In this blog, Dr Abbey Rowe, DECIPHer shares key findings from her doctoral research on how secondary schools shape the mental health of learners with ADHD, along with research‑informed recommendations for actions schools can take to reduce mental health inequalities for these learners and better support them.
With increasing focus on inclusion and well-being in Welsh schools, this is an important moment to reflect on what’s working, and what could work better for learners with ADHD.
For many young people with ADHD, mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression are common and can have consequences that extend well beyond school. Understanding how schools shape the mental health of learners with ADHD is therefore key to identifying how they can be better supported.
Analysis of School Health Research Network (SHRN) survey data from Wales found that mental health outcomes for learners with ADHD-related symptoms varied little between schools. At first glance, this might suggest that schools make little difference to the mental health of learners with ADHD, but interviews with learners and staff across three schools painted a more complex picture.
Participants identified a wide range of school‑based factors they believed influenced the mental health of learners with ADHD, and what stood out was not the similarity betweenschools, but the inconsistency within them.
“We could do something in one lesson and be completely fine, and then do it in another lesson and get into tons of trouble… all teachers need to be on the same wavelength.”
Learner
This suggests that the issue may not lie in individual schools themselves, but in how consistently support is experienced within them.
This matters because improving the mental health of learners with ADHD does not necessarily require a complete structural change. Instead, learners may benefit from more consistent messages of understanding, flexibility and support embedded across everyday school practice.
Where Schools Unintentionally Create Challenges
Across interviews, learners and staff described a mismatch between the expectations and demands of school life, and the characteristics of learners with ADHD, cumulatively contributing to poorer mental health over time.
“[…] it just really puts me down […] it makes me feel that I haven’t tried enough when I have tried my best, and it just makes me feel that my best isn’t good enough for these teachers sometimes.”
Learner
Feeling understood by teachers and peers emerged as particularly important, with ADHD knowledge and empathy seen as supporting engagement and well-being, and misunderstanding being linked to stress, stigma and withdrawal.
Interviews also highlighted how school systems and structures shape inclusion for learners with ADHD, with gaps in staff training, inconsistent flexibility, limited time and resources, and diagnosis‑led processes often restricting effective support.
These challenges are not inevitable , and importantly, many can be addressed through small, everyday changes in practice.
What Schools Can Do Now to Make an Immediate Difference
While structural change depends on funding and national policy, there are things schools can do now, many of them small, but meaningful.
These following suggestions were developed with school partners and people with lived experience of ADHD:
Build a Shared Understanding and Culture of Acceptance of ADHD
Use existing expertise within school communities, ALN teams and evidence‑based resources to develop ongoing, shared understanding of ADHD, neurodiversity and individual variations. This doesn’t have to mean large-scale training programmes , it can start with short conversations in staff meetings, peer learning, assemblies, or tutor time.
“It would be helpful… to have something in place for people to understand what it’s like to have ADHD… so we don’t have to keep explaining ourselves.”
Learner
The focus should be on understanding neurodiversity and recognising individual differences, not just labels or diagnoses. Treat understanding ADHD as a continuing process rather than a single CPD session.
Make Support Needs‑Led, Not Diagnosis‑Led
Where possible, ensure support is available based on a learner’s needs rather than waiting for a formal diagnosis. Normalising adjustments that support regulation, organisation and engagement for all learners can reduce stigma, prevent delays in support, reduce reliance on ALN teams, and ensure no one is left unsupported while assessments are ongoing.
Prioritise Consistency of Everyday Practice
Consistency across classrooms is key. Agree and communicate a small number of inclusive practices available consistently across classrooms, such as predictable routines, flexible learning options, regular regulation breaks, and clearly explained objectives and instructions.
Where learners already have support plans in place, these should be implemented reliably and reviewed collaboratively with the learner to identify and address any challenges.
Put Relationships at the Centre
Embed simple relational practices into daily school life, such as checking in with learners explaining decisions, listening to preferences, and involving learners in conversations about what helps them feel supported and to strengthen trust.
This might be as simple as a brief check-in at the start of a lesson, or recognising when a learner is trying, not just when they succeed.
“When you have a relationship with your teacher… you feel more encouraged to do well.”
Learner
Take a Compassionate Approach to Behaviour
Move towards calmer, more compassionate responses to behaviour by reducing reliance on punitive approaches and prioritising empathy, understanding of ADHD, and appropriate support. Creating spaces for regulation, using strength‑based approaches, and responding to behavioural incidents with respectful language can help all learners feel safer, more understood and better supported across the school community. Importantly, many of these approaches benefit all learners, not just those with ADHD.
“We need to celebrate ADHD… instead of trying to get these kids to conform…”
Teacher
Prioritise Time To Share What Works
This might involve discussing difficulties, exchanging solutions, and gently challenging assumptions about learners’ behaviour and abilities. Importantly, any time created needs to come from rebalancing existing priorities, rather than adding to already stretched workloads.
