We commit to providing safe and supportive environments which nurture the wellbeing of all students and staff in our community, and hold firmly to the belief that they have a right to be safe, respected and valued in an inclusive environment. We know that when students are happy, they are more engaged with their learning.

Schools benefit from wellbeing initiatives and pastoral care support through Sydney Catholic Schools – in areas such as anti-bullying, positive behaviour, student counselling, refugee support and child protection – which range from universal support for all students, to targeted interventions for students with complex social and emotional needs.

Pastoral Care program

Bethany College places a strong emphasis on student wellbeing and therefore provides students with the opportunity to engage and participate in college’s pastoral care program. The pastoral care program has at its center the specific value of each year group; relationships, acceptance, justice, welcome, service and wholeness. The pastoral care program focuses on providing students with opportunities to participate in pastoral activities, as well as having guest speakers present to educate and develop student wellbeing and personal growth.

Bethany students are also encouraged to participate in and promote key significant events throughout the year. This provides students with an opportunity to hold wellbeing events to raise awareness and education on the importance of wellbeing.

Bethany Catholic College Hurstville Student Wellbeing

School Counsellor

Students at Bethany College have access to a trained psychologist and a school counsellor. 

Big Sister, Little Sister Program

Starting secondary school can be an exciting yet daunting experience. Year 7 can seem far away from a new student’s previous school. New buildings, subjects, class groups, travel arrangements, teachers and timetables. Young students face many challenges in the transition from primary to high school.

At Bethany, our college community has successfully addressed the needs of our new community members through our “Big Sister, Little Sister Program”. At the commencement of each year,  Year 10 students, as the newest members of our senior school, take on the role of “Big Sister” to our new Year 7 students. This is a personal way of introducing Year 7 to the school community with someone who can act as a mentor for them in their first year at Bethany.

Year 7 are formally introduced to their Big Sisters during the first week of transition. The Big Sisters are provided with the opportunity to continue to interact, mentor and support their Year 7 sisters throughout the year. The benefit to each girl is reciprocal, with a support network in place for Year 7 students and an opportunity for Year 10 students to demonstrate their leadership skills.

Anti-bullying policy

Sydney Catholic Schools rejects all forms of bullying behaviours, including online (or cyber) bullying, by maintaining a commitment to providing safe, inclusive and respectful learning communities that promote student wellbeing for learning. Staff at Sydney Catholic Schools are committed to employing wellbeing strategies that allow for a healthy school environment where bullying is less likely to occur.

If your child is experiencing bullying of any kind, or you have a wellbeing concern, we have a number of support services available for parents/carers and students, as listed below.

Contact information for our school: 

  • School NSW Police Liaison:
    Youth Officers at St George Police –  email: stgylo@police.nsw.gov.au
    Phone:  Kogarah – 9375 8599  Hurstville – 8566 7499

Support services: