Developing psychosocial skills in students

Source: 📒 Developing psychosocial skills in students

📜🔗LINK

Number of pages: this resource corresponds to aglobal corpus of around 150–250 pagesif one consults all associated PDFs.

1. Analytical summary

1.1. Context and issues

The Eduscol page is part of thenational multisectoral strategy for the development of psychosocial skills 2022-2037, notably supported byPublic Health Franceand formalised by theinterministerial instruction of 19 August 2022.

Psychosocial skills (CPS) are defined asabilities that enable individuals to cope with the demands of everyday life and participate in social life, in line with the WHO definition from 1994 (‘life skills’).The challenge for schools is twofold: to address thedeterioration of students' mental health

, exacerbated since the Covid crisis, and to strengthen academicsuccessand theclassroom climate.The resource highlights that the development of CPS contributes toempowerment.

agency, to thereduction of risk behavioursand to theprevention of addictions.It emphasises thelow self-confidence of students in France(PISA ranking 2018: 62nd out of 65 for self-confidence), which justifies a structured action on skills related to well-being and relationships..

educational teamsin primary and secondary education, with an operational focus on the (classement Pisa 2018 : 62e sur 65 pour la confiance en soi), ce qui justifie une action structurée sur les compétences liées au bien‑être et à la relation.

La page vise l’ensemble des équipes éducatives du premier et du second degré, avec un accent opérationnel sur les empathy courses in nursery and primary schools.

1.2. Operational contributions

From an operational perspective, the resource brings together the maininstitutional tools : ministerial roadmap, educational framework note, empathy kit (3 volumes) and special issue on emotions, resources to work from the documentary“Diving Heads: Teaming Up for Mental Health”, as well as the2023-2024 experimental report.

It clarifies that theempathy courses are being generalised from the start of the 2024 school yearin nursery and primary schools, following an experiment in more than1000 schools, which showed animprovement in the school climate, learning conditions, and the well-being of students and staff.

The kits structure sessions focused onsixteen psychosocial skills, work on theprofessional posture(gestures, climate of trust, listening) and provide materials for thefacilitation of empathy and emotional education sessions.

A video from the series“Perspectives on…”illustrates these sessions in CM1-CM2 classes, analysing the teacher's posture and providing aresearch perspective.

The page also directs to theacademic CPS delegations(file updated in December 2024) to facilitatesupport, training and networkingof field actors.

Finally, it links these tools to the majorscientific referencesfrom Public Health France (full report 2022 and summary 2022) which set the quality criteria for CPS programmes.

2. Key points of the document

1. Definition of psychosocial skills and WHO reference (pp. 1-2 of the page / PDF sheets)

   CPS are described aspsychological and relational skillsthat enable the maintenance of apsychological well-beingand the adoption of appropriate behaviours in interactions with others and the environment, directly linked to the WHO definition of "life skills" from 1994.

2. Link between CPS – academic success, classroom climate and prevention (pp. 2-3 of the page, referring to SPF reports 2022)

   The text reminds us that CPS are amajor lever for academic success, improvingattitudes towards school, theclassroom climateand theprevention of addictions and risky behaviours, based on the work synthesised in theSPF report 2022.

3. Observation on students' self-confidence in France (PISA 2015 / 2018) (p. 3 of the page)

   The page mobilises the resultsPISA 2015/2018showing that France ranks62nd out of 65 OECD countriesfor theself-confidence of students, highlighting that this skill is adeterminant of academic successand justifies specific attention.

4. Generalisation of empathy courses from the start of the 2024 school year (pp. 4-5 of the page; supporting documents)

   Following a2023-2024 experimental phasein more than1000 schools, empathycourses are being generalised in nursery and primary schools, with a sont généralisés en maternelle et élémentaire, avec un 3-volume kit + a special edition on emotionsthat outlines16 psychosocial skillsinto concrete learning objectives.

5. Alignment with the national CPS strategy 2022-2037 and the academic delegations (pp. 6-7 of the page)

   The resource is part of themultisectoral national CPS strategy 2022-2037, refers to theinter-ministerial instruction of 19 August 2022, and provides afile of CPS academic delegations (December 2024 version), facilitating theterritorial relay, training and support for teams.

