Case study 1 — "The quiet lunchtime" (teacher, watchful awareness)

Mr. Aldridge noticed it before he could name it: a Year 6 student, usually chatty, eating lunch alone for the third time in a week. Nothing dramatic. Nothing that demanded a meeting.

He used the Level 1 script — warm, low-stakes, framed as sharing rather than alarming: "I just wanted to touch base — she's doing well academically, but I've picked up something a bit different about her mood lately." The parent hadn't noticed anything at home, but appreciated the heads-up.

They agreed to a simple check-in rhythm — a brief note every few weeks, nothing formal. Three weeks later, the pattern resolved on its own: a friendship dispute that worked itself out. No referral was ever needed.

The takeaway: most wellbeing concerns don't escalate. The framework's value here wasn't crisis management — it was making sure a small thing got noticed and didn't quietly become a big one.