Why whole-child development is essential for schools
Written by: Jenny Griffiths
6 min read
JENNY GRIFFITHS, RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGER, TEACH FIRST, UK
Background
In the wake of two years of disruption of learning due to the pandemic, there are increasing concerns about the wellbeing of children and young people beyond the narrative of the need for academic ‘catch-up’ (DfE, 2023). Reports of greater numbers of children performing below expected levels (Juniper Education, 2022) and fears that the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers is growing (Hunt et al., 2022), have been accompanied by growing numbers of children believed to be suffering from mental health disorders (Crenna-Jennings, 2021). In 2020, one in six children aged seven to 16 years was considered to have a probable mental disorder, with the rate increasing to one in four for 17- to 19-year-olds in 2022 (NHS Digital, 2022).
A growing body of work on whole-child development demonstrates the interconnection of physical, social and emotional, and cognitive wellb
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