Can strengthening pupils’ non-cognitive capabilities and wellbeing help to narrow the attainment gap?

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people has also declined in recent years, with NHS figures showing that around 20 per cent of eight to 16-year-olds are experiencing poor mental health and wellbeing.  

Two literature reviews published today by NFER, NatCen and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) for the Department for Education (DfE)

suggest that so-called ‘non-cognitive’ capabilities and improved wellbeing impact positively on pupil outcomes and could help to narrow the attainment gap. The reviews form part of two major ongoing studies, Five to Twelve and Growing up in the 2020s, which will track the impact of a range of factors on children and young people’s outcomes at primary and secondary school. They explore the evidence for a broad range of factors that relate to attainment, including cognitive capabilities, special educational needs and disabilities, the school environment, family background and life at home. Some of the evidence is relatively well known, so we have chosen to spotlight the relationship between more recent research into wellbeing and non-cognitive capabilities in this blog.

What does the research say about the link between wellbeing and attainment?

The reviews cite evidence that young people’s attainment is negatively impacted by depression and anxiety as well as by aggression and hyperactivity (which may be caused by underlying mental health issues). There is more, and stronger, evidence of a negative impact for secondary compared to primary pupils, which is likely due to mental health issues being more commonly identified during adolescence.

In contrast, the reviews found that positive wellbeing was associated with higher attainment for both primary and secondary school pupils, regardless of their socio-economic background. Studies also found positive wellbeing to be related to better school engagement and the ability to sustain attention, which, in turn, have been found to impact attainment.

There is growing evidence for a strong, positive association between pupils’ ‘non-cognitive’ capabilities and their attainment. These capabilities relate to skills such as conscientiousness, motivation, self-esteem, resilience and social-emotional intelligence which support pupils’ learning. (As an aside, although they are commonly referred to as ‘non-cognitive’, we should acknowledge that these skills do involve cognitive processes such as learning, reasoning and decision-making.) These skills support learning in a variety of ways. Skills such as conscientiousness help with self-discipline and organisation, and social-emotional skills help pupils to build friendships and succeed in team-based learning tasks. Initial evidence also suggests these skills help young people maintain their wellbeing and manage mental health difficulties. Development of these skills is therefore vital in helping pupils to thrive in school and beyond.

Can these capabilities and wellbeing be developed?

Evidence from the reviews indicates that non-cognitive capabilities and wellbeing can be nurtured through a child’s developmental experience. Children and young people can be encouraged to develop persistence, awareness of their own behaviour and its impact on others, and strategies for dealing with emotions. Physical activity can help maintain positive attitudes as well as health. Positive relationships (between both pupils and their peers, and pupils and teachers) can help to build self-esteem and self-concept, which in turn improve motivation. Greater awareness of mental health issues among young people, parents, educators, health professionals, and availability of support services, will also help everyone to recognise and respond to early indicators of mental health issues such as anxiety and aggression.

What do we still need to know?

Evidence from these literature reviews suggests that non-cognitive skills and positive wellbeing support pupils’ attainment. The Five to Twelve and Growing up in the 2020s studies will provide valuable further insights on this theme by collecting information relating to children and young people’s non-cognitive skills and wellbeing. This will enable further exploration of the relationship between attainment, young people’s mental health and non-cognitive capabilities. Beyond this it will also be important to understand the most effective practices and approaches for nurturing and developing non-cognitive capabilities and wellbeing and how these can be widely replicated.

While the evidence of the impact of non-cognitive capabilities and wellbeing on young people’s attainment outcomes is important, these attributes are clearly essential in their own right for success and happiness in all aspects of life and deserve to be nurtured.

To find out more about the evidence on how non-cognitive capabilities, wellbeing and a range of other factors relate to primary and secondary attainment, click on the button below.