Pupil Wellbeing Survey 2026
Invitation to participate in Gloucestershire 2026 Pupil Wellbeing Survey
Dear colleague,
We invite your educational setting to register for the 2026 Pupil Wellbeing Survey (PWS), which is a free, anonymous, confidential, longitudinal survey that has been running since 2006 across schools and colleges in Gloucestershire.
How will it benefit my setting?
The survey provides a unique opportunity to gather pupil voices and improve student support; it asks pupils questions about their physical and emotional health and wellbeing, bullying, home life, relationships and school experience. Data from the survey can help your setting make data-driven decisions around resources, curricula, and policy, and to develop longer-term strategies for sustained improvement. Anonymous survey findings can also be shared with parents/carers to show that your educational setting prioritises student wellbeing, which helps builds trust and confidence.
County level data is also used to inform services that GCC, Integrated Care Board and trusted partners provide to children and young people in the county, such as the roll out of Young Minds Matter and support to prevent young people vaping.
Will we see our results?
Yes. By the end of the academic year, participating settings will be provided with a personalised, confidential report based on their results. Key data will also be available via the GHLL Review tool. New for this year is the option to automatically share your results with your lead teacher, school nursing team, and (if applicable) Young Minds Matter contact; this is optional (you can opt-out in the form) but allowing this will enable better joined up support for your children and young people. Other resources provided include a county report, one page fact sheets, and deep dive reports - copies from 2024 can be viewed at Pupil Wellbeing Survey (formerly Online Pupil Survey) | Inform Gloucestershire.
When will it take place?
The PWS will launch on 5th January 2026 and be available until the end of Spring term 2026. Full information and guidance on administering the 2026 PWS will be circulated to the primary contact (provided by the setting) in December 2025.
To register your participation in the 2026 survey, please complete this form: https://forms.office.com/e/nKY7PWUKGK Once submitted, if you wish to change any information, email pws@gloucestershire.gov.uk with the details; the form must only be submitted once.
This year PWS is in-house:
Using feedback from pupils and settings in previous surveys, we’re excited to announce that this year’s PWS will be delivered by Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) to offer a more interactive and higher-quality user experience for all respondents. This is the first year GCC has developed its own PWS; the purpose remains the same, to provide a simple and seamless survey experience for your classrooms.
Data protection & confidentiality:
All data collected as part of PWS will be handled in accordance with UK Data Protection legislation. Data collected from PWS is anonymous and unidentifiable. Our lawful basis for collecting the information is Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.
We recognise how busy educational settings are; your participation in PWS 2026 will be much appreciated and a valuable resource to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people.
Best wishes,
Siobhan Farmer
Director of Public Health
Kirsten Harrison
Director of Education
Privacy Notice
What will we collect?
Gloucestershire County Council will be the Data Controller for all personal data received as part of this survey. Any information you provide will be handled in accordance with UK Data Protection legislation. Pupils will be asked to provide demographic information ( e.g. their age, gender, and ethnicity), and they will be asked their opinions, experiences or preferences relating to a range of topics. Their data will be anonymised for reporting and analysis.
What is our lawful basis?
For further information on how we meet the requirements of the data protection legislation and the lawful basis which means we can collect this information please visit: Privacy Notices | Gloucestershire County Council
How will the data be used?
The data will be used to give pupils a voice in schools[QUAN, Fiona] and colleges and to inform commissioning decisions and strategic planning. It is also used to help monitor the progress of public health initiatives and programmes, and to identify new areas to prioritise.
