Educationalists and wellbeing experts urge Education Secretary to put relationships and community ahead of academic catch-up
Frederika Roberts MAPP PGCE BSc(Hons) MPSA
Speaker & Trainer in Wellbeing, Positive Psychology and Organisational Change / Workplace Culture Improvement. Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner and Researcher. In-person, virtual and hybrid.
A group of educationalists known as the ‘Education Wellbeing Collective’ have written an open letter to the UK’s Secretary of Education, the Rt Hon Gavin Williamson, calling for ‘catch-up’ education to focus on relationships, outdoor activities and play instead of an academic curriculum.
The signatories include teachers, headteachers, mental health and wellbeing experts, safeguarding consultants, behaviour specialists and academics.
Education Consultant and Leadership Coach Thérèse Hoyle, who founded the Education Wellbeing Collective, says “We came together during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 because we wanted to do something to support wellbeing in education at a time of crisis. Since then, we have provided resources and information for teachers and parents and we have collectively written a book to support whole school wellbeing as we move beyond the current critical situation. We couldn’t sit back and say nothing in light of the risks that an excessive focus on academic catch-up poses to children’s wellbeing and mental health, and their ability to learn.”
At a time when there has been much talk about the need for children to catch-up academically, the Education Wellbeing Collective highlight that, in order for pupils to be receptive to learning, they need to “experience positive emotions, re-connect positively with others, participate in sport and creative activities, engage in free play and be in the open air”.
Frederika Roberts, a whole school wellbeing trainer, lecturer, speaker and author, who sent the letter on behalf of the Education Wellbeing Collective, says “Extensive research evidence shows we need to support children’s mental health and wellbeing to give them the best possible chances in life. Now, more than ever, we need to focus on what they really need. As the country opens up over the summer months, children need to catch-up on the relationships and play that they have missed out on; when they’re in school, they need every opportunity to connect, not ‘silent corridors’.
The signatories of the open letter are asking the Secretary of Education for a meeting to discuss the best way to support children’s learning.
You can read the open letter here.
About the Education Wellbeing Collective
The Education Wellbeing Collective (#EdWellColl) were founded in 2020 by Thérèse Hoyle, an Education Consultant and Leadership Coach. The Collective’s aim is to “champion the evolution of wellbeing in schools and their communities”.
EdWellColl is an informal collective of educationalists consisting of teachers, headteachers, wellbeing and mental health experts, behaviour specialists, character education specialists, safeguarding consultants, researchers and writers. They meet once a fortnight to discuss ways to support wellbeing in education.
They have shared free resources on their website, have broadcast live panel discussions via their Facebook page (where they also share resources and information) and have written “The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing”, due to be published in November 2021 by Corwin Press, a SAGE Publications imprint.
Anyone working in or with education and interested in joining the collective for their regular meetings and becoming more actively involved can contact them via their Facebook page or Twitter account.
Useful references
Dodd, H.F., FitzGibbon, L., Watson, B.E., Nesbit, R.J. (2021) Children’s Play and Independent Mobility in 2020: Results from the British Children’s Play Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18(8): 4334. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4334
Fredrickson, B.L. (2004) Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. The Royal Society 359(1449): 1367–1377.
Norrish, J., Robinson, J. Williams, P. (2011) Literature Reviews: Positive Relationships. Available at: https://www.ggs.vic.edu.au/Positive-Education2/Model-for-Positive-Education.
Roffey, S. (2012) Developing positive relationships in schools. In: Roffey S (ed.) Positive Relationships: Evidence Based Practice across the World. Berline / Heidelberg: Springer Science + Business Media, pp. 145–162.
Bailey, R. (2017) Sport, physical activity and educational achievement – towards an explanatory model. Sport in Society, 20(7): 768-788.
Senior PMO Analyst
3 年How would you see this working for young people and children with SEN and EHCPs? As an example there are 8000+ young people/children with EHCPs in Surrey alone and everything in the EHCP legally must be delivered. On average it takes 5 months for the Local Authority to amend an EHCP?
Head of CSR @ Tata Consultancy Services UK and Ireland | Corporate Social Responsibility, Community Engagement, Education & Skilling, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
3 年Well done to you all! This is absolutely what is needed now.
Helping schools & organisations develop healthy cultures with sustainable wellbeing and mental health strategies with consultancy and training. Coaching | Wellbeing Trainer | Author | Advisor | Motivational Speaker
3 年Brilliant! Let’s hope our voices get heard
Positive and Organisational Psychologist, Educator and Social Enterprise Leader
3 年Well done ??
Helping deliver a strengths-based approach to support personal development through the stories of diverse role models. | Resource content writer | Trainer and Speaker. Flood resilience campaigner.
3 年Excellent letter and thank you. Let's spread this message as far as we can.