It is not always easy to quantify the emotional wellbeing of children and young people (or staff for that matter!)
Whilst a school may identify vulnerable groups, and have clear referral procedures for pupils causing concern, it is worth considering the benefits of tracking emotional wellbeing amongst all students.
• Early identification of pupils at risk of developing further problems.
• Greater understanding of the impact of the school on the emotional wellbeing of all pupils allows the school to improve the ‘emotional climate’ for all students, raising overall enjoyment and achievement.
• Tracking over time allows the school to demonstrate the impact of its work.
• Facilitates targeting of interventions at pupils who would most benefit.
• Values the voice of the children or young people in school, allowing the school council to use data to inform future priorities.
• Encourages reflection amongst staff about what the school values are, and whether children and young people see the values reflected in practice.
Common tools used to measure emotional health and wellbeing in pupils include:
• Local Authority Pupil Attitude Survey (Anonymous responses.)
• ECM Perceptions (Allows per-pupil tracking of sorting of responses.)
• School devised surveys (Allows customisation of question set.)
The national ‘TellUs’ survey has been discontinued.
A range of norm-referenced surveys are also available looking in more detail at issues such as:
• Sense of belonging
• Responsiveness
• Resilience
• Social Behaviour
• Enjoyment
Surveys do not have to be whole-school endeavours. Why not start each meeting of class-council with a question or two about pupil attitude? Responses may provide a stimulus for further thought or discussion.
Download a selection of questions addressing universal emotional health and wellbeing by clicking here.
Contact Steve Harris at Leicestershire Healthy Schools for more information about any of the above information.