Evaluating the Future of the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme in Your School

Wellbeing and mental health in schools has never been more in the spotlight than it is today. With the increasing demands on students and staff alike, the mental and emotional health of your school community is paramount.  

We've seen this landscape change over the last few years and as student mental health needs rapidly increase and government guidance evolves, many of the schools in the UK have trained Senior Mental Health Leads. These members are staff or school leadership teams are responsible for leading and overseeing interventions that tackle the growing mental health need they are seeing among students.  

One of the outcomes that is recommended by the Department for Education, Public Health England and NICE is that student-led peer-to-peer interventions are an integral component of any whole school approach to mental health.

In this context, the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme has been a beacon of support to schools, settings, young people who become the Ambassadors and the peers they support.

As you approach the end of the programme's initial three-year tenure, there is now an opportunity to reflect on whether renewing this initiative is the right move for your school or setting.

This article has been developed to support the teachers, head teachers, pastoral leads, and school finance managers when faced with the decision to renew the programme that requires careful consideration.

To aid in this process, we break down the pros and cons of renewing the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme and examine the options and factors at play.

Pros of Renewing the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme

1. Consistent Support for Students: The continuity of a renewed programme can provide students with a reliable source of support, contributing to a stable and nurturing school environment.
2. Well Established: The programme may be well established and popular, not renewing the programme prevents you from using the programme or the materials in your school
3. Staff Development: Ongoing training for Wellbeing Ambassadors can contribute to professional growth, allowing teachers and pastoral leads to better support student needs. The programme allows to to switch who has access to the training and materials so another member of staff can be trained as a Wellbeing Ambassador facilitator.
4. Long-Term Impact: A multi-year renewal could yield a more profound and sustainable impact on the overall wellbeing of the school community, embedding positive practices into the fabric of your school.
5. Meeting Government Recommended Guidelines: The need to provide peer-led wellbeing interventions in your school is not a fad that will be here today and gone tomorrow. It is something that growing evidence is suggesting provides a valuable mental health intervention to prevent the onset of mental health problems for young people.
6. Increased Demand: The latest statistics tell us mental health problems in students are rapidly rising, which reinforces the need to continue to provide effective preventative support in your school or setting.

Cons of Not Renewing the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme

1. Loss of an Established Resource: Discontinuing the programme could leave a void in the support system for both students and staff, potentially disrupting the progress made in student wellbeing.
2. Financial Implications: The cost considerations of setting up a new initiative could surpass the investment in renewing an existing, proven programme.  
3. Adapting to Change: If the school is currently undergoing or anticipating changes, losing the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme could add strain to an already demanding situation meeting the needs of students struggling with wellbeing issues.
4. Not Meeting Recommendations by the Department for Education: Failing to renew the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme may mean the school falls short of adhering to Department for Education guidelines.
5. Disappointing Students Reliant on the Programme: Students who have come to rely on the support and guidance provided by Wellbeing Ambassadors might feel abandoned or disregarded if the programme is discontinued. For many students, these Ambassadors serve as a critical peer-support network, offering a sense of belonging and understanding. Losing this programme could detrimentally affect the trust and rapport built among students, particularly those who may not have other avenues of support.
6. Staff Member Programme Engagement: continue to access ongoing support, programme updates such as new examples, optional live workshops and monthly drop-in consultancy calls to allow your programme to remain a success in your school or setting.

Renewal Options

When considering the renewal of the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme, schools are presented with several paths each offering distinct advantages and addressing the outlined cons of discontinuation. The decision to renew is not simply about maintaining a service but enhancing the fabric of the school's mental health strategy. This section will detail the potential renewal options available, their implementation strategies, and how each aligns with the overarching goal of sustaining and improving student wellbeing.

Annual Renewal

Once completing the initial three-year access you can switch to annual renewal. This provides a more flexible options for school or settings that want to review the programme's success on a year-by-year basis, allowing you to take into consideration financial implications, and necessary adjustments based on the school's evolving situation.

Annual renewal is £245+VAT per year paid once upfront per year after you have completed your initial 3 years of the Wellbeing Ambassador Programme.

Three-Year Renewal

If you know you want to continue with the programme as it is important for your school and students the best option would be to renew for 3 more years. Choosing to renew for a longer period could benefit from cost savings and programme stability, providing a long-term strategy for maintaining wellbeing initiatives.

Three-year renewal provides an opportunity to access an exclusive loyalty discount of £625+VAT for schools or organisations that have completed the initial three years of the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme saving you £370 off the full programme price.

What happens if you don't renew the programme?

If you don't renew the programme access will be downgraded to free access only for the team leader and the team of facilitators on your renewal date. You will no longer be permitted to use the programme or any of the resources in your setting or school.

If you miss the renewal by accident and still want to use the programme you will have to buy the programme at full price for three years. The current price is £995+VAT.  

If you know you want to continue to use the programme it is more cost-effective to renew before your renewal date is due.

If you don't want to renew you can just let the programme date run out and access will automatically downgraded.