Small Changes, Bigger Messages
It’s important to recognise that lasting school improvement would benefit greatly from wider support, including sufficient funding, clearer guidance, and more accessible diagnostic pathways. Without these, there’s a risk of placing too much pressure on schools.
However, waiting for system‑level reform should not mean standing still. Small, consistent changes can send a powerful message to learners: ‘You are understood, you are accepted, and support is not conditional.’
When that message is reflected across policies, classrooms, and teachers, schools can reduce daily stress for learners with ADHD. By better supporting these learners, schools can create environments that feel more supportive, inclusive and importantly enjoyable for everyone.
Even small changes can be a catalyst for good. Consistency, compassion and understanding remain among the most powerful tools schools already have. The challenge is not knowing what to do — it’s doing it consistently, every day, in ways that work for all learners.
Hello, Nicole Gelfert here. I am a second-year PhD student at DECIPHer at Cardiff University, which is the academic home of the School Health Research Network (SHRN).
My doctoral research aims to better understand pupil behavioural issues and to identify practical approaches for schools and policymakers to support pupils more effectively.
My research is divided into three phases, each contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of learners’ needs and the realities of school contexts.
1️⃣ Phase One
Using data from the School Health and Well-being Survey, I am currently completing the first phase of my research, which examines the risk factors and trends associated with pupil behavioural issues in secondary schools in Wales.
2️⃣ Phase Two
Later this summer, I will invite maintained secondary schools to take part in the second phase of my research, which will include focus groups with school staff and interviews with Year 10 pupils. SHRN data informed the decision to engage with Year 10 pupils, as this year group has consistently shown the highest proportion of pupils reporting high or very high levels of behavioural difficulties between 2019 and 2023 (Public Health Wales and the School Health Research Network, 2025).
The aim of both the focus groups and interviews is to understand the experiences and perspectives of members of the school community in relation to pupil behaviour, and to identify policies and practices that are both practical and acceptable to staff and pupils.
3️⃣ Phase Three
The final phase of my research will involve consulting with key stakeholders to develop guidance resources based on findings from the first two phases of the study. These resources will support schools and policymakers to better understand pupils’ needs and improve practice and policy moving forward.
🔎 From Educator to Researcher
Before starting my doctorate, I spent 20 years working in colleges and universities in the United States, including roles with significant pastoral responsibility. During this time, there were notable changes in learners’ needs, particularly in relation to mental health and well-being.
Although the institutions I worked in were committed to developing responsive initiatives and innovative programmes, it was often difficult to embed evidence-informed practices. Research frequently lagged behind the day-to-day realities of campus life and student needs. Even as an experienced practitioner, I increasingly encountered new and challenging issues and, at times, felt unprepared and overwhelmed.
In conversations with school leaders and teachers, I realised that my experience was not unique. Schools continue to grapple with complex and evolving pupil needs alongside many competing demands. Ultimately, my desire to develop evidence-informed resources to help school leaders and teachers feel more confident and less overwhelmed when supporting mental health and well-being led me to pursue a PhD. I want to contribute to research that is useful to schools and helps create environments in which learners can thrive.
Over the past few years, Cardiff University researchers from the Centre for Trials Research, DECIPHer, and Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health, collaborated on the development of a new digital tool to support secondary schools to better access and use their SHRN health and well-being data. As part of the study, funded by Wellcome, WNHWPS practitioners and three secondary schools in Wales helped pilot a prototype dashboard containing three rounds of SHRN data – the findings of which have recently been published in BMC Public Health. The study provides a grounded look at how schools currently work with data and the practical challenges they face. In this blog, we share what the research found and why it matters for schools.
Why a SHRN School-level Dashboard?
Schools collect and have access to a wide range of health‑related data e.g. survey findings, attendance patterns, safeguarding information, well‑being records, but staff often struggle to bring these datasets together to support day to day planning. Limited time, capacity, and confidence were the biggest barriers. For SHRN feedback reports in particular, teachers told us they valued the insights but sometimes found it challenging to fit in the time to explore all the charts and year‑group patterns as fully as they would like.
As part of the study, a new SHRN Secondary School Digital Dashboard has been codesigned with learners, school staff and WNHWPS healthy school co-ordinators to ease this pressure. It brings SHRN datasets together in one place, giving staff a simple, visual way to explore patterns, compare year groups and spot emerging needs without diving into spreadsheets. This small-scale pilot study found that the dashboard helped staff sped up the process of staff accessing the health and wellbeing data they were interested in.
What Schools Told Us
Using a Complex Adaptive Systems lens, the research explored how the dashboard fits into busy, constantly shifting school environments. Staff in the pilot schools said the dashboard was easy to pick up and actually saved them time. Being able to see data “at a glance” made it easier to identify issues early and understand trends across year groups.
