Category: Blog

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Infographics: Making SHRN Data Accessible and Engaging for Wider Audiences

In today’s information-rich world, infographics are a powerful tool for transforming complex data into engaging visuals that resonate with diverse audiences, making data more accessible. In this blog, Huw Eifion Evans, Healthy School Co-ordinator for Conwy, shares his Top Ten Tips for using infographics to bring insights from The School Health Research Network (SHRN) data to life.
Whether you’re aiming to communicate key findings with learners, staff, parents/carers or school governors, these tips can help ensure your SHRN data is both impactful and easy to understand.

Engage & Inform: 10 Tips for Dynamic SHRN Infographics  

1. Less But Better

Define a clear objective for your infographic and limit your content to this focus. While it’s tempting to add more colours, text, and details, too much information can clutter the design and obscure your core message.

2. Create a Clear and Consistent Layout

Organise information logically, dividing data into sections to avoid overwhelming viewers. A grid or column-based structure can keep the design easy to navigate.

3. Embrace Visual Hierarchy

Use contrasting fonts, colours, and sizes to draw attention to the most important parts of the infographic. Bold percentages, icons, or highlighted figures help emphasise key findings.

4. Select the Relevant Data

Choose data points that will resonate with your audience. For example, if you’re addressing mental health outcomes, highlight key statistics that align with this topic. 
5. Prioritise Accessible Colours and Fonts
Ensure your infographic is inclusive by selecting readable fonts and high-contrast colours. This improves accessibility for individuals with visual impairments and makes the design appealing for all viewers. Aim for a font size that is easily readable, even on smaller screens.
6. Use Icons and Images Effectively
Incorporate icons, illustrations, or simple graphics to represent data categories. Visuals can make content more relatable and memorable, especially for younger audiences who may prefer visuals over text-heavy information. For example, using a heart icon for health-related data makes the information more relatable.
7. Be Concise with Text
Limit text to short descriptions or phrases to keep the focus on visuals. Use bullet points or short phrases instead of long paragraphs. This keeps the focus on visuals and makes the information easier to digest. Aim for clarity in your descriptions. Use active voice and engaging language to maintain interest. Phrasing like “Discover how…” or “Learn why…” can draw your readers in. 
8. Experiment with Graphs and Charts
Consider different chart styles – bar charts, pie charts, or graphs – based on the data type. Testing various formats will best convey your data’s story.

9.  Include a Clear Call to Action

Guide viewers on what they can do with the information. Whether it’s joining a discussion, supporting a school initiative, or reflecting on the findings, a call to action can make your data more actionable.

10. Invite Feedback and Encourage Sharing

Invite your audience to engage with and share the infographic, welcoming their feedback. This can lead to fresh insights and strengthen their connection to the data and school goals. Promote SHRN data sharing by including social media buttons or QR codes that make it easy for viewers to share the infographic with their networks. Encouraging sharing can amplify your reach and impact.

Infographic Creation Made Easy: Useful Tools and Resources

Adobe Colour
Canva
Flat Icon
QR Monkey
(Please note – I wish to clarify that my references to these products are not endorsements. Instead, I am sharing items that I have personally utilised and have proven to be effective. My objective is to provide authentic insights based on my own experiences)

Final Thoughts

By following these tips, SHRN data can be further transformed into valuable insights that support health and well-being across school communities and wider audiences. Infographics are more than just visual representations of SHRN data; they are powerful storytelling tools that can bridge the gap between complex information and public understanding. As you embark on your infographic creation journey, remember to keep your audience at the forefront of your design decisions.
Have you created infographics for your SHRN data? Do they make a difference in how learners and the wider school community engage with the data? We would love to find out more!
Share your experiences by emailing SHRN Engagement Manager, Charlotte Wooders.

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Double the Insight, Double the Impact: The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey and The SHRN School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ)

We are delighted to report that over half of our SHRN registered primary schools have completed The School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ). This achievement reflects your commitment to enhancing the health and well-being of your learners.

By completing both The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey and the SEQ, primary schools not only enhance their internal practices,  but also contribute to a broader understanding of health and well-being in education. This dual approach fosters a healthier, more supportive environment for all learners.

Thank you to all the schools for your participation and dedication to creating a positive learning environment. Together, we are making a difference!

For registered primary schools that have not yet completed both the SEQ and The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey, here’s a reminder of some key benefits of you doing so:

1.  A Comprehensive Understanding of Learner Needs

  • Holistic Insights: By gathering data from both surveys, your school can gain a well-rounded view of your learners’ health, well-being, and the overall school environment. This helps you  identify specific areas that need attention.

