The new Curriculum for Wales grants schools the freedom to plan and implement a curriculum tailored to their learners' needs. As one of the six core areas of focus is Health and Wellbeing, our project, HAPPEN, is designed to assist schools in constructing a curriculum that aligns with their learners’ health and wellbeing requirements.
We have developed the HAPPEN survey, completed by children in years 4-6 (ages 8-11), which captures a wide spectrum of health and wellbeing behaviours such as nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and mental health. This data is compiled into an individualized school report, which enables schools to identify priority areas and adjust the curriculum accordingly. We also utilize the SAIL Databank to link these survey responses with existing anonymised electronic data, such as educational attainment, to perform population-level analysis of trends in children’s health, wellbeing, and education.
In collaboration with a variety of education and health institutions, we are continuously working towards expanding our reach and impact. We also regularly engage with parents and communities to enhance the efficacy of our initiatives.
So far, HAPPEN has interacted with over 40,000 children from more than 500 schools across Wales. By providing valuable insight into the health and wellbeing of students, we are empowering schools to design curricula that respond directly to their students' needs.
