Senior Researcher, NZCER
A sense of wellbeing is vital for students’ success at school and in life. The importance of students’ wellbeing is acknowledged in the vision of the New Zealand Curriculum, and the need for schools to provide a safe physical and emotional environment is enshrined in the National Administration Guidelines. However, New Zealand data about bullying behaviour at school, youth suicide, and childhood obesity tell us our young people face considerable challenges to their wellbeing. We wanted to know what the 3-yearly NZCER national survey1 of primary and intermediate schools could tell us about school practices relating to wellbeing and positive behaviour. In the 2016 survey, we asked principals and teachers about how their school fostered student wellbeing and positive behaviour, and how they responded to concerns. We also surveyed trustees and parents and whānau. We looked for changes between 2016, 2013, and 2010 survey responses. This article outlines some of the key findings. Schools had multifaceted approaches to promoting wellbeing We used the four dimensions of Te Whare Tapawhā (social, mental and emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing) to help us consider how schools promoted wellbeing. Schools had multifaceted approaches. Social wellbeing and belonging were a focus at a school-wide and classroom level at most schools. For example, most teachers agreed or strongly agreed their school had an effective school plan to support student wellbeing and belonging (85 per cent). A similar proportion (86 per cent) reported they deliberately taught emotional skills in class, and two-thirds had accessed PLD in the past 2–3 years which provided practical help with supporting students’ learning in relation to social and emotional wellbeing. Spiritual wellbeing was promoted at most schools through shared school values and the fostering of students’ identities and cultural values (discussed later in this article). Schools had varied approaches to the different dimensions of physical wellbeing. Physical activity was promoted at most schools with 90 per cent of principals reporting their school had a partially or well embedded plan to ensure students had access to physical activities they enjoyed. An actively used School healthy eating policy was in place at fewer schools (73 per cent). Healthy eating initiatives were more common in decile 1–4 schools, reflecting the needs of their students and targeted government funding.
Approaches to wellbeing were not fully embedded Although schools had many ways of promoting wellbeing, an overall school-wide approach was not fully embedded at many schools. We divided the schools into three groups, depending on how many of seven school-wide practices principals reported were well embedded. Two examples of these practices, that around half of principals said were well embedded, were: having goals for strengthening approaches to student wellbeing included in the school’s annual plan; and staff time allocated to planning and using data to improve approaches to student wellbeing. Overall, this analysis showed wide variation between schools suggesting that more strategic attention to student wellbeing may be needed: 5–7 practices were well embedded at 26 per cent of schools 2–4 practices were well embedded at 47 per cent of schools ■■ 0–1 practices were well embedded at 27 per cent of schools ■■ ■■
We saw a similar variation between schools in another recent study2 of Wellbeing@School (W@S)3 survey data. The W@S surveys explore the extent to which schools create a safe and caring climate that deters bullying behaviour. We compared teacher and student data from the same schools. From teachers’ responses we created a measure called ‘schoolwide actions’. At schools where teachers showed more agreement that the school-wide actions were in place, students reported fewer
experiences of aggressive and bullying behaviour. This analysis provided evidence of the impact of school-wide actions on student wellbeing. The five main clusters of schoolwide actions are shown in the infographic. Finding a balance between fostering learning, wellbeing, and positive behaviour appeared to be a challenge for some schools. The national survey showed that 40 per cent of principals considered the current focus on improving students’ literacy and numeracy achievement was impacting on their ability to offer a holistic curriculum. Principals who held this view were also more likely to report their school had fewer well embedded wellbeing-related practices. Most schools had systems for fostering positive behaviour, but some wanted more support School-wide approaches to behaviour were more embedded than wellbeing approaches. The majority of principals (over 70 per cent) reported having some well embedded, consistent approaches and systems at their school for fostering positive student behaviour. Over three-quarters thought one of their main student-related achievements in the past 3 years was that student behaviour had stayed positive or improved. Nevertheless, some principals (21 per cent) thought student behaviour was a major issue facing their school, a marked increase from the 12 per cent who thought this in both 2013 and 2010. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) School-Wide was one initiative that assisted schools to promote positive behaviour and wellbeing. At schools where PB4L School-Wide was well embedded, principals were more likely to report their school had a range of other well embedded approaches including:
Kids have fun and learn water safety Aquatic education, based on Water Skills For Life, is the most comprehensive and best way children can learn to stay safe in, on and around water. Water safety and swimming skills, in combination, will result in fewer drownings.
