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At 1am on 4 February, the House of Lords heard voices from across the House on why a national wellbeing measurement matters. The message was clear: schools alone are not responsible for our children’s wellbeing; we all are.
Amendment 233 aimed to introduce an optional annual online well-being survey for young people, delivered in schools, supported centrally with administration, analysis, and secure data storage.
Baroness Claire Tyler of Enfield highlighted two key gaps in the Government’s current proposed measurement framework currently under consultation: the absence of questions on psychological wellbeing and no plan to collate or publish data nationally. She asked the Minister for Education whether the Government would act to address these concerns.
Baroness Tyler also pointed to strong public and sector backing for the proposal. A YouGov poll co-funded by #BeeWell and the Youth Sport Trust 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.
Originally tabled by Lord Gus O’Donnell, amendment 233 attracted the support of four peers from across the House, among them Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, who said it was “just such an obvious thing for the Government to do”.
During the Report Stage debate on the 4th February, Baroness Lister of Burtersett referenced the Labour Party manifesto’s statement that “nothing says more about the state of a nation than the wellbeing of its children.” She argued that to truly understand the state of the nation through the lens of children’s wellbeing, it must be measured nationally, comprehensively and regularly.
Baroness Sater and Lord Watson of Invergowrie highlighted the achievable nature of a national wellbeing measurement and the difference it could make in delivering more effective interventions for young people. As Baroness Sater noted, “better data leads to better policy and ultimately to better outcomes”.
What next?
The debate in the House of Lords showed clear cross-party support for national measurement of children’s wellbeing, alongside a shared sense that the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill could go further in fulfilling its stated aims. Peers repeatedly returned to the same message: if we care about children’s wellbeing, we must be prepared to measure it.
While Baroness Tyler withdrew the amendment, the Our Wellbeing Our Voice coalition is continuing to work with the Department of Education to develop a robust wellbeing measurement.
The Our Wellbeing, Our Voice campaign is founded on five key principles:
✅️ national coverage
✅️ local ownership
✅️ youth-centred
✅️ regular
✅️ confidentiality
Minister Jacqui Smith has committed to adopting a standard set of measurements as part of a new pupil experience framework, but we believe framework can go further—ensuring wellbeing is accurately captured and, crucially, that the data collected leads to meaningful action
Alongside our partners The Children’s Society, Fair Education Alliance, PBE and a coalition of over 60 organisations, we continue to call for a national wellbeing measurement programme.
Find out more about the coalition and campaign here.
