Mindfulness in schools: what local programs are available

Bendigo schools launched three new mindfulness programs in February this year across campuses in Flora Hill and Golden Square.

Student mental health referrals at Bendigo Health campus rose 22 percent between 2023 and 2025, prompting local education authorities to seek low-cost classroom tools that fit existing timetables. Teachers report that short daily breathing exercises help children manage playground conflicts and test anxiety without pulling staff away from core subjects.

Programs running at two Bendigo sites

At Flora Hill Primary on Ellis Street, instructors from the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail group deliver 15-minute guided sessions every Monday and Wednesday morning before the first bell. Children practice seated breathing while seated on mats in the school gym. A separate after-school option operates at Golden Square Primary near the Bendigo Creek recreational trail, where students walk a short loop along the water before returning for body-scan exercises led by parent volunteers trained through Bendigo Health campus workshops.

Both programs use free audio scripts developed by the Victorian Department of Education and cost participating families nothing beyond the standard school levy. Sessions run for eight weeks, with a new intake scheduled to begin 4 August.

Numbers behind the push

A 2025 evaluation by the Australian Council for Educational Research found that classes using daily mindfulness recorded a 17 percent drop in reported disruptive incidents over one term. Bendigo Health campus recorded 148 referrals for school-age anxiety support in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 121 the same period last year. Local organisers say the programs require only existing classroom space and one trained adult per 25 students.

Parents can register children through the front office at either Flora Hill Primary or Golden Square Primary before the next intake closes on 28 July. Teachers at both sites have also posted the weekly timetable on their school websites for families who want to try the exercises at home along the Rosalind Park parkrun route on weekends.