Over the past decade there has been an explosion of interest in mindfulness research across various populations, although very little focus has been paid to adolescents, especially within school. My interest is in discovering the efficacy of a mindfulness programme for secondary schools, and examining the health and well-being related psychophysiological mechanisms that mediate salutary outcomes.

This research is also timely with government interest in developing our primary mental health care and national well-being (Foresight, 2008). The New Economics Foundation (nef) have suggested we do ‘5 things per day to stay sane’, including Take Notice of the events inside and all around us (nef: Aked, Marks, Cordon, & Thompson, 2008). My PhD will hopefully build on these recommendations, and investigate whether ‘taking notice’ really will improve the well-being of our young people.