Transforming Schools: Addressing Student Anxiety and Empowering Youth with Rob Walker

Can addressing student anxiety transform the educational environment? Join us in this insightful episode as we discuss the transformative Anxiety Project in New South Wales public schools with Rob Walker, Deputy President of the New South Wales Primary Principals Association. Rob takes us through the project's beginnings, inspired by a pivotal 2020 study, and the collaborative journey with child psychologist Michael Horton to create a comprehensive program aimed at alleviating student anxiety. Learn how this initiative is reshaping schools, with extensive training for leaders, staff, and parents and stage-appropriate lessons for students, already making a difference in 113 schools and impacting 39,000 students.

In the next segment, we delve into the concept of the locus of control and its significance in young people's lives, particularly within education. Understand how fostering an internal locus of control can empower children to take charge of their lives, leading to improved academic outcomes and greater emotional stability. We share practical strategies for schools to encourage this mindset and discuss the requirements for schools to join the anxiety project. Rob Walker also shares exciting news about the project's potential expansion beyond New South Wales, emphasizing the ongoing importance of data in shaping effective educational strategies.

To view our Professional Learning Offerings visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning

Transcript

Drew: 0:00

Hello and welcome to Season 2 of the Principal Learnings Podcast. If you're a principal or educational leader looking to enhance your skills, this is the place for you, so let's get into it, let's embark on this learning journey together.

Drew: 0:16

Ever, wondered how schools are tackling the rise in student anxiety. In today's episode, we're diving deep into the anxiety project and its impact on alleviating student anxiety in New South Wales public schools. The project, initiated by the New South Wales Primary Principals Association, was motivated by a 2020 study by the Australian Primary Principals Association, known as APA, which found 90% of principals experienced a strain on their school's time and resources because of student anxiety. In our episode today, we unpack the findings the key findings with the New South Wales PPA Deputy President, rob Walker. I'm excited to be joined by our Deputy President, rob Walker, to discuss the Anxiety Project. Rob, thanks so much for being here today. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your respective roles in the New South Wales PPA?

Rob: 1:18

Thanks, D rew. So I'm currently the Principal at Evans River Community School, at Evans River K-12 School, on the far north coast. So I'm currently the principal at Evans River Community School, at Evans River K-12 School, on the far north coast. Some of the different roles now that I've got I'm as a State Deputy President, manage the different reference groups, standing committees and working parties and the membership of those groups. I liaise with the Communications and Engagement Standing Committee. I'm the Western Sydney Region Liaison, so all the PPCs in that area and colleagues in that space and currently lead for the anxiety project.

Drew: 1:48

Wow, what a history there. Rob Walker, most importantly, are you enjoying the role?

Rob: 1:55

It's a fantastic job. Fantastic job to be a school principal. I mean you reflect on how you choose to spend your lifetime and it's absolutely great being in this job and working with kids every day and having a team of people who are committed and work really coherently with each other to see things grow for the community and for the kids. So, yeah, love every moment of the job. I mean not to say like everybody else in there in this role there aren't some really challenging moments, but yeah, no, I'm. It's a vocation, it's a life and, yeah, I really enjoy the role.

Drew: 2:28

You can really tell, and thanks for everything you do, rob. Now let's start talking the Anxiety Project, or about the Anxiety Project. Can you give us a brief update about the Anxiety Project, how it started with the New South Wales Primary Principals Association?

Rob: 2:44

So it's a really good news story, drew. It's a really interesting project. In 2019, the Australian Primary Principals Association conducted a survey and produced a paper stating various impacts on principal workload, and one of the things that came forward was some really significant data about the impact that anxiety in students was having on principal workload, where they were spending their time in their work, and also, of course, on their well-being. But primarily, we were concerned about the impact it was having on student learning outcomes and student well-being in the school. So when that report was tabled, the president at at the time said would you, rob, like to go along to a session run by the child psychologist who was involved in that collection and production of the survey? And I went along to a session run by Michael Horton and then came back to the state executive and spoke to them about what I'd learnt in that space. The session that I went to was a full day. It was all focused on people who deal with well being for kids in schools so deputy principals, principals, counsellors those types of people and as a consequence of that, the state executive discussed whether or not we would engage with health or whether we would engage with education about this, or whether we would, in fact, as an association, pick this up and develop something that was suitable for our schools and, of course, history has shown it was the latter of those three options that we took on and we worked for three years with Michael Hawton as a leadership team. So our P president, Robyn Evans, and our vice president, T trish Peters and then later on you joined our team and also Scott Sanford, our T treasurer, involved in contributing to the dialogue with Michael Horton and two members of his team, H ayley Cravigan, who's now the program manager for the project, and also Rob Stevenson, who's a retired principal but also very skilled in this working space, now the program manager for the project, and also Rob Stevenson, who's a retired principal but also very skilled in this working space and behind some of the aspects of the delivery of the project as well.

