Student wellbeing is closely connected to learning outcomes and overall success. In recent years, the focus on both student and staff wellbeing within schools has grown significantly, with this attention increasing even more rapidly over the past twelve months. Before the pandemic, conversations about student wellbeing were often centred on wellbeing teams, student support services, school events and curriculum initiatives. While these approaches play an important role in supporting and improving the wellbeing of individual students and the wider school community, it is equally important that schools intentionally and regularly monitor wellbeing across their communities. Just as learning analytics are used to evaluate academic progress, consistent wellbeing tracking helps schools measure the impact of their efforts and identify areas for improvement.
What is student wellbeing?
Following an extensive review and consultation process, a team from Australian Catholic University and Erebus International (see Noble et al., 2008) worked to establish a definition of student well-being for Australian schools. The definition developed by Noble et al. states, "Student wellbeing is strongly linked to learning. A student’s level of well-being at school is indicated by their satisfaction with life at school, their engagement with learning and their social-emotional behaviour. It is enhanced when evidence-informed practices are adopted by schools in partnership with families and the community. Optimal student wellbeing is a sustainable state characterised by predominantly positive feelings and attitudes, positive relationships at school, resilience, self-optimisation and a high level of satisfaction with learning experiences.
According to Noble et al. (2008), achieving this optimal state depends on several key factors, including students’ participation in learning, their satisfaction with school, and their social and emotional well-being. The authors also highlight that evidence-informed approaches can strengthen student well-being. However, there remains limited research examining the effectiveness of wellbeing interventions in schools (Evidence for Learning, 2020). As a result, school leaders seeking to implement successful well-being initiatives may often rely on past experiences or recommendations from other schools, rather than having clear research evidence about what delivers the best outcomes.
The Australian context
In Australia, there is a growing focus on the importance of well-being within schools. This emphasis is reflected in key policy documents, including the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (Education Council, 2019) and the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework (Education Council, 2018). These publications demonstrate the increasing priority given to well-being in Australian education and highlight the more explicit expectations placed on schools and educators in this area.
The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, released in December 2019, builds upon the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, which was published in 2008 (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs 2008). The declaration outlines the vision and objectives for Australian education and, like earlier declarations, has received endorsement from all Australian education ministers. While there are several similarities between the two documents, there are also notable differences. According to the Education Council (n.d.), one of the key distinctions is that the 2019 declaration “places students at the center of their education by emphasising the importance of meeting the individual needs of all learners and outlines education’s role in supporting the well-being, mental health and resilience of young people.”
When examining the student-focused approach of the 2019 declaration, it is important to note that student well-being is specifically referenced seven times throughout the document. This represents an increase from the Melbourne Declaration, where student wellbeing was mentioned on four occasions, while the earlier Adelaide Declaration on the Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century made no reference to wellbeing at all (see MCEETYA, 1999). The growing inclusion of well-being within these policy documents reflects a significant shift in Australia's educational priorities over the past two decades.
Additional evidence of this increased focus can be seen in the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework, introduced in October 2018. This key document was developed to “provide Australian schools with a vision and a set of guiding principles to support school communities to build positive learning environments, and to consider reviewing their current safety and wellbeing policies and support requirements” (Department of Education, Skills and Employment, 2020, para. 1). As illustrated in Figure 1, the framework is built around five core elements with leadership, inclusion, student voice, partnerships and support, which collectively help create environments that foster and strengthen student wellbeing. The framework further explains each of these elements by outlining the underlying principles and highlighting effective practices associated with each area.
Although the framework does not prescribe specific actions for schools, its purpose is to assist school communities by promoting a consistent vision through a systematic, whole-school approach. The framework highlights both the research that informed its development and the importance of adopting evidence-informed practices when teaching social-emotional skills and selecting wellbeing and support initiatives (Education Council, 2018).
Importantly, in the context of monitoring student wellbeing, the effective practices associated with the five framework elements emphasise ongoing evaluation and review. Within the ‘Support’ element, one recommended practice states that schools should “critically analyse and evaluate school data to inform decision-making in order to effectively respond to the changing need of students and families”. This reinforces the importance of using data to monitor wellbeing outcomes and guide responsive support strategies.
A 2020 review
In response to the limited research available in this field, Evidence for Learning commissioned a review of the literature on school-based wellbeing initiatives in 2020. The review concluded that wellbeing interventions can positively influence student wellbeing; however, their effectiveness varies, and not all programs produce the same outcomes. As noted in the report, “everything that schools do to support student wellbeing counts but some are more effective than others”.
