Promoting health and well-being – Upper secondary education

Students participated more frequently than before in the planning, development, and evaluation of upper secondary school activities

Efforts to promote health and well-being in upper secondary schools in 2024 have developed positively compared to the previous data collection conducted in 2022. The data are based on a biennial survey sent to upper secondary schools in mainland Finland.

Students’ participation in the planning, development, and evaluation of school activities had become more common (Figure). Shared, documented practices and operating guidelines related to various themes of well-being promotion had also increased slightly. Measures to increase physical activity during the school day were more frequently in use in upper secondary schools than before.

Student welfare teams met slightly more often than in the past. In addition, the handling of individual students’ cases in upper secondary school student welfare teams had clearly decreased compared to previous years.

Variation in student welfare services between upper secondary schools

Health care nurse, psychologist, and school social worker (counsellor) resources in student welfare services had increased, but psychological services were completely lacking or there was no information on their provision in 15 percent of upper secondary schools.

Doctor resources had decreased in upper secondary schools, and doctor services were completely lacking or there was no information on their provision in 21 percent of schools during the 2023–2024 school year.

Staffing resources in student welfare services also varied greatly between upper secondary schools, and these differences had increased.

Students’ participation has strengthened in vocational upper secondary education and training

In vocational education and training, students’ well-being, health, and a sense of community are promoted in many different ways. The data are based on a biennial data collection sent to upper secondary schools in mainland Finland.

Students’ participation in the planning, development, and evaluation of activities at their campuses has developed positively compared to previous years. Most commonly (93–79 %), students participated in the planning and development of practices that promote a sense of community, in planning orientation and group-building activities, and in the review of survey data or other summary information related to student well-being.

Students also participated more often than two years earlier in efforts to promote non-smoking and substance-free environments.

Measures to increase physical activity during the study day have become slightly more common

Measures aimed at increasing physical activity during the study day were more widely implemented in initial vocational education and training. Physical activity and functional learning were incorporated into teaching in a large majority (88%) of campuses.

At 60 percent of campuses, indoor sports facilities were used during the study day outside physical education lessons, and cooperation with student health care services was undertaken to promote students’ physical activity.

At every second campus (50%), physically active modes of travel to and from the place of study were promoted. Overall, measures to increase physical activity during the study day had become slightly more common compared to the situation two years earlier.

Differences between campuses in shared documented practices

Campuses providing vocational education and training had various shared, documented practices and operating guidelines supporting health and well-being in place, but there was variation between campuses. In the vast majority of campuses (94%), there was an agreed, documented practice or guideline for preventing bullying and intervening in bullying situations.

Also very common were shared, documented practices or guidelines for preventing substance use (92%), identifying absences (92%), and identifying and addressing sexual harassment (89%).

About the data in more detail

Upper secondary schools

• Read the whole statistic report (Julkari) (in Finnish)
• Statistic in TEAviisari
• Indicator data in Sotkanet

Vocational education and training

• Explore the whole report (in Finnish)
• TEAviisari
• Indicator data in Sotkanet

Background information 

Upper secondary schools

• Quality raport (in Finnish)
• Data resources catalogue
• Instructions for submitting data (in Finnish)
• Previous statistics (2022) (in Finnish)  

Vocational education and training

Data resources catalogue
Instruction for submitting data (in Finnish)
Previous report (2022) (in Finnish)

Sources 

• Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Hyvinvoinnin ja terveyden edistäminen lukioissa – TEA 2024. Tilastoraportti 25/2025 (Julkari) (in Finnish)
• Finnish Insititute for Health and Welfare (THL). Hyvinvoinnin ja terveyden edistäminen ammatillisessa perustutkintokoulutuksessa 2024. Tutkimuksesta tiiviisti 22/2025 (Julkari) (in Finnish)

Description of the data

The Promoting Well-being and Health in Upper Secondary Schools dataset describes activities in upper secondary schools aimed at promoting health, well-being and a sense of community. The data collected provide an evidence base for evaluating and developing these activities and offer comparable information that allows individual schools to benchmark themselves against other upper secondary schools. At the national level, the data collection supports the assessment and development of both the national core curriculum and the implementation of student welfare. The data collection also examines the implementation of the Pupil and Student Welfare Act (1287/2013).

The statistics present monitoring data from 2012 onwards.

The Promoting Well-being and Health in Initial Vocational Education and Training dataset describes activities that promote health, well-being and a sense of community at campuses of institutions providing vocational education and training. The data collected provide an evidence base for evaluating and developing activities and offer comparable information for benchmarking individual campuses and institutions against other campuses and institutions. At the national level, the data collection supports the assessment and development of both the national qualification requirements and the implementation of student welfare. The data collection also examines the state of implementation of the Pupil and Student Welfare Act (1287/2013).

Monitoring data are presented from 2012 onwards.

Update Schedule

The Promoting Health and Well-being in Upper Secondary Schools statistics are published biennially in even-numbered years. The exact publication date is available in the publication calendar.
Statistics publication calendar

The Promoting Health and Well-being in Vocational Education and Training data are published biennially in even-numbered years.