Effective strategies for improving student wellbeing should be built into your Strategic Improvement Plan and can be targeted for:

• all students across the whole school
• specific student groups
• individual students.

Monitoring the impact of initiatives through improvement measures can be challenging, however the research base is clear. Wellbeing is a What works best: 2020 update (CESE) theme, and your school should implement evidence-based initiatives that are appropriate for your students in your school context.

System-negotiated targets

Wellbeing has a positive impact on learning.

Effective wellbeing initiatives will potentially link to the Strategic Direction 1: Student growth and attainment targets for literacy and numeracy. Additional system-negotiated targets relate to wellbeing and they can be included in any strategic direction, for example:

• increase proportion of students attending >= 90%
• increase % of students reporting a sense of belonging, high expectations, and advocacy at school.

Examples can be found in the sample Strategic Improvement Plans (staff only).

School-determined targets

There are many student wellbeing improvement measures including Tell Them From Me (TTFM) survey results, school based data from Positive Behaviour for Learning, evaluation tools such as the School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET), the Achieving School Excellence in Wellbeing and Inclusion, the Personal and Social Capability learning continuum (ACARA), attendance data, referral data, learning and support team meeting records and the provision of individual learning and behaviour programs. More information can be found at the Student Wellbeing website.

Examples of possible school-determined targets:

• School Excellence Framework (SEF) indicates improvement in Learning, Wellbeing, Behaviour from Sustaining and growing (S&G) to Excelling
• SEF indicates improvement in Learning, Wellbeing, Caring for students from Delivering to Excelling
• Wellbeing – TTFM student data to improve from baseline 45% to sit above baseline in the following areas: positive relationships, positive teacher student relations
• All students in Year 9 with a behaviour plan achieve their behaviour goals
• Decrease suspensions by 50% for students in Years 7-12 from 2020 baseline
• Student voice and feedback is included in all Personalised learning plans
• 90% Year 6 students attain Level 4 on Personal and social capability learning continuum.

Reflective questions

• Have we ensured that improvement measures for wellbeing are explicitly stated in our SIP and include strategies to support all, some and individual students?
• Have we ensured a continuum of care for vulnerable students or groups of students with self-reported low sense of belonging from TTFM results?