Session Two- Using the Wellbeing Self Assessment Tool

Presenter notes

Refer to slide

Presenter notes

The School Excellence Framework supports all NSW public schools in their pursuit of school excellence by providing a clear description of the key elements of high quality practice across the three domains of learning, teaching and leading. Wellbeing is included as an element of the learning domain.

There are strong links between school excellence and wellbeing. Schools should consider teaching and learning and the development of wellbeing as parallel, integrated, complementary processes.

Presenter notes

Schools are encouraged to undertake professional learning around the Wellbeing Framework for Schools. This will support schools to develop a planned approach to wellbeing that incorporates the elements of the Wellbeing Framework.

The wellbeing self-assessment processes have been designed to support schools to understand the Wellbeing Framework for Schools, to assess their wellbeing approaches or programs and to develop a planned approach to wellbeing.

School communities can use the Wellbeing Self-assessment Tool to:

Undertake a comprehensive evaluation of school wellbeing approaches or programs using steps 1 through to 4.
Identify robust evidence that will contribute to the school’s self-assessment in relation to wellbeing using steps 2 and/or 3.
Evaluate specific wellbeing approaches and/or programs within the school using step 3.
Consider how a new approach or program or practice might contribute to the school’s overall approach to wellbeing using step 3.
Contribute to self-assessment against the School Excellence Framework using the evaluation of wellbeing and the evidence of impact at step 4.

The following slides describe each step of the process in further detail and scaffold templates are provided to assist schools with implementation of the process.

Presenter notes

The PowerPoint presentation Engaging with the Wellbeing Framework for Schools (session 1) supports step 1 of this process, to improve our understanding of wellbeing in schools.

As part of the Department’s commitment to strengthening wellbeing, it is important for all schools to develop an understanding of the five domains of wellbeing: cognitive, emotional, social, physical and spiritual.

Presenter notes

During that session the wellbeing framework components were identified and explained more fully to support how schools can apply the wellbeing framework in their school.

Themes: the themes that will drive wellbeing in our public schools are connect, succeed and thrive.

Enable: an enabling school environment is pivotal to the growth and development of our most important assets – our children and young people. Our schools strive for excellence in teaching and learning, connect on many levels and build trusting and respectful relationships for students to succeed.

Domains: Schools support the multi-dimensional nature of wellbeing by addressing the cognitive, emotional, social, physical and spiritual wellbeing domains.

Elements: All schools are required to have a planned approach to wellbeing in place that incorporates these elements of the wellbeing framework.

School Excellence Framework (SEF): Wellbeing is addressed through school planning and school self-evaluation.

Presenter notes

All schools are required to have a planned approach to wellbeing in place that incorporates the six elements of the Wellbeing Framework. The elements include:

Teaching and Learning

Schools will consider aspects of and factors contributing to wellbeing in the delivery of teaching and learning.
Students should be provided with opportunities to connect, succeed and thrive that are relevant to their stages of learning and development.
The child or young person’s subjective view of their own wellbeing is recognised by schools, peers and parents as an important measure to inform decisions about the child or young person.
Whole school approaches to physical health and fitness, social skills and friendship, empathy and resilience, peer support and mentoring, student leadership, citizenship and community engagement contribute to the growth of individual and collective wellbeing.

Behaviour, discipline and character education

Every school will implement a comprehensive and inclusive strategy to create an environment with clearly defined behavioural expectations.
All members of the school community should consistently implement the agreed strategy to create a positive teaching and learning environment.
The school recognises the importance of developing and shaping the character of the individual and maximises opportunities for personal growth.
Students have responsibility to be active learners who exercise self-regulation appropriate to their age and level of understanding.
Parents and caregivers play an important role in working with the school to develop their child’s understandings, skills and character.
Teaching and learning is not disrupted by unacceptable behaviour in the classroom, on the playground and in activities for which the school is responsible.

This slide is duplicated but hidden so that the notes print on 2 pages.

