Wellbeing Choices

Overview

Students examine how mental health, nutrition, physical activity and personal safety interact to support wellbeing. Through a realistic scenario, they practise a health decision-making process and develop one achievable action for their own context.

Learning intentions

• Students will explain how mental health, nutrition and physical activity can influence overall wellbeing.
• Students will identify personal safety risks and protective strategies in everyday and online settings.
• Students will apply a decision-making process to a health-related scenario.
• Students will identify reliable support people and services when help is needed.

Success criteria

• I can describe at least one connection between mental health, food, movement and safety.
• I can identify risks, protective factors and practical options in a health scenario.
• I can justify a healthy and safe decision using evidence or reasoning.
• I can name a trusted adult or service I could contact for support.

Curriculum links

• Understanding factors that influence health, wellbeing and participation.
• Applying health decision-making, problem-solving and help-seeking skills.
• Examining respectful relationships, personal safety, boundaries and protective behaviours.
• Communicating health information and taking action to promote individual and community wellbeing.
• Developing critical thinking and personal and social capability through discussion and reflection.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Hook and prior knowledge Open with the opening wellbeing scenario: “A student is sleeping poorly, skipping breakfast, feeling stressed and accepting unsafe online invitations. Which issue should be addressed first?” Students silently rank the concerns, then share one reason with a partner. Emphasise that health decisions are connected rather than isolated.

2. 5–15 minutes – Explicit teaching: the wellbeing web Use the wellbeing web explanation to introduce four connected areas: mental health, nutrition, physical activity and personal safety. Explain that mental health includes managing emotions, coping with challenges and seeking support; it is not simply feeling happy. Discuss how regular meals, hydration, sleep and movement can support concentration and mood, while safety includes boundaries, consent, privacy, risk awareness and trusted help. Avoid judgement about body size, food choices or mental health experiences.

3. 15–22 minutes – Decision-making model Model the steps shown in the decision-making steps:

• Stop and identify the issue.
• Consider possible risks and protective factors.
• List realistic options.
• Check consequences, values and reliable information.
• Choose, act and review. Apply the model briefly to a low-risk example, such as deciding whether to go for a walk, rest or contact a friend when feeling overwhelmed.

4. 22–37 minutes – Scenario investigation Arrange students in groups of three or four. Give each group one card from the Health Decision-making Scenario Cards. Groups identify the main health issue, options, likely consequences and a safe response. Encourage students to consider more than one area of wellbeing. For example, an online safety scenario may also involve stress, sleep or peer relationships. Students record their response on the wellbeing decision worksheet.

5. 37–47 minutes – Group share and evaluation Invite groups to present their scenario and decision in one minute each. After each presentation, the class offers one “protective factor” and one question, using the prompts on the scenario discussion slides. Reinforce that seeking help is a strength. Clarify that urgent danger, threats, self-harm concerns or abuse should be reported to a trusted adult or emergency support rather than managed alone.

6. 47–55 minutes – Personal action planning Students complete the final section of the wellbeing decision worksheet. They choose one small action for the next week, such as adding a nutritious snack, scheduling movement, using a calming strategy, improving sleep routine, checking privacy settings or speaking with a trusted adult. The action must be specific, realistic and safe. Students may keep their response private.

7. 55–60 minutes – Plenary and exit response Display the plenary questions. Students answer: “What is one connection between the four wellbeing areas?”, “What makes a health decision safe and responsible?” and “Who could help if a situation felt unsafe?” Collect worksheets or ask students to submit the final response privately. Remind students they may speak with the teacher or wellbeing staff after class.

Resources

• the wellbeing and decision-making slide deck
• the wellbeing decision worksheet
• the Health Decision-making Scenario Cards
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pens or pencils
• Timer
• School wellbeing and support contacts, prepared according to school policy
• Optional anonymous question box

Assessment

• Observe group discussion for accurate identification of risks, protective factors and realistic options.
• Check worksheets for connections between wellbeing areas and justified, safe decisions.
• Use the final response to assess understanding of help-seeking and personal action planning.
• Follow up privately with any student whose response indicates a safety or wellbeing concern, following school safeguarding procedures.

Differentiation

• Provide a completed example, a word bank and sentence starters such as “One risk is…”, “A protective factor is…” and “A safe option would be…”.
• Allow students to discuss, draw or bullet-point ideas rather than produce extended writing.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach terms including wellbeing, protective factor, consequence, boundary and trusted adult; pair them with a supportive peer.
• Extend confident students by requiring them to compare two options, evaluate the reliability of information and explain possible short- and long-term consequences.