The intrinsic link between co-curricular activity and wellbeing

Tom Hadcroft, Vice Principal (Pastoral) at DLD College London, explains the additional benefits that schools and colleges can champion...

In 2018 DLD College London chose to rethink completely how it approached student wellbeing in the College. The College already recognised that our students’ emotional and mental health underpins their academic achievement here and their future successes. This year DLD committed to ensuring that every student at the College knows what wellbeing support is available to them and how they can access it.

The focus on mental health, championed by members of the British Royal family, has never had as much exposure as it currently commands. The need for greater awareness comes amid worrying statistics highlighting a rise in mental health illnesses. The proportion of young people reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression increased from 18% in the period 2009 to 2010 to 21% in 2013 to 2014.[1] Wellbeing and mental health guidance from the Government in February 2018 highlighted that half of all mental health problems have been established by the age of 14, rising to 75% by age 24. It is incredibly important that the warning signs are acted upon and not allowed to fester.

With these trends on a rise DLD College London are focused on extending our provision through phase two of our wellbeing initiatives, focusing on empowerment and co-curricular initiatives. Firstly, we have now focused on our proactive measures to recognize and support those in need. We have now trained over 30 of our members of staff in Mental Health First Aid, with the intention of reaching out to all members of staff within the next 12 months. Additionally, we now have a number of parents and over 50 students and staff who have qualified in the Mental Health First Aid Lite course. This three hour programme raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental health concerns. We are focused on empowering our students to be readied with life skills which will benefit them beyond school and university and allowing parents to also feel empowered.

The sense of the word ‘education’ is far too often limited to a sense of success related to exam results. At DLD we focus on preparedness, seeing the emphasis on skills-based learning developing the individual beyond an exam result, focusing on holistic education inside and outside the classroom.

We are now close to developing our own DLD Health Charter, in conjunction with the students, to develop a proactive approach to wellbeing. The charter is focussed on the sense of belonging, their own wellbeing performance, diet, mindfulness and biorhythms for each student. We hope to demonstrate that proactiveness will assist in emotional health. The measures we have put in place aim to allow students a better sense of connectedness with themselves and a toolkit to allow them to develop as leaders in a diverse world.

Central to the focus of the Health Charter is the emphasis in importance of those activities we term, ‘co-curricular activities’ or CCAs. These activities take place outside of the normal curricular timetabled points of the day and allows the student to try something different or extend their understanding of their own area of interest. Irfan Latif, the Principal of DLD, is keen to focus that London is our classroom and it is through these co-curricular activities that we are utilising our central London location.

We are now focussed on developing the broad range of activities within the scope of the Health Charter emphasising the benefit that these activities, in addition to a range of mindful practices will strengthen resilience and wellbeing. Through organisations such as Action for Happiness, it is clear that there is a recognition that through promotion of a positive variety of different activities that positive mental health can follow.

Additional benefits of co-curricular participation include self-efficacy, satisfaction, feelings of support and institutional challenge, retention, academic achievement and intellectual engagement, enhanced understanding of others, deepened sense of spirituality, and practical skill acquisition such as interview skills and networking abilities.[2] Additionally, co-curricular experiences reportedly enrich student learning by complementing students’ curricular education and enhancing holistic student development.[3]

Physical activity

The links between physical activity and mental wellbeing are well documented and long standing. Physical exercise does not need to be a chore, but instead can be something that we do to enhance wellbeing. The lessons learnt from being part of a team or setting a challenge and meeting milestones can be equally applied to the pitch or running track as the classroom.

While there is a relationship between students’ participation in extra and co-curricular activities and student learning outcomes, the specifics can be unclear. Overall, extra and co-curricular activities are likely to be associated with a range of positive outcomes for students, such as higher grades, decreased absence, and increased educational achievement.[4]

Evidence has shown that positive development and growth of young adults is linked to the opportunities provided by schools and communities to learn physical, intellectual, psychological, emotional, and social skills in the presence of warm and nurturing relationships that enable social integration and a sense of belonging, and offer adult guidance and limit-setting alongside physical and psychological safety. High quality extra-curricular activities have been shown to include many of these development promoting features.[5]

It is important for educational settings to embrace and recognise these additional benefits and use them as conduits for those young people who are suffering poor mental health. Greater awareness and promotion of their benefits allows structured paths and avenues to build resilience and positive coping mechanisms. At DLD, we will ensure that this philosophy is embedded at the heart of the charter and the support of the students to develop their toolbox to deal with their future lives.

Endnotes

1. Office for National Statistics

2. Daniyal, Nawaz, Hassan, & Mubeen, 2012; Kilpatrick & Wilburn, 2010; Lourens, 2014; Pasque & Murphy, 2005; Turrentine, Esposito, Young, & Ostroth, 2012

3. Beltman & Schaeben, 2012; Elias & Drea, 2013; Foubert & Grainger, 2006; Kuh, 2001

4. Farb, A. F., & Matjasko, J. L. 2012; O’Donnell & Kirkener, 2014

5. Mahoney, Larson, Eccles, & Lord, 2005 cited in Metsäpelto & Pulkkinen, 2014

This article first appeared in Which London School? & the South-East 2019/20, which can be read below: