Friendly Schools and Families

A research-based bullying prevention program

The Friendly Schools & Families Program provides an extensive tool kit for teachers, school administrators, parents and students to effectively reduce bullying.

An Evidence-Based Approach

Based on 6 years of rigorous research the Friendly Schools & Families Program uses evidence-based ‘small steps for success’ to help school communities systematically tailor and implement strategies for the whole-school, classroom, individuals and families to improve social skills and reduce bullying.  This program has shown a significant reduction in bullying behaviour, greater feelings of safety and happiness coming to school and an increase in social skills among children who have received the program.  It is one on the only empirically tested bullying programs in Australia that complies with the Australian National Safe Schools Framework.

The Materials

The Whole-school Pack
Consists of a Friendly Schools Team Handbook and CD ROM set, a Parents’ Guide and 6 Whole-school Handbooks that are full of resources and school case studies outlining how real schools have successfully reduced bullying and created a friendly school community environment.

Friendly Schools Team Handbook
‘Making It Work’

This Handbook has been designed for school-based pastoral care/behaviour management teams, coordinators and facilitators of the Friendly Schools & Families Program, to guide the Program’s effective implementation.

CD - Two CD Set
‘Bringing The Program Alive’

CD ROM 1 provides your school with reproducible Program components such as planning, review and reflection documents and newsletter items.

CD ROM 2 contains a set of Friendly Schools & Families songs for music lessons and assembly items.

Whole-school Handbooks (set of 6)

These Handbooks provide strategies and actions for schools to improve social skills and help reduce bullying through each of the whole-school components.

1. Policy Development

2. Ethos

3. Student Management & Support

4. Classroom Practice

5. Family Links

6. Physical Environment

Parents’ Guide
‘Friendly Families’

This booklet provides tips for parents about how to help their children prevent or deal effectively with bullying. The booklet focuses on prevention strategies including improving parent/child communication, building social skills and strategies for managing bullying.

The Classroom Pack
Classroom Teaching & Learning Handbooks Levels 1 - 5

Classroom Teaching & Learning Handbooks include information and a variety of interactive strategies to build children’s social skills and ultimately reduce bullying. The five levels designed for students aged between 4 and 13 years include learning activities to build students’ resilience, enhance interpersonal skills such as positive communication, develop self-management skills and a sense of social responsibility.

Student Activity Books Levels 2 - 5

Student Activity Books provide a copy of each student activity sheet in the corresponding Classroom Teaching & Learning Handbook. These are presented in black and white for ease of photocopying.

Friendly Schools & Families Posters

A set of 11 A3 coloured posters have been developed to complement the learning activities and promote the common understandings developed in the Program.

Subject Areas: Bullying Prevention, Social Skills

For even more information visit http://www.friendlyschools.com.au