Wellbeing strategies should be designed with your particular community in mind, as there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. They should be based on reliable data in order to make sure you have addressed the needs of your school in a purposeful way.
However, we can't collect data from Pulse if participants don't check in!
A quick and easy method to remind students about Pulse is to share gratitude with all of them. It could be at assembly, over the loudspeaker, or however you like! Once you've told the student body how proud you are of them because of x, y and z, you can remind them that they can make others feel good by sharing their own gratitude in the Pulse app.
However, it will take more than a few posters around the school and a mention in assembly to motivate your staff and students to check in on a consistent basis (though you should definitely do this as well!).
Promotion of Pulse is twofold:
1. Have a set time in which students must complete a check in under supervision
Ideally students check in at the same time each week, in a classroom under the supervision of the teacher. If staff pulse is used, this is a good time for the teacher to set an example and check in themselves. Of course, some students will choose not to check in, but it is more likely to become a habit if it is facilitated at the same time each week.
2. Act on the data so the participants can see that it makes a difference
If students check in and then don't see anything occur as a result, they will be less likely to do it again. Acting on the data could be approaching students who ask for help, celebrating joy with students who are feeling positive, and asking for feedback on school wide initiatives in response to experience data. Before you begin using Pulse, share the process with the students so that they know what to expect. It might be worth discussing this at assembly, giving talking points to teachers to share with their classes, and printing some posters so it is in constant view.