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Pupil ‘voice’ is heralded as a key tenet of education policy, practice and research; however, ensuring that voice is authentically heard in the spaces that children occupy remains a challenge. Models of participation – relating to the degree of power either shared or transferred – range from tokenistic approaches to true pupil–teacher partnerships in which pupils initiate ideas and share decision-making with adults. Shier’s (2001) five-step Pathway to Participation model is considered and practitioners are invited to reflect on their own position and identify necessary steps to increase pupil involvement in their local setting. For guidance, a philosophy club intervention for early years and primary-age children is presented as a real-world example of facilitating voice on both group and individual levels. This chapter argues the case for schools to genuinely embrace and utilise pupil voice as part of a whole-school approach to enhance mental health and wellbeing within learning communities.

School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes aim to improve pupils’ decision-making, emotional regulation and social skills. A body of international evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of this type of early intervention for improving both mental health and educational outcomes. Nonetheless, if evidence of a programme’s effectiveness is to be usefully applied, educators need to know not only what works but how, and this is the theme of the chapter. Clearly, collaboration and consultation with teachers are essential to properly develop school-based provision. This case study introduces the Book of Beasties SEL intervention (which is based on a mental wellness card game and linked wellbeing activities) and charts its implementation in a primary school setting. Challenges and facilitators associated with embedding the programme are considered through the first-hand reflections of a primary school teacher who was also the delivery agent. Practical recommendations for a smooth and effective implementation, as well as pitfalls to avoid, are provided and can be applied to a local setting.