3. Action points for local stakeholders

1. Structure a CPS project based on the ministerial roadmap and the framing note (pp. 1-3 + links)

   Use theministerial roadmapand theframing noteto build aschool or establishment CPS project: position the CPS within the school project, articulate with EMC, health promotion, bullying prevention and academic priorities; ensure that the objectives arecross-cutting, progressive and assessable.

2. Set up ritualised empathy sessions in nursery/primary (p. 4-5 + kits)

   Rely on the3 volumes of the empathy kitand thespecial issue on emotionsto establishweekly or ritualised sessions: work on theidentification and expression of emotions, activelistening, perspective taking, conflictmanagement; adjust the duration, frequency and level of guidance according to the age of the students. ; ajuster la durée, la fréquence et le niveau de guidage selon l’âge des élèves.

3. Utilise the video “Perspectives on…” for team training (p. 5-6)

   Use theillustrative video in Year 5-Year 6as a support forinternal training: analyse as a team theteacher's posture, theprofessional gestures(reformulation, securing speech, managing disagreements), then co-designobservation or self-evaluation gridsfor the CPS sessions.

4. Rely on the academic CPS delegations for support and territorial coherence (p. 6-7)

   Contact theacademic CPS delegation(updated list December 2024) to benefit from amethodological support, identifyM@gistère training or in-person courses, identifyactions already undertakenin the area (validated programmes, partnership associations, ARS, local authorities) and ensure thecoherence with the national strategy.

5. Articulate the CPS with other mental health and prevention resources (section "On the same theme") (p. 7-8)

   Cross this system with Eduscol resources "Act to promote the mental health and well-being of students" and the approach "Health-promoting school" in order toscale up CPS actionsin a logic ofcontinuum(mental health, bullying prevention, school climate, guidance), rather than isolated actions.

4. Additional references

🔍➕ For more information, see the articles referenced by "Practices in Health" on the theme of psychosocial skills ➡️🔗https://pratiquesensante.odoo.com/1-1-competences-psychosociales

5. Cross-sectional analysis — Values of Practices in Health

• Literacy: the document provides aclear definition of CPS, simplified diagrams (via fact sheets) and structured kits, but the main content is designed forprofessionals, not directly for families with low literacy.

• Empowerment: CPS are presented as a lever forthe power to actstudents; the empathy sessions aim atempowermentemotional and relational, but the participation of students in theco-construction of the systemsis not well detailed.

• Participation: the document emphasises theactive teaching practicesand the expression of students during the empathy sessions, but does not describe anyformalised co-decision mechanisms(student councils, co-management).

• Community health: the resource is focused on theschool environment; the outreach to families and the community is more driven by thenational CPS strategyand the territorial programmes (SPF, ARS), mentioned but not detailed here.

• Ethics: the page emphasises thequality of the programmes, the use ofevidence-based dataand the prevention ofbullying, but addresses cultural or social biases in the content only implicitly.

• Human rights: the approach highlights thewell-being, therespect for othersand the fight againstbullying, which aligns with the principles ofequityandnon-violence, without explicit reference to human rights frameworks.

• Intersectorality: theinter-ministerial instruction 2022-2037and the SPF programme mention the connection betweeneducation, health, social, youth, showing a willingness for intersectoral action, but the Eduscol page remains focused on the school.

• Partnership: collaboration withPublic Health France, theacademic CPS delegationsand actors from peri/extraschool environments is established; concrete models ofshared governanceare not detailed on this page.

• Fight against discrimination: the text aims at thereduction of bullyingand promotes acalm school climate; specific discriminations (gender, origin, disability, LGBTQI+) are not explained in this resource.

Points of vigilance in animation (sensitive themes)

The Eduscol document mainly addressespsychosocial skills, empathy, mental health and bullying prevention, without directly addressing themes such asHIV/PrEP, chemsex, unaccompanied minors, disability or LGBTQI+.

The risks ofemotional triggeringremain possible when sessions address:

• difficultemotions(sadness, anger, fear);

• experiences of bullying, rejection or conflictbetween students. entre élèves.

Points of vigilance:

• Plan for asafe framework: rules of respect, right not to speak, possibility to withdraw.

• Anticipate thereactivation of experiences of harassment or violence; know how toredirect to professionals(school nurse, psychologist, educational advisor).

• Adapt language and examples toavoid the stigmatisationof certain students (shy, struggling academically, newcomers, etc.).

6. Evaluation of the reliability of the resource

• Scientific relevance

  • The document is based on:

    • theWHO definition 1994of life skills.