Rob: 4:52

So the Anxiety Project is a whole-school community change project. It runs for two years in a school. At the moment we have two cohorts operating, so a 23-24 cohort and a 24-25 cohort. There are 39,000 students involved, 3,500 school staff and around 2,500 parents across the 113 schools that are involved. The project has got school leader training. There's a coach selected from within the school who gets an allowance of time to support the staff in their learning but also in their delivery of lessons with the kids and the parent training component. There is training for that coach, both a briefing and also extensive training over a lengthy period of time. There's two focused days at the front end of the project after the briefing, but there's ongoing sessions that flow I'll mention some of those. In a sec the school staff involved are both teaching and non-teaching staff. The students themselves participate in a series of lessons that are stage appropriate and adjusted that way for the kids, and the parents participate in training over a number of sessions.

Rob: 5:57

We've engaged external researchers to look at the lay of the land in schools before the project commenced and then we had several measures that we take post that time and today we've released information about that project, data at what we call the time one measure, but we're using four instruments. We use an instrument that is a teacher's read on student anxiety. We use a student read on their own anxiety levels. We use a measure of the teacher's confidence in their ability to recognise the different presentations of anxiety and how best to respond. And we use a measure that addresses or gets the parents to record accommodations that they put in place for kids, which are unhelpful things sometimes that either allow kids to do things that perhaps aren't in their best long-term interests, or where parents or other members of staff might step in and solve problems for kids rather than allowing the kids to work through their challenges. So those measures are all university instruments and they're used to assess the impact of the project and at each time interval time zero through to time four we provide a report to each participating school so they get an intervention impact report that gives them feedback on how the project is landing in their school and what sort of effect it's having amongst their community, their school community. So staff, students and parents the focus for the staff is really on building their confidence and how anxiety presents and how best to respond. For students, it works on them understanding their bodies and getting a read and they learn about their amygdala, which is where adrenaline is released in their brain, and they learn how to recognize that's happening and presenting and then some suggestions on how to what we call return to calm. So there's return to calm techniques. The kids learn as well. For the parents we talk and the staff we brainstorm around what are unhelpful accommodations and we look to remove those from the lives of the kids, as a group of adults around the kids, and we learn as adults to be more comfortable seeing a child sit in discomfort, and how to support them, work their way through what's occurring to build their capacity, their resilience and their confidence. What's occurring to build their capacity, their resilience and their confidence.

Rob: 8:26

When we did the first measure of the research before the project was introduced, two really interesting things came out of the data. The first thing that came out was we'd seen data from the Australian Psychological Society and it was telling us that 6.9% of the 11-year-old population in Australia would present with extreme or clinical levels of anxiety. The project in the first year. We had 19,000 students involved, 4,500 involved in the research at this point and when we collected that data for that population sample on a random basis so kids weren't selected because they were experiencing high levels of anxiety or anything it showed that the figure was actually 19.6%, so much higher than we expected and concerning. And it also showed us that teachers weren't confident in recognising the various forms of anxiety or knowing what to do next. So half of the staff rated themselves as not confident or only somewhat confident in that space. So that was the measure taken at the very beginning of the staff rated themselves as not confident or only somewhat confident in that space. So that was the measure taken at the very beginning of the project, before any interventions had commenced.

