We are extremely proud of the work we do and our achievements. Since our foundation in 2013, we have grown into a comprehensive network connecting schools with researchers, policymakers, and health practitioners. Our mission is to promote evidence-based health and well-being improvements in school settings across Wales, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive.
Here’s a more detailed look at our history:
2013: Foundation and Early Years
The School Health Research Network (SHRN) began with funding from a Medical Research Council partnership and was implemented as part of the World Health Organisation’s (WGHO) Health Behaviour in School Children (HBSC) study. This partnership included the Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, and Cardiff University.
Initially, all HBSC secondary schools in Wales were invited to join, with 69 schools taking part. The network aimed to see if it was practical and well-received, gather evidence more often, and use this information to improve health policies and practices in schools. The primary aim of SHRN is to connect schools with academic researchers, policymakers, and health practitioners to promote evidence-based health improvements in school settings. The HBSC survey, conducted every four years, has been a continuous part of this effort in Wales.
2015-2016: Expansion in Secondary Schools
During this period, the network grew significantly to include 115 secondary schools and established its first regional footprints, supported by funding from Health and Care Research Wales. This expansion allowed for the collection of health and well-being data across more secondary schools every two years.
This survey is based on the WHO (HBSC) framework, ensuring that the data collected is relevant and comparable internationally every four years. The network also collected The SHRN School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ) on the HBSC survey, but was flexible enough to measure new policies and procedures. This helped researchers understand how school policies affect learner health, and it helped policymakers and practitioners see how well these policies were being adopted and put into practice.
2017: Complete Secondary School Integration
Recruitment was opened to all secondary schools in Wales, leading to the inclusion of all regular secondary schools in the network. This was a big step in bringing together health and well-being data collection across Wales.
In 2018, SHRN received the Innovation in Health Care Award at Cardiff University’s Innovation and Impact Awards. This was in recognition of the collaboration achieved with stakeholders, including Welsh Government and Public Health Wales.
2020: Expansion into Primary Schools
The Welsh Government provided funding for work to develop a model for expansion of SHRN to primary schools and to evaluate a number of key feasibility related issues. This included a national survey of Year 6 pupils, with extra samples from local authorities, to report on pupil well-being at school, local authority, and national levels.
2023: Comprehensive Mainstream School Coverage
By 2021, all secondary schools were members of SHRN, with over 120,000 secondary school learners participating in our 2022 data collection, whilst over 50% of primary schools have joined us in the first year of the primary school survey in 2023, making it the most far reaching and in-depth survey of its kind. This coverage helps us better understand health and well-being changes from childhood to adolescence. It also supports learners with important transitions, such as moving from primary to secondary school.
The launch of the SHRN School Data Dashboard with Public Health Wales gives more people access to SHRN data. This helps make better policy and practice decisions, ensuring actions and decisions across Wales are based on solid evidence.
2026: The SHRN Secondary School Data Dashboard (launching late 2026)
The SHRN School-Level Data Dashboard is being developed to help secondary schools make greater use of their SHRN data and strengthen evidence-informed decision making. Building on SHRN’s established reporting processes, the dashboard will provide participating schools with enhanced access to their health and well-being data through an interactive and user-friendly platform.
The dashboard is designed to help schools explore and interpret their data more effectively, identify priorities for action, monitor progress over time, and support whole-school approaches to health and well-being. Development has been informed by collaboration with schools and key stakeholders to ensure the tool meets the needs of education practitioners and decision-makers.
Supporting Schools Through Data and Evidence: SHRN continues to support schools across Wales by providing high-quality health and well-being data, research evidence and practical resources that help translate findings into action. Alongside school-level reporting, SHRN is expanding the ways in which schools can access and engage with their data, helping to strengthen planning, evaluation and improvement activities.
Looking Ahead
As SHRN continues to grow, our focus remains on strengthening the use of evidence to improve the health and well-being of children and young people in Wales. Priorities include further enhancing data and reporting tools, supporting engagement across primary and secondary education, extending work with a wider range of education settings, and fostering collaboration between schools, policymakers, practitioners and researchers to maximise impact.
Stay Connected
For the latest updates on the SHRN School-Level Data Dashboard, network activities, research outputs and resources, sign up to the SHRN e-news and follow our latest news and developments on the SHRN website.