Parents Voice in Government School Education

Relationship based Education

What is Relationship based Education?

Relationship based Education is a philosophy of education that puts relationships at the centre.

It is a tool for long-term culture change and for addressing challenges.

The key messages are:

  • Relationships that form in the educational environment are the bedrock for everything else that happens.
  • The fundamentals of a positive relationship (Trust, Forgiveness, Integrity, Hope, Compassion) apply to all relationships, including those in the educational environment.

Parents Victoria has 97 years’ experience when it comes to listening to parents and educators. We know that things don’t always run smoothly; misunderstandings and conflicts occur between teachers and students, between school and home, and we’ve helped to resolve many of them. We believe that quality relationships are the key to quality education for our children. These pages provide empirical evidence, a philosophical background, practical advice and examples to support our belief that relationships are central to learning.

The resources on these pages are intended for educators and parents.

Explore Relationship based Education

Contact us

rbe@parentsvictoria.asn.au

RbE in two pages

Want a brief summary of Relationship based Education to share with colleagues and friends?

Download our 2-page flyer with a basic rundown of the program and philosophy behind it, success stories from school leaders and contact details.

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RbE booklet

If you want a little more detail, this collection of articles by John Hendry OAM and David Moore explore the issues of a kind/resilient culture, the ‘me first/we first’ distinction, and restorative practices.

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Videos

Our 2022 Annual Conference focused on RbE, and all the presentations are available on video. We looked at the What and Why of RbE with John Hendry OAM (originator of RbE) and Kristin Reimer PhD from Monash University. We also learned a lot about the How from two schools that have implemented RbE: Ocean Grove Primary School and Prahran High School. Their stories are inspiring!

Watch the videos

Articles on this topic

Endorsement: Scott McCumber

(Principal, Ocean Grove Primary School) Since John Hendry brought Relationship based Education into our school, it has strengthened my conviction that relationships are centrally important

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Endorsement: Prof. George Vaillant

(Professor, Harvard Medical School Director of Research, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital) John Hendry is one of the most committed, compassionate and caring individuals, I have ever met. I have known John for

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Endorsement: Scott McCumber

(Principal, Ocean Grove Primary School) Since John Hendry brought Relationship based Education into our school, it has strengthened my conviction that relationships are centrally important in education, for students, parents, teachers and school leadership. RbE

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5 ways to improve classroom management

The ideas and suggestions in this article from the Educator are closely aligned to the principles of Relationship based Education (RbE). The article examines some of the biggest learning curves associated with the behavioural management

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Video lecture: principles of RbE

This conversation was originally recorded in 2022 as part of a Monash University Faculty of Education Master’s level unit: “Promoting and sustaining social and emotional learning in educational contexts.” It was made for trainee teachers

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RbE – an introduction booklet

At the PV2019 Annual Conference we launched a collection of articles, published in an introduction booklet to RbE. The articles set out some of the basic principles of Relationship based Education. Article titles are: How

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The Relationship Quotient

Whether it is a friendship, a team, a family, a school, a business, a romance or the relationship between a teacher and her students, there are values that underpin successful quality relationships. This series of

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