“Resilience” is a widely used term, but what exactly does it mean? We use it to describe how well pupils cope with academic failure and how well they deal with adversity. But being resilient doesn’t mean that pupils don’t face challenges.
Emotional wellbeing and mental health
The best schools understand that pupils’ emotional wellbeing is the responsibility of all staff and that every interaction and engagement with pupils has an impact on their sense of worth. In these schools, staff know that all their words, actions and attitudes influence a pupil’s self-esteem, self-confidence and ultimately, their wellbeing.
It’s important that pupils have regular opportunities to express their emotions and share their feelings at school. Successful schools have clear approaches for listening to and addressing pupils’ concerns quickly. They are alert to how pupils are feeling during the day, and work with pupils to identify particular staff members to whom they can turn if needed.
Nurturing approaches can be very successful in helping to build resilience in pupils who are struggling to cope with their current circumstances. Trained staff can help pupils develop their personal and social skills and lay the foundations for building positive relationships with adults and peers. They equip pupils with the tools to help them become more resilient in the face of different challenges.
Schools that are good at building the resilience of their pupils are those that have a strong vision around promoting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of all their pupils. As well as having a whole-school approach to wellbeing, these schools also provide specific interventions for pupils who are particularly in need of support.
These schools also place a strong emphasis on the wellbeing of their staff.
Attendance
They also tend to have very few, if any, fixed term exclusions over a long period. They strive to understand and get to the root cause of particular challenges facing pupils and are willing to try different approaches to address the issues.
Vulnerable pupils
Vulnerable pupils can face challenges that particularly affect their ability to be resilient. Effective schools work closely with the home by providing enrichment activities and additional information that can consolidate their work in helping to build the resilience of vulnerable pupils. These schools often work closely to support the families of vulnerable pupils.
Using external expertise
Successful schools use the expertise of relevant external agencies to supplement their work. These agencies can bring skills and expert knowledge that are not always available within schools and, when the relationship between all parties is strong, they work together in the pupils’ best interest, strengthening their resilience and improving their lives.
Transition
Transitions, such as moving school, are periods where children can suffer emotional distress, or a decline in progress and commitment to learning, all of which can also undermine resilience. All schools aim to ease the transition process for pupils, particularly at key transition points. Schools that focus clearly on pupils’ resilience have worthwhile strategies for supporting pupils moving mid-term, especially when receiving pupils who may have struggled at their previous settings. They get to know the new pupils quickly, ensuring that support is available from the outset.
A continual process
It is evident there is no easy way to build resilience in pupils. Successful schools understand that it is a continual process that takes considerable investment in time, energy and resources. The recent pandemic has challenged pupils like never before. Pupils have had to cope and adapt to whole new ways of living and of learning.
Some will have coped with the recent situation better than others. Some will have flourished and found new interests and ways of working, while others will have struggled outside of their comfort zones.
Good schools will continue to offer help to all their pupils, and all schools will now need to identify those that are struggling to cope academically and those dealing with personal adversity. They will need to offer the support those pupils need in order to deal with their individual circumstances.
Our Learner Resilience report may well highlight ideas for schools to help support their pupils.
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