Understanding the Role of Wellbeing in Education

Schools say they care about wellbeing. And they probably do, at least in theory. You’ll see it mentioned on their websites, in their newsletters, and in speeches to parents. 

But when you look a bit closer, what’s actually happening in the building every day is often a different story. 

Wellbeing mostly gets talked about, but not really done. Or it gets squeezed into a box it doesn’t fit in. A short workshop here. Or a mindfulness poster there. Maybe a “wellbeing hour” once a term if there’s time (there usually isn’t). 

And it’s not because no one cares.

It’s because the educational system isn’t built to make space for it. And when something doesn’t have real space, it slowly disappears from everyday decisions. And then, one day, you start seeing the subtle signs of neglecting wellbeing. 

• Students who go quiet, and no one checks in with them. 
• Teachers who looks exhausted, and everyone just assumes they’ll manage (because they have to). 
• Moments where someone should have paused, but didn’t, because they just have to get things done.

And all of a sudden, the signs are not so subtle anymore when people start giving up. A 2022 Gallup poll reported that 44% of K–12 teachers in the U.S. felt burned out “very often” or “always,”. 

If you ask me, that’s not a subtle sign. It’s a pretty loud cry for help. 

So it’s not about good intentions anymore. It’s about what people actually feel. Whether our teachers feel safe and seen at school. Whether students feel like someone has time for them. That’s where wellbeing lives, or disappears.

Let’s take a look at what schools start to lose when they are neglecting wellbeing.

 

What Happens When Wellbeing Is Neglected?

Wellbeing doesn’t disappear all at once. It just keeps getting pushed behind other things like grades, schedules, staff shortages, and budgets. And if we’re honest, yes, these are all important.  But when there’s always something more urgent, wellbeing slowly stops showing up in daily decisions.

The result?

Wellbeing might still be mentioned, but it’s no longer felt. Not in the classroom, not in the staffroom, and definitely not in how people interact when things get stressful.

When it’s not a priority, it shows up like this:

• A flat atmosphere where students check out emotionally
• Teachers going quiet, not because they’re fine, but because they’re tired of saying they’re not when nothing changes
• Absenteeism is slowly rising without anyone asking why
• More behaviour issues, less patience, more blame

And yes, science backs this up. According to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard, chronic stress affects children’s brain architecture and weakens functions like attention, emotional control, and memory, all of which are essential for learning. 

And schools with poor wellbeing climates also tend to see higher staff turnover and lower engagement across the board.

But, sadly, most school leaders don’t connect the dots until something breaks.Until someone leaves. Until a class falls apart. Until people admit they don’t have anything left to give. And when that happens, the impact isn’t just personal. It’s school-wide.

 

Neglecting Wellbeing: The Emotional Cost 

Burnout, Stress, and Disconnection

When wellbeing is non-existent, the emotional toll isn’t always loud or dramatic. It’s subtle. It builds slowly. And it shows up in ways that are easy to miss, until they’re everywhere.

For Teachers:

• Burnout becomes the baseline. Chronic stress leads to emotional exhaustion, making it harder for teachers to engage, innovate, or even care.
  
• Reactive discipline increases. Without adequate support, teachers may resort to stricter, less empathetic classroom management, affecting student relationships.
  
• Emotional withdrawal. Teachers may start avoiding collaboration, skip informal check-ins, or stop sharing concerns, leading to isolation.
  

 

For Students:

• Mirroring adult stress. Students often absorb the emotional states of their teachers. When educators are stressed, students’ anxiety levels can rise, impacting their ability to learn.
  
• Loss of connection. Students may stop seeking feedback, avoid participation, or disengage from group activities, not out of defiance, but due to emotional fatigue.
  
• Social withdrawal. Signs include lack of eye contact, minimal participation, and reluctance to engage, often misinterpreted as disobedience rather than distress.

The Ripple Effect:

A study from the University of British Columbia found that teacher burnout can directly influence student stress levels, indicating that stress can be “contagious” within the classroom environment. Moreover, more than 1 in 10 children aged between 10 and 15 say they have no one to talk to or wouldn’t talk to anyone in school if they feel worried or sad. 

These patterns show what happens when belonging disappears. Which is usually the first thing to go when wellbeing is neglected, and the hardest to rebuild. 

 

Neglecting Wellbeing: The Institutional Risks 

Reputation, Results, and Retention

There’s still this myth that wellbeing has nothing to do with real outcomes. That it’s extra. Optional. Something to work on when there’s time. But when wellbeing is ignored, the cracks hit the foundation.

Teachers leave. Fast.

And they’re not just switching schools. Many of them are walking away from the profession. Over 30% of K–12 teachers say they’re considering leaving, with stress and emotional strain topping the list. And losing great educators doesn’t just hurt our staffing. It breaks continuity, relationships, and trust with our students.

Students disengage.

When students don’t feel safe or supported, they check out, and the impact is measurable. And it’s not laziness. It’s emotional withdrawal, something we explored in more detail in our blog on teacher wellbeing, because when adults are stretched thin, students feel it too.

Reputation follows.

In private or international schools, word spreads quickly. Parents talk. Students post. A pattern of staff churn, low morale, or unresolved incidents can damage perception faster than any curriculum can fix.

And yes, neglecting wellbeing also affects funding.

Lower morale → fewer enrolments → less budget for support → and the cycle deepens.

When wellbeing is treated like an afterthought, the consequences don’t just show up in feelings. They show up in numbers, in broken trust, in decisions made out of fear or fatigue. 

And while it might take a while for the damage to show, once it does, it’s expensive. To fix, to recover from, and to explain to the people who counted on you to care.

So the question isn’t whether schools can afford to prioritise wellbeing. It’s whether or not they can afford NOT to prioritise it. 

