Core Components

Apple’s Friends is a universal school based social emotional learning (SEL) programme for 7–9-year-old children across the full range of socio-economic levels including children with additional learning needs in mainstream education.  The programme can also be delivered as a targeted intervention for vulnerable children such as Young Carers or Looked after Children and can be delivered on a one-to-one basis. The programme is delivered in school and aims to improve children’s coping skills, social skills and emotional literacy, improve the class climate and reduce bullying.

The programme session plans are designed to be delivered as part of primary school education and within Scottish schools the programme has the potential to fit with the Scottish Government’s Health and Well-being curriculum, supporting schools to achieve Health and Well-Being outcomes of the Curriculum for Excellence and the Well-being (SHANNARI) outcomes of Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC).

The programme promotes mental health and emotional well-being, teaching children skills for life including how to cope with their anxieties and difficulties, in order that they can be better able to handle problems and crises in adolescence and later life.  Apple’s Friends is designed to be delivered in the classroom and on a one-to-one basis by a trained teacher, supported by a learning support assistant. It is comic strip based with 6 modules delivered over 24 sessions of 45 minutes. Sessions include engaging activities, reading stories, discussion, role-play and games. 

The six modules cover (1) Feelings, (2) Communication, (3) Friendship, (4) Conflict, (5) Change and Loss, and (6) Moving Forward. These topics are required to be taught in order as the skills build upon one another. 

Apple’s Friends is an independent programme and whilst the programme reinforces skills learnt in Zippy’s Friends, children do not need to have taken part in Zippy’s Friends. Partnership for Children programmes are mostly delivered in school however, a key part of each programme is home SEL with parent-child activities. Apple’s Friends materials includes resources for staff to work with parents to educate them on the programme, it is then strongly recommended that they reinforce learning at home with parents or carers.    

Apple’s Friends is clearly operationalised and includes a well-structured, comprehensive teacher’s folder including teacher guidance, module booklets and full lesson/session plans, posters, stories, activity sheets, children’s items required to deliver the sessions and homebased activity resources. The resource folder also includes a class certificate and a school certificate for display at the school Reception. 

Fidelity

In order to effectively replicate the programme and achieve good outcomes, all elements of the core programme are to be implemented in the order prescribed. This is supported by (1) standardised materials including a teacher’s manual and folder of resources (2) standardised training (3) lesson/session plans and home practice activities and, (4) evaluation using a pre- and post-outcomes questionnaire to measure children’s progress and an observation checklist to measure implementation.

Modifiable Components

All core elements of the programme are strongly recommended for implementation. Programme lessons can be integrated into the school day dependent upon the teacher’s schedule. During training teachers are encouraged to think about adaptation and differentiation for their classes.  The lesson plans include teacher prompts to encourage teachers to adapt activities to fit the context, this is dependent on the teaching staff’s awareness of the community’s history and ability to adapt the resources appropriately.

The activities and stories are suitable for children of aged 7-9 years of all abilities.  The applicable age group of children 7-9 years is a guide from the developer.

The programme has been translated into French, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Icelandic, Arabic, Korean, Lithuanian, Slovak and is being piloted across 22 schools in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. 

Support for Organisation / Practice

Apple’s Friend’s was developed by Partnership for Children based in England and piloted across 22 schools in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. 

Implementation Support

Support is provided by Partnership for Children and/or local Licensed Trainers / Coordinators who can provide ongoing support with implementation after initial training. This support is in the form of one-to-one phone/email support, sharing of good practice and programme developments through newsletters and social media and remote support meetings.  The teacher training and resources also aim to support teachers with engaging parents/carers and other school staff in the programme with the aim of taking a whole school approach, with links to home.

Licence Requirements

Within the UK a license to deliver Apple’s Friends is not required, however, Apple’s Friends cannot be purchased as an off the shelf programme.  To deliver the programme and to use of all Partnership for Children materials is subject to completion of training. For international Non-Profit Agencies (NPA) outside the UK, a license is required prior to being trained as trainers.  License fees for NPA agencies are negotiated dependent on the size of the NPA and estimated reach of the country. As part of the license agreement, it is the agencies responsibility for translating and producing the materials for the programme and training teachers in country.

Start-up Costs

Start-up costs include teacher training and programme resources. Online training is available at a cost of £40 per participant, in-house training for all staff can also be purchased, the cost of which is variable dependent on the area and type of training required.  Online access to programme resources/materials is available at a cost of £160, one whole class set of physical resources for children, including teacher manual, can be purchased at a cost of £325 (physical sets are optional).  Purchase of training includes ongoing support.

Ongoing costs include the top up of children’s resources annually (optional) available at a cost of £150 per class.

Building Staff Competency

Qualifications Required

Partnership for Children recommend that the programme is delivered by qualified teachers who can be supported by learning support assistants. As determined by each school, Learning Support Assistants can, where appropriate, deliver the programme.

