Mental health matters: Factors essential for students’ well-being include supportive teachers, a caring home environment, positive peer interactions and a disciplined learning environment
- Some schools regularly conduct surveys on well-being to identify those individuals who need additional support and guidance
In recent years, schools have placed a steadily growing emphasis on whole-child approaches to education, moving beyond conventional academic marks of success and towards a deeper understanding of social and emotional growth and wider well-being.
With children spending up to 20 per cent of their lives at school in any given year, the impact of an institution’s approach to well-being on students is palpable.
“Schools play a significant role in promoting positive mental health and addressing mental health challenges among students,” says Nicki Ward, head of student support services at the English Schools Foundation (ESF). “A strong focus on well-being in schools can help identify and support students who may be experiencing stress, anxiety or other mental health challenges.”
Ward says that the ESF prides itself on its well-being and mental health offerings for students, which include workshops and programmes centred around improving resilience, implementing effective coping skills and building positive relationships.
Well-being is a broad, overarching term that encompasses physical, social and emotional health. And in recent years, mental well-being has become a major focus within educational institutions. Adam Broomfield, head of the International Montessori School (IMS) Stanley Campus, views well-being holistically, as “the capabilities that students need to live a happy, healthy life and to reach their full potential”. As he points out, “Well-being forms the foundation of all healthy development and successful learning.”
Samantha Nagorcka, a student support teacher at Yew Chung International School (YCIS), describes student wellness as an all-encompassing concept that includes “promoting healthy habits, managing stress, building and supporting positive relationships, and addressing mental health needs”. Well-being has a significant impact on students – in particular, says Nagorcka, on their ability to learn and thrive, which in turn contributes to their success. When students are able to prioritise their physical and mental well-being, she continues, “this leads to better educational outcomes, motivation and long-term well-being”.
