KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

What our children think

TASMANIAN children are overwhelmingly happy in life — and far fewer than feared say they are often subjected to bullying, a firstof-its-kind survey reveals.

The anonymous survey of 28,000 Tassie kids found 80 per cent say they are optimistic and 82 per cent feel part of a group of friends.

Only about 8 per cent said they experienced frequent bullying.

Children’s Commissioner Leanne McLean said the result surprised her and Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said his objective was still a bully-free state.

TASMANIAN students feel supported by their teachers, are confident in their learning ability and have high levels of perseverance, but have concerns about the way they look, a firstof-its-kind survey has found.

Last term, all government school students in Years 4-12 were invited to take part in the Student Wellbeing Survey. It sought their views about their wellbeing and engagement with school across six categories — feelings of love and safety, health, material basics, learning, participation and sense of culture and identity.

The anonymous survey forms part of the 2018-2021 Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy: Safe, Well and Positive Learners.

Results released yesterday showed 95 per cent of students surveyed had a good relationship and support from their teachers, 89 per cent expressed confidence in their learning ability and 84 per cent said they could persevere at tasks.

Other positive results included 87 per cent of students reporting they felt safe at school, 80 per cent being generally optimistic in life and 82 per cent felt they were part of a group of friends.

Only about 8 per cent said they experienced frequent physical or cyber-bullying

However, 40 per cent of senior students reported not feeling good about the way they look and 38 per cent reported low levels of engagement with learning.

Each school has received their individualised data.

Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the first-of-itskind data would be used to understand the factors that influence a young person’s learning and engagement.

“Schools will work closely with families and the broader school community to understand the wellbeing data and use it to positively impact students,” he said.

Commissioner for Children and Young People Leanne McLean said the comprehensive survey showed where services could be targeted to better support students to succeed.

“Surveying almost 30,000 students across government schools certainly provides an excellent insight into the subjective wellbeing of around one quarter of all Tasmania’s children and young people — but it is only part of the story,” she said.

“This data needs to be combined with a range of other important indicators of wellbeing, including health and educational outcomes, to gain a comprehensive picture of wellbeing across all age groups.”

Ms McLean said she was surprised by the bullying results.

“The discussions I’ve had with children and young people around the state indicate to me bullying is a big issue for them and something they really want to work on, so I was a little surprised to see it that low,” she said.

Mr Rockliff said while the number was low, it was still 8 per cent too much.

“Our objective is to have a bully-free state,” he said.