    • the2022 reports from Public Health France(reference and summary) which compile the latest scientific knowledge on CPS and effective programmes.

    • data fromPISA 2015/2018regarding self-confidence and well-being.

  • Thenational strategy 2022-2037and theinterministerial instructionprovide a validated interministerial framework; the2024 update(academic delegations) ensures a certain level of currency.

    → High scientific relevance, based on institutional sources and recent literature reviews., fondée sur des sources institutionnelles et des synthèses de littérature récentes.

• Operational relevance

  • The resource brings togetherdirectly usable tools: session kits, special issue on emotions, video of classroom practices, experimentation report, contacts of academic referents.

  • It explicitly links these tools to the concrete issues ofschool climate,mental healthandsuccess; however, the uses are more detailed in thePDFs and associated trainingthan on the page itself.

    → Strong operational relevancefor those who take the time to open the annex documents; access sometimes requires a National Education agent connection, which limits transferability to other sectors. pour qui prend le temps d’ouvrir les documents annexes ; l’accès nécessite parfois une connexion agent Éducation nationale, ce qui limite la transférabilité à d’autres secteurs.

7. MCQ — 5 questions

The page numbers refer here to thesections of the Eduscol page(approximately p.1 to p.8) and to the cited documents, according to their order of appearance.

Part 1 — MCQ (without answers)

Question 1 (p. 1‑2)

According to the definition adopted on Eduscol, thepsychosocial skillsmainly refer to:

a) Disciplinary knowledge that enables success in exams

b) Abilities to maintain psychological well-being and to adopt appropriate behaviour in social interactions

c) Theoretical knowledge about cognitive psychology

d) Classroom management techniques for teachers

Question 2 (p. 2‑3)

Among the following effects, which is not mentioned as a benefit of the development of CPS in schools?

a) Improvement of the school climate

b) Reduction of risky behaviours

c) Decrease in academic success

d) Strengthening of psychological well-being

Question 3 (p. 3)

What finding from PISA is highlighted to justify action on CPS?

a) France is at the top of the OECD for students' self-esteem

b) France is 62nd out of 65 countries for students' self-confidence

c) French students report not needing help when facing difficulties

d) French students have the best results in mathematics

Question 4 (p. 4-5)

Which statement is correct regarding theempathy coursesin schools?

a) They have been reserved for vocational high schools since 2022

b) They have been generalised in nursery and primary schools since the start of the 2024 school year after a phase of experimentation

c) They are offered only in voluntary schools since 2010

d) They are organised exclusively by school psychologists

Question 5 (p. 6-7)

What institutional resource structures the national strategy for the development of CPS?

a) An annual academic circular with no defined duration

b) An inter-ministerial instruction relating to the national multi-sector strategy 2022-2037

c) A simple practical guide written by a collective of teachers

d) A framework developed solely by parent associations

Part 2 — Commented correction

Question 1 (p. 1‑2)

✅ Correct answer: b) Abilities to maintain psychological well-being and to adopt appropriate behaviour in social interactions.

📝 Explanation: The Eduscol page refers to the WHO definition from 1994 and specifies that CPS refers topsychological abilities mobilised to cope with the demands of daily life, maintain astate of psychological well-beingand adopt anappropriate and positive behaviourin interactions.

Question 2 (p. 2‑3)

✅ Correct answer: c) Decrease in academic success.

📝 Explanation: The text mentions that the development of CPS contributes to theimprovement of academic success, theclassroom climate, psychologicalwell-beingand thereduction of risky behaviours, but never to a decrease in success.

Question 3 (p. 3)

✅ Correct answer: b) France ranks 62nd out of 65 countries for students' self-confidence.

📝 Explanation: Based on the PISA 2015/2018 results, the page indicates that France is62nd out of 65 OECD countriesfor theself-confidence of students, considered an important determinant of academic success.

Question 4 (p. 4-5)

✅ Correct answer: b) They have been generalised in nursery and primary schools since the start of the 2024 school year after a phase of experimentation.

📝 Explanation: The text specifies that empathy classes have beenexperimented with in 2023‑2024 in more than 1000 schools, thengeneralised at the start of the 2024 school year in nursery and primary schools, with a resource kit for teachers.

Question 5 (p. 6-7)

✅ Correct answer: b) An inter-ministerial instruction relating to the national multisectoral strategy 2022‑2037.

