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The focus of professional learning on activities has changed to internal growth or change among teachers. Our 3-year whole-school collaborative action research was based on student feedback from a learning environment survey at a secondary school. Quantitative data were obtained by administering a survey in 2012, 2013 and 2014 to 2673 students in 171 classes to assess perceptions of the learning environment. Qualitative information, involving classroom observations and interviews with the principal and professional development coordinator, illuminated how the school incorporated this collaborative action research approach. Statistically-significant differences for numerous aspects of the learning environment were found between the 2012, 2013 and 2014 student groups.

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the onset of mental disorders and risk behaviours. Whole‐school interventions hold vast potential in improving mental health and preventing risk behaviours in this developmentally‐sensitive cohort. Modelled on the World Health Organisation's Health‐Promoting Schools Framework, whole‐school interventions aspire for change across eight domains: (i) school curriculum, (ii) school social‐emotional environment, (iii) school physical environment, (iv) school governance and leadership, (v) school policies and resources, (vi) school and community partnerships, (vii) school health services and (viii) government policies and resources. Through embodying a systems‐based approach and involving the key stakeholders in an adolescent's life, including their peers, parents and teachers, whole‐school interventions are theoretically more likely than other forms of school‐based approaches to improve adolescent mental health and prevent risk behaviours. However, vague operationalisation of what is to be implemented, how and by whom presents challenges for stakeholders in identifying concrete actions for the eight domains and thus in realising the potential of the Framework. Mapping how whole‐school interventions operationalise the eight domains enables appraisal of current practice against the recommendations of the Health‐Promoting Schools Framework. This facilitates identification of critical evidence gaps in need of research, with the aim of fostering optimal translation of the Framework into practice to promote mental health and prevent risk behaviours in adolescence. Our EGM's objective was to map how randomised controlled trials of whole‐school interventions promoting mental health and preventing risk behaviours in adolescence addressed the eight domains of a whole‐school approach. Our EGM was conducted in accordance with a pre‐registered protocol (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023491619). Eight scientific databases were searched: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsycINFO, Ovid Emcare, CINAHL, ERIC, CENTRAL and Scopus. Expert‐recommended sources of the grey literature were also searched, including the Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development registry of evidence‐based positive youth development programmes and the SAMHSA Evidence‐Based Practice Resource Centre. To be included in our EGM, studies had to involve randomised controlled trials or cluster randomised controlled trials comprising students aged 12 to 18. Interventions had to demonstrate a whole‐school approach promoting mental health and/or preventing risk behaviours, including at least one program component addressing each of the curriculum‐, ethos and environment‐, and community‐levels of a whole‐school approach. Studies had to include an active or inactive comparator. Studies had to report on at least one of the mental health and/or risk behaviour outcomes detailed in the WHO‐UNICEF Helping Adolescents Thrive Initiative, which includes positive mental health, mental disorders, mental health literacy, substance use, bullying and aggression. Two independent reviewers screened search results, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer on the research team. Risk‐of‐bias assessments were completed by two independent reviewers for each included study using the Cochrane risk‐of‐bias tool, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer on the research team. Data extraction for each included study was completed independently by two reviewers, in accordance with a prespecified template. Data extraction included study characteristics and intervention components, the latter of which was mapped against the eight domains of a whole‐school approach. 12, 897 records were identified from the searches. A total of 28 studies reported in 58 publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The majority of interventions implemented by studies classified as either substance use prevention (10 of 28 studies) or multiple risk behaviour interventions (8 of 28 studies). The majority of studies involved students in lower secondary school grade levels, with only 5 of 28 studies targeting students in grades 10 to 12. The majority of studies were set in high‐income countries, with minimal representation of low‐ and middle‐income countries (5 of 28 studies). The interventions implemented by studies ranged from 9 weeks to 3 years in duration. Though 100% of studies involved students in the evaluation stage and 61% in the implementation of intervention strategies, only 39% involved students in the planning and 29% in the design of whole‐school interventions. Significant variability existed in how frequently whole‐school interventions addressed each of the eight domains, ranging from 7% to 100%. This included 100% of interventions implemented by studies addressing the school curriculum domain, 64% the school social‐emotional environment domain, 46% the school physical environment domain, 50% the school governance and leadership domain, 61% the school policies and resources domain, 93% the school and community partnerships domain, 29% the school health services domain and 7% the government policies and resources domain. Despite different intervention foci, there was a clear overlap in whole‐school intervention strategies within each domain. Our EGM identifies several critical foci for future research. These include the need to investigate (i) whether certain domains of a whole‐school approach are critical to intervention success; (ii) whether addressing more domains translates to greater impact; and (iii) the relative effectiveness of common intervention strategies within each domain to enable the most effective to be prioritised. Our EGM identifies the need for greater investment in older adolescent populations and those from low‐ and middle‐income countries. Finally, we encourage stakeholders including researchers, schools, public health and policy makers to consider four crucial factors in the design and planning of whole‐school interventions and to investigate their potential impact on intervention success. These include: (i) the provision of training and support mechanisms for those implementing interventions; (ii) the decision between single‐issue versus multiple‐issue prevention programs; (iii) the optimal intervention duration; and (iv) the involvement of adolescents in the design and planning of whole‐school interventions to ensure that interventions reflect their real‐world needs, preferences and interests.

