Using health and well-being data to support improvements in mental health in schools 

Welcome to the SHINE May 2026 Newsletter

• SHINE National Conference 2026 report
• Local Authority Mental Health & Wellbeing Data collection 2026/27 
• Growing Up Online: new report on YP online experiences & impact on MHWB
• HBSC 2026 - final month of data collection
• Events and wider research opportunities for schools
  • Scottish Guidance Association Conference: Sat 19th Sept 2026 : register now
  • Just Finance Foundation - free resources for schools
  • National Autism Implementation Team: Understanding Experiences of Anxiety Related Absence from School through a Neuro‑affirming Lens survey
  • Neurodiversity in Scottish Schools (NISS) : Exploring views on psychologically informed reflective practice in schools

SHINE Annual National Network Event 2026

Local Authority mental health and wellbeing data collection 2026/27

New report: young people's online experiences & impact on their mental health

The Mental Health Improvement Team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Barnardo’s Scotland have published a new report, “Growing Up Online”, which you can read in full here .  This work brought together the voices and experiences of around 300 children and young people (aged 12–26) from across Greater Glasgow and Clyde to better understand how they experience being online and the impact this has on their mental health and wellbeing.

This work provides valuable, locally grounded insight at a time of growing national and international focus on children and young people’s online lives.

HBSC study: final month of data collection

Thank you to all the schools who have already completed the 2026 HBSC survey!

Each participating school will receive their own school HBSC report with aggregate data (subject to minimum pupil number requirements) to help inform health improvement planning. 

If you have already received a survey pack, please complete the survey by the end of June (look out for your email as we have been in touch about survey completion in secondary schools in June). If you have any queries, please contact the Project Manager at Judith.Brown@glasgow.ac.uk 

Upcoming Events for Schools

Join colleagues from across Scotland for the Scottish Guidance Association Annual Conference — a dynamic day of learning, networking and sharing practice designed for professionals supporting young people. The conference will be held on Saturday 19th September 2026 from 10am to 3,30pm at Carnegie Conference & Events Centre (CCEC) — now in its new location! Registration is now open.

Expect an engaging programme packed with relevant, practical sessions from leading organisations and practitioners:

• Talk About Trust – Resources & Training (alcohol, vaping, nicotine, & cannabis)
• Kooth – Digital Mental Health Support 
• Therapet® – Who We Are and What We Do:
• Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP)
• Health and Wellbeing Curriculum Update: 
• Developing  Pastoral Training in Schools

Conference fees are detailed below:

• £80 Early Bird Tickets (members who buy a ticket before the end of July)
• £85 Member Tickets (SGA membership continues to be free via our website)
• £100 - Non-Member Tickets.

Wider Research Opportunities for Schools

The LifeSavers programme is a free financial education initiative for primary schools, delivered by the Just Finance Foundation. It helps children build healthy money habits — now and for the future. We provide high-quality training and ready-to-use resources, equipping teachers to deliver engaging, meaningful lessons about money.

What’s included? 

• 5 Big Questions about Money – classroom resources, lesson activities, and values-based assembly outlines for First and Second Level  

• Milo’s Money – an illustrated storybook with Milo the Dino soft toy, plus Early and First Level classroom resources  

• Curriculum Mapping – clear links to Curriculum for Excellence

• CPD for staff – building confidence in delivering financial education  

• Conversation Cards – prompts to spark discussion and develop critical thinking  

LifeSavers helps children to build positive attitudes towards money - supporting their wellbeing, emotional awareness, confidence and ability to make healthy, informed choices.

Registration, staff CPD and all resources are fully funded and available at no cost to schools.  To find out more, visit our website or email laura.whittet@jff.org.uk

The National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) are undertaking a study in 2026 to better understand Anxiety Related Absence in neurodivergent children and young people in Local Authority mainstream schools in Scotland. This study is funded by Scottish Government and has ethical approval from Queen Margaret University. Three surveys are live until the end of June 2026 for:

• Parents and Carers of children and young people in mainstream primary or secondary schools

• Practitioners from a range of backgrounds who support children and young people with this issue

• Young neurodivergent adults aged 18-25 who have experience of the issue (not formal diagnosis required)

Survey for practitioners
Please use the QR code or follow the link to the information sheet and survey for practitioners who have experience of supporting neurodivergent children, young people and their families with Anxiety Related Absence. The survey should take around 30 minutes to complete.

We are inviting secondary school teachers to take part in a short University of Glasgow survey exploring views on psychologically informed reflective practice in schools, as part of the Neurodiversity in Scottish Schools (NISS) research programme.

The survey asks about your experiences and perspectives, and should take around 10–15 minutes to complete. Your input will help shape future approaches to supporting staff and improving outcomes for neurodivergent young people.  We would also be grateful if you could share this among colleagues or teams. 

Participation is voluntary and anonymous. Full information about the study, including ethics approval and consent, is provided at the start of the survey.

As a thank you, you will have the option to enter a prize draw for one of four £50 vouchers. This is done via a separate link at the end of the survey, so your responses remain anonymous. Click here to take the survey: https://uofg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BqXo3b4Dilo5mu

We would really value your input and thank you in advance for your help with this study!

All the best,

The SHINE Team

Dawn Haughton
Schools Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE) Manager

E-mail:  Dawn.Haughton@glasgow.ac.uk
Web:      www.gla.ac.uk/shine
LinkedIN: Schools Heath and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE)