Best Schools - School turns to the teachings of Aristotle in an attempt to boost pupil wellbeing

With concern about young people’s mental health on the rise, teachers are introducing bursts of meditation, mindfulness and yoga sessions during class time.

But one school has turned to the teachings of Aristotle in an attempt to boost pupil wellbeing. Colfe's School in Greenwich, south London, has introduced a course in “Eudaimonia”, usually translated as human flourishing or happiness.

The course, which is taught during PSHE lessons, explores the importance of “virtuous behaviour” and examines how the “good life” can be achieved.

Pupils learn about various topics – including mindfulness, spirituality, sex and relationships – through the lens of the Ancient Greek philosopher.

The Eudaimonia lessons are spread throughout all ages, with pupils in Year 7 getting one lesson per fortnight, Year 8 and 9 have two full days over the year, rising to a lesson a week for pupils in Years 10 and 11.

'Exams are becoming increasingly irrelevant' argues the director of innovation and learning at the Girls’ Day School Trust.

Those who are stepping up to defend exam stress forget one crucial thing: exams are increasingly becoming irrelevant says Kevin Stannard.

“Who is to blame for exam stress? Education’s top brass have weighed in with pronouncements as unsubstantiated as they are categorical.

The current argument is (narrowly) over whether the recent reforms have increased stress and (more broadly) about whether exam stress is a cause or a consequence of deeper-rooted trends in mental health among teenagers.

On the whole, pupils navigate the exam system and bounce back, but testing takes a toll. The student survey conducted by the Girls’ Day School Trust in 2016showed that, in the GCSE tunnel, they tend to narrow their sights, judging teaching by the ability to deliver good notes and teach to the test. Before and after that phase, judgements about what makes good teaching focus more expansively on the ability to inspire, communicate and build on broader learning aims. GCSE reforms merely made the tunnel longer and narrower. The test of the A-level reforms is whether they have dampened students’ ability to emerge from the tunnel or behave as if they are still constrained within it.

Asserting that exams are not the fundamental cause of growing concerns about mental health and wellbeing does not let testing off the hook. It’s not a simple case of cause and consequence. Exam stress both reflects and reinforces the broader picture of pressure on teenagers in an ever-more-challenging world.”