#BeeWell’s second survey window closes, with 35,000 young people across Greater Manchester taking part

THIS YEAR, the #BeeWell annual wellbeing survey heard the voices of 35,000 young people from across Greater Manchester’s secondary schools. As #BeeWell goes into its second year of programme delivery, it has kept momentum with a total of 60,000 young people from over 185 schools taking part.

Over 150 schools in Greater Manchester made time for their pupils to take part in the survey this year. One hundred and thirty of these are returning schools, having taken part in the programme in 2021.  

#BeeWell is a programme that annually measures the wellbeing of young people and brings together various partners from across Greater Manchester to deliver meaningful, youth-centred actions as a result.

As the largest exercise of its kind in the country, #BeeWell is excited to begin analysing what this second round of surveys tell us about young people’s wellbeing.

Some of the findings from the first year of the #BeeWell survey responses (Autumn 2021) included:

• Girls reported lower levels of wellbeing than boys.
• There are sizeable inequalities for young people who identify as LGBTQ+, who on average report higher levels of stress and emotional difficulties.
• Only 1 in 3 young people reach the recommended levels of physical activity set by the Government’s Chief Medical Officer.

In response to last year’s survey Greater Manchester Moving announced a youth-led physical activity and wellbeing campaign. Greater Manchester Integrated Care also funded activity to support the wellbeing of young people who identify as LGBTQ+.

In January, schools will receive anonymous survey results for their pupils in the form of bespoke dashboards, allowing them to track changes in their results compared to last year.  Schools will also be able to see how their pupil’s responses compare to other schools in Greater Manchester.

The Anna Freud Centre, whose mission is to improve understanding of mental health and resilience in young people will also offer follow-up support with schools to help to identify the next steps.  

Young people from schools that took part in the #BeeWell survey will be able to get involved in the #BeeWell Young Researcher Programme and The Politics Project Digital Dialogue sessions, which will give them the opportunity to shape the response to the survey results in 2023.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said:

“I want to give my thanks to the schools across Greater Manchester who have taken part in the second year of the #BeeWell survey. Hearing from so many young people would not be possible without the hard work of schools. We are determined to make sure young people’s voices are heard and responded to across Greater Manchester.”

Cllr Mark Hunter, Greater Manchester Portfolio Lead for Young People, adds:

“I am delighted to see how many schools across Greater Manchester have supported the second year of the #BeeWell programme. 60,000 young people taking part in the survey over the last two years is amazing and offers a significant level of insight. There is dedication and determination across the ten boroughs to work together and improve the wellbeing and lives of our young people and these survey results will help us to do that.

“I look forward to seeing the findings from the survey results in coming months and how partners across Greater Manchester respond to the data.”

Mrs Claire Colley, Assistant Headteacher KS4, Canon Slade School, Bolton, said:

“We [at Canon Slade School in Bolton] were eager to take the opportunity for our Year 9 and 10 students to take part in the #BeeWell survey for the first time this year. With over 80% of students participating, it was an amazing opportunity for us to hear our student voices on a larger scale, and their responses on matters to do with their wellbeing.

“We saw the positive changes that were made throughout other schools (that took part in the #BeeWell survey) to improve student’s wellbeing and we wanted to be part of that.

“At Canon Slade School we value our students’ voices. We are waiting with anticipation for our results in the New Year, so we can put actions into place to make Canon Slade an even better school for them.”

Professor Neil Humphrey, Academic Lead for #BeeWell at the University of Manchester, said:

“The #BeeWell team have been absolutely bowled over by the continued enthusiasm and engagement of our fantastic schools and young people in Greater Manchester. The fact that so many have participated in our second annual survey, is testament to the value of the feedback and insights generated by the survey.

“We are excited to see what our schools and partners do in response to the data in 2023, as we continue our shared mission of making young people’s wellbeing everybody’s business.”

#BeeWell will launch the findings of this year’s surveys with an event in March. The event will invite partners to join #BeeWell in planning the next steps in response to what young people have said about their wellbeing. The Greater Manchester neighbourhood dashboard will be updated to reflect the new data available and allow #BeeWell’s partners to undertake place-based actions that will make a difference for young people.