TEACHERS are looking for more support to tackle students’ behavioural issues with an uptake of chaplains at schools across Greater Bunbury.
Funding has been awarded to seven new schools across the region to introduce or increase the availability of a chaplain this year, including Adam Road, South Bunbury, Cooinda, Kingston and Parkfield Primary Schools.
But Bunbury Senior High School, which increased its student population by 250 this year, has had its chaplaincy funding stripped.
This means the school’s chaplain will only be on site three days a week instead of five, funded by Bunbury Regional YouthCARE, the school community and the City of Bunbury.
Bunbury Regional YouthCARE Council chairman Stephen Foster said while he was pleased with the funding increase across the board, Bunbury High would suffer from the “glaring omission.”
“Students at this school have the same needs for a listening ear and counselling as any other school,” Mr Foster said.
“Those needs will only be greater this year because of the increase in student numbers, particularly with Year 7s settling in for the first time.”
Education minister Peter Collier said the federal government’s chaplaincy program ended last year and a new national program provided $1.45 million less per year.
Schools were ranked in priority order in terms of student numbers, location, current support and other factors to determine new levels of funding.
YouthCARE South West chaplain David Cunniffe said the two biggest issues local chaplains see in students were around peer and family relationships.
“In a complex society where there is an increase in demands on the family as a unit, chaplains are there to provide a supportive environment for students and others in the school,” Mr Cunniffe said.
“We believe that more principals are recognising the work chaplains are doing working alongside the teachers to support the students and therefore seeing the need for chaplains in schools.”
Bunbury-based Kids Development Centre clinical director Dr Natalie Challis said children were “acting out” with increasing frequency and she felt sorry for teachers and parents struggling to find an answer.
She said a school-based chaplain could act as a support to these children by listening without judgement and finding the good in them.
“It’s great if a school has someone who has the time to sit and listen without pigeon-holing them as ‘the naughty kid.”