Schools also stressed that any national dashboard must support their existing workload — not add to it. Participants highlighted that the tool could help with wider educational reporting, making planning smoother across well‑being, safeguarding, and curriculum areas.
Confidence remained a key theme. While staff valued easier access to data, many were still concerned about interpreting it correctly. They asked for short guidance materials, practical examples and for staff less familiar with SHRN and data use, training to help them feel equipped. This echoes wider feedback across SHRN: schools want data that are genuinely usable and provide clear actionable insights to support school health promotion.
A New SHRN Digital Dashboard Launching December 2026
Building on the pilot’s findings and years of SHRN survey work, a new SHRN Secondary School Digital Dashboard will launch in December 2026. This updated version will bring multiple survey cycles together, offering a far more flexible and interactive way for schools to understand learner health and well‑being.
The study suggests the new dashboard has strong potential to support curriculum planning, and whole‑school well‑being work — but only if it fits smoothly with how schools already operate and the current pressures they face.
What the Dashboard Will Help Schools Do
Once live, the dashboard will enable schools to:
Track changes in health behaviours and well‑being over time.
Spot emerging issues across different groups.
Compare their results with national patterns.
Support data‑informed conversations with learners.
These are exactly the kinds of features schools asked for: clearer insights, simpler navigation and easier planning. And importantly, no extra software or specialist skills will be required.
Looking Ahead
The pilot shows that schools want to use data meaningfully but need tools that save time and come with straightforward support. The new dashboard is a step towards that. The study also offers rare, practice‑based insight for public health systems working with schools on data‑informed improvement. These findings are now shaping the next phase of development, to ensure the dashboard can be effectively used by schools and staff to support learners’ health and well‑being.
With the 2026 SHRN primary survey opening soon, primary schools across Wales are preparing for a new cycle of well-being insight. Understanding how children are feeling, coping, and experiencing school life sits at the heart of SHRN’s work with primary schools. In this blog, Maria Boffey, SHRN’s External Affairs and Knowledge Exchange Manager, explores why more schools are joining the network, what the primary well-being survey can reveal, and how clear, trusted evidence is helping staff strengthen their whole‑school well-being work. It’s a timely look at SHRN’s growing role in supporting early insight, confident decision‑making, and a consistent approach to learner well-being.
Across Wales, primary schools are seeing real value in understanding how children are feeling, coping, and experiencing school life. The early years of education are full of small but important moments, the friendships forming in the yard, the morning tiredness that affects concentration, the confidence that comes from feeling safe and supported.
The School Health Research Network (SHRN) helps schools make sense of these everyday experiences, using trusted, anonymised well-being data to guide decisions. And as SHRN’s work with primary schools continues to grow, more schools are finding that the insights offer something they haven’t had before: a clear, whole‑school picture.
A Partnership Built Around Children’s Well-being
SHRN is a national partnership between Welsh Government, Public Health Wales (including the Welsh Network of Healthy Schools Schemes), and Cardiff University. Together, the network supports 99% of secondary schools and nearly half of primary schools in Wales.
The aim is simple: to give schools reliable, school‑level well-being data that supports planning, improves understanding, and strengthens the work staff are already doing. Reports are visual and easy to understand — charts, short explanations, and clear, school-level summaries.
The survey is fully anonymous and ethically approved, collecting no names or identifiers. Schools receive clear, accessible reports that translate children’s experiences into insight that staff can act on.
What the Primary Survey Covers
The SHRN primary survey focuses on the areas that shape children’s daily lives:
emotional well-being
sleep and routines
friendships and social experiences
digital behaviours
sense of belonging in school
physical activity
food and nutrition
Year 6 transition
These themes create a rounded picture , showing what helps children thrive, as well as where a little more support might be helpful.
Why Schools Find It Useful
Primary staff often tell us the same thing: the report “confirms what we’ve been seeing” and “helps us discuss priorities with more confidence”.
Schools use SHRN data to support:
school development planning
Pastoral work
School transition discussions
WNHWPS healthy school assessments
School clusters work (especially valued in helping to understand how confident and prepared children feel ahead of secondary school)
Estyn inspection preparation
The data doesn’t replace professional judgement , it strengthens it. It gives staff a clearer sense of patterns across the school, not just what they notice day- to- day.
Part of Wales’ Wider Well-being Picture
SHRN is funded by Welsh Government and recognised nationally as a key source of evidence on children’s health and well-being . This expansion into primary schools creates, a picture that spans Year 3 right through to Year 11.
A new Public Health Wales Primary SHRN dashboard (June 2026) will give schools, regional and national partners more flexible ways to explore data.
