-mindset approach and tracks progress to ensure each girl experiences success. Staff are trained in reading instruction, including explicit teaching of phonics, reading, vocabulary and comprehension, to support literacy development. The school recognises that students learn at different paces and times and adjusts support accordingly.

Enrolment includes an assessment of English readiness and provision of language support as needed. For international applications, Tara checks English language proficiency with the iDAT test and requires a minimum of 70–80% Ready with Minimal Support. If language proficiency is below this threshold, students may undertake an intensive English language course before beginning mainstream studies, with reassessment after completion. An integrated English program covers reading, viewing, writing, responding, spelling, handwriting and grammar across multimodal texts, and all staff act as language teachers within the curriculum. From Year 1, Spanish is taught as an additional language to complement classroom learning.

Wellbeing is a central Tara focus defined as the balance of social, mental, physical and spiritual health, with belonging, purpose and resilience as core components. The policy specifies that wellbeing programs and practices develop social and emotional learning (CASEL's five elements) and employ restorative approaches (Circle Solutions) to support relationships and respectful behavior. A Senior School and Junior School wellbeing network provides counselling, mentoring and pastoral support from staff including mentors, counsellors and the Chaplain/Director of Faith and Values, with clinical psychologists and school nurses available in the broader program. External mental health resources such as Kids Helpline, Lifeline, Headspace and BeyondBlue are referenced for student and family support. Staff wellbeing is supported through an Employee Assistance Program.

The school maintains a Commitment to Child Safety, embedding NSW Child Safe Standards and maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse. It provides a safe and supportive environment for students both online and on campus, empowers students to participate in decisions affecting them and to share concerns, informs students about who to approach if they feel unsafe, and reviews feedback to continually improve safeguarding practices. The Governance and Policies section includes a Commitment to Child Safety Statement, an Anti-Bullying, Harassment Guidelines and Plan, a Child Protection Policy, a Wellbeing Policy, a Grievance Resolution policy, a Student Conduct Policy, and international student welfare policies to support safeguarding and welfare.