Parents have a lot to consider when searching for the right school for their children. Some focus on academic attainment and Ofsted reports whilst others rely on word-of-mouth reviews from other parents and carers. More and more, parents are looking to the wellbeing policies that schools have, seeing this as an important aspect of their child’s education setting.
Throughout the autumn and winter terms, parents go through the application process for their children’s schools. So, what can you do to make your school more attractive and welcoming to prospective parents and students?
In this article, we’ll explore why wellbeing is so important for parents and how you can make sure you’re prioritising it at your school.
What do parents think?
With 10-20% of young people affected by mental health problems worldwide, it’s becoming a significant priority for parents. Traditionally, parents have seen Ofsted reports and academic attainment as the most important factor for selecting a secondary school for their pupils. However, now 65% of parents say pupil wellbeing is the most important factor when making their selection.
Research conducted by YouGov and Youth Sport Trust highlights parents’ desire for their children’s wellbeing to be measured and tracked whilst at school or college. Overall, 76% believe that measuring wellbeing is a fundamental means of improving it. Two thirds of parents also want to see more information from schools about how they’re supporting the mental wellbeing of their pupils.
How can schools prioritise mental health and wellbeing?
It’s now more important than ever that schools track mental health and wellbeing concerns, plus wellbeing policies for students are a critical part of school duties under safeguarding legislation.
To fulfil these responsibilities, all education settings must ensure that their approach to safeguarding is child-centred, always prioritising the student’s best interests. School wellbeing policies should feed into this, focusing on the student’s general physical and emotional health.
Here are 3 key things to think about:
- Get input from staff, pupils and parents. This is a helpful way of gaining insight into the viewpoints of different stakeholders to ensure you’re providing the right type of wellbeing support.
- Regularly review the policies. Make sure they’re up-to-date and align with the latest legislation, as well as wider cultural and societal factors.
- Make sure it’s easy to access. Circulate policies internally and save them somewhere accessible.
Once you have your wellbeing policies in place, it’s important that you monitor and track concerns, and ensure all staff know to log concerns as and when they occur. This helps to build up a bigger picture of a child’s wellbeing over time.
This process doesn’t need to be stressful or time-consuming. In fact, using a solution like CPOMS leads to staff actually saving time spent on admin. It also shows parents that your school has an active and long-term commitment to health and wellbeing.
Read more in our Guide to Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools or get in touch with a member of our team.