What Schools Are Saying
Schools already using SHRN highlight how valuable the reports are for starting conversations, identifying early trends, and giving staff the reassurance that their decisions are grounded in real evidence.
“The report helped us spot small wellbeing patterns we’d been unsure about — it confirmed what we suspected and helped us prioritise.” – Headteacher
“Being able to use the SHRN data for Healthy Schools and governors saved us a huge amount of time.” – School HWB lead
Many tell us that the link between SHRN data and WNHWPS criteria makes their ongoing work easier to evidence, especially in areas like emotional well-being , physical activity, and food and nutrition.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Put simply, SHRN gives staff a clearer understanding of how children are doing, so decisions feel informed, confident, and rooted in what learners are actually experiencing.
Invitations for the 2026 primary survey will be going out soon. Schools taking part will receive an updated well-being report, and new schools will be supported throughout the process.
SHRN is a long‑term partnership. As more primary schools join, the picture becomes clearer , helping schools, clusters, and national partners understand what children need today, and how we can support them to thrive tomorrow.
SHRN is free, fully supported, and open to all primary schools in Wales.To find out more or register your school’s interest, email shrn@cardiff.ac.ukor visit shrn.org.uk.
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.
This guest blog, written by Lauren Copeland, a lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University, explores why menstrual health education matters for all young people, not just those who have periods. Lauren is working in partnership with Robyn Jackowich, Honor Young and Max R. Ashton at Cardiff University and Tabitha Dickson at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Drawing on recent research with boys and young men, Lauren looks at what they currently learn, what they want to know, and how more inclusive teaching can help reduce stigma and build understanding. She also shares plans for a larger study that will support schools to create more open and supportive conversations about menstrual well-being. This blog is of interest to SHRN readers because it brings together new evidence, young people’s perspectives, and practical insights that can help schools strengthen menstrual well-being for all learners.
What We Know
Around 1.8 billion people around the world have periods every month. Although menstruation is completely natural, it’s still surrounded by stigma, embarrassment, and misunderstanding. The NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan (2025–2035) highlights menstrual health as both a public health and equality issue, and something everyone in society needs to understand and support.
For many children and young people, periods can make school life harder. On average, 15-year-old girls miss around 3 days of school a year because of period symptoms and spend around 14 days struggling to concentrate or take part fully while at school (1). For those from low-income families or minority backgrounds, period poverty (not being able to afford period products) adds even more pressure (2).
While the Welsh Government has invested £9 million to help tackle period poverty and improve education, boys and young men are still often left out of these conversations. Teaching everyone about periods helps break down stigma, build understanding, and create more supportive schools and communities. However, many lessons still focus mainly on those who have periods, which means boys and young men often have fewer opportunities to learn about the topic in a structured way.
We also need to think about how best to teach this topic. Mixed-gender classes can help normalise the conversation,, while in other settings learners may feel a bit uncomfortable. Effective menstrual education is inclusive and sensitive, helping everyone feel respected while in other settings learners may feel a bit uncomfortable. Effective menstrual education is inclusive and sensitive, helping everyone feel respected.
What We Did – Our Previous Work in This Area:
To learn more about this issue, we ran a survey study with 155 young men and people assigned male at birth (aged 16–25) who attended school in the UK. We wanted to know what menstrual education they received, how confident they felt in their knowledge, and how this related to their attitudes toward menstruation.
How We Did It
Participants completed an online survey We asked about what they learned at school, who taught it, and how confident they felt in their knowledge about periods. We also explored their views on stigma, and attitudes about period-related policies.
What We Found 🔎
Most participants said they had some menstrual education at school, but many thought it was poor quality or unhelpful.
Those who knew more about periods were less likely to hold negative or stigmatizing views.
Learning about real experiences of menstruation, not just the biology, helped build empathy.
Some said mixed-gender classes were helpful for normalising the topic, but others said jokes or teasing in these mixed groups made learning challenging.
The most effective lessons were those that combined facts with practical period management, helping everyone understand both the science and the social impact.
Overall, the findings show that boys and young men want to learn about periods, but they need education that feels relevant, honest, and respectful. When young people lack knowledge, stigma becomes more likely to spread and shape school culture.
What We Would Like to Know
We currently lack understanding and evidence of how to address the diverse needs of girls and boys within school settings regarding menstrual health education. We need to understand what effective menstrual education looks like for boys and young men, and how to involve them in supportive, stigma‑reducing ways.
Our previous research shows that young men want to understand more about periods. They want clear, factual information about what happens during menstruation, how it affects people physically and emotionally, and how they can offer support. When period education is separated by gender, it can make menstruation feel like a topic for only one group of learners, reinforcing the idea that it isn’t something everyone should understand.
