Due to operational constraints we can not provide training or surveys at this time.
BUY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS →
0 Items - $0.00

A whole-school approach to social and emotional wellbeing that meets your primary or secondary school’s unique strengths, needs and context

A Whole-School Approach

Our research identified evidence-based key elements for success for schools to increase social and emotional wellbeing and reduce bullying. These key elements have been organised into a set of whole-school components.

Reflection tools are provided to help your school wellbeing team review current processes and actions within these components. By identifying your current strengths and needs your school can strategically build capacity to address any gaps, using widely tested strategies. These strategies are supported with a variety of other resources including school case studies, newsletter items, student leadership activities and many other ideas from schools in our research that implement an effective whole-school approach.

Whole-school components

Capacity building

We know the success of any initiative is dependent on how well evidence-based practices are implemented within a whole-school context. Sufficient leadership, organisational support, resources and strategy compatibility with school needs are crucial to optimise impact. The readiness stage is crucial to build capacity and leadership to facilitate and manage the process of review, planning and implementation of the evidence-based strategies. School coordinating teams that assess and improve their capacity to implement strategies to improve student wellbeing and reduce bullying are more likely to ensure its actions are effective, sustainable and system-wide.

Supportive school culture

An inclusive, trusting and supportive school culture helps build care and empathy for each other, encourages open communication and supports a sense of connectedness to the school. Schools who focus on fostering strong relationships between and among staff, students and families have been found to build students connectedness to school resulting in reductions in bullying behaviours and increased social and emotional wellbeing.

Policies and practices

Schools with clear and consistent policy and procedures send a strong message to the whole-school community about the school’s vision, procedures and expectations around student wellbeing and behaviours. This clarity also encourages consistency and confidence on the part of the staff who are required to implement these policies. Policies should include positive behaviour support systems and school-wide processes, individualised strategies and social and emotional learning to increase and maintain social and emotional wellbeing.

Key understandings and competencies

All members of the school, including teaching and non-teaching staff, students and their families, need to be included in education efforts to build the social and emotional wellbeing knowledge and skills. Professional learning to ensure all staff have key knowledge and understandings of social and emotional learning and their role in the development of student wellbeing, enables them to feel prepared and motivated to implement a whole-school initiative. Staff wellbeing and happy, valued and positive staff members are more likely to engage in plans and practices to facilitate students’ wellbeing as they offer information, guidance, attention and care for students.

Physical and social environment

A well maintained school physical environment helps to promote learning, wellbeing and positive social interactions among students and staff. Attractive building design and location, adequate provision of space, facilities and activities for recreation and learning can positively influence student behaviours. Targeting the social and physical environment during break times to encourage positive social interactions and behaviours has also shown to have a marked impact on student relationships, connectedness and the culture of the school.

Family partnerships

When schools engage and partner with families, they see significant benefits for their students and therefore important outcomes for school improvement. Effective family partnerships are based on mutual trust and respect, and shared partnership and responsibility for the education of the children and young people at the school. Establishing and maintaining open channels of regular, positive communication with families leads to the development of a school culture that values their important contribution.

Classroom curriculum and teaching practice

A planned, coordinated and monitored approach across the school to actively engage students in a developmentally appropriate social and emotional learning curriculum provides students with the skills and understandings to build and maintain their wellbeing and reduce the likelihood of bullying. Ongoing professional learning and collaboration opportunities builds staff capacity and confidence to embed social and emotional learning into their classroom teaching and practice as a sustained approach.

Student voice and peer support

Students have excellent ideas on how to promote positive behaviours and increase social and emotional learning and connectedness across the school. Schools that focus on giving children and young people voice have seen powerful and meaningful results, with older students feeling particularly well placed to encourage social behaviours and provide strategies for younger students in their common environments such as the school and online. Recognising and encouraging student participation fosters collaboration between students and staff and lets students know their voices are heard and their opinions and ideas are valued.

Implementation support for your School Wellbeing Team

Sustained change takes time

We know the success of any initiative is dependent on how well evidence-based practices are implemented within a whole-school context. It is important to remember that promoting and sustaining change that builds relationships, wellbeing and a positive school climate takes time, consistency and commitment.

A Small Steps Approach

A Friendly Schools Team Guide* uses the staged implementation process, shown in our interactive graphic, to support your school’s coordinating team through five stages from, getting ready, to reflection and review. Each stage is divided into a series of strategic steps and actions for your school team to follow, in order to plan and monitor your journey.

