Our Studies
Find out how you can get involved in school-based research, including our annual BrainWaves Cohort Study.
A key element of the BrainWaves study is facilitating school-based research within our network of BrainWaves Research Partners. Young people are invited to take part in carefully monitored and analysed mental health and wellbeing activities, which may include trialling interventions, participating in studies and reviewing educational materials.
Each research activity comes with its own benefits, and by taking part in the BrainWaves study, young people and schools can help shape the current evidence-base around mental health and wellbeing. Through BrainWaves research, they can feedback into future resource design in a very real way, connecting educators, academics and students in a unique partnership.
Get involved! BrainWaves is a charity, so becoming a Research Partner is free to schools and colleges. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a BrainWaves Research Partner, please click here to register your interest.
Visit BrainWaves Education
To access our classroom resources, please register for a free account our BrainWaves Education site.
How your school can get involved
Join the BrainWaves Cohort Study
A key element of the BrainWaves programme is facilitating high-quality, school-based research through our network of BrainWaves Research Partners. Research underpins everything we do, and at the heart of this is our annual national BrainWaves Cohort Study for students aged 11+.
The BrainWaves Cohort Study gives schools and colleges free, meaningful, evidence-based insight into the wellbeing of their students and how it changes over time.
Participation in this online questionnaire for students begins while in a Research Partner school or college, then participants are invited back each year once they have left education. This longitudinal approach aims to improve understanding of mental health and wellbeing across the population as a whole.
The study explores the causes and consequences of wellbeing, as well as those of mental health, and makes the data collected available to scientists around the world. This facilitates research and improved scientific knowledge of mental health and wellbeing, beginning in adolescence.
By taking part, schools and colleges gain access to robust data that highlights emerging trends in anxiety, mood, resilience, sleep, and students’ sense of support within the school environment. These insights can directly inform pastoral care, safeguarding approaches, and whole-school wellbeing strategies.
Participating schools also receive a free, personalised report on their cohort’s wellbeing trends, providing actionable data to guide decision-making, target resources effectively, and evaluate the impact of existing initiatives. By contributing to the Cohort Study, schools and colleges not only strengthen outcomes for their own students, but also play a role in shaping a wider evidence base that is focused on improving adolescent mental health support nationally.
Use BrainWaves lessons and resources
Teachers can also get involved by bringing BrainWaves lessons into their classrooms. Using our evidence-informed resources and sharing professional feedback helps us refine our materials and ensure they are effective, relevant and practical in real educational settings.
Educator insight plays a vital role in shaping future lesson design and strengthening the impact of our work.