Improving well-being at school
Since well-being has many facets, improving students’ well-being in schools requires a whole-school approach, involving both teachers and parents.
Schools should provide lessons focused on the responsible use of the Internet, the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle and how to prevent or cope with health problems, in collaboration with those involved, including health and social services, local authorities and civil society organisations.
Facts & figures
About 60% of school students report getting very tense when they study.[1]
Just over 60% of girls and 40% boys say they feel very anxious about doing tests at school, even when they are well prepared.[2]
Over 70% of parents say they would choose to send their children to a school with below-average exam results if students were happy there.[3]
What is well-being?
Well-being is the experience of health and happiness. It includes mental and physical health, physical and emotional safety, and a feeling of belonging, sense of purpose, achievement and success.
Well-being is a broad concept and covers a range of psychological and physical abilities. Five major types of well-being are said to be:
- Emotional well-being – the ability to be resilient, manage one’s emotions and generate emotions that lead to good feelings
- Physical well-being – the ability to improve the functioning of one’s body through healthy eating and good exercise habits
- Social well-being – the ability to communicate, develop meaningful relationships with others and create one’s own emotional support network
- Workplace well-being – the ability to pursue one’s own interests, beliefs and values in order to gain meaning and happiness in life and professional enrichment
- Societal well-being – the ability to participate in an active community or culture.
Overall well-being depends on all these types of functioning to an extent.[4]
“Having meaning and purpose is integral to people’s sense of well-being. Well-being involves far more than happiness, and accomplishments go far beyond test success.”[5]
Why is well-being important at school?
Well-being is important at school because schools have an essential role to play in supporting students to make healthy lifestyle choices and understand the effects of their choices on their health and well-being. Childhood and adolescence is a critical period in the development of long-term attitudes towards personal well-being and lifestyle choices. The social and emotional skills, knowledge and behaviours that young people learn in the classroom help them build resilience and set the pattern for how they will manage their physical and mental health throughout their lives.
Schools are able to provide students with reliable information and deepen their understanding of the choices they face. They are also able to provide students with the intellectual skills required to reflect critically on these choices and on the influences that society brings to bear on them, including through peer pressure, advertising, social media and family and cultural values.
There is a direct link between well-being and academic achievement and vice versa, i.e. well-being is a crucial prerequisite for achievement and achievement is essential for well-being. Physical activity is associated with improved learning and the ability to concentrate. Strong, supportive relationships provide students with the emotional resources to step out of their intellectual ‘comfort zone’ and explore new ideas and ways of thinking, which is fundamental to educational achievement.
Well-being is also important for developing important democratic competences. Positive emotions are associated with the development of flexibility and adaptability, openness to other cultures and beliefs, self-efficacy and tolerance of ambiguity, all of which lie at the heart of the Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture.
What are the challenges?
One of the challenges of trying to promote young people’s well-being in school is the multi-faceted nature of well-being. There are a number of different types of well-being, all of which need to be promoted to some extent to create an overall sense of well-being in a person. So, it is not possible to improve students’ well-being at school through single interventions or activities. Rather it requires the development of a ‘culture’ of well-being throughout the whole school and the active involvement of the whole staff, teaching and non-teaching, which can be difficult to achieve.
The promotion of well-being may sometimes appear to conflict with other school priorities, such as academic standards. Unreasonably high expectations, a regime of constant testing or an over-emphasis on the importance of academic performance may actually undermine student well-being.
In many cases schools do not have the freedom to make the changes to school life which might most benefit student well-being. They may have little control, for example, over formal examinations and tests, the content of curricula, the length of the school day or the physical school environment.
Nor have schools control over the many out-of-school influences on student well-being. What happens in the home and the family, local communities or social media can have as much, if not more, influence on student well-being as anything in school.
Finally, developing a sense of well-being in students is made all the more difficult when school staff themselves do not have a positive sense of well-being. Well-being at work is strongly related to stress. Stress at work is related to workload, quality of professional relationships, level of autonomy, clarity about one’s role, availability of support and the opportunity to be involved in changes which affect one’s professional life. High levels of stress can lead to demotivation, lack of job satisfaction and poor physical and mental health, which has a knock-on effect on students’ own well-being.
How can schools get active?
