All mainstream secondary schools in Wales, along with over half of Wales primary schools (since the launch of the inaugural SHRN primary school survey in 2024) are members of The School Health Research Network. They are joined by joined by the following partners:
DECIPHer researchers based at Cardiff University are working with schools to develop the School Health Research Network and ensure it meets their needs. ALPHA, a young people’s advisory group based at DECIPHer, provides additional advice and support.
Welsh Government provides support for SHRN through cross ministerial investment, strategic support from its Social Research and Information Division via Dr Chris Roberts and Dr Semele Mylona, and an embedded SHRN Knowledge and Analytical Services post – Freya Price
Cancer Research UK offers resources to schools in the network to support health education and science teaching in the curriculum and health promotion in the wider school environment.
Public Health Wales has an oversight role in the School Health Research Network and ensure that the network develops in a manner consistent with national public health priorities and programmes, such as the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes.
SHRN supports the World Health Organisations Health Behaviour in School Children study (HBSC) that is conducted in Wales every four years, this provides international comparative data for Wales from 51 countries.
Cardiff University Community Engagement Team coordinates a wide variety of resources available to schools in the network from researchers at Cardiff University. These include support for health education and science teaching in schools, as well as for encouraging young people’s engagement with higher education through school-university collaborations.
WISERD provide a strategic link to a leading education research centre in Wales.