School belonging

Much of the news featured in this newsletter is about the importance of school belonging. The Timpson review on exclusions in the UK makes over 30 recommendations. This is published at the same time as the YouGuv report for OFSTED on ‘off-rolling’, the practice of suggesting to parents that they remove their child – usually because their behaviour and/or poor test results are impacting on the school’s rating in the league tables – but expressed in terms of ‘we are unable to meet their needs’. Read both of these reports alongside the IPPR one Making The Difference: Breaking the Link between School Exclusion and Social Exclusion.

The first issue of School Belonging, (Educational & Child Psychology 36(2)), published by the British Psychological Society, is now out. You can get the whole issue from the BPS Shop, and the editorial, School belonging – Why are our students longing to belong to school?, alongside the article entitled Social and emotional learning: From individual skills to class cohesion are on this website. Issue 2 will be out later this year.

 

Kelly Allen and Chris Boyle are editors of Pathways to Belonging: Contemporary Research in School Belonging, published by Brill Sense.

 

In other news …

Publications:

Wellbeing Stories: We are extending the introductory offer for the Wellbeing Stories Education and Family Sets to the end of July. The Education set (6 stories, 6 teacher toolkits, 6 family toolkits, worksheets and Intro) is currently £65 at the offer price, and will be £95. Incredibly good value for a resource that supports positive thinking for 8-11 year olds. The family toolkit is currently £45 – and will be £70 (without the teacher toolkits and worksheets). The stories deal with: anxiety, loss and depression, transition, perfectionism, entitlement and organisation. The best value is a licence to print multiple copies of the education set for your school – which includes the school’s logo. This cost is unchanged at £650. We post anywhere!

Conferences:

In addition to the conferences mentioned in the last newsletter these may also be of interest.

TEDx education conference in Norwich, UK on 13th July. I am thrilled to have been selected as a speaker. There are still just a few spaces available. Cost is great value for a day which includes food for the body as well as the mind! Growing Great Schools is now a partner in this valuable event.

Saturday June 29th TeachWellFest is on in East London – lots of things to boost your own wellbeing as a teacher. I am giving a workshop on what builds social capital across your school – breaking down toxic environments.

Research:

There is so much research linked to wellbeing it is hard to select. Here are just a few recent publications.

The importance of being in nature for health and wellbeing – just two hours a week makes a difference. And linked to this – how forest schools and outdoor education supports resilience in children.

Following research into family violence a call to make respectful relationships education mandatory in every Australian school.

Healthy Minds Case Study report: working with 32 secondary schools over four years.

Education Endowment Foundation– 6 strategies for improving behaviour – number 1 – get to know your students! Well surprise.

Thank you for all you do.

Sue Roffey

We now have a twitterfeed for Growing Great Schools Worldwide: @growinggtschool