The SHRN team is also able to anonymously analyse the relationship between school policies/practices and learner outcomes and share what we learn on potentially effective approaches with schools to develop knowledge exchange events such as our webinar series.

2. Informed Decision-Making

  • Data-Driven Policies: The insights gained from these surveys enables your school to make informed decisions regarding health and well-being initiatives, ensuring that policies are tailored to the actual needs of your learners.

3. Enhanced Learner Engagement

  • Empowerment: Involving learners in the survey process can empower them, making them feel valued and heard, leading to increased engagement in your school activities and initiatives.

4. Improved Health Outcomes

  • Targeted Interventions: The data can help  your school implement targeted health and well-being programmes that address specific issues, such as mental health, nutrition, and physical activity- ultimately improving learners and well-being.

5. Benchmarking and Comparison

  • National Standards: You can compare your school’s results with national data, allowing you to benchmark your performance and identify best practices from other schools.

6. Support for Inspections and Accountability

Evidence for Estyn Inspections: Completing both surveys provides valuable evidence for your school inspection, demonstrating a commitment to learner health and well-being. Further, the SNRN and Public Health Wales partnership enables your  SHRN data  to be embedded as part a health promoting school.

7. Long-Term Planning and Development

  • Sustainable Practices: The data collected can inform long-term strategies for improving your school’s  policies and practices, ensuring that health and well-being remain a priority in your school development plans.

In summary, registered primary schools that complete both The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey and the SEQ can unlock a range of benefits that enhance their educational environment and support their learner’s development.

Read more about The School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ). 

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Double the Insight, Double the Impact: The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey and The SHRN School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ)

In today’s educational landscape, the health and well-being of learners is more crucial than ever. Maria Boffey, SHRN Knowledge Exchange and External Affairs Manager , emphasises how completing both The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey and The SHRN School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ), gives schools invaluable insights that not only enhance their internal practices, but also contributes to a broader understanding of health and well-being across Wales.  In this blog, Maria explores the significant benefits of the SHRN surveys for schools and how they can transform the educational environment for the better.

Unlocking Insights for Health and Well-Being

By participating in both The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey and the SEQ, primary schools not only improve their internal practices but also contributes to a broader understanding of health and well-being in education. This dual approach fosters a healthier, more supportive environment for all learners.

The key benefits for schools taking part in SHRN surveys are:

1.  A Comprehensive Understanding of Learner Needs

  • Holistic Insights: By gathering data from both surveys, your school can gain a well-rounded view of your learners’ health, well-being, and the overall school environment. This helps you  identify specific areas that need attention.

Additionally, the SHRN team is also able to anonymously analyse the relationship between school policies/practices and learner outcomes and share what we learn on potentially effective approaches with schools to develop knowledge exchange events such as our webinar series.

2. Informed Decision-Making

  • Data-Driven Policies: The insights gained from these surveys enables your school to make informed decisions regarding health and well-being initiatives, ensuring that policies are tailored to the actual needs of your learners.

3. Enhanced Learner Engagement

  • Empowerment: Involving learners in the survey process can empower them, making them feel valued and heard, leading to increased engagement in your school activities and initiatives.

4. Improved Health Outcomes

  • Targeted Interventions: SHRN data can help  your school implement targeted health and well-being programmes that address specific issues, such as mental health, nutrition, and physical activity- ultimately improving learners and well-being.

5. Benchmarking and Comparison

  • National Standards: You can compare your school’s results with national data, allowing you to benchmark your performance and identify best practices from other schools.

6. Support for Inspections and Accountability

Evidence for Estyn Inspections: Completing both surveys provides valuable evidence for your school inspection, demonstrating a commitment to learner health and well-being. Further, the SNRN and Public Health Wales partnership enables your  SHRN data  to be embedded as part a health promoting school.

7. Long-Term Planning and Development

  • Sustainable Practices: The data collected can inform long-term strategies for improving your school’s  policies and practices, ensuring that health and well-being remain a priority in your school development plans.

In summary, registered primary schools that complete both The SHRN Student Health and Well-Being Survey and the SEQ can unlock a range of benefits that enhance their educational environment and support their learner’s development.

Read more about The School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ) and join us in making a positive impact on health and well-being in education!

Join the Discussion!

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your insights, experiences, or innovative practices related to health and well-being initiatives in schools. Whether it’s a success story, a unique approach, or challenges you’ve faced, your contribution can inspire others and foster a collaborative community.

