Lead Articles Archives - 91ֱ�� Support

Beyond Tell Them From Me: 91ֱ�� Support’s Targeted Wellbeing Survey

KateDorrell — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 04:30:27 +0000

Australian schools often rely on the Tell Them From Me survey to understand student wellbeing, engagement and belonging. This tool gives a useful whole-school snapshot. But schools also need a way to measure the impact of specific programs, like 91ֱ�� Support.

Jonathon Peatfield, CEO of Life Ed NSW/ACT, says many schools find it challenging to evaluate their wellbeing initiatives.

“How do you know which programs are working? Tell Them From Me offers a broad view, but it doesn’t always capture the impact of a specific program,” he says.

The 91ֱ�� Support Wellbeing Survey offers a more targeted option. It helps schools track how students and teachers feel before and after completing the 91ֱ��.

The data tells a fuller story

Students, 91ֱ�� Leaders and staff complete short surveys before the program begins and again at the end. The results show what’s changed and highlight areas that might need more support.

Schools receive a report that tracks progress and highlights trends. These insights help staff make decisions based on student voice and strengthen the culture of the school.

“The data gives schools a richer, more honest picture,” Peatfield says. “It shows whether students feel connected, whether 91ֱ�� Leaders feel ready, and whether the culture is shifting.”

The survey is free for schools that use the 91ֱ��. Reporting is built in, so there’s no need for extra admin or analysis.

“The process is straightforward for teachers with minimal admin,” Peatfield says. “Each survey is shared via a secure online link and can be completed in class time under teacher supervision.”

“There’s no need to chase paper forms or collate results manually. Once surveys are completed, schools simply request access to their results online. Reports are automatically generated, allowing staff to view and export data as needed.”

Measure the impact of your programs in addition to Tell Them From Me

The 91ֱ�� Support Wellbeing Survey was developed in collaboration with Deakin University.

Professor John Toumbourou, Chair in Health Psychology at Deakin, helped design the tool. He believes offering students the opportunity to share their confidential evaluation on your programs is a great way to continually improve.

“That’s an opportunity to say what was fantastic about it, but also what could be improved next year,” he says.

He recommends compiling program feedback into a report that offers constructive ideas and keeps people safe by avoiding individual criticism.

“It’s a good discipline for students to learn that they’re going to be asked for feedback at many points across their life,” he says. “So offer them a few pointers, such as if they think there’s an area that needs to be improved, don’t personalise it, talk about the issue.”

Simple tools lead to better outcomes

Schools don’t need a research team to evaluate wellbeing. Start with one clear question: what do you want to learn? Then choose a tool that helps you track that change over time.

“Evaluation doesn’t have to be complicated,” Peatfield says. “You just need a goal and a way to check if you’re getting there. When schools know what’s working, they can do more of it.”

The 91ֱ�� Support Wellbeing Survey is available now for member schools. Not a 91ֱ�� Support member? Find out about joining.

Download an info pack

Get a copy of our info pack with everything you need to know about the 91ֱ�� and our other student wellbeing services.

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The post Beyond Tell Them From Me: 91ֱ�� Support’s Targeted Wellbeing Survey appeared first on 91ֱ�� Support.

Research: Students’ resilience boosted by a sense of belonging

redpinadmin — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:49:42 +0000

Originally published by

Academic challenges and difficulties are inevitable parts of school – this is how students learn. So researchers have long been interested in the ways students navigate these challenges and how to help them cope better.

Recent research has focused on the concept of “academic buoyancy” or everyday resilience at school. This is about students’ capacity to handle everyday setbacks and challenges. This could include negative feedback on an assessment or facing competing study deadlines and schoolwork demands.

Research has found resilient students tend to have more positive academic outcomes. These include making greater effort with their work, having better study skills and enjoying school more than students who are less resilient.

Research has also shown such as confidence. But we need more understanding about what school-related factors are involved in students’ resilience and what schools can do to build their students’ resilience.

