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Wellbeing in School: A Student’s Perspective
By Cicely Winkley and Isa Bravo, Year 10, Oxford High School
We first started using the Positive app in 2017. This is a really useful tool for lots of reasons. First of all, the ‘emotional barometer’ helps create a shared language of wellbeing between teachers and students. For example, we all know that if someone says they’re feeling bottom left, it means they’re feeling down and depressed; top left is anxious and stressed about something, and so forth.
Another useful aspect of the Positive app is that it provides us with a whole range of activities and tutorials we can use to help with our daily wellbeing. For example, they have lots of short videos on subjects like mindfulness, breathing, coping with stress, which are great to dip into when you need a bit of support. Personally, my favourite part of the App has been the Pinboard, as it provides me with a totally private place where I can post photos of where and when I’m happy which no one else need ever see. It’s great for letting you be positive about stuff without having to worry about filters and other people’s judgement!
The “emotional barometer” – one of many features within the Positive app
But the best thing about Positive is that it gives us a way to talk about our emotions which de-stigmatizes the idea of having difficult or down moments in our lives, encouraging us to talk openly using the Positive language. It even feels more comfortable talking to their teachers about any problems, because you don’t have to go right into everything, you can just say where you are and go from there.
Of course, there are lots of other things we do as well. We have really great speakers, for example, who know how to talk to us and whom we can talk to in return. For example, last year we had a singer come during a PSHCE session to talk about online safety. This was a very enjoyable experience, as not only did we get to have a sing and dance as a year-group, but the visitor also gave us insightful advice based on his own experiences, which we were then able to apply to our own lives.
Sir Ian Mckellen came to the school to speak about Stonewall, the LGBT-rights charity which he helped to found in the 1980s
Of course, there are lots of other things we do as well. We have really great speakers, for example, who know how to talk to us and whom we can talk to in return. For example, last year we had a singer come during a PSHCE session to talk about online safety. This was a very enjoyable experience, as not only did we get to have a sing and dance as a year-group, but the visitor also gave us insightful advice based on his own experiences, which we were then able to apply to our own lives.
Another amazing experience was when Sir Ian McKellen came to the school to speak about Stonewall, the LGBT-rights charity which he helped to found in the 1980s. This was a memorable occasion for every girl in the school as not only was Gandalf visiting Oxford High, but his open and frank discussions about sexuality and coming out started conversations amongst students and made it easier to speak openly about sexuality. This event was then followed by PSHCE lessons led by our form tutors, where we had the time to talk in more detail about relationships and any other concerns or questions the event had raised. We cover many challenging pastoral issues like this during our PSHCE sessions and I can honestly say that we do it without feeling judged or afraid to be honest.
However, wellbeing isn’t just confined to the stuff we do in PSHCE lessons. It runs through everything we do at Oxford High. Sometimes it will crop up out of nowhere, like when your tutor brings some colouring to class and everyone just has a quiet tutor time doing that. Other times we’ll arrive at assembly and we’ll have a whole assembly on mindfulness and meditation. We also have specific events directed at different topics, such as how to deal with exam stress. Last year we had one on ‘Digital Detox’, which was great as spent a whole day thinking about our relationship to the digital world, asking ourselves whether it’s really positive and what exactly we get from it (as well as what those apps and devices hope to get from us). This was a real eye-opener and, though we’re not expected to live or work without our devices, it was really useful to get some distance from them.
Finally, in addition to mentoring and all the usual stuff that goes on with tutors, we also have Year Assemblies once a week. This provides Heads of Year with a chance to discuss specific topics of relevance to each year group. Going into Year 10 these have mainly focused on wellbeing and looking after yourself during the GCSE course. Our Head of Year is really good because she makes sure to share her worries as an adult as well, so we know we aren’t alone as teenagers in feeling this range of emotions!
