Over the past fortnight, I have been sharing with Senior School students my approach to getting to know as many of them as possible, as quickly as possible, in my Acting Head of Senior School role. To begin with, that has involved looking at some of the available data and the story about the students that it tells. In particular, across Years 10 to 12, I have been analysing the results from this year’s Resilient Youth Survey, and what emerges is definitely a story worth sharing.
Across Senior School, the survey tells us that students’ level of Connectedness is well above the Australia norm. It suggests that students are generally experiencing a strong sense of belonging, positive relationships and social support within our school community. We know that high levels of connection, like that which we see in the survey data, are important protective factors that contribute to resilience, wellbeing and engagement.
The Resilient Youth Survey also tells us that Senior School students’ Friendship Experiences are a significant strength. In particular, at Year 10, the girls' score of 93, compared with a norm of 82, indicates that Year 10 girls are reporting exceptionally positive friendship experiences. It highlights for us that Senior School students generally feel accepted by their peers, have supportive friendships and experience a strong sense of belonging within friendship groups.
At each year level we also see very high results in relation to Caring Behaviours. These scores are derived from students' responses to a set of questions that measure the extent to which they feel supported, valued and cared for by adults and peers in their environment. So, in my effort to get to know as many Senior School students as possible early into my appointment, here is the picture I have formed:
Senior School students experience:
- strong relationships
- positive friendships
- high levels of belonging
- strong peer support
- a culture of care.
I know this is not every student’s experience all of the time, but they are powerful protective factors that will no doubt support students when they’re experiencing life’s challenges.
Co-developed with the School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Adelaide, the Resilient Youth Survey collects the self-reported resilience and wellbeing of students. Now in its third year of implementation at Carey, we have previously shared with parents the 2024 and 2025 Executive Summary of Results, available through CareyLink. The Australia norm is a dataset collected from the 800-plus participating schools across the country.
Allan Griffin
Acting Head of Senior School