In this qualitative study, we explored the perspectives of 10 adolescents with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their experiences of bullying. Through individual semistructured interviews, they were asked to describe their understandings and experiences of bullying. Details of their experiences are described as well as the perceived impact on the students and their schooling. Data analysis revealed a number of common experiences including high rates of traditional bullying and more specifically verbal bullying, with fewer incidents of cyberbullying reported. In support of literature in the area, the results of the study indicate that bullying can be a significant inhibitor, which may prevent students with ASD from taking full advantage of their schooling. Listening to and reflecting on the voices and personal stories of adolescent students with ASD is critically important for developing more supportive approaches to their education and needs. The reports of bullying by students on the autism spectrum emphasises the need for more effective interventions and management strategies to be implemented in a whole-school approach as well as targeted strategies to prevent bullying experiences for this particular population of students.

This article presents findings from a meta-analysis which sought to determine the effectiveness of interventions adopting a whole school approach to enhancing children and young people’s social and emotional development. Whole school interventions were included if they involved a coordinated set of activities across curriculum teaching, school ethos and environment, and family and community partnerships. A total of 45 studies (30 interventions) involving 496,299 participants were included in the analysis. Post-intervention outcomes demonstrated significant but small improvements in participants’ social and emotional adjustment (d = 0.220), behavioural adjustment (d = 0.134), and internalising symptoms (d = 0.109). Interventions were not shown to impact on academic achievement. Origin of study and the inclusion of a community component as part of a whole school approach were found to be significant moderators for social and emotional outcomes. Further research is required to determine the active ingredients of whole school interventions that we can better understand the components necessary to achieve successful outcomes.

Orienting societies towards sustainability requires comprehensive learning of how to think, act and live within a safe and just space for humanity. Approaching sustainability as a core paradigm of quality education in the twenty-first century, Education for Sustainable Development necessitates an integrated view on learning. For educational organizations, Whole Institution Approaches (WIAs) to sustainability emphasize that all learning is embedded within its socio-physical contexts. Although the core objective—to “walk the talk” on sustainability—is theoretically well established, questions remain regarding its specific conceptualizations. Based on a systematic qualitative analysis of 104 international documents from scientific and grey literature, this article offers a conceptual synthesis of the core elements of WIAs to sustainability in education. Based on the literature analysis, WIAs are described as continuous and participative organizational learning processes aimed at institutional coherence on sustainability, consistently linking the formal and informal (hidden) curricula. While specific pathways are necessary for diverse organizations, the article synthesizes a joint framework. Key characteristics of WIAs are clustered within five core principles (coherence, continuous learning, participation, responsibility, long-term commitment), seven highly integrated areas of action (governance, curriculum, campus, community, research, communication, capacity building), the underlying organizational culture, and critical conditions for successful implementation. As becomes clear from the synthesis, following a WIA means to collaboratively switch the default mode of all rules-in-use to sustainability. The concept of WIAs may thus both be approached as an instrument for consistent organizational development in light of (un-)sustainability and as a keystone of integrated high-quality sustainability learning.

There are calls for sexual violence prevention to be more comprehensive and align with a socio-ecological approach. However, there is lack of models with specificity on how to engage additional stakeholders. Whole School Approach (WSA) frameworks have been used to address health promotion and bullying prevention and can be a useful model for guiding campus sexual violence prevention work. WSA models situate violence as a community issue and one where all community members have a role to play in prevention. Rather than focusing on addressing individual behavior, WSA frameworks address the role of the larger school environment in serving as a protective factor against violence, abuse, and harassment. A review of the literature on WSA frameworks in other disciplines reveals a number of potential ways to translate key elements of WSA models to the field of campus sexual violence prevention. In particular, mechanisms can be applied to expand the role of students, faculty, staff, parents/significant adults, institutional leadership, and the larger community.

