Empathy in Action: How One School is Transforming Education Through Emotional Intelligence

St Joseph’s Catholic School in Paeroa has developed a powerful Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programme that helps students understand and manage emotions, build strong relationships, and lead with empathy. Born from community-wide consultation, the programme is tailored to each age group—teaching emotional vocabulary to juniors, self-regulation strategies to middle students, and stress management to seniors.

Grounded in Mātauranga Māori, Catholic values, and RocheMartin's ECR Youth assessment from RocheMartin, the SEL initiative is supported by ongoing whānau engagement. The results are clear: tamariki are more self-aware, empathetic, and better equipped to express themselves and support others. Principal Emalene Cull says the school’s biggest shift is that “emotions are not something to fear – they are something to understand.”

Click here to download the full article, which appeared in New Zealand's Education Gazette