We hope our next steps will be a larger, two-phase study that will explore the best ways to include boys and young men in menstrual education. By understanding what works, we can help create more open, supportive conversations about periods in schools and communities so that everyone, regardless of gender, can play a part in ending stigma and promoting menstrual well-being. The two phases are:
Phase 1 (Scheduled to run April – July 2026)
Focus groups with secondary school learners – both those who have periods and those who don’t.
Interviews with parents and carers, caregivers, and teachers to understand what helps or makes it harder to teach about periods.
Phase 2 (Scheduled to run September -December 2026)
A large-scale survey with around 2,000 young people aged 13–16 years in schools across Wales.
Questions exploring what learners want to learn about periods, what they think boys and young men should learn, when and how learning should happen, and what barriers get in the way.
Analysis of how views differ by age, background, and family income.
Our goal is to find what parts of the school curriculum and environment can be changed to make menstrual education more inclusive for everyone. By listening to boys and young men, we can design education that help reduce embarrassment, build empathy, and support those who have periods.
Conclusion
Understanding how boys and young men learn about periods is key to creating more open, supportive school environments. Our findings highlight a clear appetite for better, more inclusive education that reduces stigma and helps all learners feel confident talking about menstrual health.
As this work develops, we hope to partner with schools and young people to explore approaches that feel practical and inclusive in real classrooms. If your school would like to receive updates, or find out about future opportunities to take part in this menstrual health research, remember to subscribe to the SHRN e-news or email lcopeland@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
1. Schoep ME, Adang EMM, Maas JWM, de Bie B, Aarts JWM, Nieboer TE. Productivity loss due to menstruation-related symptoms: A nationwide cross sectional survey among 32 748 women. Vol. 9, BMJ Open. BMJ Publishing Group; 2019.
2. Jaafar H, Ismail SY, Azzeri A. Period Poverty: A Neglected Public Health Issue. Vol. 44, Korean Journal of Family Medicine. Korean Journal of Family Medicine; 2023. p. 183–8.
In this blog, Maria Boffey, SHRN External Affairs and Knowledge Exchange Manager, reflects on our recent webinar with Professor Graham Moore, which explored why school climate plays such an important role in young people’s mental health. The session highlighted how strongly Graham’s insights echo what many schools across Wales already tell us, that climate is something lived and felt every day, not just measured on a page. This blog brings together the key webinar messages and shows how they connect with SHRN’s ongoing work to help schools understand and use their own data.
Last month we hosted a webinar with Professor Graham Moore, Director of DECIPHer at Cardiff University, who explored something that feels increasingly central to everyday school life- the climate of a school, and what it means for young people’s mental health. It was one of those sessions that landed well because it connects research with what schools are experiencing every day. Much of what he shared will feel instantly familiar to staff.
Graham talked about school climate as the ‘feel’ of a school, the relationships, routines and sense of safety that underpin everything else. He emphasised that climate isn’t something you ‘bolt on.’ It’s the everyday culture that shapes how young people experience school. It’s the sort of thing staff recognise instantly, even if they’ve never called it ‘school climate’ before. That resonated. Climate isn’t just in the data; you notice it the moment you step into a school.
What really stayed with me was this aligns with what schools across Wales already do through SHRN. Schools are constantly navigating competing pressures, but the heartbeat of our network has always been the idea that good data, trusted relationships, and support from those who understand the local context make a real difference. It was heartening hearing Graham reflect on that, and to see how his wider research perspective connects with everyday practice in Wales. It reminded me how often schools tell us that it’s the small, everyday things that matter most.
We also touched on the important role played by the WNHWPS Coordinators. They’re the people on the ground supporting schools to dig into their SHRN reports, make sense of what they’re seeing, and use those insights to plan meaningful changes. Their work helps bring the data to life and shows how it can genuinely inform real decisions in schools.
The webinar was a good reminder that school climate isn’t just something you read about in research, it’s something you see and feel in schools every day. We it see every day in classrooms, corridors, canteens and conversations. We see it in the everyday moments, the way learners are welcomed, supported, listened to.
If you’re interested in practical examples, our case studies from Cogan Primary School and Whitmore High School show how schools have used their SHRN data to strengthen relationships, improve transitions and build a more connected sense of belonging. These aren’t theoretical examples; they’re stories of schools making climate‑focused changes that genuinely support learners’ well-being.
And for secondary schools who took part in the 2025 survey, your SHRN reports will be landing this spring. Many of you will be looking closely at your own climate indicators e.g. relationships with staff, peer connections, belonging, involvement in school life. These measures can tell a powerful story over time, especially when you view them alongside your wider health and well-being priorities.
Graham’s webinar was a helpful reminder that improving well-being doesn’t always mean introducing something new. Often, it’s about strengthening what’s already part of the school’s culture: fairness, relationships, voice, and feeling safe.
We are proud to work alongside schools as they build on these foundations using their own SHRN data and insights.
