This document discusses wellbeing at Thomas Tallis school. It defines wellbeing and explains that it encompasses personal, physical, emotional, mental, social and other dimensions of a student's life. The school aims to promote wellbeing through its curriculum, initiatives like Every Child Matters, and activities across the school like enterprise days. There is discussion around the role of tutors in wellbeing and whether PSHE should be taught by specialists. The document examines case studies of other schools and their approaches to wellbeing and considers future directions for Thomas Tallis.

1. Wellbeing at Thomas Tallis
What is it? Where is it? And why do we care?

3. What is ‘Wellbeing’?
• Multiple discourses (
Gill Ereaut DCSF Research Conference 2008),
highly contested
• Often constructive negatively, particularly
concerned with protective aspects and
vulnerable or deprived children
• It can (and should) be developed in a more
positive sense, building on strengths and
personal qualities
• A cultural construct – what people collectively
agree makes ‘a good life’
• The stuff you already do! The stuff that this
school is made of
• A duty of schools from September 2007

4. Isn’t Wellbeing just about my health?
• NO!
– Personal, Physical, Emotional, Mental, Social,
Cultural, Political, Economic, Academic,
Community, Spiritual, Moral….
• What are we here for?
• A focus on ‘Wellbeing’ calls for nothing less
than a transformation in fundamental
institutional structures….
• It’s what we’re trying to do at Tallis - Making a
difference to the lives of children
– Helping them to become informed, active and
responsible members of local, national and global
communities, and to make positive decisions

5. Why ‘Wellbeing’?
• Tallis is a ‘first-mover’
• Faculty of Wellbeing to formalise some aspects
of the curriculum
• Who wants it?
– DCSF, ABA, Health Organisations, Parents,
Citizenship Foundation, Employers, Schools,
Students…
• Inspected by Ofsted from September 2009
– developing wellbeing indicators to assess a school’s
contribution to promoting pupil wellbeing and to
provide schools with local area information
• The Educational Imperative - we don’t need the
whip of assessment to make it matter

7. Current Initiatives
• Aims of the Curriculum
– Successful learners, Confident individuals, Responsible
citizens
• Every Child Matters
– Be Healthy, Stay Safe, Enjoy and Achieve, Achieve Economic
Wellbeing, Make a Positive Contribution
• Whole curriculum dimensions
– Identity and diversity, healthy lifestyles, community
participation, enterprise, global dimension, technology and the
media, creativity and critical thinking
• Personal Learning and Thinking Skills
• Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL)
• Values Education

9. Wellbeing across the school
• The curriculum is the entire planned
learning experience
• ‘Enterprise Days’
• Do you have a burning desire to do
something different with a year group but
have no time in your already
overcrowded curriculum?
• We can give you time!

10. What do you think?
Questionnaire Results
• 54 teachers, of which 52 are currently or have
been tutors
• Main findings;
– Results fairly similar across year groups
– Most teachers like spending time with their tutor
groups
– Most teachers think that tutor time is important
– Most think that PSHE should be taught by specialist
teachers
– Most teachers feel comfortable with a majority of
PSHE/Citizenship/Work Related topics but not
adequately trained and without time to devote to
teaching the tutor group
– Distinction apparent between ‘tutor time’ and ‘PSHE
lessons’

11. I enjoy teaching my tutor group
I enjoy teaching my tutor group
18
16
14
12
1
10 2
3
4
8 5
6
6
4
2
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

12. I enjoy spending time with my tutor group
I enjoy spending time with my tutor group
25
20
15 1
2
3
4
5
10 6
5
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

13. Key Quotes
• Feel unqualified to teach certain subjects/Lack
expertise [10]
• Students see it as an extension of
registration/don’t see it as a proper lesson [4]
• Enjoy spending time with them [7]
• Resources not useful/too difficult/not
there/”dry” [5]
• To get to know my tutor group/develop positive
relationships [15]
• Pair and group work difficult to manage [4]

14. I receive lesson plans in time for the lesson
I receive lesson plans in time for the lesson
20
18
16
14
12 1
2
3
10
4
5
8 6
6
4
2
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

15. I receive lesson plans in time to feel prepared
I receive the lessons plans in time to feel prepared
16
14
12
10
1
2
3
8
4
5
6
6
4
2
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

16. I would like to receive lesson plans…
I would like to receive lesson plans... in advance
18
16
14
12
no preference
day before
10
Fri before
1 w eek+
8 1/2 term
term
year
6
4
2
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

17. I would like to receive resources…
I would like to receive resources... in advance
16
14
12
10 no preference
day before
Fri before
8 1 w eek+
1/2 term
term
6 year
4
2
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

18. Tutor time is important
Tutor time is important
35
30
25
1
20 2
3
4
15 5
6
10
5
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

19. Tutor time could be used in a more productive way
Tutor time could be used in a more productive way
25
20
15 1
2
3
4
5
10 6
5
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

20. Key Quotes
• Too administrative, not pastoral enough
• Too much to fit in [2]
• Need training (ASDAN) [2]
• 1-to-1 mentoring [2]
• Ongoing projects – something that leads
to a sense of achievement at the end
• Not just single focus (WEX)
• Smaller group work on a carousel
• Discussion based activities

21. PSHE should be taught by specialist teachers
PSHE should be taught by specialist teachers
16
14
12
10
1
2
3
8
4
5
6
6
4
2
0
Total 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 unstated

22. Key Quotes from final comments
• Concern that the extent of ‘Wellbeing’ is becoming
central to curriculum at the expense of content
• Tutor has a different role to PSHE teacher
• Only volunteers should deliver PSHE and
individuals uncomfortable with it should not have to
[2]
• Extra workload [2]
• Feel untrained/lack of expertise short changes the
students [5]
• Staff care about wellbeing
• Tutor time is important but needs to be reviewed
• No progression in PSHE with tutors

23. How can it be done? – Case-studies
• Wolverhampton Grammar School
– Timetable suspended for 25 hours over a three
week period
– Focus on independent learning projects
– Students research a theme, produce a report with
support materials and present to a group of
‘outsiders’
• Colyton Grammar School, Devon
– Rated outstanding by Ofsted the last 3 consecutive
years
– One of the highest performing schools in the country
– Leading Edge
– Tutor led
– All students complete personal challenges for the
ASDAN Award

24. Northumberland Park Community School,
Tottenham
• Humanities team 8-11
• Tutor led in Year 7
• Whole school collapsed timetable days
• Enrichment activities
• Specialist days

25. DeCartaret College, Jamaica
• House system
• Student union
• Prefect system
• Humanities team teaches civics
• Compulsory Clubs on Thursday
mornings

26. Ottawa, Canada
• Character Education
• Tutor knowledge of students
• Common vision
• Student Empowerment
• Community Links

27. What are we here for?
Future Directions for Tallis
• How should the timetable be structured?
• What is the role of the Tutor at Tallis?
– First port of call for tutees
– Help and advice
– ‘Brain Gym’
– Structured Play
– Delivering a curriculum?
– Peer Education?
– Should it be structured time? Informal?

28. An operationalised discourse:
wellbeing as outcomes and indicators
Contemporary The (very) new discourse
medical discourse of sustainability
Wellbeing
Echoes of a The relatively recent
philosophical discourse discourse of holism