The School Health Research Network

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.

What Evidence Tells Us

Evidence suggests that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) young people experience significantly poorer mental health than cisgender young people (Wittlin, Kuper & Olson 2023; White et al. 2023; White, Trinh & Reynolds 2023). There is also research suggesting that TGD young people’s experience at school is related to their mental health (Horton 2023; Kelley et al. 2022; Johns et al. 2021).  

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.

Interested in taking part? Contact me at schoolhealth_phd@cardiff.ac.uk

[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.  

In summer 2025, I visited six secondary schools across Wales to explore young people’s views on school connectedness as part of developing a post-doctoral fellowship application. Over 100 pupils from Years 7–12 took part in discussion sessions. As an early career researcher, this was my first time building public involvement into a funding bid, and I learned a lot along the way. Here are a few reflections I hope might help others starting out…

You might need funding before you can apply for funding

I began with online chats with practitioners working in and with schools to help shape my initial research ideas. This was really helpful and enabled me to narrow down the scope of my proposed project. However, it became clear quite quickly that I needed to hear directly from young people in schools. To do that properly, I needed funding, at the very least to cover my travel, and ideally to offer something to schools for supporting the work. 

Luckily, I was able to apply for a small grant through Cardiff University’s Ignite research culture programme, which awarded me £2,000. Without that, I’d have looked for seedcorn funding from organisations like the British Academy Early Career Network and Learned Society of Wales. Health and Care Research Wales also often have small pots available for public involvement work.

Accessing participants takes creativity and connections

The School Health Research Network (SHRN) was my first stop for support and advice. SHRN’s network includes all state-maintained secondary schools in Wales, and they helped connect me with schools willing to take part. I offered £100 to each school to support the visit and cover any staff/non-staff costs. Recruitment was also made easier because the topic aligned well with school priorities around school connectedness and pupil voice.

Working with schools was incredibly rewarding but also required flexibility. Some schools needed more lead-in time than others. Building relationships and being clear about what was involved really helped. Also consider the timing of public involvement carefully – I mainly wanted to speak to students in years 7-9 which worked well during the summer term, but it would have been tricky to access year 11 students who were either sitting exams or had already left school.

It is important to consider how you can make your sessions inclusive and accessible. Ensure activities are age-appropriate and think about how you will encourage involvement from students who are quieter or less confident – perhaps by providing opportunities to add thoughts on post it notes as well as verbally. If you’re working with diverse groups or through partner organisations, set aside funding not just for participant payments, but also for translation services and fees that help cover staff time or other support costs. These are often essential to making public involvement genuinely inclusive and feasible for those you’re asking to take part.

While ethical approval is not typically required for public involvement activities, it is essential that these activities are conducted ethically. When planning your engagement, you should carefully consider matters such as informed consent, safeguarding, and confidentiality. Seek advice if you are unsure.

I also ran online sessions with youth advisory groups from The Fostering Network and the National Centre for Mental Health. If you’re working in a particular area, it’s worth reaching out to third sector organisations to see if they already have public involvement groups you can draw on. I paid all participants £25 for an hour of their time.

Start early…it takes longer than you think!

I started writing the public involvement bid in January, submitted in February, heard back in March, recruited schools in April/May, and ran sessions in June and July. The final fellowship application was submitted in September. That’s a nine-month lead-in time. You might also find it useful to build in time for more than one session with the same group as your ideas develop.

Ask questions that help shape your bid

It’s not always obvious what to ask in public involvement sessions, especially early on when your ideas are still taking shape. I found it helpful to space out the school visits so I could reflect and adjust my focus as my bid developed.

In my fellowship application, I used the feedback from young people to justify key decisions such as why I chose a particular age group, method, or timing of data collection. For example, one key insight from the sessions was how differently young people felt about school connectedness as they moved through school. This led me to adjust the age range that I focused on in the final bid. Think about the questions you’ll need to answer in your funding application or interview and work backwards to make sure you ask contributors for input on those areas – and that you listen to them.

