Mainstream and special schools’ use of well‐being programmes: A regional survey

Abstract

AbstractThe incorporation of mental well‐being provision into school curricula is increasingly the focus of government policy in the UK and internationally. However, it is not clear what well‐being programmes schools provide to pupils, and how these programmes are delivered. The current study was an online survey to assess the use of whole‐school well‐being programmes in primary schools in North Wales. Normalisation Process Theory was utilised as a framework to assess normalisation of the well‐being programmes. One‐hundred and fifty‐one schools in North Wales responded to the survey. The mean number of whole‐school well‐being programmes utilised by schools was 4.59, and nine of the 10 most frequently used programmes had little or no associated evidence base. The well‐being programmes were generally perceived as normalised (i.e. everyday practice) by respondents. Implications for future practice are discussed, including the need to support schools to identify and implement evidence‐based mental well‐being provision.