As a headteacher I cared a great deal about happiness and wellbeing in our school, so I was keen to read Adrian Bethune's "Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom", a practical guide to promoting happiness and emotional health in young children.
What do we think?
A great book for primary schools that want practical, classroom-ready ways to support pupils' wellbeing.
This guide to teaching wellbeing and positive mental health in primary schools is full of practical classroom ideas. The updated edition adds new chapters on the importance of nature for health, behaviour and concentration, and on digital wellbeing: helping children navigate life online in a healthy way.
The publisher's case for the book is that happier people tend to do better at school and in their relationships, while children's reported stress, anxiety and depression have been rising, made worse by the pandemic, so schools are looking for accessible ways to respond.
Adrian Bethune, an experienced teacher and adviser on children's wellbeing, draws on research from the science of happiness and positive psychology. Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom is packed full of tried-and-tested activities and techniques, including mindfulness, positive reflection, physical activity and acts of kindness.
About the book
- Author: Adrian Bethune.
- Edition: second, updated edition.
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Education. Paperback published 20 July 2023, 320 pages, ISBN 9781801992121.
Classroom wellbeing activities sit alongside, not in place of, the school's statutory RSHE curriculum and its mental health support; see the DfE's RSHE statutory guidance.
Source: bookseller listing at Canterbury Christ Church University Bookshop (Bloomsbury's own site blocked our check), checked 13 October 2026.