Our surveyed high school students in schools around New South Wales to look at what other factors impact students’ resilience.

Our research

The study was based on responses from 71,861 high school students in 292 NSW government schools who completed the annual “” student survey organised by the state’s Department of Education.

Students’ responses were collected at two points one year apart: once at the beginning of the 2018 school year when students were in Years 7 to 11 and then a year later in 2019 when they were in Years 8 to 12. Schools were in metropolitan, rural and regional areas.

One of our main aims was to find out if students’ perceptions of different types of support in their school would influence their resilience one year later.

This included academic and emotional support from teachers, students’ sense of school belonging and behavioural expectations in the classroom.

We looked at the role of support factors in two ways. First, we looked at how support for individual students was associated with students’ resilience. For example, does a student who perceives greater academic support from their teacher, regardless of the school they are in, report greater resilience one year later?

Second, we investigated the relationship between support at the whole-school level and whole-school resilience.

Our findings

In our study, students’ sense of school belonging stood out as the most notable factor of resilience. In fact, the role of school belonging was important at the individual student level and also at the whole-school level.

That is, when individual students felt a greater sense of belonging to their school, they tended to also report greater resilience one year later.

When a school had a higher proportion of students reporting a sense of belonging, it demonstrated higher school-average resilience one year later.

There was also evidence of a reciprocal relationship between students’ sense of belonging and their resilience — that is, increases in school belonging were associated with greater resilience one year later and vice versa.

Notably, these findings were largely similar across contexts, including schools of different sizes, in different locations, with different gender compositions, with varying levels of academic selectivity, with a range of socioeconomic status and with varying levels of students’ academic ability.

The similarity in the findings across contexts suggests targeting these areas of support could benefit students’ resilience in a wide range of academic settings.

Why is this so?

When faced with everyday academic setbacks and challenge, having a strong sense of school belonging helps to protect students from stress and negativity.

This is because students feel less isolated at times of adversity and have options and opportunities for support from their peers and teachers.

Evidence of the reciprocal relationship among these factors also suggests facilitating a greater sense of belonging could have long-lasting effects on students’ resilience as they positively feed into each other over time.

How can we boost belonging?

Helping students to feel safe and included in their school is one way to promote a greater sense of belonging for students. This could include:

offering a range of extracurricular activities that help students to get involved and feel part of their school community
anti-bullying or wellbeing programs to help students to feel safer and more comfortable in their schools
helping students build and feel confident in their personal identities at school.

Teaching students to be aware of their emotions

There are also strategies for targeting students’ resilience directly. For example, providing students with specific reasoning behind a poor assessment mark and then time (in class or one-on-one) to help them understand and constructively respond to the challenging feedback.

Students might also be taught to be aware of the thoughts, behaviours and emotions they have when they receive a disappointing result and how they can respond constructively. For example, re-framing the event as a learning opportunity or a time to seek out further information from a teacher is one way to focus on self-improvement rather than the disappointing result.

Amid ongoing concerns about and wellbeing, academic resilience is an important attribute that helps students to navigate their school careers.

More resources for teachers can be found in this to everyday resilience published by the NSW Department of Education. The authors also wish to thank Nicole Hare, Samuel Cox, Anaid Flesken and Ian McCarthy at the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, NSW Department of Education, for their assistance with the conduct of this research and co-authorship of the original journal article.

Improve school-wide student wellbeing

Better support student mental health through a peer-led approach to wellbeing, trusted by 620+ schools Australia-wide.

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5 questions about the Student Wellbeing Boost funding

redpinadmin — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:06:02 +0000

The Student Wellbeing Boost funding is a one-off grant from the federal government. Here are five of the most commonly asked questions about this grant.

1. What is the Student Wellbeing Boost funding?

The Student Wellbeing Boost funding is a one-off grant from the federal government that aims to support students following the mental health impacts caused by the COVID pandemic.

