Is “nature” a policy solution to mental health in schools?
Menon S., Lorimer J., WILHELM K., TSIACHRISTAS A., Polgreen K., Caseby R., Arshad S., Singh I.
The UK faces a growing youth mental health crisis (NHS, 2023; RCPsych 2025). Schools may play a key role in preventing these difficulties from worsening. The integration of nature-based programs (NbPs) into school settings has been proposed as a policy solution to address such mental health challenges but robust evidence is lacking (Lomax et al., 2024), particularly at the secondary school level. This Sprint utilised an implementation science framework to co-produce evidence on NbPs in secondary schools with stakeholders including policymakers from the Government’s Department for Education (DfE), young people, and educators. Using a range of methodologies we are evaluating effectiveness, amplifying stakeholder voices, and creating actionable, evidence-based education policy insights.