Strategies to address declining physical activity levels among children and adolescents have focused on ‘individual-level’ approaches which often fail to demonstrate impact. Recent attention has been on an alternative ‘whole-school’ approach to increasing physical activity that involves promoting physical activity throughout all aspects of the school environment. There is, however, a lack of evidence on how whole-school physical activity approaches could be implemented in the UK. This qualitative study explored perspectives of key stakeholders on potential reasons for the lack of impact of individual-level school-based interventions on children’s physical activity, and key considerations for adopting a whole-school approach. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders involved in the implementation of physical activity programmes in UK schools. Data were analysed using an inductive approach. Respondents suggested that individual-level school-based interventions to increase physical activity often failed to consult end users in the design and were typically implemented in environments unsupportive of long-term change. They subsequently outlined specific barriers and key facilitators for the adoption and implementation of whole-school approaches in UK settings and recommended a shift in research foci towards building an evidence base around educational outcomes and whole-school implementation insights.

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the onset of mental disorders and risk behaviours. Based on the Health-Promoting Schools Framework, whole-school interventions offer a promising strategy in this developmentally-sensitive cohort, through championing a systems-based approach to promotion and prevention that involves the key stakeholders in an adolescent’s life. The evidence-base surrounding the effectiveness of whole-school interventions, however, remains inconclusive, partly due to the insufficient number of studies in previous meta-analyses. An updated systematic review and meta-analysis was thus conducted on the effectiveness of whole-school interventions promoting mental health and preventing risk behaviours in adolescence. From 12,897 search results, 28 studies reported in 58 publications were included. Study characteristics and implementation assessments were synthesized across studies, and quality appraisals and meta-analyses performed. Analyses identified a significant reduction in the odds of cyber-bullying by 25%, regular smoking by 31% and cyber-aggression by 37% in intervention participants compared to the control. Whole-school interventions thus offer substantial population health benefits through the reduction of these highly-prevalent issues affecting adolescents. The non-significant findings pertaining to the remaining eleven outcomes, including alcohol use, recreational drug use, anxiety, depression and positive mental health, are likely attributable to suboptimal translation of the Health-Promoting Schools Framework into practice and inadequate sensitivity to adolescents’ local developmental needs. Given the ongoing challenges faced in the implementation and evaluation of these complex interventions, this study recommends that future evaluations assess the implementation of health-promoting activities in both intervention and control conditions and actively use this implementation data in the interpretation of evaluation findings. Preregistration: A pre-registered PROSPERO protocol (ID: CRD42023491619) informed this study.

In the literature about bullying prevention and intervention, still little is known about teacher and school characteristics possibly affecting an implementation of a whole-school approach anti-bullying programme. This study investigates the relations of teachers’ anti-bullying components at classroom and individual levels with teachers’ sociodemographics (gender, age, work experience and teaching in primary vs lower and upper secondary school) and school features (size, and duration of working with a whole-school approach anti-bullying programme). Teachers ( n  = 1576) in 99 Lithuanian schools implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program answered a standardised online self-administered questionnaire. Through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (Principal Axis Factoring extraction method), we individuated a model of teachers’ implementation of anti-bullying components, consisting of three dimensions: classroom management, tutorship (organisation of class meetings and work with parents) and direct intervention into bullying incidents. In multilevel analyses, significant associations emerged between the three dimensions, teacher socio-demographics and school characteristics. Female teachers put more effort than male teachers into classroom management, tutorship and intervention into bullying incidents. Younger teachers put more effort than older teachers into all the three dimensions. Primary school teachers put more effort into classroom management and tutorship dimensions. Teachers with more working experience put more effort into intervening into bullying incidents. Lastly, teachers from certified Olweus schools with a longer duration of implementing the OBBP put more effort into direct intervention into bullying incidents. These results shed light on relevant characteristics affecting teachers’ efforts within anti-bullying components that need to be considered when implementing interventions.

Background UK Children generally fail to meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. Whole school approaches (WSA) have the potential to impact large numbers of children due to their ubiquitous nature for school wide implementation, however there is limited knowledge regarding primary school PA WSA implementation in the UK. This study aimed to investigate the acceptability and feasibility of a PA WSA in the UK.  Methods Semi structured interviews explored research aims with participants. A qualitative description approach was adopted and data were analysed using thematic analysis to draw codes and themes from the data. Results Thirteen primary school senior leadership team (SLT) and Physical Education (PE) leads were interviewed. A PA WSA was found acceptable by all participants. Implementation, however, was questioned when other significant mechanisms were not in place. A PA WSA aided prioritisation and planning of PA provision, providing a holistic overview of all key areas of PE, school-sport and PA (PESSPA). Due to the high acceptability but dependent feasibility of a PA WSA, it is recommended that PA WSAs align with whole-school health policy and improvement plans to advance implementation. Future research, however, is needed to explore how this method is best implemented as additional interventions may also be required to promote the prioritisation of the PA agenda due to the importance of SLT backing for implementation being paramount, as results highlight. Conclusions PA WSAs aid awareness, understanding and planning of school wide PESSPA provision, however their implementation in complex. Having SLT support and an appropriately resourced PE lead maximised the impact and utility of a PA WSA.