Awareness of wellbeing and mental health has continued to grow over the last few years and is frequently discussed within schools, through Government agendas and within the media. Initiatives such as Future in Mind (DoH, 2015) and Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: A Green Paper (DoH/DfE, 2017) influence and shape current discourses, practice and provision.
This study originated from increasing curiosity about how the discourses and current constructs of wellbeing and mental health were filtering down to young people. The aim of the qualitative research was to focus on young people’s use of language and constructs about feeling good, alongside an interest in their experiences of being immersed within a mainstream secondary school environment. Further reflections will be discussed in relation to the role of the Educational Psychologist to support children and young people’s wellbeing.
Four young people from a Secondary School within a Local Authority in the North of England participated in a focus group. Semi-structured questions of an open nature were asked to explore their views of what makes a good day at school. The focus group was transcribed and analysed using Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Draft themes were then discussed with the young people to check the initial interpretation.
Young people used a range of words and phrases to express their experiences of feeling good or not so good, however the terms ‘wellbeing’ or ‘mental health’ were not directly used by any of the young people within this small group.
Analysis of the data highlighted the significant role of relationships, including friendships, family, adults in school, and animals, a sense of achievement, keeping the balance, school experience and whole school environment. Interestingly, young people discussed their experiences across both home and school environments, highlighting the importance of the social model of wellbeing.