watersafety.org.nz/forlife
a consistent approach to managing student behaviour across the school (88 per cent, compared with 79 per cent of nonSchool-Wide schools) ■■ a consistent whole school approach to addressing bullying behaviour that builds students’ competencies (74 per cent, compared with 58 per cent of non-School-Wide schools). ■■
However, only around one-quarter of schools in the national survey had joined PB4L School-Wide, and 15 per cent of principals said external expertise was needed to keep improving student behaviour, but they could not readily access this. These findings suggest schools could benefit from more systems-level support. Schools’ main unmet need was for mental and emotional wellbeing support Many schools wanted more support for students who had additional social or emotional needs. The majority of principals reported their school had partially or well embedded systems for identifying groups of students (86 per cent) or individuals (76 per cent) who might need extra wellbeing support, and a team approach to designing solutions for these students (80 per cent). However, the nature of the extra support offered to students varied considerably. Many schools (70 per cent) had targeted emotional skills programmes for vulnerable students, but 28 per cent were exploring or did not yet have these programmes. Likewise, 55 per cent of schools had access to in-school specialists to support vulnerable students, but 42 per cent did not. Overall, decile 1–4 schools had more supports in place for vulnerable students than other schools. One main unmet need was support for students with mental health needs. This was a concern for principals and teachers across different types of schools. This need has become more pressing for teachers since 2013, with more disagreeing or strongly disagreeing that their school has coordinated support systems that are able to meet the mental health needs of students (29 per cent, up from 18 per cent in 2013). Support for working with students with mental health issues was principals’ largest ongoing unmet need for external expertise with 38 per cent reporting they wanted, but cannot access, this support. Training to raise awareness of the signs of mental distress was also not common in schools. Only 20 per cent of teachers said they had access to this training, and only 34 per cent of principals reported this training was partially or well embedded at their school. Principals and teachers had mixed views about support for wellbeing and behaviour Most teachers and principals reported they could access external support in relation to wellbeing or behaviour. However, only half of teachers said Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) were readily available when they needed support to work with students with behaviour issues. Principals rated the usefulness of many external professionals as ‘mixed’. Those who were the most useful tended to be attached to a school or a cluster of schools or were part of a service designed for schools (such as school nurses or social workers, RTLB, and PB4L School-Wide practitioners). Support that was less useful was mostly provided by external non-education government agencies and groups. For example, fewer than a third of the principals who had used Child, Youth and Family or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services rated these as useful or very useful. These findings suggest that some supports could be better aligned with school approaches or needs.
Schools were becoming more culturally responsive Comparing survey results over time gives us a picture of how practices might be changing. One positive change we noticed was an increase in parent and principal reports of cultural responsiveness. In 2016, 79 per cent of parents agreed that the cultural identity of their child was recognised and respected at school (compared with 67 per cent in 2013). Seventy-one per cent thought teachers make an effort to understand things about their family and culture (compared with 66 per cent in 2013). In 2016 more principals reported that school-wide practices that promote Pasifika students’ cultural identity were well embedded (24 per cent, up from 8 per cent in 2013). This is an important shift, particularly in the current environment with the focus on literacy and numeracy achievement. There is also room for further development, as these practices were partially or well embedded in around half of schools (48 per cent). Practices that promoted Pasifika students’ cultural identity were less common than similar approaches for Māori students, which were partially or well embedded in 93 per cent of schools. Parent and principal responses suggest that schools are making positive changes in line with the visions of Ka Hikitia4 and the Pasifika Education Plan.5 However, schools that had fewer Māori or Pasifika students (such as high decile schools) tended to have less emphasis on promoting cultural values and practices. This finding raises questions about whether some Māori or Pasifika students are missing out on experiences that foster their cultural identities and strengthen their wellbeing, and other students are missing out on experiences that promote understanding about diversity.
level
Can we do more to involve students in approaches to wellbeing? Opportunities for student input and leadership into school approaches to wellbeing have multiple benefits. They can enhance these approaches, foster belonging and social wellbeing, and build students’ competencies to contribute to their own and others’ wellbeing. In their 2015 report on Wellbeing for Children’s Success at Primary School, ERO6 recommended that schools strengthen teachers’ understandings about student partnership to ensure students can actively contribute to school life and their education. We found these sorts of opportunities were less common than many of the other wellbeing-related practices in the national survey. Only 20 per cent of principals reported their school had well embedded processes for consulting students about new ways to foster wellbeing, and only 13 per cent of teachers strongly agreed that their school sought student input when developing approaches to wellbeing. These findings suggest strengthening students’ involvement could be happening at a leadership level as well as in the classroom. Looking to the future The national survey findings suggest schools have a multifaceted approach to wellbeing, but are experiencing tensions as they try to offer a holistic curriculum that promotes wellbeing and positive behaviour together with learning and achievement. These findings provide some clear messages for schools about continuing to work on embedding school-wide strategies, and for policy makers about aligning policies, support, and messaging to better enable schools to fulfil the intent of The New Zealand Curriculum. continued over
CONNECTING ALL STRANDS
2A series
ORDER NOW 0800 MATHS4U
MEL@CAXED.CO.NZ WWW.CAXED.CO.NZ
References
This article is based on the report, Finding a balance–fostering student wellbeing, positive behaviour, and learning (Boyd, Bonne, & Berg, 2017). This is one of a series of thematic reports written from the NZCER national survey data. Details about these reports, and the survey methodology and sample, are published on the project’s web page: http://www.nzcer.org.nz/research/national-survey
This study used statistical modelling to compare Wellbeing@ School teacher and student data from the same schools. We wanted to know if there were types of school practices that were associated with higher levels of student wellbeing or lower levels of aggressive and bullying behaviour. For the study summary, Making a difference to student wellbeing, see http://www.nzcer. org.nz/research/making-difference-student-wellbeing
For more information see https://www.wellbeingatschool.org.nz/
Ministry of Education. (2013). Ka Hikitia–Accelerating success 2013–17: The Māori education strategy. Wellington: Author.
Ministry of Education. (2013). Pasifika education plan 2013–17. Wellington: Author.
Education Review Office. (2015). Wellbeing for children’s success at primary school. Wellington: Author.
About the author Sally is a senior researcher at NZCER. She has a long-standing interest in student wellbeing, and how young people can be supported to fulfil their potential in school settings. Most of her work focuses on ways of fostering student wellbeing, and the nature of school, curriculum, and leadership processes that support wellbeing.
Resene Discover
Resene Bright Spark
Bring out the best in your school Save time and money with free Resene School Services. We have assisted thousands of schools with their painting and decorating projects. Let us help you with yours.
Resene Flourish
To find out more visit: www.resene.co.nz/schoolservices