This update builds on previous improvements, with a strong focus on usability—making the dashboard easier to navigate and more intuitive for users across Wales.
What’s New?
We’re introducing 11 new topics from the 2023 survey, including:
Friendship and family support
School exclusions and truancy
To help users explore long-term trends, we’ve also added historic data from the 2017–2021 survey years (where available).
Key Enhancements
Ethnicity breakdowns now available across all four years of data
Year Group by Local Authority breakdown—one of our most requested features!
These updates reflect our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality, accessible data to support schools, local authorities, and partners working to improve young people’s health and well-being.
Mark your calendars—the updated dashboard goes live on 27 November!
We’re excited to announce that every secondary school in Wales has now registered for SHRN’s 2025 data collection. This is a huge milestone—and a real testament to the dedication and teamwork across the network.
Dr. Kelly Morgan, Director of SHRN said:
‘Reaching 100% registration shows just how much schools value SHRN’s role in supporting learner health, well-being, and school improvement. It’s a proud moment for everyone involved.
A big thank you to all those who helped make this happen. Your continued support is helping to shape a healthier, future in Wales.
Together, we’re building a stronger, healthier future for young people in Wales Let’s keep driving positive change together’
Registration officially closed on 18 July, and we’re now asking schools to complete both parts of the survey:
Survey data collection will remain open until 19December 2025, giving schools time to gather meaningful insights that will help shape future planning and policy.
For Any Questions Or Further Information, Please Email Our External Affairs And Knowledge Exchange Manager, Maria Boffey.
Public Health Wales is pleased to announce the launch of the second curriculum toolkit in its Health and Wellbeing Curriculum Project: ‘Health-Promoting Behaviour – Focus on Food and Nutrition’.
This project, led by the Educational Settings team, brings together professionals from both the health and education sectors to co-develop curriculum toolkits and resources. These are designed to support schools in delivering key health and well-being themes as part of the new Health and Wellbeing Area of Learning and Experience.
SHRN has played a key role in the development of the curriculum toolkits by providing robust, school-level health and well-being data. This evidence base ensures that the content is grounded in the real experiences and needs of learners across Wales. SHRN’s research findings, including insights into key health behaviours and emerging trends among young people, have directly informed the design of practical classroom resources—such as those featured in the food and nutrition toolkit.
The toolkits are grounded in the principles of curriculum design and focus on what matters most to and for learners. They highlight essential knowledge, skills, and values, and offer opportunities for transferable learning across themes and other Areas of Learning and Experience.
Adaptable classroom activities focused on food and nutrition
These resources are suitable for use across a range of school settings and are designed to support the development of a locally relevant curriculum.
Stay up to date with our latest resources and news by subscribing to our e-news (if you represent a school in Wales) or our e-digest(for wider education, and health and well-being audiences).
We’re delighted to announce that an update to the Public Health Wales Secondary School Health and Well-being SHRN Data Dashboard is now live!
This dashboard, developed in collaboration between SHRN and Public Health Wales, offers accessible, data-driven insights into the health and well-being of secondary school learners across Wales.
What’s New?
This release introduces nearly 30 new topics for the four years of the survey (2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023), with views available for gender, age, year group, family affluence and different geographic levels. These additions provide fresh insights into the current health and well-being of secondary school learners in Wales, on both a national and regional level.
Enhanced Features
The updated dashboard comes with a comprehensive data download that includes the number of learners who responded to the question and the total number of learners who were asked. It also includes exclusion and response rates. The charts and data tables created within the dashboard are all available to download along with a data table to accompany it, replacing the National Report from 2023 onwards previously published by SHRN.
Ongoing Development
The platform is continually evolving, with more indicators and breakdowns planned for future updates. For further details, please refer to the proposed publicationtimetable on the Public Health Wales website.
New findings using SHRN data by Public Health Wales in partnership with The School Health Research Network at DECIPHer, Cardiff University reveals that over 20% of girls from lower-income families in Wales report problematic social media use. The 2023 SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey, involving nearly 130,000 learners, found that girls from low and middle affluence households have significantly higher rates of problematic social media use compared to boys.
Emily van de Venter, Consultant from Public Health Wales expressed concern over the impact of social media on young people’s relationships and mental health, particularly among lower affluence groups. Dr. Kelly Morgan, SHRN Director, emphasised the importance of monitoring trends to understand how social media use affects health behaviours.
Dr. Kelly Morgan, Director of SHRN, recently took the stage at the Healthy and Active School Journeys Conference in March 2025, hosted by Welsh Government in Cardiff. This premier event brought together educators, policymakers, and urban planners to explore innovative strategies for promoting active travel to schools.
Ken Skates, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, officially opened the event, underscoring the Welsh Government’s commitment to active travel and accessibility in education. In his remarks, he emphasised the importance of promoting walking, wheeling, and cycling as essential components of a healthier and more sustainable approach to school travel. His speech reinforced the government’s vision for a future where active travel is not just encouraged but fully integrated into daily life.
