What is a ‘whole-school’ approach to wellbeing anyway?

Surely you're already doing that, right? After all, wellbeing and safety (and yes, maybe academic results too) are at the top of your list. But just having it as a priority in your head doesn’t mean everything’s being done as well as it could be. It doesn’t mean there aren’t better ways to measure things or smarter ways to spot who needs help early.

At youHQ, we’ve built a simple framework to help schools self-audit and improve over time. You might already be doing 75% of it really well, but that missing 25%? You might not even know it's missing. That’s not a criticism. Every school we’ve ever visited is stretched in different ways, under real pressure from all sides. But we also see a lot of the same challenges: students slipping through the cracks, quiet kids who never speak up, teachers on the brink of burnout, and staff feeling like there’s never enough time.

So, what can actually be done?

One of our goals is to help schools become true “talking schools”. Lots of schools are already doing this in some way — sometimes with great leadership, strong values, and a mix of analogue and digital tools like surveys and tutor check-ins. Those schools are rightly proud. But that pride can also make it harder to explore new ideas, especially if it sounds like we’re trying to fix something that isn’t broken. 

I remember one of our first youHQ headlines was something like “upgrade your pastoral care”. It didn’t go down well. My sister, who’s been teaching for 20 years, told me it made it sound like teachers weren’t already doing a great job. And she was right. That’s never what we meant. Teachers are doing incredible work every day, but what we’re offering is a way to make that care more sustainable, better connected, and less reliant on individual heroes. 

The tricky thing with “talking schools” is keeping the conversation going consistently. Can the school spot patterns over time? Can it hold on to that insight even if students move schools or SLT changes? That’s where we come in. 

The 4As: A framework for whole-school wellbeing

We’ve developed a simple, but powerful framework built around four key areas: Awareness, Agency, Action, and Achievement. It gives schools a way to map what they’re doing — not just at a student level, but also across staff teams and the wider school culture. 

Here’s what that looks like in action: 

4As	Student	School	Culture
Awareness	Reporting: Students check in to reflect on their mood and build emotional literacy.	Getting data: Gain real-time insights into mood, attendance, engagement, and pick up early signs of safeguarding issues.	Baseline awareness: Build a clear starting point for school-wide wellbeing. Know where you’re at before deciding what to do.
Agency	Understanding: Access wellbeing resources, follow a curriculum that builds resilience and coping strategies.	Understanding the data: Staff get mood alerts, training, and tools to respond quickly and supportively.	Upskilling: Everyone is better equipped to talk about and support wellbeing.
Action	Doing: Students set goals, reflect in journals, request check-ins, and get support from Tellmi (if connected).	Response strategies: Use check-ins, surveys, and focus groups to see what’s working and where help is needed.	Proactive culture: Safeguarding and support become part of everyday school life, not just crisis management.
Achievement	Evidence: Students can see their own growth — hitting goals, feeling better, doing better.	Impact: Schools can show real change in wellbeing, progress, and inspection-readiness.	Sustainable culture: Wellbeing becomes something that sticks, not just a tick-box.

Let’s break it down further and start with Awareness: 

This is about more than just knowing who’s crying out for help. It’s about creating a culture where every student can regularly check in with how they’re feeling — and where staff have the tools to spot patterns in behaviour, attendance, or engagement early. We’re talking about prevention, not just intervention. 

Done well, Awareness means quieter students get heard. Teachers feel supported, not overloaded. Schools can start to build a real-time picture of how wellbeing is shifting across year groups, classrooms, or the whole school. 

Next is Agency: 

Students need more than check-ins. They need to know what to do when things aren’t going right. That might be exploring a topic in the youHQ Wellbeing Framework, trying a new breathing exercise, or watching a quick video to boost confidence before a test. 

For staff, Agency is about knowing how to respond. That could mean getting real-time alerts on mood shifts, having access to training and resources, or knowing where to direct students when more support is needed. It’s about having the confidence to act, because the tools and context are already there. 

Then we move to Action: 

This is where students begin to take ownership. They might set personal goals based on their values, request a check-in with a trusted adult, or start journaling to make sense of their emotions. These aren’t huge tasks — but they build habits of reflection, intention, and asking for help. 

At the school level, Action means using the data you’ve gathered to make informed decisions. Focus groups, staff training, targeted interventions — it’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about responding in a way that makes a difference. 

And finally, Achievement: 

Wellbeing isn’t a soft measure. Students who feel safe, seen, and supported are more likely to meet their goals — in school and beyond. They’re better equipped to handle setbacks. They build resilience and self-belief. 

Schools that embed wellbeing into their culture can demonstrate a real, measurable impact. Not just in how students feel, but in their progress, their attendance, and how prepared the school is for inspections. It’s about building a legacy of care that lasts beyond individual leaders, policies, or funding cycles. 

If you're aiming for a wellbeing culture that works — one that’s proactive, visible, and rooted in real relationships — the 4As can help you get there. And if you’d like a hand mapping where you are now, we’d love to support you.