We’re delighted to publish the Hummingbird Project Impact Report 2025–2026, looking back at a school year in which the programme reached more children than ever before.
During the year, 2,839 pupils across 33 primary, secondary and SEND schools took part in the six-week Positive Psychology course. Since the project began in 2017, it has now reached 11,471 children and young people across the North West. Through activities focused on happiness, kindness and gratitude, mindfulness, character strengths, resilience and hope, pupils build a toolkit of skills they can use both in school and beyond.
This year’s evaluation provides encouraging evidence of the programme’s impact. Among 433 pupils from five secondary schools, average scores moved in a positive direction across all three measures used, showing reduced psychological distress and improvements in wellbeing and hope. In primary schools, 97% of teachers surveyed said Hummingbird had improved their pupils’ mental health.
The report also highlights the voices of pupils themselves, sharing their artwork and feedback on what they learned. Alongside classroom delivery, 2025–2026 saw further work to make Hummingbird more accessible for pupils with SEND, pupil focus groups helping to shape future programme materials, and the completion of Dr Ian Platt’s nine years of doctoral research.
The report celebrates the schools, pupils, teachers, researchers, volunteers and funders who have helped Hummingbird continue to grow.
