Director of Wellbeing

Since commencing at the beginning of this year, it has been a privilege to spend time across the School, connecting with students, staff and families, and gaining a deeper understanding of the strong foundations already in place at Friends’. What has stood out immediately is the genuine care for young people and the deep commitment across our community to ensuring that every student feels known, safe and supported.

Prior to my arrival, significant progress had already been made in shaping a more intentional, connected and future-focused approach to wellbeing. This work reflects a shared belief that, when young people feel known, safe and supported, they are best positioned to thrive both in their learning and in life. Over the past Term, my focus has been on listening and learning, taking the time to understand what is working well and where there are opportunities to strengthen our collective approach.

Through conversations with staff, students and families, it is clear that there is already a great deal of high-quality work occurring across all parts of the School. A key opportunity moving forward is to strengthen alignment, ensuring that this work is consistent, visible and connected across our E–12 context. This approach allows us to build on existing strengths, rather than replace them, and to create a more cohesive and supportive experience for students as they move through the School.

As the year has progressed, several priorities have guided this work. A central focus has been the continued development of a compassionate, relational approach through frameworks such as Compassionate Systems and Restorative Practice. In our context, this is not about responding to extreme incidents, but rather about building a shared way of being - one that places relationships at the centre, supports the development of empathy, and enables students and staff to work through challenges by listening deeply, leaning in to understand one another, and moving forward in a constructive and restorative way.

Alongside this, we have been working closely with our Access and Inclusion teams to strengthen and align practices across the School. This includes refining processes around Learning Plans and adjustments to ensure that supports are clear, consistent and sustainable, enabling all students to access learning successfully. There has also been a focus on reviewing student support structures and spaces, ensuring they are purposeful, welcoming and consistent.

Looking ahead, the next phase of this work will focus on deepening consistency across the School and strengthening partnerships with families. We know that wellbeing is most effective when it is a shared endeavour between School, home and community. Ensuring that families feel informed, connected and supported will remain a key priority as we continue to build this work together.

At its heart, this work is about ensuring that every student feels known, safe and supported, and is empowered to grow academically, socially and emotionally. I am grateful for the openness and professionalism of staff, and for the trust of families, as we continue to build a unified, whole-school approach to wellbeing at Friends’.

We look forward to sharing further updates as the year progresses.

Steven Purse - Director of Wellbeing