Learning and Support

Students with identified learning needs benefit from personalised learning and support.
Aboriginal children and young people will have an individual personalised learning pathway.
Students with identified healthcare needs have an individualised health care plan.
Parents are consulted and contribute to the planning to support their child’s individual learning.
Adjustments to the learning environment are made and documented as required.
Assessment of student achievement informs individual learning.

Professional practice

Professional learning is linked to the needs of the students, teachers, schools and the system.
All staff undertake mandatory training to comply with legislative and policy requirements.

Effective leadership

Leadership is evidenced at every level of the school environment. Students, staff and parents contribute to the leadership of the school and to the achievement of its goals and priorities.
The principal implements systems to meet accountabilities relating to wellbeing policies in the school environment.
The principal effectively uses school and system resources to support the learning and wellbeing of all students.

School planning

Wellbeing is an element of the School Excellence Framework and is addressed through school planning and school self-evaluation.
A self-evaluation of wellbeing incorporates the stages of learning of the students, environmental factors and the influences and domains of wellbeing.
Schools use qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform and guide school planning for wellbeing.

Information for presenter: This is an animated slide.

The circle is the school, the dots within represent the students within the school.

This slide illustrates a whole school approach to wellbeing for ALL, SOME and FEW.

Presenter notes

When the first dot point and circle appears:

This represents all students within the school. What school processes and practices are in place that support the wellbeing of ALL students?
At different times and for different reasons students may need additional supports and opportunities in order to be successful and achieve their potential.

When second dot point and circle appears:

This represents SOME students.
Supports and opportunities should be intensified to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of some students.

When third dot point and circle appears:

This represents FEW students. Supports and opportunities should be personalised to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of few students.

Critical aspects to supporting wellbeing at the school level are: strong school leadership which emphasises and promotes the importance of wellbeing at the school and within the broader school community; and a culture of high expectations for all students with teachers who emphasise continuous improvement.

In other words, wellbeing must be integrated into the school learning environment; the curriculum and pedagogy; the policies and procedures at schools; and the partnerships inherent within and outside schools including teachers, students, parents, support staff and community groups.

Presenter notes

Step two of the process involves school communities mapping current or future approaches or programs against the five domains of wellbeing. Schools consider the purpose and main intent of the approach or program when deciding what is the major domain/s it addresses. Each approach or program is then considered to determine if it meets the needs of ALL students, SOME students and or a FEW students.

The School Wellbeing Mapping Scaffold assists schools to:

Identify current or future wellbeing approaches or programs - this could be a whole school approach such as Positive Behaviour for Learning or KidsMatter or it could be a formal or informal program within the school such as locally developed social skills program.
Map the approach or program against the five domains of wellbeing – cognitive, social, emotional, physical or spiritual.
Identify the elements of wellbeing that support the implementation of this approach or program.
Determine if the approach or program meets the needs of all students, some students and or a few.

The School Wellbeing Mapping Scaffold will assist school communities to identify the broad range of approaches or programs within their school that currently exist to support wellbeing. Schools can use this information to identify whether the practices across the school address all five domains and identify which students are being supported. The school community may then consider all the approaches that exist within the school so as to identify areas of strength and opportunities for further development across the domains.

Activity: Using the School Wellbeing Mapping Scaffold.

Information for presenter: Small group activity 4-6 people

Handouts

Information handout: ALL, SOME and FEW one per group (p5 of Wellbeing Self-assessment Tool) and;

School Wellbeing Mapping Scaffold- one per group (p6 of Wellbeing Self-assessment Tool).

Presenter notes

Explain activity:

Identify current wellbeing approaches or programs within your school - this could be a whole school approach such as Positive Behaviour for Learning or KidsMatter or it could be a formal or informal program within the school such as breakfast program or a formalised social skills program.
Map the approach or program against the five domains of wellbeing –cognitive, social, emotional, physical or spiritual using the three point rating scale with 2 representing a major connection, 1 a minor connection and 0 as no connection with that domain. approaches or programs may have a major connection to more than one domain e.g. social and emotional learning program.
Identify the wellbeing elements and sustained school practices that support the implementation of this approach or program.
Determine if the approach/program meets the needs of ALL students, SOME students and/or a FEW students (refer to handout for more information).

