The siloisation of wellbeing and education: global trends and lived experiences

Wellbeing and education, though inherently interconnected, are often treated separately in secondary school policy and practice. We argue that this separation, or siloisation, is driven by two key neoliberal assumptions that operate in the fields of both education and wellbeing. Firstly, a components approach to understanding the concepts of “education” and “wellbeing”, which leads to a prioritisation of that which is measurable and quantifiable within them. Secondly, an uncritical acceptance of the individual as the unit of analysis. Together these assumptions create a narrowing of definitions of education and wellbeing with profound effects in students’ and teachers’ lives. We develop our argument first through a critical overview of global trends in wellbeing and education. We then draw on illustrative examples from qualitative studies based in England and Uganda where we identify four common threads across the diverse contexts. These are: the denial of bodies and human vulnerabilities in the name of “better outcomes”, erasure of difference in the name of “getting it right”, expectation of individual excellence that leads to shame and fear, and ill-conceived or conspicuously absent wellbeing policies in schools. In our conclusions, we suggest that relational approaches to wellbeing, and experiential approaches to learning, could foster more integrated policy and practice that recognise the importance of the lived experiences of students and teachers. In doing so, we add our voices to scholars advocating for the reconnection and reintegration of wellbeing and education.