The $192m funding boost is being shared between all school sectors: government, independent and Catholic schools, including high schools and primary schools, across Australia.

The amount of your school’s boost depends on a range of factors such as your school size and student demographic. State governments can decide how to allocate the funds among schools. In Queensland, for example, where the funds have already been allocated schools received a one-off payment of either $10,000, $19,095 or $50,000.

2. How can you use the funding?

The funding needs to go towards mental health and wellbeing resources and initiatives. There is a lot of scope within this for your school to decide how to spend the funds.

The Australian Government has said you can use it for:

proven student wellbeing, student engagement and mental health initiatives.
extra school mental health professionals, such as psychologists and school counsellors.
camps, excursions, sporting and social activities that improve students’ wellbeing.

The South Australian Department of Education has encouraged schools in their state to use the to make an informed choice.

The NSW Department of Education has a , which is a good starting point for selecting a quality-assured wellbeing program.

The 91ֱ�� is one of the programs included in these two directories.

3. Can you use the funding for 91ֱ�� Support?

Yes. 91ֱ�� Support is an ideal use of your Student Wellbeing Boost.

There are many reasons to allocate funding to 91ֱ�� Support:

It’s cost-effective. We are a not-for-profit that keeps our fees low so we can serve our purpose of supporting all students to reach their full potential.
It’s quality assured by Departments of Education in several states.
The program is backed by evidence and 50 years of practice.
The outcomes are profound, on both school culture and individual students.
It impacts all students across the school.

Already running the 91ֱ�� Support program? Further embed a culture of connectedness, student voice, and wellbeing in your school with 91ֱ�� Support support services. We offer in-school training, professional development, wellbeing strategy consultation, and SRC coordinator training.

4. When will your school get its Student Wellbeing Boost funding?

The funds are being rolled out to each state at different times by their respective governments. The Australian Government has distributed the funds to each state government. Some states have already distributed their funds, while others are still waiting.

Which schools have received their funding? We are aware schools in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Northern Territory have received their funds.

We expect every school to receive their funding this term. You do not need to apply for the funds. Government schools are getting their funds automatically deposited into their school bank account. However, we haven’t had confirmation for how independent and Catholic schools’ funds are being distributed.

5. When do we need to spend it by?

You need to spend the funds, or have committed to spend it, by March 2024. The funding needs to be spent in full by 30 June 2024.

Find out more with our free webinar

We recently hosted a webinar, Student Wellbeing Boost: Build Whole School Wellbeing Using A 91ֱ�� Led Approach. Would you like a free copy of the 30-minute recording?

The event covered details about the funding boost and how you can use it to support the mental health and wellbeing of all students at your school.

We shared insights into:

How you can use your Student Wellbeing Boost.
Evidence-based ways to build whole-of-school student wellbeing.
The different modules and resources available with the 91ֱ��.
The programs and services available from 91ֱ�� Support Australia.

Please use the button below watch the webinar recording.

Watch the webinar

Improve school-wide student wellbeing

Better support student mental health through a peer-led approach to wellbeing, trusted by 620+ schools Australia-wide.

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Anxiety at high school: how school connectedness helps

redpinadmin — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:10:03 +0000

Research suggests one way to prevent depression and anxiety is a strong sense of connection at high school. Originally published in The Conversation.

By , ; , , and ,

About one in five will experience a mental health problem like depression or anxiety each year. The COVID pandemic has only in young people.

In Australia, in early intervention and treatment services have not decreased rates of depression and anxiety. This has sparked more interest in what we can do to mental health problems. Schools are ideal settings for prevention because you can reach large numbers of students, help build healthy skills and habits, and capitalise on schools being both learning and social environments.

Our suggests, one promising way to prevent depression and anxiety is by ensuring students feel a strong sense of belonging and connection to their high school.

What is ‘school connectedness’?

“” is about the quality of engagement students have with their peers, teachers, and learning in the school environment.

