In this post, Sally Betteridge reflects on the importance of wellbeing in pupils’ learning. Building on a 2022 post in this series, Sally makes a case here for placing wellbeing at the heart of children’s learning and offers some ideas for everyday classroom practice.
Wellbeing at the heart of learning
After teaching in classrooms for over 20 years, and continuously being a reflective practitioner, I’ve found myself coming back to the same thought time and time again. When I consider the ethos of my classroom, the behaviour and the relationships, the work ethic, the progress children made, both academically and personally, and the energy in the room, I can see a clear pattern. I believe that wellbeing and emotional learning played a significant role in the success of my students and my teaching, and that classrooms that thrive are not just those focused on outcomes, but those where wellbeing and emotional understanding are part of daily life. In my experience, these elements don’t sit alongside learning – they quietly shape it.
I got up this morning and set my circadian rhythms for the day by walking my dog in the early morning sun, and I can now feel that my brain is happier and I am ready to learn.
This was said by a Year 5 student in our Monday morning reflection circle. The first hour of every Monday morning was spent sitting in a circle, discussing our weekends, our news and our feelings. We had the same routine each week and discussed different feelings and emotions. It was a time set aside for the children to feel heard, feel part of a group, to understand that all feelings and emotions are valid and that emotions are part of being human. We engaged in deep dialogue each week, where we could help each other, share our lives and achievements and reflect on ourselves – this dialogue enabled children to better self-regulate their thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviour. We repeated this last lesson on a Friday, to end the week and share successes or failures.
We teach children to read, write, calculate… but not always how to understand themselves.
What I observed through experience is increasingly reflected in national and international research. The English Department of Education has recently updated its guidance on promoting mental health and wellbeing in schools. Stating that:
Good mental health and wellbeing improves standards in schools and helps pupils achieve and thrive in education, setting them up well for life and work.
And, from an international perspective, the 2023 OECD Social and Emotional Skills Survey concluded that:
Social and emotional skills are positively related to academic performance and that education systems should focus on the holistic development of students rather than academic outcomes alone.
Wellbeing and mindset should not just be an add on or a tick box
There is no doubt that schools and classrooms are very busy places. With so much content to cover in a school year and all the wonderful extras that children experience in school, being told to add something extra can often feel daunting. However, learning isn’t just a cognitive process – it’s physical and we simply cannot ignore this. As Brackett (2019) states,
Our emotional state determines where we direct our attention, what we remember, and what we learn.
We cannot separate emotions and physical state from learning and so it is vital that we find ways to make this part of classroom life; the culture in the classroom is something that happens every day not just an hour a week or in an assembly.
Self-help and personal wellbeing is a growing culture in the adult world, so what if this started with children? How could it be an essential, if not, the essential, part of traditional education?
Regulation before learning.
In today’s modern world, being busy and overwhelmed seems to be a part of life. With so much attention to this in the media: books published; self-help guides; classes and workshops to counteract these effects, and so much more, should we be starting with young people, so that as adults we are better equipped to deal with modern life? So much attention is placed on academic attainment and school life can sometimes become a race from one task to the next.
Yet, learning happens when we feel secure and our bodies are in a state to be able to take on information. Students arrive at school carrying not only their bags and books, but also their emotions, worries, experiences and the events of their lives outside the classroom. When regulation is a part of the morning routine, it is time utilised well for the higher good of enhancing learning. As neuroscientist Daniel Siegel explains, “when a child is upset, logic often won’t work.” (Siegel and Bryson, 2011). Before children can access higher-order thinking, problem-solving and creativity, they need to feel emotionally and physically safe. This idea is echoed by Brackett (2019)’s comment above about our emotional state determining what we learn. Far from being time taken away from learning, moments spent helping children understand and regulate their emotions may be some of the most valuable minutes in the school day. Regulation is not simply about calming a class down. It is about creating the emotional conditions that allow curiosity, creativity, resilience and deep learning to emerge.
So what are some of the things that have worked in my classrooms?
- First and foremost, it was about setting the routines from the start: equipping children with the language to discuss their emotions and name them, while also teaching them the strategies they could use to manage them. Children need to be taught the “whys” of what they are doing and what they are doing it for: how humans behave, how our minds and bodies work, and what it means to be human. All of these routines had a place and were carefully explained and introduced before we did them.
- When students arrived in the morning, they plotted their emotions on a “mood meter” and could choose to discuss these with someone or simply acknowledge their emotions. They then chose an affirmation card for the day and wrote these on the board beside their name, before beginning their morning task. Following this, was the register. This was answered in different ways each day with questions such as: What are you grateful for already this morning? Can you think of any joyful moments from last night? How will you embody your affirmation word today?
