Welcome to our regular newsletter
Twice each term we provide an update on the Living Ripples Model to help schools support their students. The content will vary each time and include resources, stories, ideas and recommendations. We welcome your contributions.
News
About Living Ripples
The Living Ripples Model is a practical tool designed for schools to implement and act on comprehensive wellbeing information collected from students, staff and parents and carers. The survey process respects privacy. It is collected anonymously with the same login access code given to all students, teachers, and families.
The information from the survey findings is analysed to identify specific, common and/or emerging opportunities to allow the school to develop and deliver effective responses and review programs and activities to best support their current students and school community.
Why a wellbeing focus? Simply because it underpins all areas for student success.
“Living Ripples helped us create an intentional and integrated wellbeing program designed by and for our community to support our students”
Bob Willets, Principal Berry Public School
Winner Best Student Wellbeing Program 2023, Australian Education Awards
Introductions
Living Ripples is a national initiative supported by The Phillips Foundation, a private ancillary fund established by Anthony and Liz Phillips in 2017. The for-purpose charity established to facilitate the Living Ripples Model is Kind Schools Ltd.
The Model
Living Ripples recognises and respects that a school’s commitment to supporting their students’ success is long term, complex and ongoing. Because of this, one cycle of Living Ripples Model runs for three years. Within each calendar year there four stages. These are:
Survey
Gathering data from students, staff and parents/carers to inform the wellbeing priorities at a time when it suits the school.
Action Plan
The findings (all anonymous) are amalgamated into year level summaries. Next steps are a locally led School Wellbeing Action Plan (SWAP) with Living Ripples partner, Resilient Youth Australia (RYA) with advice from the University of Adelaide Wild Lab (up to 90 minutes online).
Teacher Audit
With the school action plans in place, nearing the six-month review, a quick online check-in with teachers is done.
Action Plan Review
Within six months of the SWAP being developed, there is a review and refinement with RYA.
In Year 2, the survey gathers up-to-date additional information to review, adapt and develop the current SWAP or create a new plan most suited to the current students. In Year 3, the process repeats. All the data collected over the three years is available to the school in their own school’s reporting portal to access, interpret and review.
More on the survey and action plan and introductory videos and about the process and privacy is found on Living Ripples Model.
For those keen to explore more, log on to the Living Ripples Survey demonstration site.
Enter the demonstration access code 789789 to see the standard questions and possible responses. Please remember, this is only a demonstration. Surveys are tailored for a primary or secondary school audience. Responses will not be attributed or connected to any user as everyone has access to the same code.
In out next newsletter, we share the demonstration reporting portal to show ‘behind the scenes’ view of the reports generated by the information.
The Living Ripples Pool
Introducing the Living Ripples Pool, our online community of practice portal.
On our website under Resources is where you will find a range of information. Learning with and from schools is the foundation of the Living Ripples community of practice. There are many ways to share stories. Connecting and showcasing the schools implementing the Living Ripples Partner Profiles is one way we do this.
Living Ripples Partner Profile
Bomaderry Public School
Inclusive, connected and inspiring.
On the south coast of NSW, a coordinated, cooperative and locally led transformation of a school community is taking place. Bomaderry Public is a Kindergarten to Year 6 school in the town of Bomaderry on the Shoalhaven River, four kilometres north of Nowra. Its shift of focus from behaviour management to fostering wellbeing among students, staff and families has been the game changer. Attendance is improving, engagement from families is on the rise and enrolments are increasing.
