September 2024 update:

We wanted to share with you some very positive recent media coverage P-S WELLS has received, which we are very happy for anyone reading to share more broadly across our partner schools, and within your networks, to continue momentum in terms of the fantastic interest and engagement in the project. 

We have received significant interest in our P-S WELLS project, and sister intervention project Talking about School Transition 5-7 (TaST 5-7) from both a national and international perspective, which is detailed on the Manchester Institute of Education impact page here, kindly put together by advisory group member Dr Craig Skeritt: https://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/research/impact/supporting-childrens-emotional-wellbeing-over-primary-secondary-school-transitions/

Finally, on Wednesday 4th September, we were also invited to contribute to the “Family Chat” panel discussion on BBC Radio 5 Live. The conversation was focussed on “back to school” with an emphasis on primary-secondary school transitions, and we shared some recommendations for parents, children and teachers based on emerging findings from the P-S WELLS and TaST 5-7 projects. You can find the audio recording here:

https://wetransfer.com/downloads/e06c06a26f390578a1ee7cb5662a68d920240909093332/557cc5b0d1f912faf69807e36ef96b4c20240909093356/18cb4d [wetransfer.com]

Of particular note is that our approach to supporting children’s emotional wellbeing has been recognised by the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, and has been referenced in policy guidelines for the DfE (2024), NICE (07/22) and Health Scotland (01/20). In line with this, we have been invited to present evidence from the P-S WELLS project, at the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Conservative party conferences, on their “Learning to live well: how can education policy support children’s wellbeing and mental health?” this month. We would like to thank advisory group member Suzanne Booth, and the team policy@manchester for making this possible.