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.

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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 School Resources

Secondary School Resources

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

$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.

Building capacity
Supportive school culture
Proactive policies and practices
Key understandings and competencies
Protective physical environment
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

$65.00

Friendly Schools Surveys

Student and staff surveys are a reliable and relatively quick method of gaining a school community perspective on wellbeing practices and bullying-related issues.

Friendly Schools Student Survey

The Friendly Schools Student Survey is a self-administered online survey tool designed to be completed by students from Years 4 – 12. The survey aims to provide schools with an understanding of their students’ perspectives and needs surrounding social and emotional and learning (SEL) and bullying and online bullying behaviours and evaluate important outcomes that are known to support wellbeing such as a positive school climate.

The survey asks student’s about their:

Wellbeing and life satisfaction
Indicators of social and emotional skills (self-efficacy to regulate emotions and problem solve social problems)
Perception of the school’s climate and students’ connectedness to their school, teachers, and peers
Perception of school safety and peer social support
Experiences of different types of online and offline bullying behaviours
Context of when, where and how often they have experienced bullying behaviours
Attitudes and actions to seeking and providing help and perceived outcomes
Actions after witnessing or experiencing bullying
Perception of schools and teachers’ responses to bullying behaviour

(The Surveys are tested and reliable for children in Years 4 and up however, if you have split classes with Year 3 students with proficient reading and comprehension skills, these students can also complete the surveys to provide data for a whole class set).

Price to administer the survey for your total Years 4 – 12 cohort: $110.00

$110.00

Friendly Schools Staff Survey

The Friendly Schools Staff Survey is a self-administered online survey tool designed to be completed by all school staff. The survey aims to provide schools with an understanding of their staff’ perspectives and needs surrounding social and emotional and learning (SEL) and bullying and online bullying behaviours and evaluate important outcomes that are known to support wellbeing such as a positive school climate.

The staff survey asks staff about their:

Wellbeing, stress and life satisfaction
Perception of their schools’ climate
Self-efficacy to enhance students’ social and emotional wellbeing and reduce bullying behaviours
Perception of the priority, effectiveness and consistency of their school’s prevention, response, and support strategies
Professional learning needs

Price to administer the survey for your whole staff: $110.00

$110.00

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

$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

$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:

Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Relationship skills
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

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Friendly Schools: Early Years Book Pack

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

Price: $110.00

$110.00

Friendly Schools Plus: Primary Years Book Pack

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

Price: $110.00

$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

$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.

Building capacity
Supportive school culture
Proactive policies and practices
Key understandings and competencies
Protective physical environment
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

$65.00