Training Requirements

Training is available as a 2.5-hour online training session or one day face to face training, before the programme begins.  The training seeks to explore the background and theory behind the programme, children’s wellbeing, the structure and content of the programme, practical activities and group discussions to support effective implementation.  A certificate is provided upon completion of the training.   

Supervision Requirements

There are no supervision or coaching requirements for this programme. There is no specific training for supervisors.

Theory of Change

Apple’s Friends is based upon the Theory of Coping – how we respond to difficulties and stress.  Partnership for Children believe that by developing coping skills, children are better able to adapt to situations in the future, which will improve their wellbeing. Development of coping skills is dependent on children’s ability to identify and communicate their feelings. By developing social relationships, children can draw on their social network to help them cope. The overall outcomes this programme aims to achieve have overlapping relationships for example improved social and emotional skills are in turn expected to improve social behaviour and conduct. SEL skills support effective problem solving which in turn can help with learning behaviours and ultimately academic attainment. Academic attainment is influenced by classroom management and teacher-pupil relationships which are found to improve through SEL practices.

Values

This programme exemplifies Partnership for Children’s values with a vision of a world in which the development of mental health and emotional resilience is part of life for every child – at home, at school and in the community.   Apple’s Friends focuses on promoting the development of children’s mental health and well-being in the school and home setting with the introduction of social emotional learning (SEL), teaching children and parents how to cope with anxieties and difficulties in order that they can be better able to handle problems and crises in adolescence and later life.

• Does promoting social emotional learning and positive mental health in the school and home setting for teachers, parents and children align with the key values of your service/organisation?

Priorities

Apple’s Friends fosters improving mental health and well-being in the primary school and home setting underpinned by a culture of coping.  The programme prioritises providing children with the skills (SEL) they need to become caring, confident, capable learners and problem-solvers, to improve their chances of social and academic success and to be able to deal with problems and challenges later in life.

• Is working with teachers of children aged 7-9 years in a prevention approach to help increase children’s social - emotional competence a priority for your service?
• Is providing children with the skills they need to improve their chances of social and academic success a priority for your service?
• Is helping teachers and parents understand children’s behaviour a priority for your organisation?

Existing Initiatives

• Does your service already provide prevention programmes aiming to improve children’s mental health outcomes and coping strategies?
• Does your area have teachers trained in delivering Apple’s Friends?
• Do you have links with CAMHS, Adult Mental Health Services and Child Protection Services to refer onto if required?

Workforce

It is recommended that to deliver the Apple’s Friends requires a trained primary school teacher with help from a learning support assistant (not compulsory).  As determined by each school, Learning Support Assistants can, where appropriate, deliver the programme.

• Do you have enough qualified teachers and learning support assistants available to commit to undertake training?
• Do you have enough qualified teachers and learning support assistants available to commit to delivering the full extent of this programme?

Technology Support

To implement Apple’s Friends from a technology perspective requires minimal technological resources.  However, there are optional PowerPoint or Smartboard activities that are assigned to some of the teaching sessions that will require online access.  Online training also requires technology that enables web access to teaching, resources, and streaming.

• Do you have access to adequate technology to support teachers to effectively undertake training online and to access the optional teaching elements of the programme?

Administrative Support

Teacher preparation for each session is minimal requiring only printing, photocopying and cutting up of resources in advance of each session and one home activity prepared and sent home per module.

• Do you have enough administrative capacity to meet these needs?

Financial Support

To deliver Apple’s Friends requires one off training for teachers at a cost of £50 per participant (in-house training for all staff can also be purchased the cost of which is variable dependent on the area and type of training required). Online access to programme resources/materials is available at a cost of £160 and one whole class set of physical resources (optional) for children, including a teacher manual, is available at a cost of £325.  In addition, the top up of children’s resources annually, again optional, is available at a cost of £150 per class.

• Do you have the finances to purchase the training, programme resources and annual top up of classroom/children’s resources?

Comparable Population

The Apple’s Friends programme is designed as a universal programme for all school children aged 7-9 years across the full range of socio-economic levels.    

Evidence of its effectiveness includes children aged between 7-9 years in the Netherlands with 51% girls and 49% boys, almost half the children were of immigrant origin with at least one parent born outside the Netherlands and 41% had a non-Western origin.

• Is this comparable to the population you serve?
• Does your organisation have existing contacts with this population?
• Are you likely to receive enough referrals/demand for eligible schools and children to populate a recurring programme of Apple’s Friends?

Desired Outcome

Apple’s Friends is a classroom based preventative programme designed to promote mental health, emotional well-being and aims to improve children’s coping skills, social skills and emotional literacy, improve the class climate and reduce bullying.

Research has identified that the Apple’s Friends has shown significant improvements in children’s emotional recognition skills and adaptive coping skills in particular externalising problem behaviour and reduction in inattention/hyperactive behaviour and antisocial aggressive behaviour.

• Are the outcomes of improving children’s emotional recognition and adaptive coping skills aligned with your service’s intended outcome?
• Do you have other existing initiatives that would be supportive of addressing this need and achieving these outcomes?