Assessing and building wellbeing

A sense of belonging and wellbeing at school influences educational and health outcomes. Here we widen the traditional focus of Assessment News to focus on the use of student wellbeing data in schools. We discuss the Wellbeing@ School (W@S) toolkit that is freely available to support schools to self-review as they examine and monitor student wellbeing (including measures of bullying) from the perspectives of teachers and students. Key findings from national-level W@S data, plus other New Zealand and international studies, suggest areas that might be important for schools to focus on. We encourage schools to plan for a continuous improvement process that aims to build a stronger schoolwide climate and infrastructure around students.