Integration of health and wellbeing into the school curriculum: a mixed methods investigation of preparations for Wales-wide school reform and it’s impacts on health and well-being

End of project summary

Main messages

Changes to how schools are assessed and improved professional learning for school practitioners are both critical to the success of education reforms in Wales. A researcher at the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University held a Health and Care Research Wales fellowship and carried out a series of studies exploring education system reform in Wales and prioritisation of health and wellbeing. The curriculum in Wales has experienced major reform with a substantially increased emphasis on Health and Wellbeing. It is now one of six Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLE) alongside Expressive Arts; Humanities; Languages, Literacy and Communication; Mathematics and Numeracy and Science and Technology.  

The researcher, Dr Sara Long, interviewed a range of school staff, policymakers and those who hold a strategic role in designing and implementing the Health and Wellbeing aspects of the Curriculum for Wales, including Welsh Government Officials, Estyn and those with a multidisciplinary remit in health and education. The findings of the fellowship suggest that: 

• the covid-19 pandemic has really emphasized the critical role that schools play in learner health and wellbeing. That said, there is a need to manage expectations about what can reasonably be placed at the door of schools.  

• the health and wellbeing reforms to the education system require changes at multiple levels and across health and education sectors to achieve the bold aspirations and goals of the Curriculum for Wales. Co-construction between sectors was suggested to be a critical factor going forward during the implementation phase. 

• health and wellbeing does not have the same history of being taught as other subjects and is therefore probably the most challenging to deliver successfully. All AoLEs are designed to be cross-cutting, which means practitioners can strive to weave health and wellbeing learning into other subject areas (for example, use of statistics in a numeracy lessons, or handwashing and hygiene in science). 

• leaders and practitioners within schools can draw on existing school-level data and evidence, such as the national School Health Research Network (SHRN), and adopt a whole school approach, to enable a more effective impact on health and wellbeing. 

• schools are operating in a climate of limited resource, with them having to organise their actions around ensuring performance against measures for which they are held accountable, perhaps to the neglect of measures which actually matter for young people.  

• the need for increased school and practitioner-level autonomy and freedom was discussed at length throughout interviews and this will undoubtedly be key to the success of the new curriculum. With such radical changes to how young people learn, giving those in the education profession the knowledge, skills and tools to implement the curriculum, as well as health and wellbeing outside of the curriculum, is also going to be vital. 

• varying levels of support may be required from Welsh Government, regional consortia and health bodies during implementation, with the suggestion of increased levels of funding and assistance for the most deprived schools.