Levels of low wellbeing among children and young people in the UK are worryingly high and getting worse over time. Too many of them are not flourishing and are missing out on an overall good quality of day-to-day living. Wellbeing of our young people has declined to an unacceptable level that leaves the UK 71st out of 74 countries for the average wellbeing of its 15-year-olds.
Many drivers of low wellbeing have been identified. But there is growing evidence of a tangled web of relationships between low wellbeing, a poor sense of school belonging, and school attendance. While one in four (25%) 15-year-olds in the UK struggle with low wellbeing, this number is more than one in three (34%) among those that admit to skipping classes and more than four in 10 (42%) for those who do not feel a sense of belonging at school.
While the evidence does not point to obvious causality one way or the other, it is reasonable to suppose that low wellbeing, school belonging, and attendance might all influence each other. This complex interaction is something that is picked up in the growing discussion of Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), which is thought to affect a significant number of children, potentially contributing to the doubling of persistent absence since the pandemic.
Left alone, this web of low wellbeing, belonging, and attendance has a dramatic potential impact on young people’s quality of life in the here and now. And it could harm later educational and employment outcomes too.
Given this worrying trend of low wellbeing among young people, and the potential damage that comes with it, it is essential we ask: how can we disentangle the low wellbeing, belonging, and attendance web and successfully help young people to be resilient and thrive? Building evidence of what works and what does not will be critical.
Power2, a charity that works to boost children and young people’s wellbeing and engagement with school and learning, provides an example for policymakers, schools, and commissioners to learn from.
The Power2 Rediscover programme provides one-to-one support for children struggling with low wellbeing, isolation, and poor school engagement. Many of the young people they support struggle with both low attendance and face social, emotional, and mental health needs. The Power2 Rediscover programme has worked with over 500 young people in London and the North West, across 87 schools. It is a 10-week course, where facilitators support young people aged eight to 18, with a particular focus on their wellbeing, confidence, communication, and engagement at school.
This report aims to provide a value for money assessment of the Power2 Rediscover programme. It draws on a 2024 evaluation by the #BeeWell team at the University of Manchester that suggests Power2 Rediscover could be improving wellbeing by the equivalent of 1.2 life satisfaction points. While there are noticeable limitations to the data that warrant caution in interpreting these findings, they could potentially represent a significant change – around twice the size of the impact measured for adults getting a job after being unemployed. We apply HM Treasury’s methodology to put a monetary value on this increase in wellbeing.
Pro Bono Economics’ analysis suggests that it’s likely the Power2 Rediscover programme offers good value for money based on its wellbeing benefits alone. If the effect identified in the University of Manchester evaluation lasted for just five weeks, then the wellbeing benefits of the programme would outweigh the £1,200 cost per young person of the programme. However, if the effect lasted for 10 weeks, then the programme would have delivered £2,600 of wellbeing benefits per young person in 2023/24, or around £2 in benefits for every £1 spent. And, if the effect lasted for six months then the programme would have delivered £6,900 of wellbeing benefits per young person in 2023/24, or more than £5 in benefits for every £1 spent.
These initial findings showing the Power2 Rediscover programme’s effectiveness add further evidence to the existing body that suggests engaging young people on a one-to-one basis can help give them the tools they need to thrive. It is vital that local and central government continues building systems that ensure support for struggling children from organisations best placed to understand and engage them.