Learner happiness is when students feel safe, supported, connected, and engaged - the foundations that help them thrive both academically and personally.

We measure it through a 10-minute anonymous survey covering the 10 pillars of learner happiness (see Research Method). These include key happiness drivers: safety, belonging, school environment, mental health, social connections, physical wellbeing, academic support, and future optimism. Students rate their experiences, and we benchmark their responses against other UK schools and colleges. See how it works.

Wellbeing surveys often focus on identifying problems, (stress, anxiety, safety concerns.) We focus on what drives happiness.

It's a mindset shift. Instead of just measuring what's wrong, we help you understand what makes your students feel good about their school experience so you can do more of it. Both matter, but happiness is what gets students excited to learn.

Because happy learners achieve more.

Research shows that students who feel connected, supported, and engaged perform better academically and have better life outcomes.

Schools measure problems but often don't know what's working well. Our approach helps you understand your strengths so you can build on them, not just fix what's broken. Learn about our research method.

Yes. The survey is completely anonymous. We don't collect names, email addresses, or any personally identifiable information. Your institution receives aggregated data only.

We're ICO registered, and all data is processed and stored securely in compliance with GDPR.

Five things: elite research, external benchmarking, our community, external validation, and our focus on happiness, not just problems.

We collaborate as research partners with the London School of Economics. See our research method here.

We benchmark you against other UK institutions so you know if an issue is sector-wide or unique to you.

We’re building a community of teachers prioritising happiness.

We measure what drives happiness, not just what's going wrong. Read what our teachers discovered.

Our awards signal to parents that you take happiness seriously.

We provide information so parents and learners can opt out.

The survey is anonymous and asks about school experience (not sensitive personal data). Book a call to chat with us about how we prioritise safety.

The survey takes 10 minutes for learners to complete. Implementation is even faster - once you book with us, you can launch the next day.

We handle the setup, provide launch materials, and are on hand if you need us. Your staff involvement is minimal - typically just communicating the survey to students. See the full process.

We are free for state schools. For independent schools and FE colleges, pricing varies based on your institution size.

We offer transparent pricing with no hidden fees. You get the survey, analysis, benchmarking, community access, and digital award all included.

Absolutely right. Happiness doesn't mean constant positivity, it means students feel safe, supported, and engaged enough to learn and grow.

Research shows that wellbeing and academic achievement are connected. Students who feel they belong, have good relationships, and manage stress effectively, perform better. We measure the foundations that help learners thrive, not just smile.

Happy learners achieve more.

You could, but you'd lose the most valuable parts: the research backing, the external benchmarking, the expert analysis, access to our community, and your digital award.

The questions themselves are only part of the value. And they also evolve as times change and our Learner Advisory Boards guide current research.

What makes this powerful is comparing your results to other institutions, learning from a community of schools/colleges doing the same work, getting actionable recommendations from our community, and displaying your commitment through the award.

You receive your digital Learner Happiness Award when we provide your analysis after your students complete the survey.

The award demonstrates your commitment to prioritising student happiness and can be displayed on your website, in prospectuses, and in marketing materials. Every institution receives the award regardless of results - it recognises participation, not perfection.

Higher awards are based on time in our community and commitment to positive change.

*Learner Happiness is free for state schools.

So what do you get? Everything you need to measure and improve learner happiness:

- The 10-minute anonymous survey for all your students.

- Comprehensive analysis with benchmarking against other UK institutions.

- Expert recommendations and action plan based on your data.

- Access to our community of schools and colleges prioritising learner happiness

- Digital Learner Happiness Award

- Ongoing support throughout the year

See our full pricing and what's included.

Internal surveys lack four critical things: external benchmarking, research validation, community learning, and recognised credibility.

When you run your own survey, you can't know if 60% student satisfaction is good or concerning without comparing it to other schools. Our research-backed survey gives you that context, connects you to a community of institutions sharing what works, and provides a digital award demonstrating your commitment. You'll know if an issue is unique to you or sector-wide, which changes how you respond.

Use our analysis to fuel change.

We give you a comprehensive report with specific, actionable recommendations based on your results.

You'll get strategic insights ("Your students report low belonging - here's why and what typically works"), quick wins you can implement immediately, and longer-term priorities. Many of our schools/colleges use the analysis for staff training, SLT planning, and Ofsted evidence. You also receive your digital award to display your commitment, and gain access to our community where you can learn from other institutions.

See how it works.

Yes. You get a “Partner” award if you take the survey. This is because our Partners are all incredibly different, with hugely varying issues to face every day.

If a school/college is using Learner Happiness they’re listening to their learners and making changes to prioritise their learners’ happiness.

Different rules apply to our Innovator and Leader awards.

For our Innovator award you must be with us for 3 years and engage in our community.

Then our Leader award is for those who illustrate genuine change towards better Learner Happiness. Reserved not for our “happiest” organisations but for those consistently using our analysis to evoke positive change.

Getting 100% in anything is always difficult and not necessary for impactful insights. We’ll discuss a threshold for you to aim for (usually above 30%). We always say the more surveys, the richer the insight.

