OUR COLLEGE

The Big Picture

Helena College's culture prioritises learning and achievement with an equal focus on wellbeing - our 'whole child' approach. Students are at the forefront of all our decision-making, including getting to know each child's individual learning and wellbeing needs, whatever age they join our community.

We develop our students to be confident communicators, creative problem solvers, and engaged citizens, capable of achieving their goals. Students are encouraged to respect each other and given the opportunity to develop the necessary social and emotional skills within a caring and inclusive environment. Students are encouraged to strive to achieve their personal best both within and outside the classroom. We also understand that life is about more than academic success.

Our focus on helping students to thrive is supported by a collaborative approach. In addition to the homeroom structure and campus leadership teams, Helena has psychologists and learning support specialists located at the Darlington Campus and at the Glen Forrest Campus. Positive relationships between staff, students and parents is highly valued at Helena College.

We aim to educate and inspire students to be the best they can be, by providing a balanced focus on whole child development.
— Helena College's Mission

Pastoral Care

Pastoral care underpins all relationships within Helena College. The classroom (Junior School) or homeroom (Senior School) in which each student will be placed is carefully chosen to best suit their individual needs. Friendships are forged through these daily gatherings and are further enhanced through our highly regarded Camps Program.  Students build upon the relationships established in homerooms and on Year level camps to form a close relationship with their peers and teaching staff.

Social and Emotional Learning in our Junior School (Kindy to Year 5)

Junior School students are provided with further opportunities to gain and develop greater social and emotional awareness and, to practice interpersonal skills as they learn, develop, and grow via the delivery of social and emotional learning (SEL). The SEL experiences aim to help students learn the competencies and skills they will need to build resilience and effectively manage their emotions, behaviour and relationships with others.

The SEL experiences provide students with the opportunity to explicitly learn, develop, practice, and. promote skills such as:

  • making friends
  • cooperation
  • managing conflict
  • being resilient
  • recognising their own feelings (and those of others)
  • managing their own feelings

The PERMAH Framework in our Senior School (Year 6 to 12)

In 2024, Helena College embarked on a journey toward cultivating a flourishing community at our Senior School Campus in Glen Forrest. The new initiative will deliver wide-ranging and long-lasting benefits to students as the College introduces a brand-new student wellbeing program guided by the PERMAH framework.

The PERMAH framework, a unique acronym derived from Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment, and Health, encapsulates the essential elements that contribute to a fulfilling and purposeful life.

The wellbeing program is not about trying to get better grades, it’s not about introducing new clubs or activities, it’s not about keeping the school clean or introducing more rules that students need to follow. It’s about our students. About them building resilience and navigating the ups and downs of life.

The program aims to help students be themselves and cultivate strong relationships with friends, family, and those who support them. These connections are a fundamental aspect of wellness and can significantly contribute to your happiness and sense of belonging.

Helena College continues to be a school where all students flourish, both academically and personally. These two things do go together. We know that students will perform better as learners when they enjoy coming to school and love learning. The key to this is having a positive mindset and wellness. The program is designed to empower each student with strategies for managing their wellness and being the best version of themselves.

Child Safety

Helena College is a Child Safe School, committed to protecting children and young people from all forms of abuse. We have a zero tolerance stance on child abuse and remain committed to acting in our student’s best interests to always keep them safe from harm. 

Our commitment to child safety is demonstrated through the implementation of robust policies and procedures designed to prevent, identify and report instances of child abuse. 

The wellbeing of children and young people in our care will always be our priority and as such we are committed to providing the necessary resources to ensure compliance with all relevant child protection laws and regulations and to maintain a safe and supportive environment. 

Additional information, including our procedures and policies, Child Safety Framework, Child Protection Officers and healing historical harm, can be found on our dedicated Child Safety page. 


We aim to be a school where students, teachers and parents actively engage as partners in the educational process.
— Helena College's Mission

Parents as Partners

Collaborative relationships lie at the heart of our community with staff, students and families living the College motto - Bringing out the best together - to achieve the best possible experience for each student.  Parents are also an integral part of the College community and we value parent involvement in their child’s learning journey.

We believe in working closely with parents and caregivers to ensure that we provide the right environment and conditions for each child to reach their personal best.

Helena College nurtures strong and positive partnerships between the school and community members. We are committed to providing timely, relevant and useful information - whether it is about their child's individual progress, College activities and services, news or general updates and reminders. 

We aim to be a school with high expectations of learning and achievement by offering creative, engaging and challenging educational experiences in a nurturing environment.
— Helena College's Mission

Academic Enrichment and Support

For all learning experiences, our professional and passionate staff work hard to ensure high quality, challenging programs are designed to stimulate and extend each student.  Our team - including learning support specialists, psychologists, teachers and College leadership - will develop a program of enrichment or remediation if it is needed, and this is followed for as long as it is required.  Academic support intervention and programs stem from the classroom approaches to student learning.