We know that there is a wellbeing challenge in schools, and not just for the students. The barometer that measures wellbeing is more finely tuned of late; it is more sensitive in the Covid-19 world, as people experience relatively long periods of isolation, disruption to habits, uncertainty, and an online existence that can’t quite compensate for in-person communal interaction.
For those in schools this landscape presents some important questions:
- Do young people possess the skills to self-regulate and manage pressure before it becomes ‘stress’?
- Do they have access to the right kind of support in this context?
- Are the systems that were in place prior to the pandemic able to address the needs of the current landscape?
Whilst there is an understandable focus on the wellbeing of children, those in schools (or who work with schools) know the reality – schools are increasingly being stretched to a point where they are struggling to give the best to students in a way that they would want to. Under this strain it is staff that are carrying the weight of the burden, it is staff wellbeing that is key.
School Level Responses:
Supporting teachers to be naturally nurturing
The most effective schools’ arguably focus on building an ethos and culture of pastoral care that goes beyond policies and programmes (important though all these elements are). When there is a heightened and all-encompassing belief that ‘wellbeing is everyone’s responsibility’, the multiplier effect is more likely to be evident.
Add to this a conscious determination and focus by school leadership to build capacity through professional learning - and the chances of addressing the wellbeing tsunami that is already upon us is more likely to be successful.
Building a wellbeing culture therefore doesn’t just happen because teachers are naturally caring individuals that put children first. This is a prerequisite that already exists, and is mostly in place.
The challenge is to create an environment where teachers’ naturally nurturing instinct can flourish unencumbered, and enhanced by a developed and complementary skillset.
Coaching and wellbeing
Between 2017 and 2020 I was Director (Principal) of Dulwich International High School Zhuhai, part of the larger Dulwich College International family of schools. As a High School. Dulwich Zhuhai is very much an international school, with international staff, in China with mostly Chinese students, and an entirely EAL (English as an additional language) environment.
Despite the holistic approach to education, it is perhaps not surprising to see a preoccupation with university destinations and rankings, and examination performance outcomes. It is a context of high aspiration and expectation that necessarily applies a level of pressure seldom universally experienced in other parts of the world.
What we did
In the Spring of 2018 we set about reviewing our school development priorities and felt that we needed to build capacity both in our pastoral structures, to enhance our approach to delivering ‘wellbeing for all’.
We implemented a programme of coaching training for staff with Making Stuff Better (https://www.makingstuffbetter.com/ ); our ‘Coaching for Wellbeing’1 programme. Over a period of 18 months or so 25 staff were trained in coaching techniques with the primary goal of supporting students with wellbeing concerns.
Building a culture of coaching in a way that was focused on supporting student wellbeing was the focus, and yet the skillset that were being developed led to enhanced interactions between staff. Staff naturally engaged in ‘coaching moments’ and there seemed to be a level of trust and professional intimacy that allowed colleagues to express themselves about their wellbeing in a way that wasn’t as evident before.
Collaboration, Community and Culture.
A structured programme of delivery was co-designed with UK-based Making Stuff Better (MSB https://www.makingstuffbetter.com/ ) who were our partners in the programme, In addition to the face-to-face training, planned monthly virtual conference sessions, and now Professional Learning Communities ( https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/management/improvement/plc/Pages/default.aspx) , MSB suggested a training model that was to prove central in developing practice – coaching triads.
I’m not going to look at this with rose-tinted glasses, nor dress it up to be something that it wasn’t. Was it tough to teach in a high-stakes environment where students and their families expected to excel and go to world class universities? Absolutely! However, there was a distinct and collective sense of ‘supporting each other’ that went beyond simply showing concern.
There appeared to be buy-in, both in terms of support for student as well as staff wellbeing.
By enhancing levels of EQ and self-regulation, coaching was proving to be a powerful mechanism for staff and students to shift perspective, see new choices and ways forward, and to develop a greater sense of clarity and control - a potent antidote to the catalysts of stress and anxiety ie they address the root cause of deterioration in wellbeing.
First wave of pandemic in China
Covid conversations – sometimes you can’t change your situation, but you can change your relationship with it.
The arrival of Covid-19 led to an unexpected augmentation of this programme. There was an enhanced consciousness around the wellbeing of our students and staff as the frequency and magnitude of change an uncertainty intensified.
Now was the time for ‘coaching for wellbeing’ and our wellbeing coaches moved to a virtual environment in support of this work. It is difficult to measure the impact here. However, there is no question that there was an escalation of need and we were well placed in terms of our capacity to support those that reached out (and even those that did not).
Those who had received coaching training were often well placed to manage their own response to the unfolding challenges of uncertainty and change as the world seemed to go into free fall. The ability to recognise and manage limiting beliefs, call upon powerful internal resources and mind sets, and to change perspective (reframe) became a highly effective toolkit to manage self and one’s own wellbeing.
The grapevine and student agency – Whether peer or self-referral, there appeared to be a shift towards students taking the lead when engaging in wellbeing coaching, in addition to teacher-led referrals.
It was this recognition that, in part, led us to co-design with UK based Making Stuff Better ( https://www.makingstuffbetter.com/ ) a programme which we termed ‘The Inner Leader Programme’2 in which students were exposed to basic coaching and self-regulation tools in a structured 8 week programme.
Pedagogical – a number of participants in both cohorts make reference to their approach to teaching being enhanced. Colleagues cite use of more powerful questioning and corresponding stronger active listening as particularly noticeable approaches.
A stitch in time – a pleasing indicator of the impact of this work came from our Child Protection Officer and SEMH Counsellor. Both noted a reduction in the level of referrals being made for students with more severe wellbeing and mental health concerns as the Coaching for Wellbeing programme matured.
Essentially, the trend appeared to be towards coaching interventions rather than therapeutic support. It seemed that the coaching model was reducing the escalation of wellbeing and mental health related referrals to our CPO and SEMH Counsellor.
Conclusion
Whatever your situation or circumstance, it is clear that schools are tough places to be as well as highly rewarding places to be. We need to be cognisant that whilst there is a predisposition to support students and colleagues alike, this doesn’t just happen.
School leaders can be intentional about putting things in place to ensure that the wellbeing needs of all are addressed. There are likely many ways to support this.
For me, in my school, developing a coaching culture through focused and intentional professional learning was key.
If you are interested in wider reading around wellbeing, you may also like:
- A summary case study our programme was published by Leeds-Beckett University (Carnegie School of Education) in their Practice Paper series (see Issue 9) (https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/research/collectived/working-paper-series/ ) · the Positive Schools Movement (http://www.positiveschools.com.au/ )
- Seligman’s PERMA https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/ ) model - towards a more holistic focus on education outcomes
- Dr Helen Street’s focus on ‘Contextual Wellbeing’ ( http://www.positiveschools.com.au/Contextual%20Wellbeing/Contextual%20Wellbeing%20Dr%20Helen%20Street.html )
- This recent article in Teacher Magazine (Australia). ( Implementing evidence-based strategies to improve student wellbeing -… (teachermagazine.com)