Addressing student well-being at school begins with helping students feel they are each known and valued as an individual in her or his own right, and that school life has a meaning and purpose for them. This can be achieved in a variety of small ways, the cumulative effect of which can have a very powerful influence on students’ sense of well-being. These include:
- providing opportunities for all members of the school community to participate in meaningful decision-making in school, e.g. through consultations, opinion surveys, referenda, electing class representatives, student parliaments, focus groups, in-class feedback on learning activities, and an element of student choice in relation to topics taught and teaching methods used;
- developing a welcoming environment where everyone at school can feel supported and safe through access to meaningful activities, e.g. clubs, societies, interest groups and associations dealing with issues of concern to young people, including health;
- taking steps to reduce the anxiety students feel about examinations and testing through the introduction of less stressful forms of assessment, e.g. formative assessment, peer assessment and involving students in the identification of their own assessment needs;
- using teaching methods that contribute to a positive classroom climate and well-being, e.g. cooperative learning, student-centred methods, self-organised time, outdoor activities;
- finding curriculum opportunities to talk about well-being issues with students, e.g. healthy eating, exercise, substance abuse, positive relationships;
- integrating democratic citizenship and education for intercultural understanding into different school subjects and extra-curricular activities, e.g. openness to other cultures in Religious Education, knowledge and critical understanding of human rights in Social Science, empathy in Literature;
- introducing student-led forms of conflict management and approaches to bullying and harassment, e.g. peer mediation, restorative justice;
- improving the physical environment of the school to make it more student-friendly, e.g. new furniture and fittings, carpeted areas, appropriate colour schemes, safe toilet areas, recreational areas;
- encouraging healthier eating by providing healthy options in the school canteen, e.g. avoiding high amounts of sugar, saturated fats and salt;
- working with parents to enhance students’ achievement and sense of purpose in school, e.g. on healthy food, safe internet use and home-school communications.
Individual initiatives like these can be brought together at the whole-school level through a policy development process which ‘mainstreams’ well-being as a school issue. This means giving attention to the potential effects of new policies on individual well-being - of students, teachers and others. Addressing student well-being at school always goes hand in hand with action to protect the health and well-being of teachers and other staff at school.
[1] OECD (2017). PISA 2015 Results (Volume III), p.40. Students’ Well-Being. Paris, France: OECD Publishing.
[3] Cowburn & Blow, ‘Wise up - Prioritising wellbeing in schools’
[4] Psychology Today, January 2019.
[5] Hargreaves & Shirley (2018), ‘Well-being and Success. Opposites that need to attract’.
Resources on Improving well-being at school
Related schools projects
Address: Sachkhere Municipality Village Sairkhe
Country: Georgia
Project: “We Choose Democracy”
Working language during the project:
- Georgian,
- English
Themes of the Council of Europe project “Free to Speak, Safe to Learn - Democratic Schools for All” covered:
- Making children’s and students’ voices heard
- Preventing violence and bullying
- Improving well-being at school
Competences from the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC) addressed and where / how they were integrated:
- Civic-mindedness
Implemented Activities:
1) Lecture-seminar - "What is an election"? What are the basic principles it should be based on, imitation of the election process. This activity is aimed at forming an active civic position among children and young people who do not yet have the right to vote.
2) Summer Camp 2019 " We Choose Democracy". The aim of the summer camps was to raise students' awareness of the following issues: cultural heritage, the importance of civic activism, its forms, types of bullying and healthy living, ways of resolving conflicts, discussions, question-and-answer sessions, motivation, involvement.
3) November 20 is the International Day for the Prevention of Violence against Children! The event was organized with the active involvement of students with special educational needs.
4) Meeting the Inspectors.
Organized by the School Civic Education Club, a meeting was held at the school with the inspectors of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the topic of the meeting was "Protection of Children's Rights and Prevention of Violence and Crime"
5) "Visiting the Patrol Police"
Members of the Civic Club visited the Patrol Police Department and became acquainted with the Principles of their work.
6) A Visit to Sachkhere District Police Department. Topic: "No to Violence"
Officers from the police department introduced the students to types of violence.
7) Visiting the TV company "Rioni"
The leader of the Civic Club was invited to talk about violence against women on TV in Rioni, and the students filmed a video on the subject.
8) Meeting with the representative of the Ministry of Defense, topic "No to Violence"
We invited representatives of the Ministry of Defense to talk about violence.
9) Flipped classroom
Flipped classroom teaching method helps the teacher to develop independent thinking, search and other much needed skills. In this modified version of the method is the "Flipped lesson" that helps the teacher see himself from the student's position.
10) International Day Against Bullying
May 4 is the International Day against Bullying. Our school joined the initiative, the students solemnly opened the week, during which they organized a marathon, created posters, organized presentations and handed heart-shaped badges to each other as a sign of love and support ️.
11) Prosper Merimee "Matteo Falcone" - Book Review
Prosper Merimee's "Matteo Falcone" was discussed by members of the School Civic Education Club. Students drew a parallel with Akaki Tsereteli's "Gamzrdeli" and Alexander Kazbegi's "Khevisberi Gocha" All the main characters are committed to the community's way of life and its morals. Nevertheless, each of them violates the law of the community in their own way.
12) Meeting with Sachkhere District Prosecutor, Topic: No to Violence "
Members of the Civic Education Club invited the city prosecutor as part of the project, the topic of the seminar was "No to Violence"
13) June 1 is Child Protection Day! On this day, the management of the school was handed over to the students, they took over teaching and gave lessons to the juniors.