It can include things such as, knowing teachers support them, having a friend to talk to about their problems, feeling like they can be themselves at school and like school is an enjoyable place to be, and actively participating in school activities.

School connectedness has been linked to . But it is now attracting attention as a possible way to protect against depression and anxiety.

However, existing research reviews have tended to look at cross-sectional studies (data collected at one point in time) rather than longitudinal studies (data collected over time). And they haven’t considered anxiety and depression specifically, making it difficult to determine if there is a preventative effect.

Our research

In a , we investigated whether school connectedness prevents the onset of later depression and anxiety in 14 to 24 year-olds. We did this with funding from the UK charity, the as part of its push to identify innovative for anxiety and depression.

We systematically reviewed ten years of evidence examining relationships between school connectedness and depression and anxiety. After screening 3,552 potential articles, we found 34 longitudinal and two intervention studies which met our . The intervention studies measured the change in participants’ depressive symptoms before and after a program, compared to participants who did not receive the program.

We then summarised the findings from the included articles.

To ensure young people’s perspectives informed our review, we also partnered with five youth advisers aged 16 to 21 with lived experience of mental health problems and/or the schooling system in Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Our findings

Most studies found higher levels of school connectedness predicted lower levels of depression and anxiety later. Most studies examined depression.

For example, United States of nearly 10,000 students found higher levels of self-reported school connectedness (questions included, “you feel like you are part of your school”, “the teachers at school treat you fairly”) led to reductions in self-reported depressive symptoms in the past week. This effect occurred both later in secondary school and persisted into early adulthood, even when accounting for previous depressive symptoms.

Another investigated the effect of a health promotion program in over 5,000 secondary school students in India.

The program encouraged supportive relationships between members of the school community, promoted school belonging, increased participation in school activities, and promoted social skills among students. The study found this led to a reduction in depressive symptoms 17 months later.

Reflections from youth advisers

Our findings resonated with the experience of our youth advisers. For example, one 18-year-old adviser from Australia reflected,

I’ve had mental health issues my whole life […] I noticed the second that I moved schools to a more healthy environment, the rapid improvement of my mental health.

Another 18-year-old adviser from Indonesia explained,

Knowing your school is there for you really calms you down, takes one more thought out of your head, and more weight off your shoulders.

Most of the studies were from high-income countries, primarily the US, yet our advisers stressed the importance of cultural context. One 16-year-old youth adviser explained the importance of religion.

In Indonesia you can’t really dismiss religion. You can’t ignore it because it’s so deeply rooted in our society and that in turn reflects (on) other things like our mental health and even school connectedness.

Interestingly, we found one study reported higher levels of school connectedness led to higher levels of internal distress. Our youth advisers noted that sometimes feeling more connected to school can come with increased expectations from teachers and pressure to perform, which might increase anxiety in some students.

What does this mean for schools?

Our findings show how schools matter for mental health and that fostering school connectedness might be a way to prevent depression and anxiety.

shows there are a lot of “little things” teachers can do throughout the day in their with students to foster school connectedness.

This includes, actively listening to students, being available and accessible, advocating for students, encouraging students in their school work even if they are struggling, having empathy for students’ difficulties, and treating students like “humans”.

Students are also to ask for help with their learning when teachers say hello, talk to them and take an interest in what they are doing, and show they are proud of them.

Our youth advisers reinforced the importance of feeling acknowledged by teachers and peers and that students need to be able to safely express their identity. One 16-year-old youth adviser from Australia explained that feeling connected to school has many parts.

You’ve got that social aspect, but you’ve also got extra-curricular activities, how you’re going through your studies, your classes […] it’s the positive emotions, it’s the relationships, it’s the meaning, it’s engagement, the accomplishment, it’s all of that. Once you feel supported in all these areas is when you feel connected.

Across the pandemic, school closures and remote learning have shaped a different appreciation of the significance of schools for mental health and wellbeing. The question now is how governments, schools and communities act on this information.