If you’re interested in the wider conversation around this research, theJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatryrecently published a commentary building on Graham’s review. It echoes many of the themes from the webinar, especially the importance of relationships, belonging and the day‑to‑day social life of a school, — and offers a helpful sociological lens on why climate matters:Where next for school climate? A commentary on Moore (2026)
By Maria Boffey, SHRN External Affairs And Knowledge Exchange Manager
In this blog, I draw on ongoing SHRN developments and recent research from Scotland and Wales that looks at how schools can use their data more meaningfully. What stood out to me in the study was how interactive dashboards can make evidence easier for staff to work with, not just in theory, but in the everyday reality of school life. In this blog, I outline the key findings and show how SHRN’s forthcoming secondary school dashboard connects directly with this emerging work.
Schools are being asked to take on an increasingly significant role in supporting learner health and well‑being. Recent policy developments make this clear: the Whole‑School Approach to Emotional and Mental Well‑being places a statutory expectation on schools to understand their learners’ needs, act on them, and monitor progress over time. At the same time, the Curriculum for Wales embeds well‑being as a core purpose, requiring schools to design learning that supports confident, healthy individuals. Alongside this, a range of national frameworks and guidance now emphasise the importance of using high‑quality data to understand local need, target support, and evidence improvement.
Although recent policies place greater expectations on schools to take a data‑informed approach to learner well‑being, this sits alongside all the work they are already doing day‑to‑day. The reality is that schools often face busy timetables, competing priorities and a growing volume of information to interpret. In this context, it isn’t always straightforward to identify where to focus energy or which areas need attention first.
A recent study from researchers in Scotland and Wales highlights something that makes that job a whole lot easier: interactive data dashboards. These tools give schools a simple, visual way to explore their own data and make decisions based on what’s actually happening in their classrooms and communities. The study found that dashboards helped staff process information more quickly and supported evidence‑informed discussions across a range of school roles. What struck me in the study was how consistently staff described dashboards as something that made data ‘usable’ rather than just ‘available’.
Why Dashboards Matter For Schools
The study found that teachers, local authority staff, and even learners see dashboards as:
Easy to interpret, reducing reliance on lengthy reports or complex spreadsheets.
Useful for planning, helping schools pinpoint priorities for health and well‑being action plans.
Useful for conversations with staff, learners, governors, parents and carers.
Supportive of cross‑curricular learning, especially in areas linked to health and well-being.
A bridge between home and school life as families can have greater understanding what children and young people are experiencing.
The study specifically notes that dashboards promote “quick information processing and effective decision‑making,” which strengthens these benefits. In other words, dashboards transform raw data into clear, actionable insight. They allow staff to quickly identify emerging trends, highlight areas of concern, and recognise strengths across the school community. By turning often dense information into simple visuals, dashboards help teachers see things they might otherwise miss in long reports. This makes analysis feel manageable, not overwhelming, which the study highlights as a key strength.
By presenting information visually, they support more confident and evidence‑informed decision‑making among school leaders and teachers.
The study also emphasises that dashboard design must be driven by school needs. SHRN is uniquely positioned to do this because of its long‑term partnership model with schools across Wales.
Coming Soon: The SHRN Secondary School Level Dashboard
A new SHRN secondary school digital dashboard is launching at the end of 2026. All network member secondary schools will be granted access to this new SHRN data dashboard, which will provide schools with the means to explore their own learner health and well-being data over multiple survey rounds. Only aggregate, school-level data will be provided, in line with SHRN’s current reporting practices, with each school only granted access to their own data.
Built as part of SHRN’s ongoing programme to improve data access for schools, the dashboard will allow schools to interrogate their results in a more flexible and interactive way than traditional hardcopy reports. Schools will be able to view anonymised results by year group andgender, making it easier to interpret patterns and plan targeted action.
What the Dashboard Will Enable Schools to Do
Once launched, the dashboard will allow secondary schools to:
Track well-being trends over time, using repeated SHRN survey data.
Identify emerging issues early, by exploring topic‑specific indicators by gender and year group
Compare their school‑level results with national patterns
Engage learners in meaningful, data‑informed conversations about their experiences and school environment, supporting a whole‑school approach to health and well-being improvement.
Enable WNHWPS Coordinators to work proactively with schools, using accessible, school‑level data to guide conversations, identify priorities, and support targeted improvement planning.
These uses map closely to what the study identified as the potential of dashboards, particularly their use in planning, pupil engagement, and cross‑sector collaboration.
What Schools Told Researchers
Teachers and LA staff said dashboards could help them:
Position well‑being as a shared, whole‑school responsibility rather than a single staff member’s task.
Strengthen partnerships across education, health and community sectors.
Bring learners and pupil voice into decision‑making in more meaningful ways.
