A topic that is central to our school’s Vision and Values is the social and emotional development of our tamariki. It’s easy to forget sometimes, but our school is a place full of unfinished young people. Just like at home, our classrooms and playgrounds are filled with children who are still learning how to navigate big feelings, build relationships, and handle conflict. That means they’re going to mess up sometimes. That’s just part of being a kid! Crickey, even us adults don’t get it right all the time! These moments allow us to help them learn and grow, to understand the impact of their actions, and to practice making better choices in the future.

And while we focus on helping those who make mistakes, it’s just as important to acknowledge that sometimes our children are on the receiving end of those mistakes. When that happens, it’s a difficult moment, but we can reframe that as an opportunity. It’s a chance to build understanding and resilience, to learn empathy for others and to find their own strength.

As a school, our job is to have consistent processes that work to build a safe and supportive
culture for our kids. But we cannot guarantee consistent outcomes from our kids, as “making
mistakes” is the nature of them growing into young adults and beyond. At times, our job as
school leaders is also to recognise and act when change is needed, when mistakes are not being learnt from, and we have a clear process for that which is evidence-based and focused on the well-being of all learners.

In short, the reason our staff get up every morning and keep coming into school is that we have a drive to help and support all of our tamariki to develop the tools they need to become kind, resilient learners who try their personal best and this is a collective effort alongside families. We know that by working together, we can support tamariki to learn from their mistakes and develop into the fantastic people we know they can be.