This research focuses on the personal well-being of basic school students and on the school environment factors affecting it. The authors were also interested to know whether there are any differences between two age groups (6th grade and 9th grade) in the perception of the school environment and school relations. The research included 934 students (426 boys and 508 girls) aged 12 to 17 years. The well-being was measured by the WHO-5 Well-Being Index; school factors included perceived school relationships, perceived learning environment and academic performance. The indicators differentiating between the groups with low and high well-being were: obtaining help from the school, the pleasantness of lessons, relationships with teachers, and relationships with schoolmates. In both age groups, higher well-being was predicted by relationships with teachers and schoolmates, obtaining help from the school, and parents’ relationships with the school. The results indicated that students establish relationships supporting their well-being not only in their class. It is rather the wider communication culture in the school that supports the students’ well-being. The results also indicate the wider effect of school relationships in that the factor of obtaining help from the school (the school`s pro-social organization) is more significant for the students’ well-being that the pro-social behaviour of the classmates. Keywords: adolescence academic performance, perceived school relationships, perceived learning environment, subjective well-being.

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Qualitative research was carried out to examine the first experiences of the implementation of art therapy in Estonian schools. The aim was to ascertain the facets of the activities of the school art therapists and the potential of art therapy in the work of a school’s support team. Within the framework of the research, art therapists and management staff from four general education schools were interviewed. The work foci and specifics of the art therapist’s work were described on this basis, and the potential of school art therapy in reaching educational goals was highlighted. The interviewees characterised the work of a school art therapist in terms of the artistic and creative nature of art therapy, the co-operation-based supportive therapeutic relationship; the variability of the forms of work; and the mitigating, relaxing, and school-adaptation-supporting effect of art therapy. Management staff indicated that the art therapist enriches the work of the school’s support system, as creativity-based methods make the strengths and development potential of students more visible, it is possible to choose from among various specialists to help children, and art therapy can be applied as a primary preventive intervention. Keywords: school art therapy, artistic expression, art therapeutic relationship, content of school art therapy.