Learners, interestingly, liked the way dashboards made well-being “visible” and “real”. They felt it helped them understand how their own experiences fit into wider patterns. This echoes the study’s finding that dashboards can support student agency by making data more accessible.
Why This Matters Right Now
With well‑being embedded as a central component of Wales’s curriculum, schools require practical, evidence‑based tools that support implementation without increasing administrative burden. Interactive dashboards offer an efficient, user‑friendly way to meet these expectations while minimising workload.
For schools that are members of SHRN, this could be the next big step: turning survey data into something interactive, tailored and immediately useful.The study underscores that dashboards serve not only as data tools but as catalysts for more coordinated and collaborative approaches to well‑being across school systems. This positions dashboards as not just a technological solution, but a strategic one.
Final Thoughts
As the study highlights, the value of interactive dashboards lies not merely in their technical functionality, but in their capacity to enable schools to make informed, evidence‑based decisions. With its well‑established partnerships and comprehensive dataset, SHRN is uniquely positioned to develop dashboards that provide meaningful, practical support to teachers, learners and families. If schools can see their own well‑being data clearly, they’re in a much stronger position to make informed decisions , and ultimately, to create environments where young people can thrive.
Sign up to the SHRN e-news to keep up with our progress , including future updates on the SHRN dashboard and ongoing work with the Public Health Wales SHRN data dashboard.
Across Wales, schools are exploring new and practical ways to bring SHRN evidence into PSE and wider health and well being learning. Using real data gives teachers a straightforward way to make lessons more grounded in what their learners are actually experiencing. This blog shares examples of how schools are connecting SHRN themes e.g. mental health, sleep, or healthy choices, with existing lesson content in meaningful and practical ways.
Ysgol Aberconwy: Using SHRN Sleep Data in Daily Learning
In Ysgol Aberconwy, teachers used their SHRN sleep data for classroom discussion and practical activities such as assemblies on circadian rhythms, discussions about screen use and sleep cycles, and a voluntary “no‑tech hour before bedtime” challenge to help learners reflect on their own habits. Some classes also trialled simple sleep‑tracking over a week, helping learners notice links between their routines, mood, concentration, and energy. These hands‑on activities were supported by whole‑school campaigns where learners designed posters and led parent and carer workshops to share practical sleep tips at home, helping the school build a consistent message about the importance of healthy sleep.
Whitmore High School: Turning Data Into Meaningful Learner Reflection
Whitmore High School offers another strong example of how SHRN data can shape meaningful learning experiences for young people. After reviewing their SHRN findings, the school identified key priorities around learner fulfilment, school connectedness, and life satisfaction. Teachers then used these insights to guide targeted, curriculum‑linked activities that helped learners reflect on their own well‑being and relationships within the school community. This included structured classroom discussions, pastoral sessions, and themed activities designed to strengthen learners’ sense of belonging and emotional resilience. By embedding SHRN insights into everyday learning, Whitmore gave pupils clear opportunities to understand the data, explore what it means for them, and contribute to positive change within their school environment.
Supporting a Whole‑School Approach
Bringing SHRN data evidence into lessons doesn’t sit in isolation. It connects naturally with wider whole‑school health priorities, especially through the WNHWPS who use the same SHRN findings to:
Identify school‑level improvement priorities
Shape well‑being action plans
Strengthen consistency between policy, practice, and learner experiences
When classrooms and school strategies draw on the same evidence, learners experience a clearer, more coherent approach and can see how their views influence decisions across the school.
Growing Confidence in Using Evidence in Education
These emerging resources represent a shift towards helping schools use well‑being data more actively, not just as something to be reported. When SHRN findings are connected with structured lesson pathways, teachers are supported to:
Deepen learner reflection
Strengthen learner voice
Offer more relevant, responsive curriculum experiences
Use evidence to inform and adapt teaching
Empower learners to make sense of their own experiences
This is about showing what’s possible when SHRN data becomes part of learning, not just part of policy.
Making the Most of Your School’s Data
Schools using this approach are encouraged to start by reviewing both their national and school‑level SHRN findings. From there, they can identify topics most relevant to their learners and choose the lessons or curriculum areas where these themes naturally arise.
There are also opportunities beyond PSE. Some schools are beginning to link SHRN data to the Mathematics and Numeracy Area of Learning and Experience, using real school data for authentic data‑handling activities that build both numeracy skills and learner engagement.
A Joined‑Up, Evidence‑Driven Pathway for Health and Well‑Being
By integrating SHRN evidence into lesson content, schools can offer learners more than information, they can provide space to reflect, ask questions, and engage actively with issues that affect them.
This approach strengthens individual lessons, but it also contributes to more reflective, inclusive, and health‑promoting schools overall. And as SHRN evolves, with developments such as the new Secondary School Data Dashboard launching in December 2026, schools will have even more opportunities to use evidence meaningfully.
