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

John Hendry OAM

The Relationship based Education program for schools was developed by John Hendry OAM. John leads and facilitates the workshops and sessions in schools. Experience John

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For schools: further reading

Resources for teachers and school leaders – online articles and books covering a wide range of topics related to RbE: kindness, trust, gratitude, forgiveness and positive education.

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For parents: further reading

Do kids really ‘misbehave’ for attention? What’s the difference between appreciation and praise, and why does it matter? These and many other topics, specifically for parents.

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Books for children

…and let’s not forget the kids themselves! What is ‘mindfulness’? How does kindness make us strong? What is the ‘golden rule’?

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Endorsement: Yuen Pang

(Co-Founder, Guangzhou Happy Seeds Education Centre) During the past two years I have been privileged to have the opportunity to work very closely with John

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John Hendry OAM

The Relationship based Education program for schools was developed by John Hendry OAM. John leads and facilitates the workshops and sessions in schools. Experience John has been an educator for more than 50 years, in

Read More »

For schools: further reading

Resources for teachers and school leaders – online articles and books covering a wide range of topics related to RbE: kindness, trust, gratitude, forgiveness and positive education.

Read More »

For parents: further reading

Do kids really ‘misbehave’ for attention? What’s the difference between appreciation and praise, and why does it matter? These and many other topics, specifically for parents.

Read More »

Endorsement: Nathan Chisholm

(Principal, Prahran High School) I have had the privilege of being close to John Hendry’s work for many years, as I’ve sought to develop positive, kind and caring cultures in the school communities that I’ve

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Endorsement: Sally Cheah-Johnson

(Assistant Principal, John Monash Science School) Over the last two years John Hendry has supported John Monash Science School in its development of Positive Education. John’s passion, leadership and willingness to provide his time and

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Endorsement: Colette Bos

(Director for Inclusion, Henley High School) I have worked in partnership with John Hendry over the last few years, in my role as a new Principal at Salisbury North R-7 School and in my current

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Endorsement: Yuen Pang

(Co-Founder, Guangzhou Happy Seeds Education Centre) During the past two years I have been privileged to have the opportunity to work very closely with John Hendry to bring the best of positive education to parents,

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Endorsement: Dr Kerry Howells

(Senior Lecturer, College of Arts, Law and Education, University of Tasmania) I have seen audiences come alive in a completely different way in response to the relevance of John’s deep and important work on forgiveness,

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