This step-by-step process includes ongoing self-assessment, evidence informed practice and strategic planning to allow you to better understand your context and more confidently identify and address areas of need to deliver better outcomes.

At each stage of implementation resources such as, data gathering tools, staff capacity building resources, advice from schools and other tools are provided to support your school’s journey.

Hover over any of the pulsing icons for more information.

*A free download of the Team Guide is provided with the purchase of Friendly Schools resources and can be accessed by using your school’s login details.

 

School readiness check – Review your school’s readiness and capacity to ensure implementation success. Available in ‘Evidence for Practice’ handbook, Section 3 or in Schools Login – Team Guide
School staff capacity building resources – Toolkits to build team and staff knowledge confidence and support.
Available in ‘Evidence for Practice’ handbook, Section 3 or in Schools Login – Team Guide
Surveys for data driven actions – Self-administered online surveys for students and staff to determine understandings, attitudes, competencies and behaviour and wellbeing needs.
Available in Primary and Secondary Resources below
Map-the-Gap school action review – Review your school’s current activities and identify strengths, gaps and areas for improvement against good practice in each of the whole-school components.
Available in Primary and Secondary Resources below
Team planning tools -Tools for school teams to plan and set a timeframe to implement their chosen activities to meet their needs.
Available in ‘Evidence for Practice’ handbook, Section 3 or in Schools Login – Team Guide
Whole school resources – To increase social and emotional capabilities and reduce bullying among students.
Available in ‘Evidence for Practice’ handbook, Section 2 or in Schools Login Library
Advice from schools – Tips from school leaders, staff and teams about their own schools’ journey in implementing change.
Available in ‘Evidence for Practice’ handbook, Section 2 or in Schools Login Team Guide
Classroom teaching resources – A developmental classroom curriculum is provided for Primary and Secondary students to address social and emotional learning.
Available in Primary and Secondary Resources below
Team progress maps and records – To help school teams to track their actions, progress and impact through their implementation journey.
Available in ‘Evidence for Practice’ handbook, Section 3 or in Schools Login – Team Guide
Reflection and sustainability report – Review and identify your school’s successes, opportunities and barriers for ongoing planning to maximise the success and sustainability of the actions implemented.
Available in ‘Evidence for Practice’ handbook, Section 3 or in Schools Login – Team Guide

Exclusive Digital Resources for Schools

We have listened and want to make your important job easier. You can now purchase one copy of each resource that you access through your account for all your classes and teachers as needed. This reduces your need to purchase multiple copies of each resource. All purchases through our shop come with free access to our digital resource library. Access instructions for login are provided after checkout is completed.

Primary Schools

Friendly Schools for Primary Schools

A comprehensive set of resources has been developed and tested to support the Friendly Schools whole-school approach in Primary Schools. These resources can be purchased as individual items or as a school set. Many schools purchase the Primary Years Complete Pack and then add extra pieces they need.

The Friendly Schools Primary Schools Complete Pack includes:

  • Evidence for Practice Whole-school Guidebook
  • Implementation Map Poster
  • Friendly Families Booklet
  • Set of ten posters
  • 1 copy of each of the 8 Primary Years Classroom resource books

A library of downloadable resources is constantly being updated and extended to support schools with their implementation of Friendly Schools. Access is complimentary with the purchase of any of the Friendly Schools resources. You will receive instructions on how to access these downloadable resources through the School Login when you receive your resources.

Primary Years Complete Pack Price: $350.00

Primary Years Complete Pack

$350.00

Evidence for Practice whole-school guidebook

A comprehensive guide to the evidence-based strategies and the implementation process of Friendly Schools.

This book describes the evidence supporting Friendly Schools and describes research-based practice approaches schools can implement to maximise and sustain effective social and emotional skill building and bullying prevention strategies.

This content is organised into three sections.

Section 1 – Evidence before action provides key understandings and evidence about social emotional learning and bullying.

Section 2 – Friendly Schools whole-school approach - This section is designed to support schools to identify and successfully implement whole-school recommendations. To assist school-based leadership teams to identify the evidence based key elements for action, section 2 has been organised into six inter-related whole-school components which are represented in individual chapters within this section of the resource.