What do you get if you renew the programme?

If you renew the programme you still get access to all the elements you originally had access too for two members of staff aka 'facilitators'. These include

• Online course for the Facilitator 
• Downloadable Wellbeing Ambassador Workbooks 
• Promotional Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme posters
• Ambassador recruitment application forms
• PowerPoint presentation with embedded video clips 
• Facilitators Manual 
• Facilitators CPD Attendance certificate
• Editable Ambassadors Workshop Attendance Certificate 

Programme Updates

Staying current with the latest developments in mental health and well-being strategies is crucial for the continued success of the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme.  Maintaining your school or setting's access lets you benefit from ongoing programme updates ensures that the curriculum remains relevant and effective in addressing the needs of students. These updates may include new methodologies, updated training materials, and research findings that can enhance the programme's impact. These are shared through bonus workshops and best practice examples from spotlight schools or settings.

The latest update is we now provide monthly drop-in consultancy sessions for any Wellbeing Ambassador programme members.

Consultancy Sessions

Consultancy sessions offer an invaluable resource for schools looking to tailor the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme to their specific needs. These sessions provide an opportunity to discuss challenges, explore new ideas, and receive expert advice on implementing and adapting the programme. Through these consultations, schools can ensure the programme grows and evolves in alignment with their evolving educational landscape and the changing needs of their students.

Evidence-based Innovations

As the programme evolves we continue to integrate innovative elements that reflect the latest in mental health research, applied practice and feedback from the 200+ schools and settings internationally that are accessing the programme.

Decision Factors

When weighing the decision to renew the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme, consider the following factors:

Student Engagement: Assess the current level of student engagement. Is the programme still reaching students effectively? If not why not?  Are there factors such as mental health stigma, a lack of effective promotion of the programme or buy-in from students affecting the success of your programme. Joining the monthly consultancy sessions may help you troubleshoot this issue and gain new ideas to revamp the programme.

Financial Viability:

Review the programme's cost against available budgets and potential funding sources. What funding can you use to renew the programme, did the programme provide an effective return on investment over the last three years? What impacts have you seen to the young people involved, the peers they support and the school community? What would the costs be had you not run the programme over the last 3 years?

Conduct a financial return on investment to find out the cost per student here is a rough example of how to work out the finical cost per head of the programme.

Price per year when initially paid for the programme

£995  ÷ 3 years = £331.66

Price per facilitator trained per year

£995  ÷ 3 years = £331.66

£331.66 ÷ 2 facilitators = £165.83

Price per student per year based on 16* students being trained in one year

£995  ÷ 3 years = £331.66

£331.66 ÷ 16 students = £20.72

*many more than 16 students can be trained, this is a recommended minimum not a maximum.

Financial return on investment

If these 16 students then improve school culture for all students and you have 1000 students currently in your school the cost will be 0.33 pence per student per year! (This is a bit of a rough costing but it illustrates the cost-effectiveness of the programme)

What has the programme helped you save money on in other areas? Things to consider are improved attendance, improved pupil behaviour, improved attitudes, reduced staff work load and better staff-student relationships. All of these factors have a financial and workload implication to consider when looking at the return on investment.

Staff Capacity:

Consider whether there are sufficient resources and staff members to effectively manage and participate in the programme. Do you need to change the staff members who are running the programme? Have staffing issues affected the implementation of the programme, is this something to address to make the programme more successful now?

Switching the programme facilitator with the click of a button inside the programme can help revitalise the programme delivery in your school or setting.

School Context:

Take into account any recent or imminent changes within the school that might affect the implementation and success of the programme. Are there any other changes that your school is going through that stop making the programme as effective as it could be, for example; staff retention issues, behaviour issues, change initiatives, becoming a MAT school, leadership changes and so on.

Attending the consultancy hotline calls will help you navigate any changes and competing priorities to help ensure the programme remains a success in your school.

Impact on  Student Wellbeing:

The final thing to help you decide is to evaluate the measurable outcomes of the programme. How has the programme improved the wellbeing of the school community? See the diagram below to reflect on which areas you feel the programme has impacted in your school or setting.  

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Looking at this diagram is there any quantitative or qualitative data you can review to demonstrate the programme's impact?

Quantitative data can include proxy measures such as attendance records, attitude to learning or behaviour incidents as well as any wellbeing or mental health measurements you might be conducting as part of your whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. You could also create evaluations using a simpel google sheet that asks for qualitative reflections on how the students perceive the impact of the programme. This can provide valuable information for school leaders, governors and parents to demonstrate the reach and benefits of the programme.

Before you Decide

In conclusion, as we stand at this crossroads, it's essential to balance the tangible benefits against the financial and logistical realities. The Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme has undoubtedly been a valuable asset for many schools and young people, yet its future within your school or organisation hinges on a multifaceted evaluation. By dissecting these elements thoughtfully, your school leaders will be positioned to make the most informed and beneficial decisions for the continued development of young people's wellbeing.

If you need help with the programme or making this decision please get in touch via our contact form.