In this blog, PhD student, Sophie Borgia based at DECIPHer, Cardiff University, explains how her research is uncovering health and well-being inequalities using SHRN data, and how she will be exploring what schools can do to better support transgender and gender diverse (TGD) learners in mainstream secondary schools in Wales.
Hello, I’m Sophie Borgia, a PhD student at DECIPHer, Cardiff University. I’m using SHRN’s 2021 Student Health and Well‑being Survey data to explore health inequalities experienced by transgender and gender diverse (TGD) young people in Wales. My study also looks at how school policies, practices, and everyday environments shape these outcomes. To do this, I’m combining large‑scale quantitative analysis with qualitative research involving school staff, TGD learners, and decision makers.
Why This Research Matters
Transgender and gender diverse[1] (TGD) young people can face health inequalities compared to their cisgender[2] peers. While mental health disparities are well documented, much less is known about other health outcomes, such as physical activity, substance use, and healthy eating, and the role schools play in shaping these. My research begins to address these gaps by using SHRN’s 2021 data to explore potential inequalities across a broader range of health and well-being outcomes. It also examines how secondary school contexts influence these outcomes. My work aims to provide evidence that can help schools create more inclusive and supportive environments.
However, there is limited research investigating whether TGD young people experience inequalities in other outcomes related to health and well-being, and how schools influence these.
Using SHRN Data for New Insights
Building on this evidence, my PhD study uses SHRN’s 2021 Student Health and Well-being Survey data to examine health-related inequalities experienced by TGD young people. I’m exploring whether these inequalities go beyond mental health to areas such as physical activity, substance use, and healthy eating. Alongside this, I’ll explore how secondary school policies and practices influence TGD learners’ health by speaking with school staff, TGD young people, and partners involved in health and education. The aim is to generate evidence that can help schools create more inclusive environments and reduce health inequalities. Together, this will help build a fuller picture of where inequalities exist and why.
It can be challenging for researchers to understand whether TGD young people experience differences in health-related outcomes compared to their cisgender peers. One reason is that studies often struggle to recruit a large and diverse enough sample of young people with different gender identities.
This is where SHRN data makes a difference. SHRN surveys thousands of young people across Wales every two years, and asks questions about a wide range of health and well-being outcomes. Young people can also choose to share their gender identity, which means SHRN data provides a unique opportunity to study differences in health-related outcomes between gender identity groups.
My PhD focuses on five key areas:
Mental health
Well-being
Substance use
Physical activity
Healthy eating
Using SHRN’s 2021 Student Health and Well-being Survey data, I’ve been able to compare these outcomes across young people with different gender identities.
Early findings suggest that TGD young people report reduced physical activity and poorer mental health and well-being compared to cisgender peers. I’m continuing the analysis and will share detailed results in an upcoming research paper.
How Secondary Schools can Get Involved
These patterns raise important questions: How do school environments influence health behaviours and outcomes? And what can schools do- practically and sustainably- to support TGD learners’ health and well‑being?
To answer these, I’m inviting secondary schools andpeople working in health and education to take part in the next stage of my PhD. I’ll be working with four secondary schools across Wales to recruit staff and learners.
My research will use:
Focus groups with school staff (including senior leadership, teaching and pastoral roles)
Creative focus groups with transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse young people
Interviews with people working in education and health (e.g. Welsh government and local authority education roles, health and well-being promoting schools co-ordinators, and other public health roles related to secondary education settings)
The goal is to provide practical insights for school staff and policymakers to create more inclusive and supportive school environments for TGD learners, and to identify what’s working and what needs to change.
Looking Ahead: How Schools Can Make a Difference
SHRN’s 2021 data has given us a clearer picture of the health and well-being challenges faced by TGD young people. Next, I’ll examine how school policies and everyday practices contribute to these outcomes , and which inclusive approaches can make a measurable difference. TGD young people deserve school environments where they feel safe, seen, and supported and your insight can genuinely help make that happen.
The next stage of my PhD relies on the lived experience and professional expertise of people working directly in secondary education and health. By taking part, you’ll be helping to shape practical, realistic recommendations that schools across Wales can use to improve the health and well-being of TGD learners.
I’m looking to work with four secondary schools from across Wales to assist with recruiting staff and learners to take part.
If you work or know someone who works in a Welsh secondary school which could help with this, I’d love to hear from you. I would also be keen to speak to people working in education and health (such as Welsh government and local authority education roles, health and well-being promoting schools co-ordinators, and other public health roles related to secondary education settings)
Your perspectives and experiences are essential; they can directly influence how we understand these challenges and how we build more inclusive approaches that truly make a difference for TGD young people.
[1] TGD: Transgender and gender diverse. This term is used to describe people whose gender identity is not the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.
[2] Cisgender: Describes people whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.
