It is important to map how children and young people are doing at school for several reasons:
- To identify problems: By mapping how children and young people are doing at school, you can identify problems and challenges that can affect their health, well-being and academic success. It can be about everything from a lack of resources and support to bullying and discrimination.
- To develop the learning environment: By having an idea of what the students' school experience looks like, one can adapt the learning environment to better support their development and success. This may include improving teacher training, providing resources such as technology and libraries, and developing school policies and strategies.
- To create a safe and inclusive school environment: By mapping how the students' experience of school looks like, you can work to create a safe and inclusive school environment. It can include working to reduce bullying and discrimination, promoting students' social and emotional health, and creating a culture where students feel safe to express their opinions and ideas.
- To promote equality: By mapping how children and young people are doing at school, you can also work to promote equality. It may include identifying and addressing disparities in access to resources, education and support between different groups of learners.
Learning and health are closely linked and mutually influence each other. Good health is a prerequisite for learning and success at school, and on the other hand, a positive school environment can contribute to students' health and well-being.
It is therefore important that everyone who works in the school – from teachers and school leaders to support staff and school health care – cooperates and collaborates to create a good environment for development and learning. This means taking into account students' individual needs and strengths, promoting a positive social and emotional environment, and offering support and resources to meet students' needs.
By cooperating and working together, you can create a school where students enjoy themselves and feel motivated to learn and develop. It can lead to increased performance and better health for students and thus a positive spiral of increased learning and better health.
In conclusion, it is important to map how children and young people feel at school in order to improve their school experience, promote their health and well-being, create a safe and inclusive school environment and promote equality. The Ommej app is a perfectly adequate alternative to many schools' safety survey, but can also be used with advantage as a nice supplement before individual health talks.
Below are some of the questions that more directly concern "how the teaching and the learning environment affect the students' well-being".
Statements often begin with a salutatory statement such as "I enjoy being at school" if the student answers in the negative, follow-up questions such as "I don't enjoy school because of..." with multiple answer options, finally when the student has said that something affects him, the question about frequency (below frequency) ie. how often this happens, the frequency questions can be for example one several times a month, sometime every week, several times a week, every day. Then follows the question " This worries me, I want help with, don't worry ” where the student can answer that they both worry and want help (below concern/help).
The student's perceived physical and mental well-being
- worried or concerned
- nervous and depressed
- thoughts of ending one's own life
- stressed or pressured
- Happy
- guilt or shame
- sleep
- food
- stomach ache, head
- stamina in school
- energy after school
Own behavior at school
- satisfied with my performance
- cope with school
- bullies others
- is bullied
- feeling misunderstood and at school
- keep problems to myself
- that I know what I have to do at school
- I achieve my goals in school
- can concentrate on the lessons
- I take responsibility for my schooling and homework
- I dare to speak up when I am not keeping up with the lessons
- I am being treated unfairly
- Sometimes I fantasize about hurting or punishing someone
- understand what I have to do
- not feeling satisfied with my performance at school
- know what I have to do at school
- being bullied or offended
- bullies others
- concentrate
- cope with school
Experience of the school environment
- involved
- safe
- seen
- school is hard
- confident in the breaks
- afraid
- enjoy
- misunderstood
- have someone to be with during breaks at school
- lacking help
- likes school
- have friends at school
- enjoy school and in my class
- safe during breaks at school
- have energy left after school to do other things
Relationships with adults and other students
- there are adults at school or in my free time that I can talk to if I feel bad
- there are adults at school or in my free time who are not kind to me
- adults at school see me and how I feel
- adults at school help me if I need help and if not I don't get help with friends, pass the lessons.
- adults who are not kind to me bully, abuse me, don't like the way I am, don't like the way I look, ignore me, take advantage of me.
- the adults who bully or offend me freeze me out, tease me. Says or writes shitty things, spreads rumours, ridicules me
- the adults who take advantage of me force me to do things I don't want, force me to do criminal acts, force me to do sexual acts
- he/she teases, bullies or offends me
- it or these threaten me
- it or these help me sort things out
- this or these talk to me when I'm sad
- the one or these see when I'm sad
- this or these are arguing with me
- it or these help me when I need help
- this or these help me with my homework
- is there anyone who does sexual things with me an alternative is school and classmates
Attendance, truancy and problematic school absence
- Presence absence
- Truancy frequency concern/help
- I attend all lessons during the day
- Not at school because truancy, illness, can't come to school, homeschooled, wants to be at home, doesn't want to be at school, can't be at school
- My not being at school is because I'm truant, sick, want to be at home, homeschooled, have someone else at home, am a home sitter, stay at home to play computer games, have lost interest in school, tasks are too easy, need/want to take care of someone who is at home, gets stressed at school and doesn't feel well, has difficulty understanding tasks at school, doesn't have friends at school, gets into fights with others at school, gets bullied at school, doesn't have an adult who cares about me at school, feels different at school, is too tired in the morning, stays at home with a friend.
- That I am not at school concern/help
- that I think it will go well for me in the future and if not and concern/help
- may not attend certain classes
- I or anyone I know is not allowed to participate in activities at school
- I am not allowed to participate in activities at school such as gymnastics, things that cost money, the bath house, any special lesson, Christian holidays or other.
As well as other areas such as
- disabilities and diagnoses
- compulsion, anxiety, phobia, addiction
- online vulnerability
- violence in young people's relationships
- honor-related violence and oppression
- living environment
- family constellations
- parenting strategies
- contact with other activities such as police, social services, counsellor, habilitation, bup
