An introduction to Wellbeing at Thomas Tallis School, London, UK.

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