If this article has raised issues for you or your child, you can call on 13 11 14 or on 1800 55 1800.

, Research Fellow, ; , Postdoctoral research fellow, , and , Professor of Adolescent Health The University of Melbourne; Director, Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Main image credit: Shutterstock

Better support high school transitions

Learn how you can help your Year 7 students as they transition to high school, with this free ebook.

Download

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Starting high school: how to help students transition

redpinadmin — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 16:32:12 +0000

Starting high school is a big deal.

You can probably still remember your early days at high school: an unfamiliar environment, new faces, older kids, noise and chaos, timetables, and multiple classes and teachers.

It’s easy to feel lost and overwhelmed.

In fact, students’ engagement and their sense of wellbeing takes a dive during this time, according to research by the NSW Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

The good news is, there are many ways schools can support students during this time. And doing so, will help set your Year 7 students up for a positive school experience from the outset.

Early connections are the key

Positive relationships are vital to starting high school on the right foot.

Friendships become increasingly important during the high school years. Teenagers start to put more trust in their friends over their parents, carers and teachers. Most teenagers – 81.5% — value their friendships more than anything else in their lives, as found by the . This points to the importance of fostering peer relationships that are strong and healthy.

The start of high school is usually the time when peer groups are established. Offer opportunities for students to interact, and broaden their friendship networks. Consider allocating a hang-out space for the year group to gather during breaks. Some schools, like ales, hold a camp early in the year as a way to help students bond.

Empower your senior students to help

recommends creating formal and informal opportunities for older students to support your incoming Year 7s. This will help your Year 7 students feel welcome and supported.

The 91ֱ�� is a great way to involve senior students in the transition process. The program provides Year 7s with an opportunity to connect with their peers in a safe environment. In fact, 86% of teachers involved in the 91ֱ�� said it enables students to experience a better transition into high school, according to research by Deakin University.

91ֱ�� Support Australia offers an orientation framework. This includes activities and discussion guides for senior students to use with small groups of Year 7 students. This resource can be used to help Year 7 students make connections early, get to know the school, and be organised.

The program also enables senior students to take on leadership roles.

“The 91ֱ�� has become part of our transition process for Year 7 students. We run it in Term 1 so the Year 7s have the familiar face of a senior student in their first term and year.

A rewarding aspect of the program is having Year 7s come through and then become 91ֱ�� Support Leaders in Year 11. It’s great seeing them excited to work on the program and give back to the Year 7s.”
Dan Sawade, Encounter Lutheran College

Starting high school can be overwhelming. Communicate clearly and regularly.

Make sure you’re in contact and working with your feeder primary schools to create a transition plan. Organise the Year 6 students to visit your high school, and include additional trips for students with disability and additional needs.

Some schools create a welcome pack for students with information about bell times, timetables, teachers, study routines, and where to go for support. Students, including kids with neurodiversity, may benefit from a social story including images of the school, classrooms and teachers.

Parents and carers also play a crucial role in ensuring students feel positive about high school. Hold an information night for parents and carers, consider creating an information pack or sheet for them to take home.

Better support high school transitions

Learn how you can help your Year 7 students as they transition to high school, with this free ebook.

Download

The post Starting high school: how to help students transition appeared first on 91ֱ�� Support.

Bullying in schools: how the 91ֱ�� can help

redpinadmin — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 02:50:44 +0000

Bullying in schools is a big problem, with long-term repercussions for both victims and perpetrators. are more likely to experience serious mental health issues later in life, and those who bully are at an increased risk of ongoing behavioural problems.

So what can schools do?

Anti-bullying expert Dr Ken Rigby says the prime responsibility lies with schools, because this is where the bullying mostly happens. Dr Rigby details to address and prevent bullying, from creating an anti-bullying policy to adopting intervention strategies.

91ֱ�� support, such as buddy schemes and peer mentoring, is an important part of an anti-bullying approach. Dr Rigby says ‘schools can help students perform supportive roles at school.’