- Two mornings a week, we worked on our mindset padlets. This was a journalling-type activity taken from inspiration from Roxie Nafousi’s Manifest for Kids (Nafousi, 2023). We also had a quote for the week displayed in the classroom that had been discussed during Monday morning circle time and was referred back to throughout the week. One example was: change the words “I have to…” to “I get to…”
- We had boxes set up around the classroom: a compliment box, a problem box and a need-to-talk box. These gave children a voice in a busy classroom life. The compliment box was used for children to recognise and celebrate one another, with notes read out on a Friday – a wonderful way to end the week. The problem box was for sharing concerns that children felt comfortable discussing in front of the class, so that we could help each other. The need-to-talk box allowed children to let me know they had something they wanted to discuss without having to share it publicly.
Looking back, many of these routines were not simply about wellbeing; they were about belonging. Every child had a voice, every child was listened to and every child knew they were a valued member of the classroom community. Research from the OECD suggests that a sense of belonging at school is associated with improved wellbeing, engagement and academic outcomes. Perhaps one of the most important things we can offer children is the feeling that they matter.
The Body Matters
Stress can have a significant impact on learning. When children experience prolonged periods of stress, cortisol levels can remain elevated. Whilst cortisol is an important hormone that helps us respond to challenges, high levels over time can affect areas of the brain involved in memory, attention and decision-making. This can make it more difficult for children to retain information, focus on tasks and engage fully in learning.
As Sapolsky (2004) explains, “Stress and memory are closely linked.” When children are in a heightened state of stress, the brain prioritises survival over learning. This highlights the importance of creating classroom environments where children feel safe, supported and emotionally secure. By helping children regulate their emotions and manage stress, we are not taking time away from learning; we are creating the conditions that make meaningful learning possible. This again highlights the importance of wellbeing, emotional regulation and equipping students with the language for emotional regulation being a routine of everyday classroom practice not one lesson a week or an assembly.
The Energy in The Room
Throughout my career both as a classroom teacher and a teacher educator observing in others’ classrooms, I became increasingly aware that classrooms develop an emotional climate. Whilst difficult to measure, most teachers will recognise it immediately.
Some classrooms feel calm, connected and purposeful. Others feel anxious, fragmented or unsettled. The emotional states of individuals inevitably contribute to the collective atmosphere of the room. When children feel emotionally safe, valued and connected, they are more likely to engage, collaborate and persevere when learning becomes challenging. This comes back to the routines that we set up, how we establish habits that encourage students to respect each other, recognise and celebrate each other and find out about each other beyond the walls of the classroom – genuine interest not just to tick a box. When we start a new school year, this should be of the upmost importance – we shouldn’t be going straight into academics and testing to cover content in a set time, as if we miss the vital wellbeing and belonging aspects, the coverage of content will be much less effective.
It Starts With Us
I am increasingly convinced that wellbeing in schools begins with the adults. We cannot teach skills that we do not possess ourselves. If we want children to understand their emotions, manage stress, communicate effectively and develop self-awareness, then we must first develop these skills within ourselves.
Teacher education has traditionally focused on curriculum knowledge, pedagogy and behaviour management. Whilst these remain essential, there is perhaps a need to broaden our understanding of what it means to prepare educators for the realities of modern classrooms. Increasingly, teachers are supporting children through anxiety, uncertainty, social pressures and emotional challenges that previous generations may not have experienced in the same way. This is an issue discussed in a previous post in this series from Knight, Allinson and Manning
This is not about teachers becoming therapists. Rather, it is about equipping educators with a deeper understanding of human behaviour, emotional regulation, relationships and wellbeing. When teachers understand their own emotional responses and develop strategies to regulate themselves, they are better placed to model these skills for the children they teach.
Children learn far more from what we do than what we say. The calm adult in the room, the teacher who can respond rather than react, who can listen, reflect and regulate and share their own practices of looking after their wellbeing, often teaches some of the most important lessons of all. If we truly believe that wellbeing underpins learning, then perhaps it is time for wellbeing and emotional development to become a more significant part of teacher education itself.
Additional references
- Brackett, M. (2019). Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive. Celadon Books.
- Nafousi, R. (2023). Manifest for Kids: An Inspiring Guide and Activity Book. Puffin.
- Sapolsky, R.M. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping. 3rd edn. Holt Paperbacks.
- Siegel, D.J. and Bryson, T.P. (2011) The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind. Delacorte Press.