  1. Building capacity
  2. Supportive school culture
  3. Proactive policies and practices
  4. Key understandings and competencies
  5. Protective physical environment
  6. School-family-community partnerships

Section 3 – Friendly Schools Implementation - The Friendly Schools Implementation section guides school coordinating teams through the entire implementation journey, from getting ready, to reviewing and sustaining outcomes.

A library of downloadable resources is constantly being updated and extended to support schools with their implementation of Friendly Schools. Access to a new downloadable Team Workbook is complimentary with the purchase of the Friendly Schools resources in the School Login section of this site. You will receive instructions for your School Login when you receive your resources.

Price of Evidence for Practice: handbook $65.00

FSP7656

$65.00

Friendly Families Booklet

The Family Booklet contains information and tips for parents about how to cope effectively with bullying. The book focuses on prevention strategies including opening communication between parent and child, giving tips to parents to help improve the social skills of their child, and strategies for children to manage bullying should it occur. Teachers have found this booklet particularly useful as well to provide key points when they are speaking to children and their parents about bullying behaviours and social skills.

Included in the price of a Primary Schools Complete Pack

Individual Price: $9.95

fsp8868

$9.95

Friendly Schools Posters

Help your students create a friendly environment with a set of 9 downloadable posters. The posters deliver common messages for the whole school around the different aspects of dealing with social issues and bullying such as determining what bullying is, knowing how to ask for help and developing a plan for dealing with problems. The posters are often printed and used as a whole school tool and displayed in the school undercover area.

Access to downloadable sets of lessons and power point slides of the posters are provided for both Early Years and for Middle/Upper Primary in the School Login section of this site. You will receive instructions for your School Login when you purchase your resources.

Posters are included in the price of a Primary Years Complete Pack.

Individual Price: $40.00

Poster Pack

$40.00

Friendly Schools Primary Classroom Resource Books

The Primary Classroom Resource Books are designed for students aged between 4 – 11 years and include downloadable resource books for each year level from K (Early Years) to Year 6.

The Primary Classroom Resource books are organised into three sections.

Section 1 – Evidence before action provides teachers with key understandings and evidence about social emotional learning and bullying.
Section 2 – Teaching and learning resource provides lessons with activity designed to develop the social and emotional learning skills of students.
The Teaching and learning resource section in each book is divided into the five key areas:

  1. Self-awareness
  2. Self-management
  3. Social awareness
  4. Relationship skills
  5. Social decision-making

These Key areas link directly to the General Capabilities outlined in the Australian Curriculum under ‘Personal and Social Capability’.

Section 3 – Whole-school approach offers information on bringing the whole-school community together to contribute to the development and ongoing maintenance of the friendly and safe culture of the school.

School Login section of this website. Student activity sheets and resources such as Teacher logs and overview of the FS primary teaching focus areas K – 6, The continuum of the social and emotional learning skills and a new suggested Literature List can be accessed as individual downloadable files through the School Login section of this website. You will receive instructions for your Login with your resources.

Primary Classroom Resource Books can be purchased in the following ways:

As part of the Primary Years Complete Pack (1 copy of each of the 8 Primary Years Classroom resource books is included in the package price), or as individual resources below.

Individual Friendly Schools classroom handbooks

For each year from K - Year 6

Price: $29.95 each

map-the-gap
Visit our shop

Friendly Schools: Early Years Book Pack

Includes classroom handbooks for K – Year 2 (Ages 4-7)

Price: $110.00

Early-Years-Book-Pack

$110.00

Friendly Schools Plus: Primary Years Book Pack

Includes classroom handbooks for Years 3 – 6 (Ages 8-11)

Price: $110.00

Primary-Years-Book-Pack

$110.00

Secondary Schools

Friendly Schools for Secondary Schools

 A comprehensive set of resources has been developed and tested to support the Friendly Schools whole-school approach in Secondary Schools. These resources can be purchased as individual items or as a school set. Many schools purchase the Secondary Years Complete Pack and then add extra pieces they need.

The Friendly Schools Secondary Schools Complete Pack includes PDF downloadable copies of:

- Evidence for Practice Whole-school Guidebook
- Implementation Map Poster
- Friendly Families Booklet
- 1 copy of each of the 3 Classroom Resource books for Years 7 – 9
- Access to Cyber Leaders Website and Teacher resource

The purchase of these resources also provides you with access to a library of downloadable resources which is constantly being updated and extended to support schools. This includes the Cyber Leaders Website and Teacher resource, a student leadership package aimed at skilling young people to become leaders in their school to reduce cyberbullying and other cyber related harms. This resource is also supplemented with guidelines for school staff to encourage and support student leaders and school stories to provide practical based suggestions for implementation.

