Whole school approach
As children and young people learn and grow they go through a process of self-definition. Schools have a vital role in supporting them as they develop resilience, the motivation to face and learn from setbacks and the ability to make mutually supportive relationships. A school ethos of trust, integrity and democracy, which values all engaged in the care and supervision of children and young people, will help foster an environment of personal, social and emotional development.
By taking a whole school approach to improving emotional well-being, schools can increase the mental and emotional resilience of all their pupils and staff and provide a good environment and valuable support for those children and young people who are experiencing difficulties.
What works?
Individuals within the school environment may be experiencing particular emotional difficulties, but a whole school response generates benefits for everyone by providing a supportive context for targeted actions. Evidence from three publications, described below, shows how this can work in practice.
'Mental Health Improvement: what works?' (Mentality, 2003) highlights the importance of integrated, whole-school approaches that combine changes to school culture, staff morale, pupil, family and community involvement. Methods such as peer education, input on problem solving skills, the development of social skills and the school environment are identified as being more effective in improving emotional well-being than single topic-based approaches.
The whole school approach is further detailed in 'The Evidence of Health Promotion Effectiveness: a Report for the European Commission' (IUHPE, 2004), which describes the key features of an effective school health promotion programme as follows:
- implements approaches that are comprehensive and holistic – the whole school approach
- implements approaches that are substantial, sustained over years and relevant to changes in young people's social and cognitive development
- works in partnership with children and young people, parents, carers and families, external agencies and local communities
- develops school policies that are negotiated and understood by whole school community
- gives adequate attention to capacity building through school staff training and provision of resources
- delivers well-designed and relevant curriculum programmes based on accepted and understood learning theories
- looks after the physical environment, including design, facilities, layout, supervision and sense of ownership
- pays attention to the psychological environment, that is: relationships, ethos, values and traditions.
'Emotional Health and Well Being – A Practical Guide for Schools' (Cowie et al, 2004) highlights that the best interventions focus on more than one factor and that certain elements are crucial.
- The intervention should involve relevant parts of the social network, such as parents and carers, school staff, community members.
- They should intervene at a range of different times, rather than once or twice only.
- They should use a combination of methods: for example, social support and coping skills.
Useful resources
Cowie H, Boardman C, Dawkins J and Jennifer D, 'Emotional Health and Well-Being: a practical guide for schools', London: Paul Chapman Publishing, 2004
International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), 'The Evidence of Health Promotion Effectiveness: a Report for the European Commission', 2004
'Mentality, Mental Health Improvement: what works? A briefing for the Scottish Executive', Edinburgh: National Programme for Mental Health and Well Being, 2003