It's only 10 minutes, students find it engaging (they want to share their views), and teachers tell us it's often students' "favourite survey of the year."

We provide launch templates, timing guidance, and tips for maximising participation. Most are surprised by how well students engage.

Yes. We've timed it extensively with real students across different reading abilities.

Most students complete it in 8-12 minutes. We keep it focused on what matters most. Long surveys lead to survey fatigue and poor quality responses. Ten minutes is the sweet spot for meaningful data without overwhelming students.

We totally understand. That’s why we’ve made it incredibly easy to launch the survey, and even easier for your students to complete.

We provide all you’ll need to launch the survey with a click of a button.

For your learners, we’ve made the survey fun, simple, and only 10 minutes long.

This speed and efficiency doesn’t take anything anyway from the rich and thorough analysis we do on our end. We just want to make it’s as easy as possible for you on your side.

No, the Learner Happiness Award is digital - you receive high-resolution files to use on your website, in socials, email signatures, and marketing materials.

A digital award is more versatile (you can use it everywhere) and more sustainable. Many schools/colleges display it prominently on their homepage.

However, if you win a national award, this will be in physical form, and will be delivered/taken with you from our awards night.

Learner Happiness is built on science from leading researchers, as well as research with teachers and learners. Our questions change as we learn more and more about what makes learners happy at school/college.

Our questions cover a wide range of topics, for example":

- Safety (physical and emotional)

- Belonging and connection

- School environment and facilities

- Mental health and stress management

- Social relationships (friends, teachers)

- Physical wellbeing

- Academic support and engagement

- Future optimism and purpose

All questions use simple language and are rated on scales like Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree, or 0-10, or multiple choice.

Example: "I feel safe at my school/college."

15 minutes to set it up with our team. 10 minutes for the survey. That’s it.

How it works.

Rollout often happens in tutor/progress/study time, where learners are given 10 minutes to complete the survey.

To setup, you’ll meet with one of our team to discuss Learner Happiness. They’re always very happy to answer any questions you might have.

Yes. We include attention check questions to identify if students are rushing through or not reading carefully.

This ensures data quality - we can filter out responses that aren't thoughtful. However, these checks are subtle and don't disrupt the survey experience for students who are engaging properly. Data quality is critical for getting meaningful insights.

The survey is designed for students aged 11+ (Year 7 onwards in secondary schools, all ages in FE colleges and sixth forms).

The language and concepts are appropriate for this age group. For younger students, the questions may be too complex.

We currently do not work with primary schools. However, we are exploring this, so please reach out if keen to help pilot this research.

The survey is written at approximately a Year 6 reading level to ensure accessibility for all students aged 10+.

We've tested the language with students across different abilities to ensure everyone can understand and respond meaningfully. If you have concerns about specific learner needs (e.g. EAL students, SEND), we can discuss adaptations. Book a call to discuss.

You get a comprehensive analysis showing:

- Overall happiness scores benchmarked against other UK institutions.

- Demographic insights (gender differences, year group patterns).

- Specific areas of strength and concern.

- Actionable recommendations tailored to your results.

- Quick wins you can implement immediately.

- Access to our community to learn what's working at other institutions.

- Digital Learner Happiness Award recognising your commitment.

Example: "I feel safe at my school/college" - Students rate from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.

All of our questions are direct, easy to understand, and cover the areas that research shows actually drive student happiness. All questions are research validated.

We recommend running the survey at a time in the year when learners are most settled. We’d recommend September-April.

We provide longitudinal data comparing your insights to last year as well as to Learner Happiness averages. So rolling out the survey at a similar time each year is recommended.

But this is not a “must”. You can roll the survey out whenever works for you and your school/college.

It takes 10 minutes to complete no matter when you launch Learner Happiness.

Annual surveys give you time to implement changes and see impact. Survey fatigue is real - if you survey too often, response quality drops.

Once a year lets you measure year-on-year trends, assess whether interventions worked, and maintain student engagement. Consistency in timing also makes benchmarking more meaningful.

You could just do the survey once to get a pulse of your Learner Happiness but without year-on-year analysis, real impact will be difficult to demonstrate.

You can also earn our Innovator and Leader awards if you utilise our tool year after year. This is a recognised achievement and shows prospective parents, teachers and learners your organisation prioritises Learner Happiness.

This is very rarely asked but when it is we’ll discuss it on a case by case basis.

Book a call.

We want all learners to be happy so always ask that the survey is given to all learners at a school/college to complete.

Just one champion - typically a wellbeing lead, pastoral head, or member of SLT.

That person coordinates the launch (we provide all materials) and communicates with students. We make it as easy as possible for your team. See the full process.

The survey is completed via a unique link/QR code/poster (all included in your launch pack).

It’s delivered online through a secure, mobile-friendly platform. Students complete it on any device - computers, tablets, or phones.

The survey is simple and intuitive.

Only your institution sees your results. You decide who within your school or college has access to the analysis and data.

We provide you with a comprehensive report. We never share individual institution results publicly or with other organisations.