This resource links to a West Partnership whole school approach to implementing wellbeing strategies across a school. This also focuses on data used to identify specific needs of the children and young people experiencing poverty-related barriers to learning.

How to use this resource

Improvement questions

• What is in place just now that works and how do we know it’s effective?
• How well do all staff understand their responsibility for all in health and wellbeing improvement through current self-evaluation processes?
• How well do staff know learners as individuals through an effective assessment system which identifies the ever-increasing diverse needs of young people?
• Do all staff and partners have up-to-date knowledge about the local community and understand circumstances affecting children’s lives and learning through available access to training and professional development?
• How well do we involve all stakeholders (children, staff, parents and carers, families and partners) in self-evaluation and planning for improvement?
• To what extent do we listen to and involve young people in making decisions about their wellbeing, their lives and their future and, how do we know that the personalised support provided is having a positive impact on improving their outcomes?
• How well can we demonstrate improved attainment for groups and individuals facing barriers to learning, including poverty through an identified health and wellbeing approach?

Explore this resource

In May 2021, the West Partnership published a storyboard detailing how the team at Williamwood High School in East Renfrewshire implemented a whole school approach to wellbeing. Policies and practices were identified and created to evidence and bring about improvements in the wellbeing of pupils, staff and the wider school community.

This resource references data sets which have provided Scottish Attainment Challenge related evidence and how the school analyses the progress made by the most disadvantaged young people in the Williamwood High School community. It details what action was taken, and what early signs of impact have been identified which has supported the closing of the poverty-related attainment gap.

What did the school do?

Led by a Depute Headteacher (DHT), the primary focus, was on evidencing wellbeing progress and identifying and acting on presented mental health issues. The DHT utilised existing resources such as the Glasgow Wellbeing and Motivation Profile (GMWP), GIRFEC wellbeing indicators and engagement measures (designed in house) to create a bespoke questionnaire for learners to complete.

The school, implemented a tracking system that used the school-designed questionnaire (see spreadsheet) to track and evidence wellbeing progress across the whole school. Following this, all pupils then had an interview with Principal Teachers of pupil support. These interviews are now built into regular pastoral care teacher check-ins.

Worth noting, numbers are assigned for each question which, if reach a cumulative certain threshold, are prioritised for interview, which in turn triggers specific approaches to best meet their individual needs.

The school has also put in place group sessions that focus on a particular mental health and wellbeing theme (such as anxiety, resilience etc). Pupils who engage in these group sessions use recognised measures such as the Spence Anxiety Scale and Wagnild and Young's Resilience scale for anxiety and resilience respectively prior to engaging in identified any approaches. Progress is then measured towards the end of that period of support (see spreadsheet template).

Reflective supervision, coordinated through a pastoral lead, features heavily in the support provided for staff and adults who work with the children. The pastoral care team use other existing opportunities, where possible, to speak to all young people to discuss their responses and this is followed up by subsequent interventions for specific individuals. Case conferences, led by pastoral support staff, ensure a coordinated support approach. All staff have had mental health first aid training and the school now are have a growing number of mental health first aiders. This is bringing about greater parity with support provided for physical wellbeing.

Why did they do it?

Staff recognise that wellbeing is the responsibility of all. Progress in learning is less likely to happen if fundamental wellbeing needs are not being met. A whole school approach to wellbeing has been necessary to respond to the needs of pupils particularly during the pandemic. The implementation project had a number of aims which included:

1) put in place policies, processes and practices that would support the wellbeing of pupils, staff and parents

2) evaluate the impact of various interventions and adapt these according to evidence

This provision of enhanced care and support acts, for many young people as a ‘bridging service’ to those who are waiting to access support from partner agencies. This school service is a non-clinical approach which is delivered by highly trained staff.

What emerged in relation to barriers to learning?

The school community recognised the need to build capacity across staff. This resulted in professional learning, and links to appropriate externally provided support services. The school has developed partnerships with East Renfrewshire’s Education Psychology service, Healthier Minds Hub and also external partners such as Scottish Women's Autism Network. What emerged was the need to listen to pupil voice and in facilitating pupils leading aspects of their own wellbeing plans. Senior pupils have developed a mental health forum, which collectively wrote an action plan on ensuring positive mental health among pupils. Pupils also ran a mental health festival and in October 2020 delivered a whole school 'Be Kind Campaign' (see PDF).

What has been the impact for the most disadvantaged Young people?

Evidence from identified group sessions suggested that the identified approaches implemented to meet the pupils’ needs are reducing anxiety and increasing resilience.

The school prioritises the need to embrace all pupils as equal partners in ensuring a coordinated whole school approach to wellbeing, however with the most disadvantaged groups of young people the results of this approach have seen positive effects on engagement and attainment.

The school now utilises a range of partners to build capacity of the support team. This helps ensure sustainability for the project as not relying on a singular service. The questionnaire has now developed to include a focus on the engagement in, and the effects of, out of school involvement.

What Next?

Next steps in implementing mental health support would include:

• professional learning for staff to support safety planning with young people in the school
• implementing a six week mentoring programme, available for all staff, to tap into the experiences and skills that they may need to support the HWB overarching aims
• to implement professional learning for the implementation of mental first aiders
• build capacity and confidence of staff. Continue to develop infra-structure to support the ongoing delivery of Mentors in Violence Protection (MVP) / Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) charter as well as building on the success in the Rights Respecting Schools Award
• identify gaps in Professional Learning using the NHS Education for Scotland Knowledge and Skills Framework

Downloads

PDF file: Williamwood High School - A whole school approach to wellbeing support (2.3 MB)

Excel file: Data sheet example (183 KB)