📝 Explanation: The page explicitly refers to theinter-ministerial instruction no. DGS/SP4/DGCS/DGESCO/DJEPVA/DS/DGEFP/PJJ/DGESIPDGER/2022/131 of 19 August 2022, which establishes thenational multisectoral strategy for the development of psychosocial skills in children and young people – 2022‑2037.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What are psychosocial skills used for in school? (p. 2‑3)

   Psychosocial skills help students tomanage their emotions, tocommunicate, tocooperateand tocope with everyday difficulties.

   They contribute toimproving academic success, theclassroom climateand toreducing risky behaviours(addictions, violence, bullying).

2. Which students are concerned by the development of psychosocial skills? (p. 1‑4)

   All students, from nurseryto secondary school, are concerned, but the page emphasises thewidespread introduction of empathy classes in nursery and primary school.

   The national CPS strategy aims more broadly at allchildren and young peoplein their various living environments (school, extracurricular, out-of-school).

3. Are CPS a separate discipline? (p. 1-3)

   No, CPS do not constitute a separate discipline: they arecross-cutting skills, integrated into theexisting subjectsand intohealth education, intoEMCand into school life.

   They can, however, be the subject ofdedicated sequences, such as empathy sessions.

4. What is the “empathy kit” and what is it for? (p. 4-5)

   Theempathy kitis a set ofthree volumesof educational resources, supplemented by aspecial issue focused on emotions, intended for nursery and primary school teachers.

   It offersstructured sessionsto develop16 psychosocial skills, with activities, materials and professional posture guidelines.

5. How does a typical empathy session proceed? (p. 5, video “Perspectives on…” )

   The video shows sessions inYear 5-Year 6, where the teacher establishes asecure framework, proposesexpression and listening activities, and encouragesreflective exchangesbetween students.

   The analysis ofprofessional gestures(reformulation, appreciation, managing disagreements) illustrates how the targeted CPS is actually worked on in context.

6. Who can support a school in implementing CPS? (p. 6-7)

   Theacademic CPS delegations, listed in a document datedDecember 2024, are the identified contacts to support teams (support, training, resources, networking).

   They can relay the tools produced byPublic Health France, the academies and local partners.

7. How to articulate CPS with the prevention of school bullying? (p. 4 + “On the same theme”)

   Empathy courses are integrated into theInterministerial Plan to Combat Bullyingand aim toimprove the quality of relationships between students, self-esteemand respect for others. et le respect de l’autre.

   The page also refers to the resource “Acting to Promote the Mental Health and Well-being of Students”, allowing CPS to be integrated into aa coherent set of preventive actions.

9. Rewriting in Easy-to-Read Language 

9.1. Easy-to-Read Summary – Context and Issues

• What are psychosocial skills?

  • Psychosocial skills areabilities for everyday life.

  • They help students tofeel good, totalk with othersand tomanage difficulties.

  • The school wants to develop them toimprove the well-beingof students.

  • These skills are important forsucceeding at schoolandavoiding certain riskssuch as violence or addiction.

  • Studies show that students in France havelittle self-confidence, which poses a problem for their success.

• Why is it important now?

  • Since theCovid crisis, themental health of studentsis an important issue.

  • The State has decided on anational strategyto develop these skills between2022 and 2037.

  • The school is part of this strategy, as students spenda lot of time there.

9.2. Easy-to-Read Summary – Operational Contributions

• Tools for teachers

  • There is aroadmapand aframing noteto help schools.

  • Someguidesexplain the skills to be developed and best practices.

  • Anempathy kitoffersready-to-use sessionsfor classrooms.

  • Aspecial issue on emotionshelps children tobetter understand their emotions..

• Empathy classes

  • Empathy classesare now organised in sont maintenant organisés dans all nursery and primary schools..

  • They have been tested in over1000 schoolsbefore being rolled out.

  • The results show abetter classroom climateand abetter well-beingfor students and adults.

9.3. Key points FALC

• Point 1: Definition

  • Psychosocial skills areabilities to feel goodandto interact with others..

• Point 2: Positive effects

  • Theyhelp to learn betterand toreduce risky behaviours..

• Point 3: Self-confidence

  • In France, students often havelittle self-confidence, which hinders their success.

• Point 4: Empathy classes

  • Empathy classes arepresent in all nursery and primary schoolssince2024.

• Point 5: National framework

  • Anational strategy 2022-2037and aninter-ministerial instructionframe these actions.