At Bairnsdale West Primary School, all staff have a commitment to improving SEL, recognising the importance of these skills in developing resilient learners and positive relationships within the school community. The staff use Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships to teach core topics of SEL explicitly and sequentially, focusing on the use of collaborative learning techniques in the delivery of concepts.
Clear, personalised student goals become a starting point for the explicit teaching of SEL, informing what is taught, how it is taught – such as through discussions and games, and finally how it is assessed. Sessions follow a flexible, but distinct pattern, beginning with priming activities, for example using open-ended questions or a story book prompt, to activate and consolidate prior knowledge. New concepts and language are then introduced, building on the language of SEL, common across the school, and varying in delivery to ensure all students are catered for. Each session concludes with opportunities for reflection, both individually and at the whole-class level.
Importantly, once a session is complete, teachers, education support staff and other adults involved have dedicated time to reflect on what was observed during the session and discuss the outcomes of the session in line with established learning intentions – an essential part of the monitoring process which is then used to inform further planning and integration into other curriculum areas.