Becoming a health promoting teacher: learning from primary school teachers' perspectives of health and wellbeing promotion

Purpose This article presents key findings from a study that investigated Scottish primary school teachers' perspectives of health and wellbeing (HWB), specifically positive mental health promotion. Aiming to initiate a dialogue between the primary and secondary school sectors, the article then considers these key findings in relation to secondary schools and how they could inform thinking and practice in this context. Design/methodology/approach Purposive sampling was used to recruit 14 primary teachers with a range of experiences. Non-directive interviews were used to gather data, which were analysed thematically and iteratively. Findings Participants overwhelmingly viewed the promotion of positive mental health as an essential and inseparable part of their role as teachers, along with the building of strong relationships and the cultivation of a nurturing classroom ethos. They described this responsibility as multi-faceted and enacted through everyday practices, interactions and modelling behaviours that support children's mental wellbeing. Originality/value While several scholars have investigated the way in which HWB curricula are enacted, this article considers HWB as pedagogy and as teacher identity, not something in addition to what teachers do, but something that is an implicit part of their teacher identity. Furthermore, cross-border dialogue and learning are not a new idea; however, adopting this approach in the context of HWB, exploring strengths and opportunities across the primary and secondary sectors is, to our knowledge, relatively novel.