Suggested questions for sharing after the activity

What are some of the approaches or programs you identified? Were these approaches or programs for; ALL, SOME or FEW?
Are we addressing some domains more than others?
Are the practices embedded within learning, teaching and leadership?
What might we need to consider?

Presenter notes

At Step Three school communities deeply reflect on the impact of the approaches and programs operating within the school to evaluate how these support students to connect, succeed and thrive.

This step involves:

identifying the current/ future approach or program to be evaluated.
identifying the evidence of impact across the themes of Connect, Succeed, Thrive and Enabling school environment.
using the statements within the Connect, Succeed, Thrive and Enabling school environment to evaluate the approach/program.

Schools can use step three in the process within the school planning cycle to support the ongoing impact evaluation of approaches/programs or as part of a comprehensive whole school wellbeing evaluation.

At the individual approach/program level, schools use the ‘Connect, Succeed, Thrive’ and ‘Enabling School Environment to understand how the approach/program impacts on wellbeing and the evidence that schools draw upon to support their decision making.

Presenter notes

Sources of Evidence is a resource for evaluating approaches and programs through a wellbeing lens.

Consider each statement within the themes Connect, Succeed and Thrive and TICK the statements that the approach or program supports your school to achieve.
In column 2 list the sources of evidence you can/will use to evaluate the impact of the approach/program in the context of each statement. Sources of evidence may be applicable for more than one statement.

Consider:

What data will be used? – This can be qualitative and/or quantitative data.
When will data be collected?
What existing school-based and system data could assist in evaluating impact of approaches or programs?
How will data be analysed?

3) In column 3 provide your evaluation of the impact of these sources of evidence

When data is analysed what does it tell us?
What trends are emerging?
What impact is demonstrated by this evidence?

Activity: Evaluating Wellbeing

Small group activity 4-6 people

Handout – A resource for evaluating approaches and programs through a wellbeing lens - one per person/group.

Additional handouts that may be needed to support this activity are available from the School Excellence Framework evidence guide website. Website links to available information on guidelines for using data and sources of evidence are located in the supporting document : Wellbeing Self-assessment Tool

It is suggested that this activity could extend on the previous group activity . Rather than identifying a new approach or program each group could the use the previous approach or program they identified in Using the school wellbeing mapping scaffold.

Presenter notes

Explain activity as per slide.
Explain handouts, provide example if needed for one statement
Each group to share an example at the end of the activity

Additional discussion questions

Are there gaps in the evidence?
What other data would be helpful for evaluating this program?

Presenter notes

At step four, school communities use their findings from step 2 and 3 to synthesise judgements within the broader context of the School Excellence Framework to determine if they are Delivering, Sustaining and Growing or Excelling in wellbeing. As part of the school planning, self-assessment and reporting cycle, all schools self-assess against the elements of the School Excellence Framework and use that process to help inform the writing of their Annual School Report.

The evidence collected during the wellbeing self-assessment will be particularly applicable to the wellbeing element of the Learning domain. However, its relevance may also be applicable to other elements within all three domains of the School Excellence Framework.

The six elements of The Wellbeing Framework provide a basis for reflective decision making about whole school practice and future directions. Schools can consider what strategies are required within each of these elements to improve the effectiveness of their wellbeing approaches/programs.

Presenter notes

The school has a comprehensive and integrated strategy in place to support the cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of students in a context of quality teaching and learning.
Students, teachers and staff, and members of the wider school community have a shared understanding of the behaviours, attitudes and expectations that enhance wellbeing and lead to improved student outcomes.
Individuals care for self, and contribute to the wellbeing of others and the wider community.

Presenter notes

Effective leadership guides the development of a highly effective school. The resources and expertise of the system at every level are targeted to meet the wellbeing needs of all students.
Quality teaching and effective professional practice are evident in every learning environment.
Teaching and learning occurs in environments that celebrate difference and diversity and recognise, respect and respond to identity and cultural background.

Presenter notes

You can access additional information about wellbeing from the Wellbeing framework or your Educational services team.