Cardiff Youth Council (CYC) and the Children and Young People’s Advisory Board (CYPAB) have met to look at the Cardiff Student’s School Health Research Network (SHRN) Student Health and Wellbeing Survey 2017/18 and give feedback from the perspective of children and young people (C&YP).

They were asked to look at the results from across the city, not from any particular school or area, and feedback what their views and thoughts are regarding the data.

The following is their direct response to what they identified as some of the more concerning issues.

Current teacher training and school policies are not adequate enough [for schools] to provide the appropriate health and wellbeing support, and well rounded education, that is necessary during the crucial years of development [for students] in secondary school.

There is a pattern throughout the survey that shows figures for Year 10 and Year 11 are more negative than earlier years. We [CYC] believe it is the performance heavy expectations of KS4 education that increase the pressures on both students and staff, negatively affecting both parties. These expectations filter down from Welsh Government and Estyn to school heads, teachers and students, depriving students of the essential attention and support they need. ‘KS4 simply doesn’t allow the time for a wellbeing education.’

Without a proper wellbeing strategy, not only do people suffer, but the [exam] results, for which the Welsh Government and in turn Estyn, schools and teachers are so concerned about, decline.

An option could be to balance this with securing a wellbeing approach in KS3. This could help to equip students with the healthy coping mechanisms and skills they’ll need, and give staff the structure and culture in which to support students and colleagues.

This raises the question of what we [CYC] consider to be an all-encompassing wellbeing education that is critical for education reform. It must be accessible, relevant, embedded in the culture of the school and be beneficial for all pupils and staff.

Some of the measures that could be implemented include:

– Training for staff that properly equips them to build better relationships with students and deal with mental health and wellbeing in both secondary and primary school.

–  Help pupils to develop their self-identity and critical thinking as well as understanding others’ e.g. Interests, personal learning, confidence, cultures etc.

– Better education around health; physical, mental and sexual – this should be for ALL PUPILS AND STAFF and not just the YP who have been identified as having problems as many YP stay silent and suffer alone. We all need to be taught about the different types of mental health & wellbeing issues, why they occur and given tools to cope better with them. This will not only help us [young people] identify problems we may be having but will help us identify when our friends may be suffering and help us to help them too

– How to deal with pressure, healthy habits and coping mechanisms – resilience building

– Building life and/or employability skills e.g. Group skills.

CYC currently have Mental Health & Wellbeing as one of their priority groups and are also involved in a Mental Health & Wellbeing task group that has been set up by the Children & Young People’s Scrutiny Committee. The reports for both of these will be written and published over the next few months so please keep a look out.

If you would like to see the full response from CYC to the above survey then please contact Cardiff Youth Council.

 

Ymateb CIC a BYPPhI i Arolwg Iechyd a Lles Myfyrwyr RHYYI 2017/18

Cyfarfu Cyngor Ieuenctid Caerdydd (CIC) a’r Bwrdd Ymgynghorol Plant a Phobl Ifanc i ystyried Arolwg Iechyd a Lles Myfyrwyr 2017/18 Rhwydwaith Ymchwil Ysgolion Iach Caerdydd ac i roi sylwadau o safbwynt plant a phobl i fanc.

Gofynnwyd iddynt ystyried y canlyniadau o bob rhan o’r ddinas, nid o unrhyw ysgol nac ardal benodol, ac i gyflwyno eu barn, a’u hystyriaethau ynglŷn â’r data.

Yn dilyn, ceir eu hymateb uniongyrchol i’r hyn a nodwyd ganddynt i fod yn faterion sy’n codi pryder.

Nid yw hyfforddiant athrawon na pholisïau ysgolion yn ddigon priodol [i ysgolion] fel y gallant ddarparu cymorth iechyd a lles priodol, ac addysg gyflawn, sydd ei hangen yn ystod y blynyddol allweddol mewn datblygiad [i blant] yn yr ysgol uwchradd.