The findings indicated that wellbeing initiatives implemented in secondary schools tend to achieve stronger results than those delivered in primary or middle school settings. The review also found that shorter programs, lasting up to three months, generally have a greater impact than longer-term interventions. Another notable finding was that targeted programs designed for disadvantaged students were more effective than universal approaches (see Australian Council for Educational Research, 2020).
These findings highlight the need for continued research into effective student wellbeing strategies while also providing useful insights into the types of approaches most likely to benefit students and schools. When considered alongside the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework and the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, schools now have access to more guidance and direction in the area of student wellbeing than ever before.
The challenge
Schools and educational leaders are continually working to support and improve student wellbeing. In most cases, wellbeing support is delivered through three main approaches: dedicated support staff (including pastoral care leaders, form tutors, classroom teachers, and counsellors), school-based wellbeing curriculum (either developed internally or delivered through external programs), and wellbeing-focused events (such as guest presentations, mindfulness workshops, or dedicated wellbeing days). Each of these approaches contributes to student wellbeing in different ways. Events can raise awareness and provide students with valuable new experiences, curriculum programs offer ongoing opportunities for learning, reflection, and support, while wellbeing staff can provide personalised assistance for students who require additional help.
However, as Noble et al. (2008) and the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework (Education Council, 2018) highlight, the strategies most likely to improve student wellbeing should be grounded in evidence and informed practice.
Being more evidence-informed
While schools can draw on research findings and policy frameworks to guide their wellbeing efforts, it is equally important to understand the unique needs of their own students and communities. Although wellbeing events, curriculum initiatives, and support staff all contribute valuable insights, my experience as both a teacher and school data coach has shown that regularly collecting information about student wellbeing is also essential. This information may be gathered through surveys, focus groups, individual check-ins, or similar methods. The critical factor is that data is collected consistently, stored over time for comparison, and presented in a way that enables educators to identify trends and take appropriate action. When combined with wellbeing staff, curriculum programs, and wellbeing events, the regular and systematic collection of wellbeing data directly from students can help schools create meaningful and lasting impact.
As illustrated in Figure 2, meaningful wellbeing outcomes are most likely to occur when four key elements work together. At this point of intersection, schools have dedicated wellbeing staff available to support students directly, a curriculum designed to address the needs of both individuals and groups, wellbeing-focused events that introduce valuable skills and strategies, and regular wellbeing tracking that allows students to share how they are feeling and progressing.
For some schools and leaders, the idea of consistently and formally monitoring student wellbeing may still be relatively new. However, taking a structured approach to wellbeing tracking offers several benefits. It can provide valuable insights into the needs of individual students, enable schools to monitor wellbeing trends over time, and generate evidence that can be used to refine and improve school-based programs and support strategies. By using this information effectively, schools can make more informed decisions and better respond to the changing needs of their students.
Individualised information
The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (Education Council, 2019) places a stronger focus on students than previous education frameworks, and this is reflected in the growing efforts of schools to provide more personalised support. One of the key advantages of regular wellbeing tracking is that it gives teachers and wellbeing staff access to ongoing information about individual students, rather than relying solely on broad trends identified through annual surveys.
For instance, when students complete wellbeing check-ins twice per term, schools can identify who may be at higher risk, who is tracking well, and who sits somewhere in between. That kind of information allows staff to have more meaningful conversations with students and use what they share as a starting point for ongoing, day-to-day support.
By contrast, some schools rely on annual anonymous bullying surveys to understand how common bullying is and what it looks like across the whole student population. These surveys can be useful, and they can highlight areas that need improvement, but they generally do not provide details about individual students. Because the responses are anonymous and gathered only once a year, there is no opportunity for direct, targeted follow-up. Usually, the findings are used to shape whole-school or year-group actions. Regular wellbeing surveys, on the other hand, often provide more detailed and specific insights into individual students and their experiences.
Tracking wellbeing over time
Regular monitoring of student wellbeing also helps schools notice shifts over time. Schools can use dashboards or visual summaries to track wellbeing patterns across months, or even across years. When data is collected two or three times per term, clearer trends start to emerge. Some students might consistently report low wellbeing. Others might consistently describe positive experiences. And some fluctuate depending on factors like friendships, family life, or academic pressure.
By collecting this information on a regular basis, schools gain valuable insights that support more personalised care. Teachers, form tutors, and wellbeing staff can use the data to start meaningful conversations, identify students who may need extra support, and encourage positive peer connections. The key value lies in gathering individual wellbeing data consistently and using it in a way that supports genuine engagement and meaningful dialogue with students.
Evidence for adapting school-based interventions and approaches
Information collected through personal wellbeing tracking can be useful not only for supporting individual students, but also for identifying patterns across classes and year levels. At the individual level, these insights can prompt targeted responses such as additional assistance from wellbeing staff, later check-ins, follow up chats, or referrals to external professionals where needed. What happens next is guided directly by the evidence students themselves have shared.
