As families prepare for the new school year, one question sits quietly behind every uniform fitting and stationery list: Will my child feel safe, supported, and confident when they return to school?

At The Cathedral Grammar School, wellbeing is not a programme that sits alongside learning. It is the foundation that learning is built upon.

Our approach is intentional and deeply rooted. Since 2016, we have embedded a heart-and-mind philosophy grounded in our Anglican values of Faith, Hope and Love. These values shape how children experience school every day — how they are welcomed, how they are taught, and how they are supported to grow as individuals.

Four guiding pillars sit beneath this philosophy:

  • Everyone matters
  • Fearlessly aim high
  • Do the right thing
  • Think, try, reflect

Together, they create a culture where children are known, respected, and encouraged to be themselves, while also being challenged to grow.

Wellbeing at Cathedral Grammar is woven through every aspect of school life: relationships, classroom practice, leadership decisions, and the way adults and children interact. As Principal Scott Thelning explains:

“Wellbeing doesn’t stand alone. It is woven within and across all aspects of the curriculum. Our values are central to forming and strengthening relationships.”

Research tells us that children thrive when they feel connected, to their teachers, to their peers, and to their school. Strong, trusting relationships create the conditions for confidence, curiosity, and meaningful learning. This is especially important in the intermediate years, when students are navigating rapid emotional, social, and cognitive change.

At Cathedral Grammar, wellbeing begins early and grows with the child. We focus on attachment, trust, and attunement, ensuring that every interaction, both inside and outside the classroom, helps children feel safe enough to take risks, ask questions, and believe in themselves.

In our senior years, this care becomes even more intentional. Year 7 and 8 students are supported through structured wellbeing check-ins and transition-focused programmes that prepare them holistically for secondary school. Students are given language for their feelings, tools for managing challenges, and trusted adults to turn to when they need support.

Our commitment is simple and unwavering: to walk alongside every child, every day, especially in the moments that matter most.

In the weeks before a new school year begins, when questions surface and confidence can waver, children need to know they belong. They need to know they are seen, understood, and held within a community that cares deeply for them.

When our students look back on their time at Cathedral Grammar, we hope they remember more than lessons learned. We hope they remember how it felt to arrive each morning — welcomed, safe, and ready to be themselves.

This is wellbeing the Grammar way.