14) Movie “A dream Tree” Showing / Discussion - Analytical and critical thinking skills
Implemented Activities:
1) Small Grants Competition:
In addition to the technical equipment, the purpose of the "Why Democracy" competition was to develop students' research and search, project work, analytical and critical thinking skills.
2) Online discussion on the topic: ‘Why Democracy ?! ’
The discussion was held at Microsoft Teams, by the School Civic Education Club, with the aim of raising awareness of democratic competencies, studying and comparing examples from different democratic countries, substantiating one's own opinion, and promoting critical thinking.
3) "My favourite book"
The Civic Education Club organised a book presentation at the school, the club members introduced their favourite books to the listeners and explained why they liked this or that book and what impact it had on them.
4) "One book to school"
The School Civic Education Club launched the One Book School initiative. Students visited families in the Sairkhe community and collected books for the school library.
5) Meeting with the school librarian
The members of the Civic Education Club were trained by the school librarian on how to care for the books (how books are collected, stored and cared for in the library) in order to promote the book.
6) Exhibition "Sayings of famous people about democracy"
Within the framework of the project, the Civic Education Club organized an exhibition / presentation on democratic competences, as well as the speeches of famous people on democracy. At the end of the activity, an online exhibition was created. - Knowledge and critical understanding of the world: politics, law, human rights, culture, cultures, religions, history, media, economies, environment, sustainability
Implemented Activities:
1) The European Day of Languages
The European Day of Languages was celebrated with the aim of making students understand that linguistic diversity is an instrument for achieving a high level of mutual understanding between cultures and an essential element of the rich cultural heritage of our continent.
2) Europe Day Celebration
This aims to help students become global-minded, international citizens, learn about the traditions of different countries and share their diverse cultures.
3) International Book and Copyright Day
April 23 is the International Book and Copyright Day, this day was also celebrated by our school and on 23 April 2019, the elementary school teacher conducted a very interesting lesson in the 4th grade.
Target group age range:
- 5 - 11
- 11- 15
- 15 -19
Level of education:
- Primary education
- Lower secondary education
- Upper secondary education
Short description of the project:
The project aimed to present democratic values that we find in Georgian classical or folk literature, historiographical works, legal monuments, ethnographic traditions, letters from public figures and other materials. Each approach to the issue was different: conducting research, finding and disseminating materials through various channels, including popular social networks, blogs.
The project is the result of two years of work. Our goal was to see how compatible democratic values are with Georgian culture. To answer this question, we tried to find traces of democratic values in different layers of Georgian culture. Within the framework of the project, various activities were carried out, which included the following topics: literature and prose, law, customs, cinema, theatrical art, polemics, which were held in the Georgian press in the 19th century in connection with democratic values, humanism and liberalism.
Aims/objectives
Informing students about the basic principles of democracy, values, human rights and freedoms, democratic inclusion;
Students:
- A) see the differences and similarities between different cultures and develop a sense of respect for different cultures;
- B) Improve cognitive, social, information retrieval, information technology and effective communication and collaboration skills.
Expected results/outcomes
Students explored information about the basic principles of democracy, values, human rights and freedoms, democratic inclusion.
Developed respect for other cultures, improved communication skills.
Students can define their place and importance in society, collaborate to solve key problems of public safety, can explore the foundations and conditions of peaceful coexistence in society.
Students become acquainted with the different forms of violence, found material on various facts regarding violence and ways to solve it, discussed preventive measures.
Changes
Students were able to adapt the information, suggestions and tips obtained and use them adequately and independently.
Students were ready to make the maximum contribution to the group work and provide it with as many useful ideas as possible. They could always listen to, consider and develop suggestions by other members of the group.
Students adequately conveyed the facts, the context and their emotional state. They always followed the rules of conversation / dialogue / discussion and can gave very good input to joint activities for managing work.
Students systematically demonstrated the ability to compromise and could contribute their personal interests if need be. They could identify problems, respond in a timely manner, and deliver constructive criticism. They will be able to admit mistakes and draw conclusions.
Challenges you faced
During the project, of course, there were challenges: meeting the deadlines for the tasks to be presented, the time limit during the implementation of the activities, creating motivation in terms of involvement and interest in the topic.
Time-frame of the project:
2018-2020 school years.
Council of Europe materials on citizenship and human rights education used while preparing or implementing your practice:
- Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture
- Living Democracy - manuals for teachers
- Addressing violence in schools through EDC/HRE
- Human Rights and Democracy Start with Us – Charter for All
- Freedom(s) - Learning activities for secondary schools on the case law of the European
- How all Teachers Can Support EDC/HRE: A Framework for the Development of
- Multimedia Material (ex. video “Beat Bullying”, series of cartoons “Democracy and
