Top Coaches Unite to Make Wellbeing The Key School Improvement Strategy

Five of the top education coaches in the country have united to create a whole school wellbeing programme and award that will put wellbeing centre stage in all school improvement efforts.

The programme, Raising Attainment With Wellbeing, is designed to engage all staff over time. It seeks to enhance both staff and pupil wellbeing and link underlying deep level factors such as school culture and behaviour policy with strategies that can remove stress and anxiety.

Marius Frank, the lead writer of the programme, is working with the DfE and NASEN on using Assistive Technology to support learning and inclusion. He said: ‘The research clearly shows that children stressed by pressures at school or at home are more interested in flight or fight than they are in learning.’

’What this programme does is start to remove barriers to learning that exist, often below the radar of the leadership, or are hidden in plain sight, to allow the school to raise attainment for all children.

The programme, which is sponsored by TeachingTimes and Microlink, has a unique school audit tool which can pinpoint where action needs to be taken and then it provides support through five learning modules and external, nationally accredited coaches to support schools in making the changes.

The modules are Setting The Scene For School Leaders, Wellbeing and Core Strength, Making Sense of Behaviour, Changing Culture and Climate, and Accelerating Development

Marius Frank said: ‘Even before pandemic the attainment of children on free school meals for a long period of time was falling relative to their peers. This is simply not acceptable but has been made worse by the pandemic.

'And even before the pandemic, UK children were considered the most stressed and unhappy of children in Europe. This problem has now reached epidemic proportions. Schools need to reassure and empower these children, not inadvertently add to their anxieties.’

It is for this reason, he added, that we brought together four of the most knowledgeable people in the country to develop a programme that can move wellbeing to the centre stage of the school endeavour and not just as an add-on or after-thought. 'We don't forget for a minute that the main mission of a school is learning and enabling children to reach their full educational potential. But wellbeing is integral to that and not a side order.'

Along with Marius Frank, the writers and coaches include:

• Louise McGinty, a former Headteacher, Lead NPQH Facilitator and Pupil Premium Coach, and an acclaimed school turn-around specialist. Louise has been recognized by HMI for the impact she has had on improving school standards.
• John Drew, a former teacher, SENCO and senior leader. John is a senior coach for Emotion Coaching and a lead facilitator at Croydon School-to-School Hub for Designated Teachers and is a senior facilitator for the Anti Bullying Alliance.
• Bob Basley is well known for his leading role in the national Anti-Bullying Quality Mark UK and has 29 year’s extensive experience in school leadership and school improvement consultancy. Bob is also a nationally renowned advisor in inclusion, he travels the country advising on anti-bullying strategies and supporting schools working with social and emotion behavioural development.
• Nic Ponsford is a university lecturer and Co-Founder and CEO of the Global Equality Collective (Education) and is a DfE advisor on the Edtech Demonstrator Schools Programme. She believes that Edtech is the great equaliser for children with disadvantaged social backgrounds or conditions.

To learn more about the programme contact Tina Leonardi at Tina@teachingtimes.com