VIEWS & OPINION
Listening to young people is the first step towards improving their wellbeing Comment by KATE DALZELL, Head of Evidence-Led Improvement at Anna Freud
Anna Freud is a mental health charity for children and young people. In our 2024 manifesto, Thinking differently, we emphasise the need to leverage the power of science and data to better support children and young people’s wellbeing.
Schools are ideally placed to ask young people about their wellbeing. When schools measure wellbeing, they gain insights into the key issues for their students and can make evidence- informed decisions about how to help.
Anna Freud’s free Wellbeing Measurement for Schools modular resources can support schools to design their own surveys to understand the strengths and needs of their students. Getting the most from data
Developed in response to growing concerns about the wellbeing of young people in the UK, #BeeWell is a youth-centred programme that gathers the thoughts and feelings of young people each year and, to date, has been completed by more than 85,000 young people in nearly 300 schools. The programme is a collaboration between The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation, and Anna Freud. Schools taking part in #BeeWell receive bespoke feedback and support to interpret and act on their results.
#BeeWell currently operates in Greater Manchester and Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, and examples from the programme illustrate how schools that systematically enquire into students’ wellbeing have implemented changes to improve wellbeing. Relationships and support in the school setting Survey responses have prompted schools to address students’ sense of belonging and being supported at school. Steps to develop a sense of
community have included creating student charters and implementing peer-to-peer support schemes. Great Oaks, in Southampton, hopes the introduction of a buddy bench will help to tackle loneliness. Survey results revealed that while school-based support may be available, students are not always aware of the support on offer or how to access it. In response, schools have created boards displaying key staff members, so students know who to go to if they need someone to talk to. At New Forest Academy in Hampshire, the Inclusion Manager, SENCO and Mental Health Lead are visiting all tutor groups so students have a better understanding of who they can approach for help. Discrimination
After receiving their #BeeWell survey results, some schools identified addressing discrimination as a priority area.
Experiencing discrimination can have a serious impact on young people’s wellbeing and anti-racist policies and practices, for example, are vital to supporting young people in schools.
One Greater Manchester school arranged meetings with students to discuss the findings on racial discrimination. This provided better understanding around students’ experiences of discrimination, which were happening outside the school. Healthy behaviours
The #BeeWell survey showed that just under half of students weren’t getting enough sleep to feel awake and concentrate on schoolwork during the day, and over half were not meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of at least an hour of physical activity a day. In response, some schools have broadened the range of physical activity on offer and encouraged students to be physically active through walking initiatives and gym access.
Others have enlisted the support of school nurses to reinforce key messages around sleep. In Southampton, Bitterne Park School plans to host a student-led in
Are we failing students if we don’t equip them with work-ready AI skills? Comment by DR JAMES KUHT, CEO & Co-Founder at Inversity
The breakthrough of generative artificial intelligence (AI), spearheaded by the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, has brought AI and machine learning (ML) into the mainstream in society and business. Yet, the role of AI in education remains up for debate. While 82% of teachers agree that students should be taught how to engage critically with generative AI tools, many lack the time and knowledge to effectively deliver such teaching. In this article I will outline why educators must equip young people with AI skills before they leave education, and how they can do so. The case for teaching students AI skills
There is significant untapped potential in the UK’s workforce, with AI skills lacking across the board. While two-thirds of employees are yet to receive AI training, those who have mastered these tools are already experiencing remarkable gains in productivity and efficiency. Indeed, studies show that those who use generative AI at work are 25% faster at completing tasks with a 40% increase in quality. People are being left behind - but this isn’t an issue of access to the technology as the latest models all have significant free trials available to anyone with an internet connection, it’s due to a lack of training. Young people entering the workforce for the first time therefore find themselves in an unusual position. Generative AI is accelerating at lightning speed, but they’re not being trained how to use it.
As such, there is a real case to be made for AI upskilling in schools. Today’s young people have an incredible opportunity to lead the AI charge, developing AI literacy skills that will give them a competitive edge in their future careers. By building these capabilities early, they’ll be uniquely positioned to lead technological innovation in tomorrow’s workforce. Integrating AI training into the curriculum
The key to successfully integrating AI into the classroom lies in empowering November 2024
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teachers to experiment confidently with these tools in an age-appropriate manner. A Key Stage 3 teacher may introduce students to the role of AI in society and some of the core ethical debates, whereas a Key Stage 5 teacher can go further, teaching students how to apply AI to helping them write, research and generate ideas, images or even code. Teachers know their students; it’s about providing them with the appropriate resources and training to use AI effectively in their lessons.
Equally important is remembering that the fundamentals of human learning remain unchanged. Educators should build on well-understood learning theory when deciding where to integrate AI tools into their teaching - AI should not replace traditional forms of learning, but rather enhance them. Ultimately, AI should not be seen as an additional burden to teachers, but rather as a new tool to enhance students’ development and growth. Augmenting students’ human potential with AI It is essential that students understand that AI does not serve to replace human creativity, curiosity or interpersonal connection. Rather, AI is a tool to help them with problem solving and learning. For example, teachers could set students a challenge that would previously have been far outside of their reach: build a prototype app that improves young people’s engagement with the news in 30 minutes. With the appropriate training, they could use a generative AI chatbot to research current trends, use AI to help them write the code, and even create designs and marketing copy to advertise their app. By teaching students about AI from a young age, they’ll naturally develop the technical skills to thrive in a world where human creativity and AI work hand in hand. Teachers should consider integrating AI into existing lesson plans, tailoring these to the skill level and age of their students. By embracing AI today, we can empower the next generation to become the confident digital innovators that the UK needs to succeed on a global scale.
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