At a class or cohort level, wellbeing data can guide curriculum planning, school initiatives, wellbeing events and broader intervention strategies. For example, I recently worked with a school where student feedback pointed to strong concerns about peer interactions on social media outside school hours. In response, the school adjusted parts of its wellbeing curriculum, added more structured conversations during tutor group time, and brought in a guest speaker to talk about responsible online behaviour.
That is just one example, as wellbeing data can be used in many different ways. Schools can take insights from student tracking and apply them in a range of ways, using what they collect to make informed choices and build programs that better match the needs and lived experiences of their students.
What wellbeing tracking is not
It is important to clarify a few common misunderstandings that come up when people talk about wellbeing tracking in schools. In my work with educators and school leaders, I keep encountering several misconceptions about what wellbeing tracking really involves and what it does not.
First, wellbeing tracking should not be confused with measuring personal attributes or 21st-century skills. I have noticed some schools try to measure and report on things that sit beyond the formal curriculum, like collaboration, communication, and interpersonal effectiveness. A number of them have built clear criteria , and rubrics, so they can acknowledge student progress in these areas. That can be genuinely useful for students, parents, and teachers. But even though that kind of assessment is valuable, it does a different job from wellbeing tracking.
Second, wellbeing tracking is not simply a measure of student engagement. Some schools regularly monitor student engagement in lessons, whether through daily, weekly, or periodic reporting systems. In certain cases, engagement rubrics, such as TeachThought’s five levels of student engagement (Heick, 2018), are used to support this process. Although Noble et al. (2008) acknowledge that engagement is one component of student wellbeing, it represents only part of the overall picture. In addition, engagement tracking is often based on teacher observations and judgements. Wellbeing tracking differs because it relies on students sharing their own experiences and perspectives, giving them the opportunity to reflect on and communicate how they are feeling rather than having others assess their progress.
Finally, while wellbeing tracking is a valuable way to capture student voice, it should not be viewed as the only method for doing so. Student voice has become an increasingly important focus within schools and education systems across Australia (for example, see State Government of Victoria, 2019). Wellbeing tracking can provide meaningful insights into students’ experiences and needs, but it should sit alongside other opportunities for students to contribute their ideas, perspectives, and feedback about school life. Together, these approaches help schools build a more complete understanding of their students and create environments that are responsive to their needs.
Student voice is not simply about giving students the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions; it is about students having the power to influence change. Authentic student voice provides opportunities for students to collaborate and make decisions with adults around what and how they learn and how their learning is assessed. This is known to lead to improved educational outcomes.”(State Government of Victoria, 2019)
Harnessing student voice and agency means enabling students to actively contribute to decisions and influence change within their schools. This can include approaches such as student-generated assessment, where students co-construct or co-design assessment tasks or success criteria, giving them a meaningful role in shaping how their learning is assessed. Research has shown that “both students and staff identified positive associations between having a say at school, being recognised (cared for, respected, and valued), and wellbeing” (Anderson & Graham, 2016, p. 348). However, while student wellbeing tracking can support this process, it should not be viewed as the only method for listening to students. Instead, it offers one structured way for schools to gather student perspectives, and it must be complemented by other strategies that more fully engage students in decision-making and genuinely embed student voice across the school.
Conclusion
Regular wellbeing tracking allows schools to hear from all students within the community and provide more personalised support where needed. For many schools in Australia, this kind of systematic tracking is still relatively new; however, it can be a powerful approach when used alongside wellbeing staff, curriculum programs, and wellbeing-focused events. It also supports long-term monitoring by helping schools observe changes over time and use this evidence to shape programs and interventions.
Ultimately, the more educators understand their students, the better they are able to respond to their needs. This applies not only to students as learners but also to their overall wellbeing and development.
FAQs
1. What is student wellbeing tracking?
Student wellbeing tracking is the regular collection of student feedback about how they feel, engage, and experience school. It helps schools monitor well-being over time and respond more effectively to student needs.
2. Why is wellbeing tracking important in schools?
Wellbeing tracking helps schools understand students beyond academic performance. It supports early identification of concerns, improves decision-making, and strengthens targeted well-being support systems.
3. What is Dr Selena Fisk's approach to evidence-informed wellbeing practice?
Dr Selena Fisk advocates for combining well-being staff, curriculum programs, events, and consistent student data. This integrated approach ensures decisions are evidence-informed and responsive to student needs.
4. What does Dr Selena Fisk say wellbeing tracking is not?
Er Selena Fisk clarifies that wellbeing tracking is not about measuring skills, behaviour rubrics or engagement scores. It focuses specifically on student-reported wellbeing not teacher-assessed performance.