How to Reverse the Trend

1. Move from one-off events to everyday habits

Isolated wellbeing events like mental health days, guest speakers, or workshops often feel good but rarely last. The trick? Embed wellbeing into the school’s daily rhythm.

• Try emotional check-ins every week during tutor time
• Build reflection moments into the timetable
• Use predictable routines to lower stress for students and teachers

2. Build systems, not slogans

Wellbeing needs structure. That means:

• Dedicated wellbeing staff roles with real authority
• Ongoing staff training that goes beyond ticking boxes
• Regular reflection sessions where staff discuss wellbeing openly

Leaders must model wellbeing behaviours themselves, not just delegate responsibility to others. 

Also, it helps to review policies, disciplinary rules, performance reviews, even scheduling, to make sure they don’t contradict wellbeing goals.

3. Shared Responsibility for staff & students

Change starts with people who care.

• Create teacher-led wellbeing committees or student groups
• Meet regularly to influence decisions and share ideas
• Encourage participation across roles, not just from leadership

This spreads responsibility and builds community.

4. Make wellbeing visible and measurable

You can’t improve what you don’t track.

• Monitor staff absence, student engagement, and wellbeing survey results
• Most importantly, act on this feedback, close the loop with follow-ups
• Use frameworks or tools like WHO’s Health Promoting Schools, CASEL, or Spark 360 to guide measurement

5. Start with staff wellbeing

Teacher wellbeing isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation for everything else.

• Protect staff from last-minute schedule changes
• Give teachers regular, protected time without teaching duties
• Create quiet spaces and clear communication channels
• Listen and respond to staff needs sincerely

Because when our teachers feel supported, the whole school benefits.

6. Start small and stay consistent

Big changes can be overwhelming. Start with easy wins:

• 10-minute weekly wellbeing check-ins
• Peer mentoring or buddy systems
• Dedicated quiet zones for breaks
• Simple recognition of kindness or effort

Consistency beats complexity. Keep it steady and build trust over time.

7. Frame wellbeing as a strategic investment

Wellbeing drives performance, and not the other way around.

• Report wellbeing data alongside academic results
• Show that wellbeing is part of your school’s identity and long-term success, not a side project

This mindset shift and small steps like these help wellbeing become an integral part of everything the school does. 

What Schools Gain When They Prioritise Wellbeing

When schools make wellbeing a real priority, it changes how everything works.

• Students handle challenges better – They learn skills like managing their emotions and adapting to new situations. Things they’ll need long after school.
• Teachers feel supported and stick around longer – Less burnout means teachers have more energy for their work and are less likely to quit.
• Connections between people get stronger – Wellbeing helps build trust and respect between students and staff, making the school a better place to be.
• Students do better in class – When stress is lower and students feel involved, attendance and grades improve.
• Parents and the community notice – Schools known for looking after wellbeing attract more families and gain trust.

So no, focusing on wellbeing isn’t about adding another thing to the to-do list. It’s much more than that. It’s about creating the conditions that help a school run smoothly and improve over time.

Conclusion: Wellbeing That Works. Without the Overwhelm

To reiterate, neglecting wellbeing doesn’t usually show up as a single big problem. It’s slow things like stress becoming the norm, performance that drops bit by bit, and the culture that quietly shifts with us barely noticing. But when you add those changes up, the cost starts to feel real.

The good news? Fixing this doesn’t mean launching dozens of new programs overnight. What most schools really need is simple, structured support. Small changes that fit into daily life without adding more pressure.

And that’s exactly why we exist. We help schools bring wellbeing into their routine in a way that’s easy to manage and meaningful to teachers and students. For us, it’s not about adding more work onto your staff’s plate. It’s about giving you smarter tools that make the work you’re already doing better and easier to complete.

Teachers can get free access to Spark anytime, no strings attached. Our show of support to those who carelessly give, all the time. 

👉Contact us to gain your free access. 

Or, if you’re not a teacher but you’re curious about how it can help your school, you can also reach out on the link above. We’re here to offer support and solutions, with things we’ve seen work. 

Because real change doesn’t come from big leaps. It starts small, with steady steps, and the goal of building a culture where wellbeing is not an extra, but just part of how things get done.

 

FAQs Neglecting Wellbeing: What Schools Risk Losing

1. What are the early warning signs that a school’s wellbeing is being neglected?

It’s often subtle at first, students withdrawing quietly, teachers looking tired but pushing through, rising absenteeism, or more classroom disruptions. These signs can easily be missed or misunderstood until they build up and affect the whole school culture.

2. How does neglecting wellbeing affect teachers and students?

For teachers, it often leads to burnout, emotional exhaustion, and withdrawal from collaboration. For students, it causes anxiety, disengagement, and social withdrawal. Both groups influence each other. Stressed teachers can increase student anxiety, and disengaged students make teaching harder.

3. Why do schools often fail to notice the impact of poor wellbeing until it’s too late?

Because neglect doesn’t look like failure at first. It looks like stress becoming normal, small issues getting ignored, or ‘just coping.’ Only when performance drops or staff leave does it become clear wellbeing was the missing piece all along.

4. What practical steps can schools take to make wellbeing a priority without overloading staff?

Start small and embed wellbeing into daily routines: regular emotional check-ins, protected teacher time, predictable schedules, and involving both staff and students in wellbeing decisions. It’s about steady, consistent habits, not one-off initiatives.

5. How does prioritising wellbeing benefit school performance and reputation?

Better wellbeing means stronger student engagement, lower teacher turnover, and healthier relationships, all of which improve learning outcomes. Besides, parents and communities also notice when a school genuinely supports wellbeing, leading to higher trust and enrolment.