Focus On Student Wellbeing To Navigate The Impact Of COVID-19

Oxford University Press has called on schools and learning institutions to integrate student’s well-being into all disciplines as learners navigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes as Oxford University Press (OUP) gears up to launch the first Oxford International Curriculum that integrates a wellbeing strand. The new curriculum targets students in Early Years, Primary, and Lower Secondary covering subjects such as English, Maths, Science, Computing, Wellbeing, and Global Skills Projects with the aim to place joy at the heart of learning.

“Children cannot learn if they do not feel safe, are unhappy, or their basic wellbeing has been neglected. For this reason, schools need to have wellbeing woven throughout their fabric, at the heart of what they do, because it is at the heart of education,” says Willem Kukyen, Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science, University of Oxford.

The Oxford International Curriculum for Wellbeing has been designed to take an evidence-informed approach to develop pupil and teacher wellbeing, so children enjoy school and learn to take good care of themselves and each other and fulfill their potential.

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It is expected that the focus on Global Skills and Well-being in the new curriculum will equip students with the skills they need to thrive both now and in the future.  The two will be offered as standalone subjects, as well as being interwoven into the core subjects. Areas covered through the program include taking care of the body and the mind, encouraging positive relationships, and finding meaning, as well as fostering creative, interpersonal, and self-development skills.

Meanwhile, speaking during a recent panel discussion on promoting student wellbeing, global educationalists including Nicholas Wergan -Global Education Director at Inspired, Beth Kerr -Wellbeing Director at Cognita Schools Group, and Sara Anderson -TJA fellow at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) opined that “The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a ‘reprioritization of values and perspective’.  Employers and society will value emotional resilience and self-control for wellbeing as a soft skill that schools have never had a greater mandate to really build.” They added, “Identifying the contributing factors to wellbeing and the factors which threaten it, such as sleep deprivation, is a great place to start the debate about the role of education and wellbeing in education in the curriculum”.

The Oxford International Curriculum will be available for use in the classroom in the academic year 2021/2022.