The pandemic’s impact on the mental health of communities has sharpened our sector’s focus on wellbeing, and it seems to have brought about a significant opinion shift among parents, too. But while there is a growing desire for wellbeing to be measured, we still have valid questions to answer about what that might mean for schools and their staff.
In a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Youth Sport Trust and the Well Schools movement, 62 per cent of parents listed wellbeing as a serious consideration when choosing a secondary school for their child. That was the top answer, beating location (61 per cent) and exam results (58 per cent). In addition, 76 per cent said they want schools to measure wellbeing.
Those are significant results. Yet less than half of schools currently have tools in place to deliver on that demand. It’s obvious there remain reservations about measuring wellbeing, but there are ways to overcome those fears and to see it as the solution.