Mae patrwm drwy gydol yr arolwg sy’n dangos ffigurau blwyddyn 10 a blwyddyn 11 yn waeth na’r blynyddoedd iau. Rydym ni [CIC] yn credu mai’r disgwyliadau trwm am berfformiad yn ystod addysg CA4 sy’n rhoi pwysau ar fyfyrwyr a staff, gan effeithio ar y ddau barti yn negyddol. Mae’r disgwyliadau hyn yn cael eu gosod gan Lywodraeth Cymru ac Estyn i benaethiaid ysgolion, athrawon a myfyrwyr, gan dynnu sylw hanfodol oddi ar fyfyrwyr yn ogystal â’r cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt. ‘Yn syml, nid yw CA4 yn caniatáu am amser i addysg lles’

Heb strategaeth lles briodol, mae pobl yn dioddef, ond hefyd, mae’r canlyniadau [Arholiadau], y mae Llywodraeth Cymru ac yn eu tro, Estyn, ysgolion ac athrawon yn pryderu amdanynt, yn gostwng.

Gellir cael y posibilrwydd o gydbwyso hyn drwy sicrhau dull lles yn CA3. Gallai hyn helpu i baratoi myfyrwyr gyda ffyrdd iach o ymdopi a’r sgiliau sydd eu hangen arnynt, a rhoi i staff y strwythur a’r diwylliant i gefnogi myfyrwyr a gweithwyr ynddo.

Mae hyn yn codi’r cwestiwn am beth yr ydym ni [CIC] yn ei ystyried yn addysg lles gynhwysfawr sy’n hanfodol ar gyfer gwella addysg. Mae’n rhaid i addysg lles fod yn hygyrch, yn rhan o ddiwylliant yr ysgol a bod o fudd i’r holl ddisgyblion a staff.

Mae rhai o’r mesurau y gellid eu rhoi ar waith yn cynnwys:

– Hyfforddiant i staff a fydd yn rhoi iddynt y dulliau cywir i ddatblygu perthnasoedd gwell gyda myfyrwyr a delio gydag iechyd meddwl a lles yn yr ysgolion cynradd ac uwchradd.

– Helpu disgyblion i ddatblygu eu hunaniaeth a’u ffordd o feddwl yn feirniadol yn ogystal â deall eraill e.e. diddordebau, dysgu personol, hyder, diwylliannau ac ati.

– Addysg well ar gyfer iechyd corfforol, meddyliol a rhywiol – dylai hyn fod yn berthnasol i bob disgybl ac aelod staff ac nid dim ond i’r bobl ifanc sydd wedi eu nodi eu bod â phroblemau gan fod llawer o bobl ifanc yn aros yn dawel ac yn dioddef ar eu pennau eu hunain. Mae rhaid i ni gyd gael ein haddysgu am y gwahanol fathau o broblemau iechyd meddwl a lles, pam maent yn digwydd a chael ffyrdd o ymdopi â nhw yn well. Bydd hyn yn ein helpu ni [pobl ifanc] i nodi problemau y gall fod gennym ni ond bydd hefyd yn ein helpu pan fydd ein ffrindiau yn dioddef efallai a’n helpu ni i’w helpu nhw.

– Sut i ymdopi â phwysau, arferion iach a ffyrdd o ymdopi – datblygu gwydnwch

– Datblygu sgiliau bywyd a chyflogadwyedd e.e. sgiliau grŵp.

Mae Iechyd Meddwl a Lles yn un o grwpiau prif flaenoriaeth CIC ar hyn o bryd ac mae hefyd yn rhan o grŵp gorchwyl Iechyd Meddwl a Lles sydd wedi ei greu gan Bwyllgor Craffu Plant a Phobl Ifanc. Caiff yr adroddiadau am y ddau grŵp eu paratoi a’u cyhoeddi dros yr ychydig fisoedd nesaf felly chwiliwch amdanynt.

Os hoffech weld ymateb llawn CIC i’r arolwg uchod, cysylltwch â Chyngor Ieuenctid Caerdydd.