In the midst of the depressing news of left, right and centre cuts across the public sector, many are now wondering where they will find support. Over the last few years it has been generally agreed that improving resilience and wellbeing in young people now will save the country money down the line, help children engage in learning, grow in confidence and be, well, happy.
The wellbeing of teachers is also paramount - stressed out, fatigued teachers need more time off sick and are unlikely to have the energy needed to inspire and support the children they teach. Therefore no matter what the government decide should be included in the national curriculum or mandatory in all our schools, surely there's a case for continuing to keep the SEAL agenda alive, and continue to ensure children and practitioners are as mentally strong and healthy as they can be.
Continuum author Jane Anderson now has her own blog at http://www.radiowellbeing.org/where you can find information and news on student and teacher wellbeing. Jane will be speaking at the Building Better Schools conference for the British Council for School Environments on 9-10 November 2010 in Manchester.
Melanie Wilson
Commissioning Editor (Professional Education)
