A year of growth and learning

Welcome to our final edition of On the Pond for 2024. Thank you to our partner schools and providers for a fantastic year of growth and learning. Working alongside schools, Living Ripples seeks to foster a locally led, evidence-based approach to review, prioritise and improve student wellbeing and resilience.  

This is a long term and significant undertaking by schools. Our support commences with a three-year engagement where schools are supported with data collection, insights and guidance on how to respond to focus areas specific for their school, their students and their community.  

News

A roundup from the year

In this first year of Living Ripples moving to a national roll out, there are now 110 Living Ripples schools, 98 being new schools. All are participating in one of the four annual stages with almost half of the schools making new Action Plans based on the data they have collected through their surveys.

Preparing for 2025

Over the year we asked why they chose to become a Living Ripples, and here’s what they shared:

Why become a Living Ripples school?

• To boost energy and focus for resilience and wellbeing
• Experience the benefits of philanthropic links
• Interact with experts in the resilience and wellbeing world
• Experience new, targeted approaches to wellbeing for students and their families
• Work alongside you in the school year, spreading the load
• Involve the wider school community: extended families, local businesses
• Collect relevant current data, enabling you to play
• Follow the school terms through from plan to action
• Involve student leaders to be Living Ripples champions
• Invite the student leaders to listen to, mentor and lead each year group they represent
• Become part of the growing national network of Living Ripples schools
• Be part of a national network, connected in all sorts of ways

Student Wellbeing Action Grant

In preparing for the new school year, existing Living Ripples schools can access some helping hand funding as part of the program. While we know each school has a budget for wellbeing, sometimes there is a specific need which has been found during its Survey and Action Plan. This is where Student Wellbeing Action Grants (SWAG) can step in.

A competitive process, if successful, SWAG adds to the available funds needed to enable a school to act and/or select and engage a provider to achieve their specific aims. Schools apply for a SWAG showing how it links with the Living Ripples process, its ‘fit’ with the school’s existing plans and expected outcomes. Applications are currently open, apply now for 2025.