Rob: 9:30

Now we're announcing the results at the time. One measure and so the teachers have done their training, the coaches have been working with staff, the kids have participated in their lessons. In some of the schools, the parent training has occurred and so we're starting to see cultural shifts in schools and there's some really interesting data that's come forward. Firstly, for the teachers or the school staff, we've got what we thought we would get, and that was now the majority of staff. 66% of the staff are saying I now feel confident to recognise the various forms of staff. 66% of the staff are saying I now feel confident to recognise the various forms of anxiety and I also have got some good ideas on where I'm going to go with, how I provide support to this child in their work, in managing their own anxiety and managing the circumstance they're facing.

Rob: 10:18

The really surprising data that we weren't expecting. We thought, when we got the parents and the staff to remove the accommodations sitting around the kids, that the initial data would show an increase in the levels of anxiety, but that's actually not been the case. 34% of the schools have reported that there's been a reduction in anxiety levels amongst their kids and when you add that to no change, 70% of schools have reported no change in anxiety levels or a reduction in anxiety levels. So that wasn't expected. We thought that the later time measures time two, three and four would probably show us reductions in anxiety amongst the kids, so we're really looking forward to those later measures and what they give us. The other thing that was interesting was that when we looked at the students' measure of themselves, 72% of the schools reported reductions by the kids, and they're looking at themselves using those university instruments where they felt that they're in a better space. So that was interesting data. We also capture inside the school I beg your pardon inside the home and outside of the home data on anxiety levels in kids, and those mean scores had dropped. So we were seeing for the inside the home scoring for the kids. They rated themselves as happier and less prone to worries as a result of their well, presumably as a result of their understanding of how their body's operating and feeling more in control of what they can do.

Rob: 11:53

The last one I was going to share with you is that the students reported their anxious behaviors according to categories. So we asked some questions and that landed them according to certain categories and what's happened is that there's been a significant drop in the number of students who you would bracket into the clinical and extreme ranges of anxious behaviour or feelings of anxiousness. So that's been a really interesting outcome and really probably not expected at this stage of the project. But it speaks to two things in my mind. It speaks to the quality of the lessons that the staff are delivering with the kids in each of the schools and it speaks to that notion that if you've got all the adults around the child operating in a coherent way, you can bring about change. So the promise of the coming data sets when we get to T2, t3 and T4, and the first report on the parent data, t1 for parents that's going to be really interesting. So I'm looking forward to that.

Drew: 12:57

Yeah, so am I r Really thank you for that thorough data unpacking, R rob. In terms of let's shift to more practical advice, Can you give our listeners some concrete ways they could potentially integrate the Anxiety Project into their school? So what would that? What could that? People are listening and going. That's impressive data. Yeah, what do I do? How can I be involved and what's some pre-understanding to be involved in this?

Rob: 13:25

project, I think, just to give an insight into the sorts of things we're doing with the kids.

Rob: 13:31

Certainly the core understanding is understanding the concept of locus of control, Whether you feel life gets done to you, or whether you and therefore you know this significant adult or somebody else who's doing life to you and you don't get much call in what's going on, or life just happens and you've got no control over what's going on, you know.

Rob: 13:54

So that's called an external locus of control. For a young person who feels they're driving their life, they're making their calls on what they're doing, they have what we refer to as an internal locus of control, and we know from previous research that kids with an internal locus of control get better academic outcomes and they're more settled in their schooling life. So we're driving it, trying to achieve an internal locus of control in kids of the activities and the lessons. The work of the kids in lessons is about driving the kids to a place where they feel more in control of their life and more able to read their bodies and know what to do. And it's also about adults feeling comfortable to see a child sit in discomfort but work their way through that and to give them some cues and prompts and things in those everyday conversations they're having anyway with the kids. But it does shift the focus of those conversations to not solving the problem for the child but actually allowing the child to work it through and supporting them through that process.

Drew: 14:54

Yeah, it's really powerful the external locus of control and the internal, and just understanding that and thinking back to the 1990s and 2000s and 2010 years, how society has changed and so forth so it's a really powerful work. Have you got any good news stories or examples that you could share today?

Rob: 15:20

Sure, before I go to that, I'll just mention part of the answer to your question about is how do you get involved? I kind of covered the idea of some early thinking about the project and where it comes from, so people would read up on locus of control, but how can they get involved in the project? The first thing that they would do is go to the PPA website under the professional learning area and they'll see an expression of interest form there, and one of the things that colleagues will notice about that form is that there are certain expectations or commitments that they will enter into. There's a list of about nine or 10 things there that they need to agree that they will honour to be involved in the project over that two-year window. So important to read that and then submit that and then from there on it'll be assessed by the leadership team and we'll be back in touch to bring them into the project potentially.

