The partnership’s support for student well-being
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Information about the school/provider
The Swansea University Schools’ Partnership comprises the University of Swansea, fourteen lead schools and fifty network schools situated in south and west Wales. In the university, the partnership is based in the Department of Education and Childhood Studies which sits within the School of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The partnership provides two programmes. The PGCE Secondary programme was accredited by the Education Workforce Council (EWC) in 2020 to offer nine subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, design and technology, English, mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, and Welsh. Following accreditation, the PGCE Primary programme began in 2022.
Both PGCE programmes are full-time, one-year courses. The primary programme and all subject routes on the secondary programme are offered with options to study through the medium of Welsh.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
The Swansea University Schools’ Partnership (SUSP) prioritised student and staff well-being when the secondary and primary PGCE programmes were introduced in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The SUSP’s moral purpose was to create a safe, inclusive, and supportive community as the partnership adjusted to a ‘new normal’ following the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant considering and embedding well-being into all aspects of programme design. For example, leaders built on the benefits of distance learning by planning online sessions during ‘Well-being Wednesdays’. This helped students to manage their study/homelife balance and eased their travel expenses.
Programme teams considered the practical implications of each programme component. A calendar of pre-programme, induction, in-course, and alumni events to support students’ well-being was co-constructed with school partners and other stakeholders. To ensure the well-being and community were prioritised, the start dates were set three weeks before the undergraduate programmes. This enabled PGCE students to settle into a quieter environment on campus, access parking more easily, benefit from specialist teaching spaces such as science laboratories, and familiarise themselves with the campus layout. Efforts were made to mitigate potential stress points, for example over the nature, timing, and number of assignments necessary to support a healthy work-life balance. Useful infographics were developed to summarise and share across the partnership key messages around maintaining personal well-being. Above all, a strong emphasis was placed on building positive relationships, knowing their importance in successful ITE programmes (Tabberer, 2013).
During school placements, partnership leaders sought to enhance these relationships through dialogue between student teachers and staff, reducing feelings of student isolation and maintaining a sense of community. Hence, a programme of ten Practice and Theory days was co-designed to ensure that peers, tutors, and school partners could come together in various educational settings to discuss specific themes, such as addressing inequalities and their impact on children’s well-being.
University leaders invested strategically in resources to support student teachers’ well-being. Two innovative observation classrooms were built, which have enabled primary students to observe experienced teachers and practise their own teaching in a safe and non-judgmental environment. As a result, students report increased self-confidence. Laboratories were also equipped for PGCE Secondary science specialists, a unique resource in Wales.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The partnership’s holistic approach to well-being (Figure 1) has had a positive impact, evident in students’ progress and outcomes. Since the start of the programmes, students have consistently rated university and school-based support for their well-being as strong.
Students’ social and emotional well-being has benefited from several innovations, in addition to conventional university-wide arrangements such as personal tutorials and access to specialist support services. Subject and phase specialists and a Welsh-medium Provision Coordinator were appointed to ensure that students’ academic well-being was fully supported. For example, the Welsh-medium Provision Coordinator leads Clwb Cymraeg sessions in which primary students socialise informally by making pancakes or playing cards over lunch. Students’ mental health is supported through a range of practices, including mindfulness and open conversations around managing workload through the judicious use of artificial intelligence to aid lesson planning. Students also report reduced stress levels from engaging in sessions featuring well-being dogs, a national innovation in the sector.
Among the effective practices to support students’ academic well-being is the provision of formative feedback on their research projects. Secondary students receive constructive comments from tutors, peers, and school partners during network school presentations. Children and teachers are among those who offer feedback to help primary students improve their research posters. A sector-wide innovation is the opportunity for primary students to revise their final portfolio assignment, based on indicative grades, before final submission. This has significantly increased their engagement with feedback and resulted in a high proportion of merit and distinction awards in the final assignment marks. Students’ own research interests in well-being have had a positive impact in school, for example by informing health and fitness policies and evaluating specific programmes.
Students value the placement arrangements that consider their needs and reduce natural anxiety, such as introductory meetings with mentors ahead of school visits. During placements, various measures are used to monitor students’ well-being through regular communication, including weekly online drop-in sessions, mentor meetings and bulletins that ensure core messages are shared with all. When needed, intervention plans provide personalised support.
The overall impact of the partnership’s support for well-being is reflected in student and mentor feedback, and the university-wide teaching awards for the primary team in 2023 and the secondary team in 2024.
How have you shared your good practice?
The effective practices in supporting student teachers’ well-being are shared across and beyond the university on a regular basis. Monthly meetings are held in which primary and secondary teams exchange ideas in areas such as the design of well-being surveys. Where appropriate, practices are also shared in departmental, faculty and university-wide meetings. For example, primary and secondary colleagues have presented at the annual Swansea Academy for Learning and Teaching conference on various approaches to support students’ well-being.
The department’s annual Centre for Research into Practice conference enables school partners, local consortia, the Welsh Government, Estyn, and others to learn about relevant research in well-being, one of the Centre’s core themes. Practice and Theory days provide opportunities for university and school partners to work alongside external experts to share their insights into aspects of well-being, such as promoting anti-racist actions to build stronger communities.
References
Tabberer, R. (2013). A Review of Initial Teacher Training in Wales