Introduction
Children’s wellbeing is declining in the UK. But very little large-scale data is currently being collected. Measuring children’s wellbeing in schools would provide a large-scale understanding of how children are doing in their lives and support schools to effectively respond to pupil need. In this report we examine the views of schoolteachers and school leaders on national children’s wellbeing measurement in schools.
Overview
While subjective data on adult wellbeing has been systematically collected since 2012, very little large-scale and comparable data on children’s wellbeing is collected. This means that policymakers cannot rely on the latest data to inform decisions about children and young people which could harm their outcomes and opportunities. The lack of data also results in ineffective allocation of funding.
Measuring children’s wellbeing in schools would provide a large-scale understanding of how children are doing in their lives and support schools to effectively respond to pupil need. In education, decisions are too often taken without asking teachers for their opinions. The Children’s Society commissioned polling of teachers to gather their views on whether children’s wellbeing should be measured annually and on a national scale in schools. Over 8,800 teachers responded to our polling questions.
- 60% of teachers agree that children’s wellbeing should be measured in school at least once a year, across England.
Our findings echo calls from parents and The Times Education Commission for a programme of national children’s wellbeing measurement to be introduced across schools.
Key findings
Key findings
- 60% of teachers who took part in our polling agreed that children’s wellbeing should be measured in school at least once a year, across England. 17% of teachers disagreed, and 21% were not sure.
- For teachers, the most important consideration concerning national children's wellbeing measurement in school was ‘how findings will improve pupils’ wellbeing’ (76%).
- Teachers identified NHS Digital (38%) and university research teams (25%) as the top two choices for organisations which should run national children’s wellbeing measurement. Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate (3%) and private providers (8%) were the least popular options.
The Good Childhood Report
This year’s Good Childhood Report reveals that too many young people are unhappy with their lives. 10% of the children aged 10 to 17 who completed our household survey in May and June 2023 had low wellbeing, and almost a third were unhappy with at least one specific area of their lives. This is unacceptable. The Government must act now to protect every childhood.
Recommendation
- The Cabinet Office should lead a cross-government programme of comprehensive measurement of children’s subjective wellbeing in schools in England.
- This should include setting up a cross-government delivery unit to establish the school wellbeing measurement programme. A cross-government approach will ensure that the responsibility for improving wellbeing does not fall solely on schools. It will also support the broader use of children’s wellbeing data in policymaking to improve children’s lives.
- The delivery unit should include (but not be limited to) representatives from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), NHS England, Department for Education (DfE), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), university partners and the voluntary and community sector.
- The Office for National Statistics, as an independent body that already oversees adult wellbeing data, should have ownership of the collection, analysis, and dissemination of children’s wellbeing data.
