Why social and emotional learning matters
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. Since our inception in 2012, we have held at our core the premise that SEL should not be seen as an add-on or a nice to have. Long-term SEL support, combined with horizon-broadening access to inspiring workplaces and professional role models, is what makes the Jon Egging Trust’s approach unique and impactful.
JET’s founder, Dr Emma Egging, has co-authored a paper with members of the team at the University of Northampton’s Institute for Social Innovation and Impact, which explores the importance and potential of social and emotional learning programmes on the lives of young people facing adversity:
Emma says: “Engaging students from a low point of educational disengagement to a high point of work readiness is possible, but for those who are struggling, a different, non-academic starting point is often needed. This is where an SEL approach is key. By publishing evidence of what works when it comes to SEL programmes, our hope at JET is that this best practice will start to be represented within the National Curriculum, across education policy and throughout industry.”
What is SEL
Whilst the concept of SEL was originally developed in 1994, the idea of taking a non-academic approach to learning is relatively new in the UK, despite it gaining increasing international attention over the last decade.
According to CASEL (the US-based collaborative for academic, social and emotional learning): “SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”
JET’s approach to SEL is achieved through the prism of our five cornerstones of confidence, motivation, resilience, aspiration and goal setting. Every session across our three year Blue Skies programme supports students to develop holistically in one or more of these key areas.
What does our research tell us about taking an SEL approach?
Our research – based on the experiences of participants in our Blue Skies programmes, as well as parents, stakeholders and teachers – shows that delivering SEL-focused programmes through a mixture of classroom-based and external sessions (supported by locally based employees) increases young people’s engagement at school and develops their employment prospects.
Data shows that SEL is a core part of a young person’s development. Young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have on average weaker SEL skills at all ages compared to their more affluent peers. Lower SEL skills are linked with poorer mental health, lower academic attainment and poorer employment outcomes. It’s clear why a long-term SEL-approach is vital in supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to thrive in education and beyond into meaningful employment.
To date, studies on the impact of SEL have concentrated on curriculum delivered outside the classroom. The paper demonstrates that when students have supportive relationships and opportunities to develop and practice SEL across many different contexts, both inside and outside the classroom, attitudes to learning and aspirations for the future change and as a result, academic learning accelerates.
Two main themes came out of this analysis, which run through everything we do at JET: 1. The importance of improving young people’s confidence and aspiration. 2, Preparing young people for the future.
Why is SEL vital as the foundation of our programmes?
JET believes that every young person should have access to quality opportunities and leave school with the confidence, resilience and self-belief to succeed and fulfil their potential. The JET approach puts young people at the centre of their own journey of change, encouraging them to own their own futures. It also provides evidence for how SEL approaches can be successfully applied outside the school curriculum and classroom.
JET’s intensive early intervention three year Blue Skies programme is focused on intentionally developing SEL with activities that simultaneously 1) give young people access to inspirational and relatable role models 2) open their eyes to career options 3) build an understanding of the relevance of school-based learning to the real world and 4) provide novel environments that encourage young people to safely step out of their comfort zones.
Each session is designed to put into wider context the academic learning delivered in the classroom, giving students the motivation and tools to reengage at school, and preparing young people for the future by developing SEL skills that are directly transferable to the world of work. Part of the paper’s conclusion is that adapting an SEL approach helps young people to develop the right skills for successful transition from education to work.
Positioning JET at the heart of SEL research
Evidence is increasingly showing that an SEL approach is foundational to supporting a young person’s development at all levels. A 2023 survey found that students with higher levels of SEL achieve better grades in school, they demonstrate healthier behaviour and report being happier. It is therefore a no-brainer that education policy-makers should be sitting up and taking note of the impact of methodologies such as JET’s Blue Skies progamme.
In the past, educational opportunity has been narrowed to academic opportunity which is not representative of the skills needed to thrive in life beyond the school gates. JET is committed to continuing to be at the forefront of demonstrating the impact and value of approaching youth support from an SEL starting point.
ENDS
