Wellbeing affects learning outcomes and children's ability to lead meaningful lives. In recent years however, and especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, wellbeing and mental health of children and adolescents have been declining. Evidence from the World Health Organization reveals that today's younger generation experience poorer mental health than previous ones. In addition, as the PISA results from 2023 show, declining wellbeing is coupled with deteriorating school performance. When bullying and cyberbullying disrupt pupils' opportunities for learning and the school environment hinders young people's ability to benefit fully from their education, it impacts not only their personal wellbeing and life satisfaction, but also their future employability, health and social situation. Teachers need a supportive working environment which acknowledges their contribution to society and enables them to perform their duties and thrive. However, there is also a noticeable decline in teacher wellbeing, as teachers across Europe experience high levels of stress and burnout due to new challenges faced without adequate resources, professional development and support to acquire new skills. These factors diminish the attractiveness of the teaching profession and lead to teacher shortages, which have serious consequences well beyond the classroom. The European Commission, recognising these challenges, has doubled its efforts and has been supporting the Member States in implementing the 2022 Council Recommendation on Pathways to School Success. The framework, based on a whole-school approach, involves the school ecosystem to improve educational outcomes for all learners, regardless of their personal situations and backgrounds, while acknowledging the integral relationship of wellbeing and success at school. The guidelines on wellbeing for supporting school leaders, teachers and educators also offer concrete, hands-on guidance for school leaders' and teachers' to inform their daily practice in support of wellbeing and mental health. In addition, the Erasmus+ programme has supported many projects across Europe on the topic of wellbeing. Among them, 96 projects from 32 European countries were recognised as making an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing in schools and honored with the European Innovative Teaching Award in 2024.
