This blog, written by Maria Boffey, SHRN Knowledge Exchange and External Affairs Manager, shines a light on Abbey Primary School and the thoughtful way they used their SHRN findings to open up conversations about digital life, influence and wellbeing. Their journey is a reminder that meaningful change often begins with one question and a willingness to explore it together.
Working with schools across Wales, we often talk about SHRN data as a starting point, a way to spark questions, challenge assumptions, and give schools something solid to build from. Abbey Primary’s recent digital wellbeing work really brought that to life for us.
Their case study shows how they used their own findings, but from our side, what stood out wasn’t just what they did, it was how they approached the whole process. Instead of treating their school level data as something to interpret behind closed doors, they put it straight into their learners’ hands. Seeing their own data helped shift the discussion from numbers to real experience.
What we noticed was that the school let the data prompt curiosity, rather than push them towards a fixed response. Conversations unfolded naturally, with staff and learners exploring the findings together and letting curiosity guide them. It’s a reminder that evidence informed practice doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs space.
The school wove this work through what was already happening across the curriculum. Digital influence, online behaviour, wellbeing , sat neatly within the Health and Wellbeing AoLE and the Digital Competence Framework. The school didn’t try to reinvent itself; it strengthened what was already there.
We were also struck by the commitment to pupil voice. When schools give learners the time, trust and tools to interpret data themselves, the quality of insight transforms. Year 6 didn’t respond to what the data said , they pushed it further. They explored how algorithms shape their experiences and reflected on how digital life affects them. That blend of structured data and honest learner reflection is exactly the kind of partnership SHRN was built to support.
Perhaps the most encouraging part was seeing how the data brought everyone together. Staff, learners and families part of the same conversation. When used well, it becomes a shared language, everyone can gather around to make sense of.
As we look ahead to the 2026 SHRN survey, this journey reinforces something we’ve noticed again and again: meaningful change doesn’t come from having all the answers upfront. It comes from being willing to explore, question and adapt. When a school approaches its SHRN report as an open invitation rather than something to be judged by, you get the kind of thoughtful, learner centred work we saw here.
Their experience is a reminder that digital wellbeing isn’t just a topic, it’s a lived, evolving part of children’s lives. And when we trust learners to lead the conversation, they show us perspectives we would never have reached on our own.
You can read the full Abbey Primary School case study here.
For more examples of how SHRN data is supporting evidence‑informed practice, visit the case studies and resources pages on our website.