Preventing and Addressing Racism Policy

Date Approved: June 2025
Approved By: Pending College Council Approval
Date of Review: June 2027

Racism is not Tolerated at TC

Templestowe College is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where racism is not tolerated. Racism harms students’ mental health, learning and sense of belonging. We celebrate the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and faiths of all our students. It is up to all of us at TC to make our school a place that is free of racism and where everyone feels respected and can learn in a safe and inclusive environment.

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What TC is doing to prevent racism

Templestowe College follows the Department of Education’s Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools Policy. We are building a culturally safe school with inclusive learning for everyone by working with staff, students, families, carers and communities. We will:

  • Provide programs that teach about and celebrate diversity, inclusion and the impact of racism to build understanding and empathy

  • Use practices that support all students to thrive

  • Implement anti-racism efforts to prevent and address racism effectively

  • Make sure everyone feels safe, with clear and accessible pathways to report racism

What to do if your child experiences or witnesses racism at school

If your child experiences or witnesses racism or religious discrimination at school, please encourage them to let us know. Students and parents/carers can contact the following staff members:

  • Classroom Teachers

  • Community Executive Teams

  • Youth Workers

  • Specialist Wellbeing Team

  • Principal Team

Report Racism Hotline

If you don’t feel comfortable reporting racism to school, or you are not happy with the school’s response, you can report racism to:

For additional support following an incident of racism:

For more information about how to report racism to the school, and to get information in community languages, visit this website:

If you need an interpreter to call the school, please use the details available at:

How TC will respond to racism

When you report a racist incident, TC will:

  • Take your report seriously and act quickly

  • Give you ongoing support

  • Investigate and respond safely and appropriately 

  • Keep you informed, while respecting privacy

  • Review the incident to help avoid it from happening again.

Communication of this Policy

This policy will be communicated to our school community in the following ways:

  • Available publicly on the school website

  • Included in staff induction process

  • Included in transition correspondence to new families

  • Discussed at staff meetings/briefings as required

  • Discussed at parent information evenings/sessions as required

  • Annually referenced in Next Week @TC

  • Hard copy available from school administration upon request

Further information and resources