After your purchase and after logging in, you can navigate to the Free Resources link above the main website menu and find these in the library under the Student Voice section.

Secondary Years Complete Pack Price: $200.00

 

Secondary Years Complete Pack

$200.00

Evidence for Practice whole-school guidebook

A comprehensive guide to the evidence-based strategies and the implementation process of Friendly Schools.

This book describes the evidence supporting Friendly Schools and describes research-based practice approaches schools can implement to maximise and sustain effective social and emotional skill building and bullying prevention strategies.

This content is organised into three sections.

Section 1 – Evidence before action provides key understandings and evidence about social emotional learning and bullying.

Section 2 – Friendly Schools whole-school approach - This section is designed to support schools to identify and successfully implement whole-school recommendations. To assist school-based leadership teams to identify the evidence based key elements for action, section 2 has been organised into six inter-related whole-school components which are represented in individual chapters within this section of the resource.

  1. Building capacity
  2. Supportive school culture
  3. Proactive policies and practices
  4. Key understandings and competencies
  5. Protective physical environment
  6. School-family-community partnerships

Section 3 – Friendly Schools Implementation - The Friendly Schools Implementation section guides school coordinating teams through the entire implementation journey, from getting ready, to reviewing and sustaining outcomes.

A library of downloadable resources is constantly being updated and extended to support schools with their implementation of Friendly Schools. Access to a new downloadable Team Workbook is complimentary with the purchase of the Friendly Schools resources in the School Login section of this site. You will receive instructions for your School Login when you receive your resources.

Price of Evidence for Practice: handbook $65.00

FSP7656

$65.00

Friendly Families Booklet

The Family Booklet contains information and tips for parents about how to cope effectively with bullying. The book focuses on prevention strategies including opening communication between parent and child, giving tips to parents to help improve the social skills of their child, and strategies for children to manage bullying should it occur. Teachers have found this booklet particularly useful as well to provide key points when they are speaking to children and their parents about bullying behaviours and social skills.

Included in the price of a Secondary Schools Complete Pack

Individual Price: $9.95

fsp8868

$9.95

Friendly Schools Secondary Classroom Resource books
and Student Leader Resources

The classroom teaching and learning activities for students from 11 to 14 years of age have been found to be an effective way to provide a structured approach for embedding the social and emotional learning both offline and online to underpin responsible use of technology.

Classroom Resource books for students in Year 7 focuses on social and emotional learning for change and transition into Secondary school as well as social relationships important in this transition year. Classroom Resource books for students in Year 9 -10 are developed to assist school staff to respond proactively to the ever-evolving online world. This includes the place of social media, and the positive and negative behaviours it generates among young people, which impact both their learning and wellbeing.

The purchase of these resources also provides you with access to a library of downloadable resources which is constantly being updated and extended to support schools. This includes the Cyber Leaders Website and Teacher resource, a student leadership package aimed at skilling young people to become leaders in their school to reduce cyberbullying and other cyber related harms. This resource is also supplemented with guidelines for school staff to encourage and support student leaders and school stories to provide practical based suggestions for implementation.

After your purchase and after logging in, you can navigate to the Free Resources link above the main website menu and find these in the library under the Student Voice section.

Individual Friendly Schools classroom handbooks

For each Year from 7-9

Price: $29.95 each

Secondary-Years-Book-Pack
Visit our shop

Friendly Schools: Secondary Years Book Pack

Includes classroom handbooks for Years 7-9 (ages 12-14)

Price: $85.00

Secondary-Years-Book-Pack

$85.00

Student Leaders Resources

Students over 14 years were found to respond less to cyber safety lessons in the classroom but rather expressed a genuine concern and interest in being involved in as leaders in school initiatives to address cyber issues. The role of these students as student leaders, encouraging and enabling other young people to use technology in positive ways, was found to have had positive outcomes for both the student leaders and their peers.

Friendly Schools Secondary School resources also include free access to resources to help school staff to train and support student leaders to establish an ethos and environment where all students feel empowered to use technology in positive ways. Access to these resources is through the School Login section of this website. You will receive instructions for your Login with your resources.