Academic Resilience Toolkit

The development of an online Academic Resilience Toolkit is a national project supported by BOND (Better Outcomes New Delivery). BOND is a consortium of organisations funded by the Department for Education and led by YoungMinds, to improve early intervention mental health support and services in schools. The project is led by consortium member Lisa Williams Consulting in partnership with Professor Angie Hart and colleagues from the University of Brighton, ‘BoingBoing’ social enterprise and Young Minds.

Context

Academic resilience means students achieving good educational outcomes despite adversity. For schools, promoting it involves strategic planning and detailed practice involving the whole school community to help vulnerable young people do better than their circumstances might have predicted.

• Poor home life• Poverty• Domestic Violence• Young Carers• Victims of bullying• Refugee and asylum children• Special or complex needs

• Evidence base• Classroom exercises• Ofsted guidance• Working with parents guide• Audit Tool• Guidance on implement approach across whole

school• Guide to buying in services

Have we got the right skills and knowledge? How do we decide?

How do we recognise a ‘good service’?

Are we doing more harm than good?

• Promote resilience and emotional wellbeing• Prevent (many) problems from escalating to the

point where they require specialist intervention• Intervene early – in the life of the child and/or the

emergence of a problem• Make a positive difference to the lives of children• Be aware of severity and persistence – how big an

impact on daily functioning and for how long?

• Do it all on their own • Be effective unless the emotional wellbeing of the

whole school community (parents, students and staff) is seen as part of the ‘core business’

• Undo all the bad things in children’s lives• Provide instant solutions or quick fixes to

entrenched problems

It is now well evidenced that early intervention in emotional difficulties improves outcomes for children, families and wider society including • increased learning and educational attainment,• improved behaviour and attendance at school, • better physical health• improved long term mental health.

Resilience is highly correlated with academic achievement and educational success (Werner and Smith 1992).

Research identifies protective factors that buffer risk – all of which can be provided in or through school, such as caring relationships, positive and high expectations, and opportunities to participate and contribute (Benard,1991).

Studies suggest that children from high risk backgrounds who form attachments with a confiding adult outside their immediate family are more resilient to the effects of family adversity. Fergusson and Horwood (2003 ).

How can your school community ‘step up’ what it does for vulnerable pupils through promoting resilience?

How would you audit this?

GETTING IN TOUCHWebsite: www.youngminds.org.uk/bondEmail: bond@youngminds.org.ukTelephone: 020 7089 5050