Well‐being in schools: empirical measure, or politician’s dream?

This article serves as an introduction to the papers that follow. It shows how well‐being has become a significant focus of much educational policy in the UK, and explores how this has come about. Differing definitions of well‐being are reviewed, as is the empirical base on which many of the interventions to improve well‐being have been founded. Some of the major criticisms of this shift in policy are outlined, and the article includes a consideration of the validity of these criticisms. Finally it is noted that, while some elements of well‐being are based on empirical research, much of the impetus for the focus on well‐being has stemmed from the political agenda in the UK over the past decade.