Education for Wellbeing
What is the programme?
We believe that young people's ability to make the most of both the opportunities and difficulties of life is as important as the grades they get. Education for Wellbeing, England's largest research trial of school-based mental health interventions, supports this vision and it is FREE to take part.
We are pleased to have been commissioned by the Department for Education to deliver this programme across mainstream primary and secondary schools across England. The aim of the programme is to evaluate pioneering ways of supporting the mental wellbeing of pupils. We support schools in trying out different interventions and examine their impact on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
Which interventions are included in the programme?
There are two research projects being implemented and evaluated in our programme:
- AWARE project for Year 9:
- Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) - a mental health promotion programme delivered by external professionals over five consecutive weekly sessions.
- The Mental Health and High Schools Curriculum Guide (The Guide) - a mental health literacy curriculum delivered by trained teachers through six lessons lasting 45 – 60 mins each.
- INSPIRE project for Years 7 and 8:
- Mindfulness - delivered for five minutes on a daily basis by trained school staff.
- Strategies for Safety and Wellbeing - eight consecutive weekly lessons each lasting 45 minutes delivered by trained school staff.
- Relaxation - delivered for five minutes on a daily basis by trained school staff.
The estimated completion date for the programme is Autumn 2024, once the findings have been collated for the Department for Education and disseminated.
The research for this study is being run by the Evidence Based Practice Unit (UCL and the Anna Freud Centre), University of Manchester, University of Dundee, and London School of Economics.
How do I get involved?
Recruitment for this phase of the programme is now closed.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please email EducationForWellbeing@annafreud.org.
