Conference Agenda

School Connectedness (SC) is regarded within both education and health research and policy as a factor through which health and learning outcomes can be influenced. The objective of the current study was to explore student understandings of connectedness to school.

This research was conducted in a secondary school in outer-metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Data collection involved a 109-item questionnaire administered to a sample of 206 students, 12 focus groups with 118 students, 10 focus groups with 71 staff, and 12 student journals.

Findings indicated that students understood their connectedness to school through the experiences of a dynamic and complex crosshatching of opportunities within the relational,learning and extracurricular spheres of school life.

In the wake of the disconnection that the pandemic generated, connecting and holding young people in a relational bond with their school has become both more urgent and more challenging. SC offers a mental health resource and a form of wellbeing capital in a site which most young people attend. It is hoped that the findings from this study can be used to frame effective risk reduction or protection enhancing interventions and energize and guide schools in addressing this key protective factor as a priority within their school improvement agendas.

This research study aimed to explore the relationship between family and school for a number of families whose young children were excluded from mainstream school due to social, emotional, and mental health difficulties and sent to an alternative provision. The mosaic approach, in-depth interviews, and multi-family therapy format sessions formed part of the creative methodology. Narrative inquiry was used to construct the narratives of the children and their families. The findings suggest that mainstream schools are ill-equipped to face the challenging task of working with children and families with complex needs and that the fragmentation of the system adds to the families’ struggles. Both the children and the parents felt disrespected and rejected by the school. All the children and their families longed for a different approach to education where compassion, kindness, and safety are embedded in its ethos. Additionally, the need for schools to adopt a trauma-informed therapeutic stance when working with families with complex needs was highlighted. Proposals for policy and practice included prioritisation of staff well-being, support, and training, the introduction of trauma-informed educational practice, and multi-family therapy for families with complex needs in all mainstream schools.

While research on mental health and wellbeing in education has increased globally, most of the attention has been focused on students, leaving teacher wellbeing comparatively understudied. This presentation will present the key findings of the qualitative interview study held with teachers. This research aimed to explore how primary school teachers define teacher wellbeing within the UK context. The research question was guided by the need to understand the various factors that influence teacher wellbeing in the UK, which can ultimately have an impact on their performance and retention in the profession. The study utilized semi-structured interviews with 8 primary school teachers from diverse backgrounds and teaching experiences. Data were analysed using Hybrid Thematic Analysis (HTA) within a contextualist framework. The preliminary findings revealed that teacher wellbeing is a multifaceted construct that includes elements such as work-life balance, which emerged as a significant factor. The study provides insights into how primary school teachers perceive and understand teacher wellbeing in the UK, which can inform future research and policy interventions aimed at improving teacher wellbeing and retention in the profession.