Research on the Health and Well-being Area of Learning and Experience in the Curriculum for Wales: government response

On 17 July 2025, the Welsh Government published the Government Social Research (GSR) report, developed by Cardiff Metropolitan University and Arad Research, 'Health and Well-being Area in the Curriculum for Wales: a qualitative study'. This report is part of the formative evaluation of the Curriculum for Wales, a multi-year study which will provide us with a broad qualitative and quantitative picture of how the reforms are working, how practice is changing and how these changes are being experienced by senior leaders, practitioners, learners and their families.

A summary of the report’s findings has been published. The study sought to understand how the Curriculum for Wales framework in relation to Health and Well-being is being realised in practice, as well as how settings and practitioners are being supported in this Area.

Whilst there are limitations to the study (including that the sample of schools involved is small and self-selecting and thus the findings are not generalisable), the report offers rich insights to help the Welsh Government’s development and prioritisation of support to practitioners and learners in the continued realisation of Curriculum for Wales.

We are pleased that all participating schools welcomed the inclusion of the Health and Well-being Area in the Curriculum for Wales, and that the schools prioritised Health and Well-being within their development plans and curriculum visions. Some senior leaders also valued the opportunity to design a curriculum that aligned with their school priorities and learners’ needs.

It is encouraging to see that the introduction of this mandatory area of learning and experience enabled many schools to build on previous efforts to support learners’ health and well-being.

We are pleased that schools are developing a holistic approach to health and well-being, incorporating physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects and that primary schools are integrating Health and Well-being into the wider curriculum rather than treating it as a standalone subject. We recognise that the context is different for secondary schools, and we welcome the evidence of schools designing curricula that integrate Health and Well-being and highlight the interconnections within the Area.

We are pleased that schools involved in the study observed positive impacts on teaching, learning, and the broader school environment, including:

• enhanced status and increased allocated time for Health and Well-being
• more evidence-informed approaches to provision
• improved learner understanding of personal health and well-being, better articulation of problems, and increased awareness of support resources
• additional professional learning opportunities for practitioners and leaders, including training, networking, and leadership roles

We also welcome the findings that Health and Well-being in some of the schools’ curricula complemented efforts to foster strong community connections, and their development as Community Focused Schools.

We acknowledge that designing a curriculum that fully captures health and well-being alongside other existing priorities can be challenging.

We understand that ensuring all educators have the necessary professional learning opportunities to effectively implement this Area remains an ongoing challenge, particularly in relation to:

• assessment and progression
• the physical domain of health and well-being (particularly for primary schools)
• accessing effective and innovative practice developed by other schools, planning and collaboration within clusters
• alignment between Health and Well-being and Relationships and sexuality education (RSE)

This is especially important for practitioners that are responsible for these aspects.

As with the curriculum more generally, the Welsh Government recognises the time and effort that leaders and practitioners are investing in curriculum realisation, particularly in the new area of Health and Well-being. Likewise, the successes and challenges highlighted in this report reflect what practitioners have been telling us, including through the 'National Network for Curriculum Implementation' and the 'Curriculum for Wales Policy Group'.

As recognised in the report, professional learning is critical to supporting this Area. In 2019 we introduced an additional training day to support practitioners to prepare for the Curriculum for Wales. This additional training day has been provided for the past six years, and we have announced our intention to continue to provide a sixth training day for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

During the summer and autumn terms we will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of in-service training (INSET), including discussion with learners and practitioners, to better understand the impact of INSET on the education of our learners and in providing supportive conditions for our practitioners. This work will inform our longer-term Strategic Education Workforce Plan.

In recent years we have invested nearly £35 million annually in professional learning for our school practitioners. This has included £12 million of funding direct to schools.

For curriculum design generally, our programme of national support for curriculum and assessment design is building on the progress schools have already made and on existing, effective support in the system. This has included bringing together guidance and supporting materials into one, easily accessible place, supported by expert delivery and one to one coaching for school leaders.

We have also published tools and templates to model processes for school-level curriculum development, including additional detail on progression and assessment and what this looks like in practice. This supports schools to develop their curriculum across Areas but is particularly important to support new aspects of the curriculum such as Health and Well-being. Progression in Health and Well-being benefits from this process-oriented approach to curriculum design as progression focuses on developing learners’ dispositions and attitudes as well as knowledge.

We have announced that we are establishing a national professional learning and leadership body which will be taking this work forward. The body will lead on the delivery of national, consistent professional learning to support practitioners along their career pathways, focussing on national priorities including well-being. It will also provide professional learning to school improvement advisors. In recognising health and well-being as a critical priority for the Cabinet Secretary, we expect health and well-being to be one of the first areas of focus on the new body.

Over £4.2 million has been allocated over three years through the Curriculum for Wales Grant support programme to help schools embed Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) within the Health and Well-being Area. This will ensure nationally consistent advice, professional learning and support on this aspect. This will have also influence learners’ wider well-being, given the impact of social well-being on well-being as a whole. This will contribute to developing practitioner confidence which is referenced as a challenge in the research.

Recognising the need for support around this area more broadly, we will also be allocating further support to assist schools with social and emotional well-being, and this will look to address issues raised through this research.

The Health and Well-being Area of learning is aligned to the statutory 'Framework on embedding a whole-school approach to emotional and mental well-being'. £13.6 million in funding has been provided in 2025 to 2026 to support the framework and this includes the appointment of local implementation coordinators via Public Health Wales to assist schools in assessing and meeting their well-being needs.

The report suggests that Welsh Government should consider how more effective planning, and co-ordination could be facilitated in the Health and Well-being Area between secondary schools and their feeder primaries, and for schools more generally to take part in joint working to support design and enactment of the Health and Well-being Area. This is a central part of our approach to school improvement and the work of the Education Improvement Team is designed to support and model this. School-to-school working is a critical part of our approach to the School Improvement Partnership Programme.

Together this support aims to ensure that the Health and Well-being Area is effectively embedded in schools, equipping learners with the knowledge and skills to navigate their life now and into the future, safely, and with confidence.