Why should you measure wellbeing in school?

Research into the relationship between mental health, education, and life outcomes is constantly evolving but, it is widely accepted that by promoting more positive wellbeing, we can drive whole-school improvements in attainment, behaviour, attendance, self-esteem and much more.

In recent years, the industry has made some significant steps in the right direction:

• The publication of The DfE and Public Health England’s “whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing” - Click Here
• The publication of the Department for Education’s “Staff Wellbeing Charter” - Click Here
• Emotional health objectives appearing in key judgment areas of the new Ofsted framework - Click Here

There is now a clear need to monitor and measure this key area and use data to purposefully drive the right decisions and create better outcomes. Implementing a strategic approach to mental health and wellbeing is now imperative.

Why is it important to measure wellbeing?

By running a survey you collect data that enables you to identify patterns and trends across different demographics and create benchmarks to compare findings over time and against similar provisions.

The survey process itself sends a positive message to your entire school. Talking about wellbeing can also improve it and running a survey can help pupils and staff think about emotions, open up conversations, build trust and empathy, as well as make them feel valued and empowered.

It’s a powerful way that demonstrates that you value wellbeing greatly

What are the main reasons to measure wellbeing?

There are three main reasons you may want to measure wellbeing in school:

1) To run a “temperature check”

Running a temperature check survey (which also known as “a snapshot”) provides a benchmark that can help you assess your environment. This may open up a discussion, provide insights to inform your school development plan and support the implementation of targeted interventions.

2) To create a targeted approach

A process to identify specific needs, which usually facilitates access to specialist support. Insights may form part of the information required for individuals to be considered for referrals to additional support services (note that they are not diagnostic tools)

3) To Evaluate impact

To help you gain an understanding of the success of an intervention, provide evidence and demonstrate impact. Measuring this tangibly can demonstrate your school’s systematic approach to help;

• Justify additional (or continual) funding.
• Provide evidence to organisations such as Ofsted that you are seeking continual improvement and making decisions in the best interests of pupils/staff.
• Assess your return on investment and judge the value of something.

How do you measure wellbeing?

Schools often ask how to measure wellbeing or where to start. In order to offer some support around this, we have created an informative guide that walks you through the steps to building an effective measurement strategy. You can download this for FREE – Here