Wellbeing in Academically High-Achieving Schools

Supporting emotional wellbeing in high-pressure environments.

Many children and young people feel under pressure to achieve at school. That pressure may come from their parents and carers, other family members’ expectations, or their own personal ambitions.

Students in academically high-achieving schools may find it particularly challenging when there is an expectation that they will achieve academic success. Whether the pressure is from internal or external sources, it can sometimes take its toll on students’ mental wellbeing, and lead to distressed, anxious behaviours.

So, what can we do to protect and enhance their mental wellbeing?

What do we mean by ‘academically high-achieving’ schools?

Typically, when we think of academically high-achieving schools, we might think of independent fee-paying schools. In some ways, parents could be considered customers.

This transactional model can then create high expectations – for staff, as well as for the child or young person – around academic outcomes and performance. Parents may feel that, due to the financial commitment they are making, they are entitled to expect exceptional results.

However, this phrase is not exclusive to fee-paying schools. With league tables comparing academic achievement and the pressure to showcase high exam results to prospective parents, any school can feel pressured where there is a weight of responsibility on the staff to ensure that students achieve to a high level academically. This pressure is sometimes projected onto the students themselves, resulting in deep-rooted feelings of stress and anxiety, often driven by the fear letting their parents or teachers down.

The impact of high pressure on students’ mental wellbeing

Some students cope well with high demands and may thrive when exposed to pressure. Others, however, can find it incredibly hard to manage. For these children and young people, pressured school environments, with their intense academic demands, can make it feel difficult for them to balance onerous workloads with personal wellbeing. This is often exacerbated by the expectation to partake in multiple extra-curricular activities after a long day at school.

The pressure to perform and achieve, meet parental, staff and personal expectations, and secure future opportunities can, unsurprisingly, have an adverse impact on children and young people’s wellbeing, affecting them mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Students may experience feelings of low self-worth and inadequacy, have trouble sleeping or eating, and may engage in distressed behaviour. They may drop out of creative and sporting activities they enjoy, and, as a result, experience increased social isolation and withdrawal from friendship groups. In the most severe instances, students may also consider self-harming as a way to relieve stress.

Supporting students’ mental wellbeing in schools

With so much at stake, then, we need to do everything in our power to support the mental wellbeing of these students, to ensure that they do not become overwhelmed, and so that they can thrive and enjoy school life. So what might that look like in practice?

1: Build strong relationships

When we know our students well, we know what their baseline behaviour looks like; in other words, we know what is ‘typical’ for them. This understanding enables us to respond quickly when things are not going well and intervene early.

Let’s consider the example of a student who is usually involved in team sports and is outgoing, sociable, and gregarious. If we notice that they are no longer attending sports practice, and are becoming more withdrawn, we can take prompt action to check in with them, to make sure they are ok.

Strong relationships are at the heart of a positive, supportive environment, and students need to feel they can trust us and rely on us when they need us most.

2: Adopt an open-door policy

Open-door policies are not just for staff; they can benefit students, too. If children and young people know that we are accessible and available to them – both emotionally and physically – they may be more likely to share their concerns or worries.

We might consider literally having our doors open, so that students can drop in whenever they need us; however, if this is not practical, possible, or preferable, we can instead set out some simple parameters, letting students know how and when they can contact us or pastoral support staff. This could be in person, online, or via a secure messaging app (adhering to the school’s safeguarding and communication policies), to best suit the individual student’s needs.

Of course, an open-door policy can only be successful in the wider context of effective student support, where there are robust teacher/student relationships built on mutual trust and respect. If children and young people do not believe they will be taken seriously or listened to, then they are unlikely to engage with an open-door policy.

3: Be aware of our own behaviour and mental wellbeing

We can sometimes inadvertently project our own worries and frustrations onto the children and young people in our care. This is understandable, as we ourselves are often under enormous pressure to secure good grades for the school and meet parents’ and carers’ high expectations.

By being self-aware and carefully considering the impact of our words and actions, we can create a safe, supportive environment for the students in our school. If we are feeling stressed, overwhelmed or frustrated, there is a very good chance that they will mirror this back to us.

Instead, we can communicate calmly, thinking about our verbal and non-verbal communication. What kind of words and language are we using? What does our tone of voice convey? How and where are we standing? What is our facial expression communicating?

4: Practise self-care and emotional regulation

We all find it easier to cope with pressure when we are able to self-regulate effectively. Understanding our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and being able to calm ourselves down when we feel overwhelmed can be a good way to protect our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

As professionals, we can co-regulate with students using a range of strategies and support them with regulation until they are able to do this for themselves. We can build Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into the curriculum and ensure that each and every student is equipped with the tools they need to build resilience, advocate for themselves, and become emotionally literate.

Self-care is also something that we need to prioritise, so we can be in the best position to support the children and young people in our schools. Establishing healthy boundaries and taking care of our own wellbeing sets the tone for our students and highlights the importance of looking after ourselves.

5: Engage positively with families

Forging strong partnerships with families helps us to build a shared understanding between home and school, so a clear family engagement strategy is vital.

When we engage in open, two-way dialogue with parents and carers, we create space for valuable conversations to take place; conversations where both parties can ask questions, offer suggestions, seek clarity, and share any worries or concerns.

Sometimes, parents and carers do not realise that they are exerting any pressure on their child; instead, they may simply be feeling anxious themselves, so our reassurance and support are vital. All behaviour is communication, after all, so we need to extend that understanding to families too.

A multi-faceted approach to mental wellbeing

Schools should be safe, supportive places where all children and young people can learn, develop, and thrive. But for some students, pressure can detrimentally affect their wellbeing.

While we may not be able to remove all sources of pressure, we do have a responsibility to minimise the stress experienced by students. We can do this through keeping channels of communication open with students and families, building strong relationships, promoting self-care and self-regulation, and ensuring that we intervene early when we have concerns about a student’s wellbeing.

By taking a multi-faceted approach to student support, we can help to create safe, positive, and supportive environments where all can thrive.