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Since the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was introduced to Parliament in December 2024, the #BeeWell team worked with the Our Wellbeing, Our Voice coalition to persuade MPs and Ministers to introduce national young people’s wellbeing measurement as part of the Bill.
“How do you have a children’s wellbeing bill without any attempt to measure their wellbeing across the country? There is a lot to welcome in the Bill but this gap is a fundamental flaw” – Lord Gus O’Donnell, Former Cabinet Secretary
Along with The Children’s Society, Fair Education Alliance and Pro Bono Economics, and a coalition of more than 60 other organisations, #BeeWell is calling for a national wellbeing measurement programme to provide the necessary data for understanding why 1 in 4 children in the UK report having low wellbeing (PISA, 2022) and driving action to reverse the UK’s wellbeing crisis.
In advocating for the government to implement a national wellbeing measurement programme to address the needs of children and young people across England, the Our Wellbeing Our Voice campaign is founded on five key principles:
✅️ national coverage
✅️ local ownership
✅️ youth-centred
✅️ regular
✅️ confidentiality
Only by listening to young people and what they can tell us about their wellbeing can we begin to understand why and address this. Measuring children’s wellbeing will not only provide the insights needed to drive change but will also demonstrate a commitment to improving the lives of the next generation, and put young people’s voices at the heart of decision-making.
“This is a really important moment and opportunity. It works so well in the areas that #BeeWell is already running in, and it would make a massive difference if it was running across the country” – #BeeWell Youth Steering Group Members
To make this happen, the Our Wellbeing, Our Voice campaign engaged with the Bill at each stage as it passed through the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Throughout the House of Commons journey of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the case for national wellbeing measurement for children and young people gained increasing prominence.
At Second Reading, Victoria Collins MP raised the issue directly with the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson. This prompted a ministerial response you can read in Children & Young People Now.
During the Bill’s Committee Stage, high-profile witnesses, including Mark Russell from The Children’s Society, emphasised how data would allow services to better meet the needs of children and young people. Anne Longfield CBE, Executive Chair of Centre for Young Lives and Dr Carol Homden CBE, CEO of Coram, also made the case for wellbeing measurement to committee members. This was reinforced by written evidence from the coalition outlining how data would strengthen the measures in the Bill.
Munira Wilson MP then tabled, and later re-tabled at Report Stage, amendments calling for a national wellbeing measurement programme, supported by the Our Wellbeing, Our Voice coalition and MPs from across parties. Although these amendments were not passed, ministers acknowledged the importance of understanding children’s wellbeing, and further discussions with Stephen Morgan MP helped sustain growing momentum. You can read the full House of Commons journey in the longer write-up here.
In the House of Lords, the trend of upward momentum continued.
Lord Gus O’Donnell in the House of Lords
Members of the House of Lords demonstrated strong cross-party support for children and young people’s wellbeing measurement during the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill debate in May 2025. Ten peers explicitly mentioned the campaign, making it the single most mentioned item that isn’t present in the Bill.
During the final Committee stage debate in the House of Lords in September 2025, Lord Gus O’Donnell, who tabled the amendment, delivered a powerful message: we cannot improve what we do not measure. He argued that, if done properly, wellbeing measurement could be the most important aspect of the Bill, yet warned that at present there was no measurement in place.
Notably, fourteen peers referenced our proposal during the debate, including esteemed thinkers on education policy, economics, and wellbeing such as Baroness Claire Tyler, Lord Colin Moynihan, and Baroness Whitaker. Lord Gus O’Donnell stressed the importance of evidence-based policymaking, with Lord Colin Moynihan echoing the call for robust data to inform decisions and deliver real impact.
At the end of the debate, Minister Jacqui Smith emphasised the government’s commitment “to supporting all children and young people to achieve and thrive,” adding that “to help us do this, we need to understand how our children and young people are feeling.”
Baroness Claire Tyler during Report stage in the House of Lords
Concluding in the early hours of 4th February, the House of Lords Report Stage heard cross-party support for the importance of national wellbeing measurement. While progress is being made in the Department for Education, with Minister Jacqui Smith committing to a standard set of measures within a new pupil experience framework, we believe this can go further, both in capturing wellbeing accurately and ensuring data leads to meaningful action. Baroness Claire Tyler of Enfield highlighted key gaps in the current proposals under consultation, including the absence of psychological wellbeing measures and no plan to collate or publish data nationally.
Baroness Tyler also pointed to strong public and sector backing for the proposal. A YouGov poll found that 75% of parents support measuring children’s wellbeing, while more than 60 organisations, including the Association of School and College Leaders and the Local Government Association support the Our Wellbeing, Our Voice campaign.
Complementary to the parliamentary process, the Our Wellbeing Our Voice campaign continued to make progress.
In April 2025, PBE hosted an event in Westminster, bringing together parliamentarians, researchers, young people and sector leads. The panel discussed the need for a national measure and highlighted the ways in which a survey delivered in schools can bring together the whole community in responding to the results.
We have helped place the importance of young people’s wellbeing and the positive impact that a national wellbeing measurement programme could have firmly into the national conversation. Achieving coverage in Schools Week, CYP Now, and multiple articles in the Times, showcasing the support of Members of the House of Lords, including former Education Secretary Lord Blunkett and former Cabinet Secretary Lord O’Donnell, the case for a nationwide system to track pupils’ wellbeing and ensure their voices are reflected in policy has been firmly established. We have achieved this by amplifying youth voices, building cross-sector support, and engaging policymakers across parties.
Young people delivering letters to the Department for Education.
While our journey in parliament has concluded, we are pleased to continue advancing wellbeing measurement directly with the Department for Education, guided by the principles outlined above. Young people from Anna Freud, #BeeWell, and the Fair Education Alliance have this week directly shared their insights with the Department. This followed the direct impact of a letter-writing campaign in December 2025. Separate discussions are ongoing with a network of wellbeing measurement and research organisations, including #BeeWell, focused on the development of the measures themselves. We will report back on progress in due course.
We are grateful to everyone organisations and individuals alike who have given their time and support, and thank you once again for your continued commitment.
Our Wellbeing Our Voice supporters
