Schools across the country can now achieve formal recognition for prioritising wellbeing, with the introduction of the Well School accreditation, which places pupil and staff welfare alongside academic attainment and safeguarding as indicators of success.

The Youth Sport Trust has announced the first group of schools to receive Well School status, signalling a change in how school performance may be assessed. The framework allows wellbeing to be evidenced as a core strategic objective rather than an informal element of school culture.

The accreditation offers a clear structure for assessing and demonstrating wellbeing practice using standards comparable to those applied to attainment and safeguarding. Designed to fit within existing systems, it avoids creating additional workload. External peer review and a transparent rating scale enable school leaders to show progress to parents and governors while embedding wellbeing into whole-school planning and accountability.

In the first 3 months since its launch, over 40 schools have applied for their Well Schools Accreditation, with seven already peer reviewed and awarded. The first accredited schools are:

• High Tunstall College of Science, Hartlepool
• Hayle Academy, Hayle
• Crown Hills Community and Sports College, Leicester
• Oasis Blakenhale Junior School, Birmingham
• Manchester Communication Academy, Manchester
• Kensington Primary School, Newham
• Clare Mount Specialist Sports College, Wirral

Supporting schools through increasing sector pressures

The milestone comes as school leaders face mounting pressure around workforce sustainability, attendance and inclusion, yet growing evidence highlights that prioritising wellbeing has a critical role in improving educational outcomes. 

In particular, insights from the Well School pilot showed teachers at participating case study schools reported:

• Lower levels of emotional exhaustion
• Significantly lower levels of depersonalisation/cynicism 
• High levels of feelings of teacher efficacy in engaging pupils
• High level of job satisfaction

A YouGov survey of more than 1,000 parents, guardians and carers, co-funded by #BeeWell and the Youth Sport Trust in April 2025, found that 66% of parents selected pupil wellbeing as an important consideration when selecting a  secondary school, more so than other factors such as school location (62%), facilities (61%), school culture and ethos (56%) and Ofsted rating (52%). Notably, only 43% of parents cited exam results as a key factor in their decision.

Moving wellbeing from intention to sustained action

The fore core areas for measurement in the Well School Accreditation are:

• Well Culture: Culture of belonging with health and wellbeing at the heart of the school.
• Lead Well: Staff and pupils are empowered to shape and lead their school’s wellbeing approach
• Move Well: Every pupil is physically and mentally prepared for learning and life
• Live Well: Every pupil has opportunities and skills to thrive in school and beyond

Attendees to Youth Sport Trust Conference 2026 will have access to sessions delivered by Beacon Well Schools exploring the journey to accreditation, along with practical insights and examples.

Ali Oliver MBE, Youth Sport Trust CEO, said: “Schools are facing immense pressure every day, from workforce challenges to rising pupil needs. Children today are also facing pressures unknown to previous generations, sedentary lifestyles and the constant influence of social media and excessive screen time. If we do not adjust our approaches, we will see increasing consequences for young people’s education and development. 

“Prioritising wellbeing in school culture is one of the most powerful ways to intervene, yet it remains an under-used resource. The Well Check helps schools review their provision and be signposted to practical school-led solutions, and Well School accreditation celebrates and validates schools taking action and demonstrates to parents, carers and their community a forward-thinking approach.  Our research shows what schools do to promote wellbeing is a major factor in parental choice when it comes to their child’s school. When pupils and staff feel supported, safe and valued, engagement rises, behaviour improves, and children are given the best chance to thrive both academically and personally.”

Find out more about the Well School movement and accreditation here.

A new academic study has found that structured storytelling can reduce political division and increase empathy among secondary school students.

The research, conducted by the University of Oxford in collaboration with The Ohio State University, presents evidence that sharing personal narratives strengthens emotional understanding, civic engagement and social cohesion.

The longitudinal controlled study examined a storytelling programme delivered in five Kentucky school districts. The work was carried out in partnership with Narrative 4, an international non-profit that uses storytelling as a tool for social change.

Researchers compared pupils who participated in the intervention with a control group who did not take part. “This study highlights how personal storytelling can bridge divides and foster meaningful human connection,” said Lee Keylock, Vice President of Global Impact at Narrative 4.

The project, titled Promoting Empathy, Connection, and Pro-Sociality in American High Schools: A Collaboration Between Academics and Practitioners, involved 380 students in Years 11 and 12 (aged 15–17) during the 2024–2025 academic year, representing a wide range of political viewpoints.

Researchers Dr Emily Kubin of the University of Oxford and Dr Kurt Gray of The Ohio State University measured empathy, curiosity, perspective-taking, classroom climate and civic readiness before and after the young people shared stories with one another. Compared to students in the control group, the study found that students who participated in the storytelling intervention experienced the following key benefits: 

• Intervention participants experienced reduced political polarisation, with affective polarisation toward political opponents decreasing by 4.37%.
• Those who participated in the storytelling intervention gained empathy not only towards their classmates (+13.30%), but also towards people in their communities who are different from themselves (+10.62%).
• Respect for others in class (+5.40%) and people students disagree with (+7.24%) also increased.

Participants who engaged in Narrative 4 programmes (as compared to those who did not) experienced an increase in perspective-taking, i.e. the act of perceiving a situation from a different point of view, such as that of another person. 

Perspective-taking towards classmates increased by 6.35%, while perspective-taking towards people different from themselves increased by 6.78%. The research also showed gains in active listening and curiosity in the classroom, as well as willingness to become involved in civic engagement and engage with diverse perspectives (+8.99%). 

The intervention, Narrative 4’s Story Exchange methodology, has been used in over 30 countries around the world, with more than one million stories shared to date. The Story Exchange is a structured group workshop in which participants prepare a story about a significant personal experience and share this story with a partner. Participants then retell their partner’s story to the group in the first person, as if it were their own. 

Dr Emily Kubin, University of Oxford, commented: “At a time when polarisation is rising, Narrative 4 programmes show promise as a tool to decrease division in diverse classrooms and communities. Our research points to the intervention’s promise for other schools across the United States and beyond.”

Dr Kurt Gray, The Ohio State University, added: “We find storytelling-based interventions highly successful in promoting empathy, curiosity, and perspective taking. This programme also promotes pro-sociality by increasing civic engagement, respect for others and even reducing affective polarisation.” 

After more than a decade of work in schools in the United States, the organisation has launched a pilot programme in primary and secondary schools across the UK, where teachers are trained in practical storytelling tools to foster a culture of connection.

“Across the globe, young people are facing a crisis of connection,” said Lee Keylock, British-born, US-based Vice President of Global Impact at Narrative 4. “We don’t have to agree with one another, but we absolutely must try to understand one another. In the end, the shortest distance between us is a story.”