Good Practice Themes

Other significant factors

Anti-bullying components

Many schools had introduced a variety of specific anti-bullying components such as an anti-bullying curriculum, anti-bullying posters, the teaching of bystander support skills or anti-bullying student committees. Most had an up-to-date anti-bullying policy.

Embedded social skills

Schools with a long-term history of developing student social competencies had also managed to successfully embed these in their behaviour management system, pedagogy, expectations and structures. Many had incorporated ‘practice opportunities’, such as community service work.

Positive involvement with parents

Most of the schools had committed and enthusiastic parent communities who worked in partnership with them on wellbeing and safety issues. The leadership teams had worked very hard to involve the parents and make them feel welcome. Many parents spoke admiringly of how they were always made to feel welcome at the school.

Positive Student-Teacher relationships

There were many comments by students and parents about how well teachers knew the students and their positive relationship with not only their own students but all students in the school.

Strong staff collaboration

This factor was particularly apparent and significant in the good practice primary schools.

Staff collaboration produces positive outcomes, which contribute to a strong sense of shared satisfaction and connectedness. Many of the teachers spoke about ‘looking after each other’ and the personal and social connections between them had become very strong.

In many schools where there was evidence of staff collaboration, there was also a focus on teacher wellbeing.

Structured lunchtime activities

Many schools had slowly developed effective playground supervision techniques as well as a variety of clubs, special classes lessons, student-organised activities etc during the lunch break. Many of these had similar benefits to those of extracurricular programs. They made lunchtime less ‘boring’ and kept students enthusiastically occupied.

Values education

Many schools had a strong focus on directly teaching values such as respect, compassion, cooperation, and friendliness.

The value that was most often successfully taught to students was that of respect and it seemed to have the strongest impact on student behaviour.

Effective house system

Schools that had an effective house system found this supported behaviour management (through incentive schemes) and/or helped to develop protective cross-age relationships.

Effective transition programs

There was a wide range of excellent transition programs in the eleven good practice schools.

Secondary schools spoke of their respect for the significant wellbeing work of the feeder primary schools and of effective working partnerships with them. Students spoke enthusiastically of how important these programs were for their development of friendships, security and confidence.

Peer support structures

Case study schools had a wide variety of peer support structures in place.

Most primary schools had a buddy structure and peer mediation structure. Secondary schools had hybrid structures which were called different things in different schools.

Some of the peer support structures worked extremely well and appeared to have made a strong impact on the culture of the school.

Student leadership and ownership

Some schools had found excellent ways to involve students in leadership positions within the school, which gave students an authentic voice and responsibilities.

Having many students involved in a variety of leadership roles appeared to enhance confidence and more compassion towards others.

Strong extracurricular programs or electives

One of the most significant factors in the secondary case study schools was the provision of a wide range of extracurricular activities and opportunities. These appear to have several positive effects:

• they provide both across year level and across school integration. Students who are involved in productions, clubs and teams get to work and form relationships with a wide range of both same-age and cross-age peers. This changes the culture of the school and can result in less bullying of younger students by older students
• many extracurricular activities occur during lunchtimes (eg. clubs, team practices or try-outs, electives) leaving fewer disengaged students for who bullying can be appealing.

Chaplain

Four of the schools had a chaplain who worked part-time in the school. Students, in particular, spoke positively of their non-religious welfare-based role in the school.

Community service opportunities

Two schools (one primary and one secondary) placed a strong emphasis on community service. Both appeared to be very successful in giving students the opportunity to practise social skills (eg. conversation and assertiveness) and apply values such as respect and compassion.

Fun and humour

Several schools had a strong commitment to fostering ‘fun’ in a variety of ways. Students spoke enthusiastically about the fun they experienced in the school and how important this was to the perceived safety of the school.

School pride and high expectations

There was as strong sense of pride in a number of the schools among both teachers and students.

Specific programs

Several primary schools used specific programs such as: Friendly Kids Friendly Classrooms, Bounce Back!, You Can Do It!, M-Power and Mindmatters.

Teacher structures that support students

Several schools had implemented teacher advocacy structures that connected students with a teacher who acted as a mentor and support.