Wellbeing in Australian schools

Key messages:

1. Educators and school communities play a significant role in supporting and developing learner wellbeing. 
2. Wellbeing is crucial to academic achievement, and wellbeing programs can support and accelerate students’ learning.
3. Teaching is a demanding profession, and educators require time and experience to determine which non-teaching tasks to prioritise in order to best support learner growth and achievement, as well as professional learning to best support their students’ wellbeing. 
4. As is the case for their students, the wellbeing of educators and school leaders has come under increasing strain in recent years, and various initiatives have been developed to foster their wellbeing. 
5. Choosing the right wellbeing program and measuring its impact and effectiveness are important components of a whole-school community approach to wellbeing.

Introduction/why read:

We share our Spotlight report on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and students. There has been an intense focus on mental health and wellbeing in public discourse over the past two decades. The level of attention paid to wellbeing in early learning settings and schools reflects this concern.

Natural disasters and the pandemic of recent years (and weeks) have accelerated the need for research, resources and programs addressing the wellbeing of learners, educators and school leaders, and various initiatives and programs already exist that aim to understand and strengthen their wellbeing.