How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the personal well-being of children in schools?

Wellbeing in schools was an important topic of the European Education Summit 2021. In a panel discussion, representatives of the European Commission discussed what wellbeing in schools actually means and agreed that it encompasses general wellbeing, school performance and achievement, as well as relationships with classmates, fellow pupils and teachers. Of course, the socio-economic background from which children come also plays an important role. A sign and consequence of a lack of well-being in schools is often bullying or absenteeism. They also said that Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Spain even regularly monitor children's personal well-being in schools through surveys.

Themis Christophidou (DG EAC, EC) presented the Education and Training Monitor 2021, which annually summarises the development of education policies at EU level and in Member States. This year's Monitor focused on wellbeing in schools and the impact of the pandemic on it. The pandemic has resulted in higher rates of anxiety, depression and greater isolation and loneliness among children. In addition, it has shown that inequalities among children have become even more pronounced. The pandemic has had the greatest impact on the mental wellbeing and wellbeing of disadvantaged children who have poorer socio-economic backgrounds. For them, for example, school is the only place where they can get a hot meal, which of course was not possible during distance learning.  

Moreover, distance online learning and connectivity issues, or even the total absence of computers in some families,  deepen even more the disparities between children while increasing their stress. Monitor 2020 looked specifically at the impact of distance learning on children's wellbeing and personal wellbeing during the pandemic. However, Bartek Lessaer (DG EAC, EC) pointed out that some children may respond positively to online learning - e.g. introverted children or those experiencing anxiety because the stress of interacting with classmates is removed, or children who are very skilled in technology and computers and may now excel in this area. Lessaer therefore stressed the need to do not have the preconception that online teaching automatically means a less popular form of learning. Not all children may feel that way.  

The monitor also shows that learning progress in basic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic) for young children was slow during the pandemic, see data from 2020. However, Christophidou underlined that it is too early to assess the impact of the pandemic on children's personal well-being. She also said that there is a need to provide sufficient support to both children and teachers, to reduce the disparities between children and to apply a more holistic approach in education. She also explained the impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing of children and young people was a raison why 2022 has been declared the European Year of Youth.  

Susanne Conze (DG EAC, EC) followed Christophidou and said that disadvantaged children have only achieved 85% of the expected progress in learning and that this needs to be addressed.

Programmes and measures to promote wellbeing in schools  

The personal well-being of children in schools was also a topic of a panel discussion on 'Teachers' and students' well-being'. The examples of good practice programmes focused on mental health, social and emotional learning, well-being and bullying prevention in schools were shared. These programmes and strategies aim to improve not only the personal well-being of children and teachers, but also the chances of children and young people to succeed in school and later life. Norma Foley (Minister for Education, Ireland) said that wellbeing is part of the national curriculum as an important prevention issue and is given specific time in the Irish education system. Ben Weyts (Ministry of Education, Flanders, Belgium) presented the AppWel mobile application currently used in Flemish schools, which is used to make surveys on the personal well-being of pupils several times a year. The data collected is then used both at school level and within individual classrooms. Another measure to promote wellbeing is the establishment of six mental health liaison offices in all student towns in Flanders.