And finally… write the application!

Make sure you use what you’ve learned and actually write the bid. It’s good practice to let contributors know how their input shaped your application and whether it was successful. I put together a short report that was shared with the participating schools.

If I could give one piece of advice, it would be: start early and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Public involvement is a learning curve, but it’s absolutely worth the effort!

In this blog, written by Maria Boffey, SHRN Knowledge Exchange and External Affairs Manager,  explores how a Monmouthshire WNHWPS school cluster is using SHRN data to drive collaborative and system-wide change. From transition planning to strategic alignment, the cluster’s approach shows what’s possible when SHRN data becomes a shared foundation for reflection, planning, and action.  

The Monmouthshire WNHWPS school cluster offers a compelling example of how SHRN data can be embedded into school improvement processes to drive meaningful, collaborative change. The cluster approach demonstrates SHRN not simply as a data collection tool but as a catalyst for system-wide reflection, planning, and action.

Collaboration Starts with SHRN Data

One of the most powerful aspects of the Monmouthshire model is the way that SHRN data is used as a shared foundation for meaningful conversations in the cluster. Rather than being used in isolation, the data is regularly revisited, explored, and discussed across schools, roles, and partners. This has enabled an evidence-informed culture to take root where SHRN data is not only discussed but actively used to guide decisions at every level, from curriculum planning to community engagement.

A standout strategy is the cluster’s use of Year 6 and 7 data to shape transition planning. By focusing on this pivotal cohort, schools can spot emerging behaviours and attitudes early on. It gives insights that feed into both primary and secondary planning. Alternating SHRN data focus each year helps maintain progress across the cluster.

Building Capacity for Data-Informed Practice

This cluster has made a deliberate investment in building the confidence and capability of school ‘s health and well-being leads to interpret and apply SHRN data insights. Through regular workshops, structured reflection, collaborative planning, and ongoing dialogue, staff have developed the skills to identify trends, triangulate evidence, and align findings with their own school’s priorities. This has helped embed data-informed decision-making into everyday practice.

This hands-on approach reflects SHRN’s broader goal in helping schools become confident, capable users of evidence-based data for improvement The cluster’s use of guiding questions to interrogate SHRN reports exemplifies this shift—from passive data consumption to active data engagement.

Aligning SHRN Insights with Strategic Priorities

The integration of SHRN data into the cluster’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Review (MER) cycles ensures that health and well-being priorities are not viewed as isolated efforts but embedded within broader school improvement frameworks. The alignment with the Curriculum for Wales, particularly the Health and Well-being AoLE, further reinforces the strategic value of this work.

Moreover, the cluster’s actions are clearly mapped to national priorities, including digital competence, learner voice, and emotional well-being. This coherence strengthens the case for SHRN as a tool that supports not only local planning but also national policy implementation.

Sustaining Impact Through Collaboration

The Monmouthshire model illustrates how collaborative structures can enhance the sustainability of data-informed initiatives. By distributing leadership, leveraging individual school strengths, and engaging external partners, the cluster has created a system where responsibility is shared,  and progress is collective.

Looking Ahead

The Monmouthshire experience offers valuable learning for other regions looking to embed SHRN data into strategic planning and cross-sector collaboration. As SHRN continues to evolve, the Monmouthshire case highlights several opportunities for learning:

• Strengthening family engagement through targeted communication and workshops.
• Expanding the use of primary SHRN data to identify earlier intervention points.
• Developing tools and templates to support replication of the cluster model in other regions.

Ultimately, the Monmouthshire cluster demonstrates what is possible when SHRN data is embedded into a culture of shared purpose, strategic planning, and inclusive practice.

Read the full case study for more insights into Monmouthshire’s approach and practical takeaways for your own setting.

School Case Study- Leveraging SHRN Data to Drive Collaborative Health and Well-being Improvements Across School Clusters: Monmouthshire Welsh Network of Health and Well-being Promoting Schools (WNHWPS)

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