In the blog below by Aniek de Lange and Ellen Braakhekke on the Trimbos Institute website, you can read how, as a school, you can use the Wegwijzer as part of a whole-school approach to wellbeing.
Wellbeing is a broad concept. By wellbeing, we mean the extent to which someone feels socially, emotionally and physically well. In everyday language, it refers to ‘feeling good about yourself’. School stress, performance pressure and school attendance are specific themes related to wellbeing. By working on these themes, you are also working on wellbeing.
The strength of a whole-school approach
If, as a school, you want to reduce performance pressure and school stress and increase school attendance, it is important not to choose only separate actions and interventions. Research shows that efforts at multiple levels within and around the school work better. A whole-school approach focuses not only on individual students, but also on the school team, the class, the school climate, the home environment and the environment surrounding the school. The strength of a whole-school approach to wellbeing is that, in the long term, it prevents problems and focuses on improving the wellbeing of all students.
“When addressing performance pressure, you can offer a fear-of-failure reduction training at school. It is even better to examine, within the broader school context, why students experience fear of failure and try to reduce it. For example, by critically examining the number of tests, making norms about achievement open to discussion throughout the school, and teaching all students to recognise stress and cope with it.” – Thera Knopperts, youth health promotion adviser at the Utrecht region GGD.
Wegwijzer Mentaal Kapitaal
The Wegwijzer Mentaal Kapitaal is based on a preventive, whole-school approach. The Wegwijzer was developed for education professionals in and around secondary education (such as care and support coordinators, team coordinators, school leaders, educational psychologists and school psychologists) and Healthy School advisers. You can use the Wegwijzer as a discussion tool to initiate discussion within the school team about addressing school stress, performance pressure and school attendance. In addition, the Wegwijzer provides valuable examples and interventions to support schools in drawing up a joint action plan.
Using the Wegwijzer as part of a whole-school approach to wellbeing
To increase the likelihood of success, it is important that the actions or interventions selected from the Wegwijzer form part of a whole-school approach to wellbeing. The ‘Working on wellbeing’ step-by-step plan explains how you can work with a core team in a structured way on a whole-school approach to wellbeing. Addressing school stress, performance pressure and school attendance can be part of this. A whole-school approach may sound extensive and comprehensive, but it often begins with small steps.
The step-by-step plan is not a checklist to tick off, but a process in which you sometimes return to earlier steps to further strengthen the whole. The same applies to the Wegwijzer. You can use the Wegwijzer and the step-by-step plan alongside each other.
In short, the step-by-step plan consists of 7 steps, which correspond to the steps of the Healthy School approach, but are specifically focused on the theme of wellbeing:
- Assemble a core team
- Map the current situation, for example using this checklist
- Review or develop a vision of wellbeing and learning, for example using these activities
- Choose objectives
- Make a plan; examples of activities can be found in this inspiration card
- Implement the plan
- Review and look ahead
Below, you can read at which steps in the step-by-step plan you can use the Wegwijzer Mentaal Kapitaal.
Map the current situation (step 2)
The checklist mentioned in step 2 of the step-by-step plan focuses on the (broader) theme of wellbeing. The Wegwijzer offers the opportunity to clearly map the current situation at your school in eight domains, specifically in the areas of school stress, performance pressure and school attendance. Examples of domains include: school climate, sensitive teaching and relationships with classmates. The manual contains additional information about the Wegwijzer, including the domains.
Make a plan (step 5)
After mapping the starting situation for each domain, you use the Wegwijzer to choose the domains you want to work on at your school to reduce school stress and performance pressure and promote school attendance. You can also use input from step 3 (review or develop a vision) and step 4 (choose objectives) of the step-by-step plan for this.
For each domain, the Wegwijzer presents recommendations based on scientific research. It also provides an overview of good examples from practice and available interventions for each recommendation. This provides specific input for an action plan. The interventions come from the Effective Youth Interventions Database of the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi) and the overview of Healthy School activities.
“The most wonderful thing about this Wegwijzer is the tremendous effort that has gone into bringing scientific knowledge to education in a practical way. All perspectives have been taken into account: those of young people, parents, the school, professionals and science. With this tool, schools can improve the mental health of their students in a structural and sustainable way. The conversation has begun; the way towards a mentally healthier school environment is open.” – Thera Knopperts, youth health promotion adviser at the Utrecht region GGD.
Need support?
The Wegwijzer does not provide ready-made advice. Different interventions, for example, may target one specific domain. It is also important that interventions fit within the school’s own context. In addition, interventions work better when they form part of a whole-school approach to wellbeing. Various people within the municipality or the partnership are available for tailored advice. These may include a Healthy School adviser, school psychologist, educational psychologist or youth health-care nurse.
Also explore the local options for implementing interventions. For example, there may be (financial) possibilities through the partnership. Or perhaps your municipality promotes or subsidises a particular intervention.
Via this link, you can go directly to the Wegwijzer Mentaal Kapitaal.