Student Wellbeing Supports
Student wellbeing is central to life in the boarding school. At Hurlstone Agricultural High School, boarding students are supported through a comprehensive wellbeing approach that promotes safety, belonging, personal growth, and positive learning outcomes.
Living away from home is a significant experience for young people. Our boarding staff work closely with students, families, and the wider school to ensure every student feels known, supported, and connected throughout their boarding journey. Wellbeing support is embedded into daily routines, relationships, learning, recreation, and residential care.
This page provides information about the wellbeing supports available to boarding students, including pastoral care, health and medical support, academic support, social and emotional wellbeing processes, and the staff and services students can access when support is needed. Our approach is built on strong relationships, high expectations, and a commitment to helping every student thrive as part of a connected boarding community.
Wellbeing Centre
The Wellbeing Centre is a facility with the primary function to cater for boarder wellbeing matters, and serves as the school sickbay for all students during school hours. Boarders are welcomed and encouraged to attend to discuss a variety of wellbeing issues and personal health matters impacting on their lives.
It is staffed by a registered nurse contracted through an external service provider that can sustain ongoing and changing healthcare requirements. Equipped with beds, lounge room facilities and bathroom facilities, it also has a treatment room where boarders can receive their prescription medication and/or present for various health ailments.
The facility’s normal operational time is from 7.30am to 11.00pm each day, however, obtaining nurses through the contracted service provided, enables short notice to request a nurse for an overnight shift from 11.00pm to 7.30am when the need arises providing appropriate care for each boarder. If students will require sustained care beyond 24 hours the school will contact parents to arrange for the child to be collected by a carer. Students that have symptoms of illness that are contagious, will be required to stay in the facilities until they can be collected by a family member. As a member of a community, it is important that students understand their obligations to others and seek medical support if they feel unwell.
A staff member will advise parents/carers if their child is sent for medical treatment off site or for ambulance notifications.
Medical and Health Procedures for Students Accidents, injuries or illness
A Medicare card is essential for all students as it needs to be presented for all medical appointments. Students often have a photo stored on their phones of the current family medicare card to help them access treatments at GP’s and other outside services.
In the event of an accident, injury or illness students should be taken or go directly to Wellbeing Centre for assessment and administration of first aid by the nurse. This is an important responsibility as a member of our community. Except for the requirement to call an ambulance under mandatory injury protocols, and depending on the nature of the injury, the nurse will assess and determine when a student requires external medical attention and will proceed with the necessary arrangements to notify parents.
A residential staff member will always accompany students to hospital and in some cases to a medical centre. Staff will accompany students under 16 into medical consultations. Students who have been injured because of an accident at school or during a school activity are required to complete an accident report. Some injuries and illnesses will require a medical clearance that states the students is able to return to school, classes or other activities (such as sport). Staff of the Wellbeing Centre will advise and support this process where necessary. The staff of the Wellbeing Centre can also assist in making medical appointments for students while in the care of the school.
Medical Information
Parents, together with their health care professionals must complete the Student Medical Information form and submit to the school prior to the student taking up residence. If the medical plan for your child changes, a new Student Medical Information form must be lodged with the school.
While every effort is made to provide first aid through our registered nursing staff, there may be times when your child’s condition is more serious and requires specialist care. This may involve the attendance to a medical practitioner and/or an external healthcare facility (Medical Centre/Hospital). The Deputy Principal or residential representative will advise parents/carers if their child is admitted to an external facility to obtain more appropriate level of diagnosis and/or healthcare treatment and to organise a handover to parents and family members in attendance.
It is advisable that families plan for this event, with a family member or close friend as close to Sydney as possible.
Medication
It is the parents’/carers’ responsibility to arrange prescription medications to be packaged in a Webster pack to assist in the ongoing management and security of the medication, as it must be stored, managed and administered by the nurse at the Wellbeing Centre. When volume of medication is low or close to its used by date, the nurse will arrange for the parent/carer to be informed. Our local pharmacy across the rail line – Glenfield Pharmacy (118 Railway Pde, Glenfield) can be contacted on 9618 3530 has begun packing our student medications in webster packs for limited additional cost and will deliver to the school. These saves having to mail or send medication back when returning from closed weekends or term breaks. Contact the pharmacy to arrange that service for your child.
Student medication, including non-prescription medications must be stored and administered at the Wellbeing centre by the nurse, unless a prearranged self-administration of medication is part of a negotiated health care plan. Medication is administered by a staff member and signed off by a staff observer.
If there is a change to medication or dose rates, we require updated prescription information and written notification from the doctor, this includes when medication is ceased.
Students who are asthmatic, diabetic or who have anaphylactic reactions are permitted to keep their medications with them; however, an additional supply must also be kept in the Wellbeing Centre.
Pandemic or infectious diseases
During a pandemic (or infectious disease outbreak in our boarding facility), the school receives health advice from the Ministry of Health and DoE’s WHS directorate as required. Protocols are reviewed, amended and implemented each day to protect the health and safety of all students and staff and we follow departmental procedures to report and assist students onsite, and ensure staff follow their obligation in terms of reporting and isolation to restrict any contamination or transfer of infection. This may include isolation onsite or a need for students to leave site. Nursing staff and boarding executives will maintain communication with families around these issues.
Who do I see?
Who you see about an issue may be influenced by staff members you may feel most comfortable discussing the issue with. The table below outlines the person responsible for carrying out the action or response to the issue.
Have a question for our principal or teachers?
Our friendly office team can help you get in touch.