This article advocates the use of free play in the provision of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme in schools. It uses case studies to illustrate how children develop and use the five strands of SEAL while playing. The author draws on recent research and literature to support the idea that SEAL skills are caught rather…

The concept of pupil voice is widely employed in research from across the world when claiming children and young people have a genuine, legitimate right to be heard on matters they consider important, and when considering ways of engaging them as important "influencers" of policy and decision-making. This article is concerned with…

The evolving role of the educational psychologist (EP) is discussed with an emphasis on the supervision provided for a team of support workers for vulnerable adolescents, working within a Local Service Team. This development is considered in the context of the Every Child Matters (DfES, 2004) agenda and the Farrell, Woods, Lewis, Rooney, Squire…

School health promotion aims to empower children to gain control over and improve their health. In contrast to many health promotion activities in schools focussed on predefined health issues, giving children a voice to define their own health needs is in itself an empowering process. Utilising a photography methodology, this research aimed to…

This article discusses some key findings about secondary schools from a mapping study of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education in England. The secondary school elements of the study combined a nationally representative survey of 617 secondary schools with follow-up in-depth case studies in five of these schools. These case studies…

This paper draws on the "accidental" results of a UK national survey of school libraries to explore how school librarians can contribute to student pastoral care. Although the survey did not ask specific questions about student social development, responding librarians identified three key aspects of their contribution: support for learning;…

As mental health services for young people develop, the need for evaluation and audit to justify expenditure follows suit. Counselling is being provided in more and more schools and community settings across the country, and there is an increasing focus on evidence-based funding. Practice-based evidence has an important role to play in fulfilling…

This paper outlines an exploratory study conducted within the Sport & Exercise Sciences department at a higher education institution in Wales. Prior to the study it was identified that personal tutors were spending an increasing amount of time dealing with pastoral issues. This research sought to investigate the implementation of the Student…

This paper intends to explore emotional literacy (EL) in relation to Personal and Social Development (PSD) as implemented in the Maltese Islands. Self-empowerment, emotional literacy, and self-expression contribute to a good quality of life of self and others. These are addressed in Maltese schools during timetabled statutory PSD sessions. The…

A total of 407 students in a central London secondary school participated in a survey of different approaches to managing traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Student perceptions of individual coping strategies and school interventions for traditional bullying and cyberbullying were measured. Rankings of the strategies for traditional bullying…

In this article, the authors examine contemporary pluralistic, technologically-driven societies where human spirituality, in terms of human experiences of connectedness, is eroded and overwhelmed by high levels of cultural and religious diversity and hi-tech devices. Without connectedness, empathy and compassion become missing elements resulting…

Bullying perpetration and victimisation are common issues confronting schools. To understand the extent of bullying in schools and differences in the experiences of boys and girls, longitudinal studies of different subtypes of bullying perpetration and victimisation are essential. The current study aims to describe the rates of bullying…

Previous research has indicated that boys and girls differ in the ways they display aggression and experience victimization. This study examined the ability of American children to correctly differentiate between various forms of aggressive acts and pro-social behavior. The results indicate that though there appear to be developmental differences…

This article explores the victimization of young people immediately before and after the school day. This is a unique time when most young people of secondary school age, from a range of backgrounds, with different interests and standards of behaviour, are constrained to mix at some point on the journey to school. For most young people this a…

The riots in English cities in August 2011 have brought debates on behaviour of young people into sharper focus. Criticism of softly-softly approaches and the lack of power for head teachers to discipline is a reoccurring theme within the debate on behaviour in schools. Regaining adult authority is also reflected in the tenor of the government's…