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Wrenvale College

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For staff, families and community

Standards, support and reporting

SO WHAT?

Our Staff Code of Conduct and policies

The Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton (CEDR) Staff Code of Conduct counters teacher bullying by explicitly identifying gossip, exclusionary cliques, belittling behaviour and deliberately withholding information as unacceptable conduct between employees (section 20). Section 21 strengthens accountability by directing staff to report concerns to their principal, manager or that person’s supervisor, providing an alternative when approaching the immediate leader is inappropriate, and committing CEDR to action where bullying is established.

Viewed through PROSPER, the Code provides a useful foundation for Relationships through respectful conduct, Strengths through recognising colleagues’ talents, and Purpose through shared values. Its employee assistance provision also offers support relevant to Resilience. However, these commitments do not establish whether teachers experience safety, inclusion or meaningful participation in practice. Applying PROSPER as a review framework would involve examining all seven dimensions, including whether staff can contribute ideas, use their strengths, experience professional accomplishment and remain engaged in their work (Noble & McGrath, 2015). Positivity should allow honest discussion of distress, while resilience should be supported by safer working conditions rather than an expectation that teachers tolerate harmful behaviour.

A limitation is that sections 20–21 refer staff to separate procedures without explaining response timeframes, interim protection or safeguards against retaliation. These details may exist elsewhere, but a clearly linked reporting pathway would make the protections easier to understand and access. This emphasis on implementation is supported by Kollerová et al. (2023), who found that teacher bullying was associated with greater exhaustion, while leadership support was associated with less exhaustion.

Family Systems Theory also invites attention to recurring relationships, alliances and responses to tension, rather than viewing bullying solely as an isolated interaction between two people. Applied cautiously to a workplace, this perspective suggests examining whether colleagues become drawn into disputes, whether exclusion becomes normalised, and whether silence protects established power arrangements (Kott, 2023). The Code’s emphasis on harmony could therefore be strengthened by making clear that staff can disagree respectfully, ask questions and report harm while remaining good colleagues. No one should feel pressured to stay silent to keep the peace. Schools are not families, and this theoretical lens must not dilute individual accountability or leaders’ responsibility to intervene. 

Amoadu et al.’s (2024) review associated stronger psychosocial safety climates, where management visibly prioritises psychological health, with less workplace mistreatment and better mental health. Integrity in Relationships (April 2019) supports prevention by requiring fairness, respect for others’ reputations and confidentiality, responsible use of power, and action when inappropriate behaviour infringes another person’s rights or dignity. Applied to staff relationships, these standards challenge the misuse of authority, damaging gossip and silence that can allow teacher bullying to continue. This supports evaluating how the Code operates in everyday school life, including leadership responsiveness and staff confidence in speaking up, alongside checking compliance with its written expectations.

The ICT Code of Practice for Staff extends these expectations to digital communication by prohibiting technology use intended to bully, harass, defame or discriminate, providing a clear basis for challenging harmful messages and online targeting of colleagues.

The Statement of Principles for Employment in Catholic Schools provides an ethical foundation for opposing bullying through its emphasis on human dignity, shared responsibility and staff modelling Christian values. These commitments support the expectation that teachers should experience the same dignity and care that schools promote for students.

Wrenvale’s proposed updates

Wrenvale has simplified the reporting documents into two complementary resources: F01 Reporting guideline explains the process, responsibilities and proposed response timeframes; F02 Staff reporting form provides a clear way to record concerns, witnesses, safe contact details and support preferences. Separating the guidance from the form makes the process easier to follow and keeps the information staff need to complete in one place. Staff can also ask for a private conversation without feeling pressure to complete the form initially.

F01 proposes acknowledgement within one working day, an explanation of next steps within two working days, and an initial assessment of non-urgent risks within three working days. Urgent risks require immediate action. A named handler would provide updates at least every five working days, explain delays and give the next contact date, including when there is no new finding. Staff would receive an explanation of the outcome and review options within privacy limits, with follow-up to check safety and whether harmful behaviour has stopped.

The proposed process includes an alternative reporting contact, impartial assessment, temporary safety arrangements and monitoring for retaliation. Mediation would not be a compulsory first step. Staff can disagree respectfully, ask questions and report harm while remaining good colleagues; no one should be pressured to stay silent to keep the peace. Feedback after reports would help improve communication, response times and work arrangements.

Reporting guideline and form

Read F01 Reporting guideline for the process, then print F02 Staff reporting form and complete it by hand. Submit the paper form privately to the appropriate school contact. This website does not collect or send reports.

F01 Reporting guideline

Guidance for understanding and raising a concern.

Read / print PDF

Support directory

Please click on the links below to access your support of choice:

WorkingWell

CatholicCare’s employee assistance service offers counselling for work and personal concerns, face-to-face, by phone or video. Confirm access through your employer.

1800 142 422

Visit WorkingWell

Phoenix House Bundaberg

Specialist counselling and support for people. Self-referrals are welcome. Located at 33 Enterprise Street, Svensson Heights.

07 4153 4299

Visit Phoenix House

Partnership with our Wrenvale families and community

Families and community members can partner with the school by modelling respectful communication, challenging harmful gossip and online targeting, and raising concerns through fair reporting processes. We are also urging parents to model appropriate problem-solving and conflict management to our young people- encouraging them to speak up if they see their teachers being targetted.  Local agencies can contribute specialist advice, confidential counselling and staff education, while helping the school strengthen its response to bullying. We welcome any agencies to contact the school if you feel you can offer specialised support. Regular opportunities for feedback can build shared expectations that protect teachers’ wellbeing while preserving families’ right to ask questions and raise concerns.

Staff Hub