If you’re interested in writing a guest post, please email Maria Boffey. Together, let’s create a dialogue that promotes healthier, happier learning environments for all learners!

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 Data Anonymity and The SHRN Student Health and Well-being Survey in Primary Schools

Why should primary schools register to take part in SHRN’s 2024 data collection?

SHRN has become a unique and invaluable part of the education health and well-being infrastructure in Wales. Our strategic partnership with Public Health Wales and integration with The Welsh Network of Health and Well-being Promoting Schools (WNHWPS), along with substantive and ongoing investment from Welsh Government, has enabled SHRN to grow into a national network of research and evaluation.

SHRN is cited in over thirty Welsh Government policies and strategies as providing support for the delivery and evaluation of health and well-being policy agendas and interventions. These include the Whole-School Approach to Emotional and Mental Well-being (2021) and Estyn’s Healthy and Happy Report (2019).

To find out more about the huge benefits of joining SHRN, read our primary school and school success and impact brochures.

Is The SHRN Student Health and Well-being Survey anonymous?

Yes. The Student Health and Well-being survey collects indirect identifies such gender, school year group (as a proxy for learner age), and ethnicity. It would be extremely difficult to use this data to discover the identity of a survey participant from the thousands of children and young people who take part.

Further, all data fed back to schools is done so in an aggregate form through year group and gender breakdown (e.g., the percentage of year 7 learners who eat breakfast every weekday). This prevents deductive disclosure as a set number of learners must provide a response to enable the data to be shared.

Why is SHRN anonymised data so important?

When exploring the health and well-being needs of your school, it is important to take the time to consider the needs of your whole-school community. This approach ensures that both policy and practice supports and nurtures learners, staff, and the wider school community. It will also help to build social capital across the school.

Anonymised SHRN survey data protects privacy, whilst empowering schools to enhance their learner’s health and well-being.

SHRN and its anonymised data, has become a unique and invaluable part of the education health and well-being infrastructure in Wales.

What are the benefits of SHRN anonymised data?

There are many benefits including…

SHRN data can be retained each year and have continuing value for research purposes.

An example of this would be using the data to help understand change over time in children’s and young peoples’ health and well-being through combining with previous and subsequent anonymised SHRN survey data. By analysing trends and patterns, schools can identify areas of concern, tailor support accordingly and evaluate their progress.

SHRN Survey findings can be benchmarked against national findings to provide a wider context and comparison for school-level findings.

Our data plays a key role in national, regional, and local planning, as well as influencing UK-wide and international research and policies.

SHRN School Level data can be shared with teaching staff; learners; school governors; parents and carers; Public Health Wales and Estyn to ensure that everyone can be involved in the discussions about children’s and young peoples’ health and well-being.

It helps to develop a school culture of intervention and change. It also represents an important means by which learners can influence the vision and delivery of services and practice which affect their health, well-being, attainment and future life chances.

It helps to develop a school culture of intervention and change.

Used in conjunction with The School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ), the survey data provides useful evidence for identifying need and setting health and well-being priorities to support school improvement. The SEQ allows relationships between school policies (e.g. school leadership; school ethos; environment; curriculum learning; family and community engagement) and practices and student health outcomes to be investigated. It provides schools with a unique opportunity to assess the health and well-being of learners in the context of their school policies and practices. It also covers a range of emotional and physical health topics to reflect a Whole-School Approach to Health and Well-being and the Curriculum for Wales.

SHRN data anonymity helps schools to evaluate objectively, offering a framework for universal application.

Other non- anonymised surveys select and measure specific well-being measures such as positive emotion whilst at the same time identifying learners. Quantifying such subjective experiences can be challenging, making it difficult to select appropriate response scales and assess whole-school progress accurately. Additionally, the lack of anonymity can sometimes lead to learners avoiding giving honest survey answers or taking part in data collection.

Anonymisation limits data protection risks and enables information to be made available to other organisations, or wider health and education communities across

In general, it is easier to disclose anonymous information rather than personal data as fewer legal restrictions apply. It is also easier to use anonymous information in new and different ways, as the data protection rules do not apply to properly anonymised data. Results from the data can be shared widely in reports to Government, and be published in scientific journals. It can also be used to support programmes of work in school clusters.

Finally… any messages to the primary schools who are thinking about registering to take in the 2024 SHRN data collection?

Registration for the SHRN 2024 data collection in primary schools closes on 19 July 2024, so I would urge those who haven’t yet registered to sign up quickly so that they do not miss out on the unique benefits that SHRN has to offer.

To find out more visit shrn.org.uk