1 in 3 Australian children experience symptoms of mental health difficulty.
Pressure is growing for schools to support student wellbeing and emotional intelligence alongside learning outcomes.
Yet most teachers have never been given practical tools to support emotional regulation in the classroom.
And many families are struggling to support their children through these challenges at home.
Are you noticing these challenges in your school community?
Rising behavioural challenges in the classroom
More students struggling to regulate their emotions , showing up as meltdowns, rebellion, increased conflict between students, bullying, and classroom disruption that impacts learning for everyone.
Students who are present, but struggling to focus or retain learning
Shorter attention spans, difficulty settling into tasks, constant distraction, and students who struggle to stay engaged long enough to absorb and retain what they’re being taught.
Growing pressure on teachers to manage emotional wellbeing without the right tools
Teachers are expected to support anxious, overwhelmed or dysregulated students — while still delivering curriculum, managing behaviour, and maintaining a productive classroom environment. Without practical wellbeing tools, this emotional load contributes to rising stress, burnout and staff retention challenges.
Families who want to help, but don’t always have the resources or support
Parents are increasingly aware of their children’s struggles, but often feel unsure how to support emotional wellbeing at home.
Without shared language and practical tools, this can create a disconnect between school and home — leaving teachers to carry much of the responsibility for supporting student wellbeing.
The mental wellbeing of students, educators, and the wider community is at a critical point.
Recent Australian research highlights the scale of challenges school communities are facing and why leading schools are moving beyond reactive responses toward proactive, preventative wellbeing approaches that support students, retain staff, and strengthen the entire school community.
In children aged 8-13 years:
1 in 6 experience symptoms of anxiety
1 in 4 experience symptoms of depression
In parents of children aged 8-13 years:
44% report they are only “just coping” with life at the moment
15% are likely to be experiencing a serious mental illness
Among Australian teachers:
9 out of 10 report experiencing severe stress
Two-thirds experience extremely severe symptoms of anxiety and depression
Up to 30% are considering leaving the profession before retirement age
These figures demonstrate that wellbeing challenges are not isolated to one group - they are affecting students, educators, and families across entire school communities.
Parents expect schools to provide environments that are not only safe and supportive, but that actively nurture social and emotional development, reduce bullying, and prepare young people for the real-world challenges they will face beyond the classroom.
At the same time, teachers are calling for practical support and understanding from school leaders.
One-off initiatives or a ‘thank you’ chocolate in the pigeon hole once a term are no longer enough. Schools must move beyond reactive responses and ensure that mental wellbeing is prioritised as part of everyday school culture - not just one day or week of the year.
Supporting mental health, emotional regulation, and resilience has never been more important.
By equipping both students and educators with practical wellbeing skills, schools can create calmer classrooms, stronger relationships, and learning environments where both academic outcomes and wellbeing can thrive.
The Mindful Curriculum:
Mental Wellbeing
Developing awareness of thoughts, beliefs and mindset to support positive mental health, resilience, and healthy coping strategies.
Experienced through: (can we add some examples of activities / exercises / something tangible they can see?)
Eg Experienced through:
- Guided reflection activities
- Thought awareness exercises
- Resilience-building discussions
- Mindset and self-talk practices
Emotional Intelligence
Learning to recognise, understand and manage emotions in ourselves and others in order to build healthy relationships and strong interpersonal skills.
Experienced through: (can we add some examples of activities / exercises / something tangible they can see?)
Physical Wellbeing
Understanding how physical health and body awareness support emotional regulation, confidence, focus and learning readiness.
Experienced through: (can we add some examples of activities / exercises / something tangible they can see?)
Self & Social Responsibility
Developing personal responsibility, empathy and the skills needed to positively contribute to relationships, school communities and the wider world.
Experienced through: (can we add some examples of activities / exercises / something tangible they can see?)
The Mindful Curriculum works across the entire school ecosystem
It starts with educators
We begin by equipping school leaders and teachers with practical tools to support their own wellbeing and confidently guide students in emotional regulation and resilience.
All training is provided, and the tools are ready to use — designed to integrate easily into existing classroom environments without adding to educators’ workload.
It engages students
Our resources are designed specifically for students — interactive, engaging and experience-based.
Through short trainings, activities and guided practices, students develop practical skills they can use to manage emotions, build resilience and support their wellbeing throughout their school years and beyond.
It meets the curriculum
The Mindful Curriculum aligns with multiple Australian Curriculum requirements, supporting schools and educators in delivering wellbeing outcomes within existing learning frameworks — without adding extra pressure to already busy schedules.
It extends to parents
Wellbeing doesn’t stop at the school gate. Our resources are accessible to parents, allowing students to receive consistent support both at school and at home.
By equipping families with practical tools and shared language, parents can confidently support their children’s wellbeing, emotional development and resilience.
A whole-school ecosystem approach
Supporting student wellbeing cannot rest on teachers or parents alone.
By reaching the entire support network around a student, educators, families and school leaders, The Mindful Curriculum helps create aligned, supportive environments where students are better able to learn, grow and thrive.
Schools implementing proactive wellbeing strategies are increasingly seeing:
- Improved emotional regulation in students
- Reduced behavioural disruption in classrooms
- Greater student focus and engagement in learning
- Increased teacher confidence supporting wellbeing
- Stronger relationships between students, teachers and families
- A calmer, more supportive school culture
We’re inviting schools to lead the way in student and educator wellbeing.
Forward-thinking schools recognise that supporting mental health, emotional regulation and resilience is essential for both learning outcomes and healthy school communities.
Enquire now to book your Building Mindful Classrooms session: a 3-hour professional development workshop designed to equip teachers and staff with practical skills to:
- Regulate their own emotions and responses in challenging classroom situations
- Support their own mental and physical wellbeing in a sustainable way
- Understand the impact of mindset, language and emotional modelling in the classroom
- Implement simple wellbeing techniques that can be used by staff, students and families
- Create calmer classrooms, stronger relationships and more regulated learning environments
Meet Our Founder: Victoria
Hi, I’m Victoria, the founder of The Mindful Curriculum. I have worked as a teacher in Western Australia for over 19 years (including a brief stint in the UK), and recently have been running mindfulness sessions in the town I live, Jurien Bay. I am a qualified Mindfulness Instructor, Mind/Body Practitioner and Mindset Coach.
I thoroughly enjoy this work, as do the children that attend my sessions each week. Parent feedback has been so positive in the 2 years I have been running these, such as seeing an increased confidence in their child; their child’s ability to regulate themselves better; children having a better understanding of how their minds and bodies work. I’m sure you can agree with me in saying these are super important skills for our children to have!
My mission in this space is BIG. It is to ensure that every child, no matter their circumstances, has the knowledge and ability to prioritise their mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, emotional intelligence, and self/social responsibility. And it is these 4 focuses that make up the foundation of The Mindful Curriculum.
My aim is to also ensure the teachers, parents and caregivers of our children also have the knowledge and skills in these areas, to create a seamless integration of these vital skills in every facet of a child’s life.