Engage – Inspire – Achieve
ABOUT KALAMUNDA S.E.S.
Kalamunda Secondary Education Support Centre (KSES) is a dynamic, inclusive learning community dedicated to helping every student reach their personal potential. Guided by the values of being Safe, Respectful, and Responsible, the school’s vision is to empower young people to engage in their learning, be inspired by their strengths, and achieve meaningful goals that prepare them for life beyond school.
At KSES, students are known and valued for their individuality. The staff work collaboratively with parents, families, and community partners to create a culture of belonging – where each learner feels understood, supported, and safe to grow. Learning programs are tailored to meet diverse needs, building the academic, social, and emotional capacity of the whole child.
The school’s commitment to inclusivity and equity underpins everything it does. Through personalised pathways and the integration of Positive Behaviour Support values, Kalamunda nurtures students to become confident, capable, and compassionate contributors to their communities.
OVERVIEW
KSES joined Safe House Schools at the beginning of 2025, and after 10 months of hard work, has emerged as the flagship Safe House School – demonstrating how a structured, neuro-affirming, trauma-informed approach can transform culture and outcomes.
Guided by visionary leadership and a deeply committed staff, the school has embedded the Safe House Framework as a foundation for consistency, inclusion, and psychological safety.
The Challenge
Before adopting neurodiversity-affirming practice, KSES faced challenges familiar to many schools: escalating behaviours, reactive interventions, and a sense of fatigue among staff trying to meet complex needs without a unified approach.
The leadership team recognised that creating lasting change would require more than good intentions – it would require a shared language, a consistent structure, and a mindset shift from behaviour management to needs-based support.
THE TURNING POINT
The introduction of the Safe House Framework provided exactly that foundation. Through the program’s tools, language, and reflective practices, the team began to rebuild safety from the inside out.
Every teacher and education assistant learned to ask a new guiding question: What’s the why behind this behaviour? That shift – from reacting to understanding – sits at the core of their transformation.
“The framework gave us the structure we needed – consistency across the whole school.”
Lorraine Tunbridge, Principal
In Practice
Embedding Psychological Safety
Implementation has been deliberate and collaborative. The school has:
✔️ Developed a visual infographic of its Safe House model to support staff understanding.
✔️ Embedded individualised needs profiles and support plans as standard practice.
✔️ Fostered co-design between teachers, EAs, parents, and supports for a 360° view of each learner.
✔️ Prioritised reflective practice to challenge bias, judgement, and language.
Leadership also structured conversations around Safe House principles, building the understanding of psychological safety within the team.
Data Snapshot
“Our classrooms feel calm now. The explosive behaviours we used to see just aren’t happening anymore.”
Lorraine Tunbridge, Principal
The Results
The change has been felt across the school community.
Classrooms once marked by crisis and reactivity now run with calm predictability.
Students who previously disengaged are re-entering learning spaces with confidence.
Staff have greater clarity, and share a collective purpose.
The Regional Office even noted the change, contacting the school after suspension data dropped dramatically. The explanation was simple: when the student’s unique needs are understood and met, their behaviour changes.
The Principal summed it up beautifully: “If you make them feel safe, they come to school. That’s how we know it’s working.”
“Parents tell us their children are happier.
That’s what matters most.”
Lorraine Tunbridge, Principal
Your School
See What’s Possible
Kalamunda Secondary Education Support Centre shows what’s achievable when psychological safety moves beyond policy into everyday practice.
At KSES, belonging is woven through every system, classroom, and relationship. The school’s results are proof that when safety becomes the foundation of culture, students thrive.
