School Forum Resources
Point Lonsdale students
State and Territory education authorities coordinated the conduct of values education forums in Australian school over four years. The forums were funded by the Australian Government.
Resources
Every school in Australia received the Values for Australian Schooling Kit, which provides print, DVD and poster resources for values education professional learning and for conducting school values education forums.
The Values Education Forums – Engaging your school community resource in the kit is useful in planning and running forums and engaging the school community. There is information and activities on:
- forming a working group;
- previewing the values education resources;
- getting to know your school context;
- conducting surveys of parents, teachers and students;
- deciding on goals and outcomes for your forum;
- activities for your forum;
- after the forum;
- practical considerations for the working group.
For support for school leaders and schools in building a values-centred school culture using a whole school approach see Values-centred Schools – A Guide. There are curriculum and professional learning resources designed specifically for implementing values education in schools in the Values Curriculum Resources section.
School forum snapshots
Following are some reflections and stories of values education school forums that were conducted around the country. Each school community made decisions about its values education forum in the light of the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools (2005) and its own particular circumstances.
Australian Capital Territory
Read reports from the following schools for a sampler of the variety of ways to conduct a school forum:
- Burgmann Anglican School
- Campbell High School
- Canberra Grammar School
- Chisholm Primary School
- Gilmore Primary School
- Marist College Canberra
- Melba High School
- Melrose Primary School
- Rivett Primary School
- Southern Cross Primary School
- St Thomas the Apostle Primary School
- Sts Peter and Paul Primary School
Queensland
At Rochedale State School Vicky King's enthusiasm for values education was the catalyst for the values education school forum. The forum was used by the school community as way of agreeing to a common values education strategy and was the start of their values journey.
Palm Beach Currumbin State High School in Queensland commenced their values education program in 2005. The Values Education forum held in March 2007 was part of this ongoing process.
South Australia
In 2007 the Islamic College of South Australia focused on integrating values education into school policies, learning outcomes in all curriculum areas, their school community and everyday life. A values forum during Literacy and Numeracy Week illustrated to the school community the depth of student engagement, from Kindergarten to Year 12, in the process and their understanding of values.
St Brigid’s School Cluster Forum was held with students, teachers and parents from St Brigid’s Catholic School, Catherine McAuley School, St Thomas More School and Xavier College in Adelaide’s northern metropolitan region.
The focus of the forum was to consider the importance of ‘living out’ values in the transition process as students move from the participating primary schools to Xavier College, the secondary school in the region. The students looked at what they could do to make transition to secondary school a smooth process, not only for their group but for groups to follow.
Tarpeena Primary School held a values forum to review the existing values of the school and to begin the process of integrating their school values and objectives with the National Framework. This forum was the starting point of their values review.
'Values in transition' was the focus for the forum at the William Light cluster of schools: William Light Secondary School, Cowandilla Primary School, Adelaide Secondary School of English and Thebarton Senior College. These schools facilitated a forum with parents, teachers and students to consider school values and how they can be made more visible and used to make schools a more welcoming place.
Tasmania
Collinsvale Primary School celebrated its diverse enrichment programs at its values education school forum.
Distance Education Tasmania school forum discussions were an invaluable way of coming to know students’ families and their values more deeply.
Victoria
During 2004 Lalor East Primary School students produced a booklet developed by staff and the school council and arising from the 2003 Values Education Study (DEST). ‘The booklet was presented at the school AGM in March 2005 and then at an Arabic-speaking parents’ forum in June. These two events represented the school’s values education forum.’
Point Lonsdale Primary School has a long and established history of explicitly placing values at the forefront of school practice. They are a long way down the track of values education. In fact, they are so confident in their whole school approach and practice that the students at this primary school organised the whole values education school forum themselves. Values education forums allow school communities to consider what place values education plays in schools’ policies and practices.
At Undera Primary School the values education school forum complemented the school’s Garden Science Project and helped forge stronger bonds between the school and the community at a time of need.
Western Australia
Read reports from the following schools for a sampler of the variety of ways to conduct a school forum:
- Binnu Primary School
- Carine Primary School
- Carramar Primary School
- Girrawheen Primary School
- Mirrabooka Precinct Cluster
- Mount Tarcoola Primary School
- Morley Primary School
- North Balga Primary School,
- North Hampton District High School
- Wanneroo Primary School
- Western Australian Camp Schools
Boddington District High School was inspired to conduct a school community forum in response to unexpected results from the Monitoring Standards in Education (MSE) test ‘Respecting and Valuing Others’. The notes from the school’s planning day show that the whole school community was involved and that there were some great ideas for incorporating values education in the school.
Carine Primary School celebrated their values through dance, song and circus acts in a Values Celebration Assembly. Go to Carine’s website to see images of the students’ joyful participation in their values forum.
The Principal of Girrawheen Senior High School has outlined the processes the school has taken so far to incorporate values education in school life. The process included some key documents: a staff awareness-raising document and PowerPoint® , ‘No Child Will Leave Girrawheen Empty Handed’; ‘The Values Agenda – Where to for the School Community?’ and ‘Values at Girrawheen SHS – the final instalment in the first wave’.