During her presentation, Dr. Morgan highlighted the crucial role of The School Health Network Research Network (SHRN) in monitoring and shaping policies that support safer, healthier, and more sustainable active journeys for learners. She emphasised how SHRN’s data-driven evidence-based approach helps schools and communities implement effective active travel initiatives, ensuring accessibility and engagement for all learners.
Dr. Morgan said: ‘SHRN is committed to supporting schools in integrating health-focused travel solutions, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between education and public health sectors. It was inspiring to hear the incredible stories from Radnor Primary School about their Bike Bus initiative – a brilliant example of how schools can champion active travel in creative, community-driven ways.’
The conference featured interactive workshops, expert panels, and real-world case studies, highlighting successful programmes such as walking and cycling buses. Discussions also covered community engagement, infrastructure development, and the long-term benefits of active travel on learner well-being.
SHRN remains committed to supporting schools in integrating health-focused travel solutions, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between education and public health sectors.
SHRN bids a heartfelt farewell to Professor Simon Murphy, who retires after 12 years of leadership, transforming it into a global model for school health research.
Under his tenure, SHRN has influenced over 30 national policies, shaping school health and well-being research and action in Wales and beyond.
SHRN’s achievements extend far beyond Wales. The network has been instrumental in launching partner initiatives across the UK, including SHINE in Scotland and regional school research networks in England. Internationally, SHRN’s model has guided research pilots in Namibia and Saudi Arabia, reinforcing its global impact.
In ‘Reflections From The Director: Twelve Years of SHRN’ Professor Murphy reflects on SHRN’s incredible journey, highlighting the power of partnerships in its success: ‘At its core, SHRN has always been about partnership, co-production, and translating knowledge into real-world impact’.
SHRN now enters an exciting new chapter under the leadership of Dr Kelly Morgan, who has served as the Deputy Director for several years. In her blog, ‘Looking Ahead: A Shared Vision for the Next Chapter of SHRN,’ she expresses her deep commitment to SHRN’s mission and values: ‘Our commitment to collaboration, delivering high-quality data, and co-producing impactful work with schools will continue to be central to our mission’ .
Dr Morgan expertise in public health research will focus on school health and well-being interventions and data linkage. She has led SHRN’s expansion into primary schools, amplifying younger learners’ voices in the network. Moving forward, she will oversee:
The launch of an innovative school-level dashboard for secondary schools, providing customised insights to empower educators.
Strengthening partnerships between schools, policymakers, and researchersto drive evidence-based improvements in learner health and well-being.
Continued global collaborations, building on SHRN’s international impact to expand school health initiatives worldwide.
SHRN remains committed to its mission of driving research-informed and evidence-based improvements in school health and well-being. With a strong leadership transition, the network is poised for further growth and impact.
We’re happy to announce that an update to the Secondary School Health and Well-being SHRN Data Dashboard is launching on 8th May!
This latest release will introduce nearly 30 new topics, providing fresh insights into the health and well-being of secondary school learners in Wales, on both a national and regional, with results from the 2023 SHRN survey.
Some of the new topics included in this update are:
Vaping data – Understanding the prevalence of e-cigarette use among young people.
Problematic social media use – Exploring the online behaviours of students in Wales.
Gambling – Looking into particular patterns within certain age groups and genders.
Join Our Webinar on 8 May!
To coincide with the launch, Public Health Wales will be hosting a webinar open to all. This session will cover:
A detailed overview of the new data and changes to the dashboard
Our future plans for developing the dashboard further
An opportunity to ask questions with colleagues from Public Health Wales (PHW) and The School Health Research Network (SHRN)
To register for the webinar please follow this link. We look forward to seeing you there on the 8 of May!
We are thrilled to announce that our organisation is transitioning from Twitter / X to Bluesky and LinkedIn for our social media updates and engagement. This move allows us to better connect with our community, share more in-depth content, and engage in meaningful conversations.
You can now follow us on Bluesky @shrnwales.bsky.social and on LinkedIn at ‘The School Health Research Network’. On these platforms, we will continue to share the latest news, updates, and insights about SHRN. We look forward to engaging with you in new and exciting ways.
We encourage you to follow us on Bluesky and LinkedIn to stay updated with our latest content.
A recent study using SHRN data, has revealed a concerning trend among secondary school learners in Wales. It reveals that perceived pressure from schoolwork has doubled over the past two decades. This increase in academic stress is closely linked to a rise in emotional problems among young peoples, raising public health and well-being concerns.
The comprehensive analysis revealed that since 2009, the number of learners reporting intense schoolwork pressure has nearly doubled, with 26% feeling significant pressure in 2021. Older female learners are particularly affected.
‘It’s concerning to see how many young people in Wales are overwhelmed by perceived schoolwork pressure, especially girls. We must investigate further why these pressures are escalating. Understanding the root causes of these pressures is crucial for developing effective interventions to support young people.
‘Future research must urgently explore whether changes in perceived schoolwork pressure are due to more pressurised school environments, shifting expectations, or other challenges. This understanding is vital to prevent further increases in schoolwork pressure and young people’s mental health problems’.