Drew: 16:11

And it's really important that emphasis, rob of making sure that schools that are interested and do that expression of interest are following that key criteria to make it successful. That key criteria to make it successful. You're signing up. It's not just I'm signing up and be part of this project, it's actually a selection process before you go into the anxiety project. And that reassures that you're getting there's a commitment from both parties to make sure that students and schools are succeeding. Hence why this data that you all shared today is that commitment the schools have done and we're seeing the results of that commitment come through.

Rob: 16:52

Yeah, spot on. There are a number of commitments they enter into. I mean, obviously, there's the selection of an anxiety coach according to certain criteria that we specify that is going to lead to that person being more successful. There's a provision of time. It's 0.1 EFT for the anxiety coach for the two-year window.

Rob: 17:10

There's involvement by the coach in the fortnightly cafes that we operate to keep them aware of what's going on in the project and focused on the professional learning that's provided and the sort of support they can offer staff and parents. It's for the coaches, also about the delivery of the parent training sessions. We have a once-a-term cafe for the principals to make sure that they're confident to be strong leaders of the project. And then, obviously, there's the on-ramping of staff in readiness for the delivery of the lessons to the kids. There's the variations in the lessons in the second year of the project and there's the really important task of capturing the data according to the measures that we're using, because that gives the school feedback and it keeps that momentum in the school environment. It lets them see, you know well, this is really and it is really interesting data when it comes forward about your school and what's happening there.

Drew: 18:03

Yeah, all based on data, and then you can implement that into the New South Wales public education context, into the school plan and monitor that through the data implementation phases. Look, it's really inspiring to hear the successes. Where do you see the anxiety project going forward from?

Rob: 18:23

here, yeah, so I'll probably make two comments about that. We've had a lot of inquiries from schools about being involved in the project. There's a few things that are on our horizon. One is that we have put forward the project to be incorporated on the Victorian Panel of Wellbeing program, so it's potentially available to Victorian schools in the very near future. We've had inquiries from the Tasmanian education sector and some of the non-government schools within New South Wales have expressed interest in being involved. And there is a price differential New South Wales public schools pay significantly less than those other potentially participating schools.

Rob: 19:03

The project was born of the work of the New South Wales PPA and its members, and you know our primary focus is on our kids, but with the involvement of the other school sectors, some of that will help keep a cross-lid on things for our own schools here in New South Wales, so we can see that the project can move forward in that way. The other thing to keep in mind is that at this stage we've 113 schools, but we have 1,800 primary schools in New South Wales, so we're a long way off covering the needs of all of the kids in our system. And of course we realise that not every school will want to participate in the project, but I think there's probably still a very significant need for it across many of our schools and we've certainly been graced with a lot of interest in the project from our schools.

Drew: 19:54

Well, it's really positive work. The data speaks and tells us all about the impact of the work. Thank you for giving us an update today on the impact of the work. It's been a pleasure to listen to your knowledge and wisdom and for those who are contemplating the Anxiety Project, as Rob said, go to the PPA website, go to the Professional Learning section and look for the Anxiety Project. Rob Walker, everyone thanks again for your time.

Rob: 20:22

Thanks, D drew, also very happy to take calls. But yep, thank you for your time. Thanks, drew, also very happy to take calls.

Drew: 20:26

But yep, thank you for your time today. Thank you, if you're a principal or educational leader looking to enhance your skills, this is a place for you. This season will be showcasing a wide range of professional learning experiences designed with your success in mind. We'll continue to focus on the values of well-being, leadership growth, as well as optimising school operations. Curious to learn more about our offerings? You'll find our full catalogue on our website at wwwnswppaorgau forward slash catalogue. Or you can easily book your next professional learning experience at wwwnswppaorgau forward slash professional-learning-calendar-bookings. If you or your network is interested in further professional learning through the New South Wales Primary Principals Association, reach out to me directly djinnetski at newsouthwalesppaorgau. I look forward to hearing from you soon.