The 91ֱ�� builds supportive relationships between students, and can also address the issue of bullying directly via our anti-bullying modules.

What is bullying?

The defines bullying as a repeated and intentional use of words or actions to cause distress and risk to a person’s wellbeing. There is often an imbalance of power.

Bullying is more common in person, but it can also happen online. Four in ten young Australians report having a negative online experience in the last six months, including 15 per cent who received threats or abuse, according to an .

During the year, .
AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY

School culture plays a crucial role in preventing bullying in schools

shows that school culture has a direct impact on the prevalence of bullying.

91ֱ�� Support Australia’s CEO Samantha Brown says students of all ages need to feel safe at school.

“The 91ֱ�� helps build a culture of connection, empathy and safety,” Ms Brown says. “This leads to confidence and connection which can positively impact a student’s capacity to learn.”

Building strong peer relationships is part of the solution.

of young adults found that 81% of young people turn to a friend when seeking advice. Young people are more likely to confide in a friend than a parent, teacher or another adult.

“The 91ֱ�� was founded on this insight 50 years ago and is the reason it has been so successful,” says Ms Brown. “The Program equips young people with the tools and skills to support each other, build strong relationships and navigate their own mental health.”

The Program covers different modules that schools can use across 8-weeks in structured sessions that are led by more senior students. The anti-bullying modules, Stronger Together (for primary students) and Strengthening Our Connections (for secondary students), helps schools build a culture that is safe and supportive.

experience greater rates of being bullied.
QUEENSLAND GOVERMENT

Relationships are key to reducing bullying in schools

tells us that many protective factors for mental health are associated with positive relationships.

“Relationships impact our mental, social and emotional wellbeing,” Ms Brown said.

The 91ֱ��’s anti-bullying modules focus on:

Growing student safety through building better relationships.
91ֱ�� leadership that complements other actions to reduce bullying.
Building skills and capacity among students to problem solve and take action for themselves and on behalf of other students.
A whole-of-school approach that combines student leadership, staff and parent understanding and support.

The Stronger Together and Strengthening Our Connections modules complement other activities within a school to address and reduce bullying.

Michelle has used the 91ֱ�� to reduce bullying in her schools

In 2015, Assistant Principal, Michelle, was teaching at a primary school in Melbourne that was experiencing high rates of bullying.

Michelle and her team addressed the problem through a whole-of-school approach, adopting several tactics to change the culture. This included implementing the 91ֱ��, and running the Stronger Together module.

“I think the 91ֱ�� really helps. It helps students to say that, ‘I can be a leader, I can make a change, I can make a difference.’ And when they step into those leadership roles, they become empowered.”
Michelle, Assistant Principal

In addition to running the 91ֱ��, the school set up a ‘bully blocker pledge’.

“The students all brainstormed on a Google form, and then they came up with the top five agreements as a whole school as to what the school would look like in order for it to be a bully blocker school. That went up in the hall on a big sign, and every assembly we refer back to it. These are the behaviors we have here at our school. And it just really helped to change the kids’ mindset as well.”

Michelle is a long-time supporter of the 91ֱ��, and has implemented it at several schools during her teaching career.

“I’ve always loved the program, and I’ve always seen its benefits,” Michelle said.

Adopt a whole-of-school approach

Ms Brown says that positive student relationships are best achieved through a whole-of-school approach.

“This means addressing all facets of the school community and its relationships,” Ms Brown says. “This includes having a committed leadership team, a focus on culture and the physical environment, and integrated approaches to teaching and learning including professional development and strong partnerships with parents and carers.”

Contact 91ֱ�� Support Australia to find out more about the 91ֱ��, including the Stronger Together and Strengthening Our Connections modules. Email admin@peersupport.edu.au or phone 1300 579 963.

Improve school-wide student wellbeing

Better support student mental health through a peer-led approach to wellbeing, trusted by 620+ schools Australia-wide.

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