{"id":317358,"date":"2024-02-16T11:41:21","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T11:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/?page_id=317358"},"modified":"2024-06-19T15:23:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T15:23:33","slug":"myriad-what-misp-learned","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/myriad-what-misp-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"The MYRIAD project: What has the Mindfulness in Schools Project learned?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MYRIAD confirmed that mindfulness improves the wellbeing of teachers and school culture. It also showed the central importance of teachers\u2019 competence in terms of pupil outcomes. We will continue to ensure that all teachers we train have a solid grounding in mindfulness for themselves, both to establish a sufficient level of understanding and skills to teach mindfulness effectively and enhance their wellbeing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The results suggest that different pupils respond to mindfulness in different ways. We will continue to develop a differentiated response to make the teaching of mindfulness accessible and engaging for a wide range of pupils and contexts and encourage all teachers we train to develop their responsiveness and flexibility in teaching mindfulness to young people.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were slightly poorer outcomes for pupils with mental health problems. We will continue to encourage the teachers we train and their schools to take care when teaching mindfulness to pupils with mental health vulnerabilities, to identify and meet their needs and adapt the teaching as needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Pupils from poorer backgrounds had slightly better outcomes than average. We will continue efforts to reach children and young people from economically disadvantaged areas, including via specific fundraising initiatives.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">We endorse the suggestions by the MYRIAD team that the teachers we train are encouraged to co-create approaches and resources with young people that are fun and engaging for diverse groups and will continue our long-term work in this direction.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We note that those pupils that practiced outside the classroom had better outcomes, but that not many did this practice beyond the school. We will continue our work with the teachers we train to take mindfulness skills and approaches beyond the classroom into the natural settings in which pupils operate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will also increasingly acknowledge part of our training for teachers in schools is to enable a fuller understanding of <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/mindfulness-in-education\/what-is-it\/\">what mindfulness actually is<\/a>, enabling more people across the lifecourse to access it, having been introduced to knowledge and skills from the earliest age possible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned above, the training improved the school climate\/culture. We will continue to develop work to link mindfulness with the creation of a positive school environment, acknowledging how vital this is for the wellbeing of the whole school community.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The original aim of the MYRIAD project was to discover if scaling up the successful <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/teach-dot-b\/\">.b programme<\/a> was possible. We conclude it was not in\u00a0this case. In this particular study, problems of low levels of selection bias introduced by the research-driven need to ensure that teachers had no previous experience with mindfulness, and low levels of teacher competency (on average) may well explain this. We will continue to develop at our own pace, to develop and deliver our programmes with teachers and schools naturally drawn to the process and to seek out ways of demystifying what mindfulness is. We will continue to reach out to teachers and schools <i>with an existing interest in mindfulness<\/i> and focus on the development of teacher skills.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We continue our work confidently while <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/what-misp-learned\/\">continuing to learn<\/a> from the evolving evidence base. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background: what was the MYRIAD project?<\/h2>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See a <a href=\"https:\/\/myriadproject.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plain language guide to the MYRIAD project<\/a> and links to the academic papers that have emerged from it.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MYRIAD (My Resilience in Adolescence) was an eight-year research project, led by the University of Oxford and funded by the Wellcome Trust. The project involved more than 28,000 young adolescents aged 11- 14, 650 teachers, and 100 schools. MYRIAD\u2019s stated aim was to discover whether \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">schools-based mindfulness training is an effective, cost-effective, accessible and scale-able way to promote mental health and well-being in adolescence.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main part of the study was a large randomised controlled trial involving 85 schools and 8,376 teenagers, evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of schools-based mindfulness training on risk-for-depression, social-emotional-behavioural strengths and difficulties, and well-being in 11-14 year olds.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mindfulness training was taught by school teachers after they had first learned mindfulness for themselves and then attended a four-day training to teach mindfulness to students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The project compared the mindfulness training to normal PSHE teaching. It also explored whether mindfulness impacted differently on different groups of pupils, how popular it was with pupils, the impact of practice outside the classroom, the impact of teacher competence, and whether mindfulness training had wider effects on teachers\u2019 mental health and school climate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MYRIAD also reflected on the challenges of offering mindfulness training more widely in schools, and what the team felt was needed to do this well. It made suggestions for wider environmental changes that might support pupil mental health and wellbeing in schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Why was the .b curriculum chosen?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mindfulness in Schools Project\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/teach-dot-b\/dot-b-curriculum\/\">.b curriculum<\/a> was the UK-based mindfulness curriculum with the largest published <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/what-misp-learned\/b-research\/\">evidence base<\/a>. It had recently been the subject of a controlled trial with 522 pupils, taught by 9 teachers in 9 different schools, a trial which acted as something of a pilot for MYRIAD. The trial showed a positive impact on pupils\u2019 mental health, namely stress, depression and wellbeing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the team commented:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The findings provide promising evidence of the programme\u2019s acceptability and efficacy.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) was happy to agree to the .b curriculum being used. We knew that <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/what-misp-learned\/b-research\/\">p<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">revious research on .b across several studies showed positive results, and we were getting constant positive feedback from pupils and teachers. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As far as we were concerned the aim was not to re-examine the success of this programme as it is normally delivered, but to find out if the successful results could be replicated when the process was scaled up to large numbers and with teachers and schools new to mindfulness.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We were keen to help test the scalability hypothesis and to view this as a learning experience for us all.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Key findings of the MYRIAD project<b><\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teachers reported <strong>lower levels of burnout<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teachers reported an <strong>improved school climate<\/strong>, especially a sense of mutual respect.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mindfulness intervention was not better than \u201cteaching as usual\u201d (normal PSHE lessons) for students in terms of impacts on depression, or well-being. There was some indication that it was <strong>better value for money<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average rating for how \u2018helpful\u2019 students found the curriculum was 4.7 out of 10. However, <strong>scores were heavily polarised<\/strong> between strongly positive and strongly negative.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average level of competence achieved was 3\/6, \u2018\u2018advanced beginner\u2019. (Teachers who fell below that level were still included in the data analysis\u201d.)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong>teachers who were most skilled<\/strong> in teaching mindfulness training also had the highest rates of young people practising mindfulness, learning new skills and showing <strong>greater benefit from the training<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong>majority (80%) of young people did not do the required homework<\/strong>. Whe<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n young people <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">did<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> do the home mindfulness practices they became more mindful and enjoyed better mental health.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The intervention was rated more positively and resulted in higher rates of practice in girls, children with white ethnicity, those from more deprived schools (higher rates of free school meals) and schools with less existing focus on social and emotional learning. It was rated more negatively and had <strong>less impact on pupils who are more at risk of mental health problems<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>8 things MiSP can learn from MYRIAD<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">1. Teach mindfulness for the teacher\u2019s wellbeing and understanding<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We were pleased to see that MYRIAD found that the mindfulness training impacted teachers\u2019 mental health, especially levels of burnout. This is in line with previous research on the beneficial impacts of mindfulness on teachers&#8217; mental health and wellbeing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research on our introductory course on mindfulness for teachers has contributed to this positive picture. In 2015 the then-current version (called \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/teach-b-foundations\/\">.b Foundations<\/a>\u2019) was subject to a control trial involving 89 secondary school staff. Those in the intervention group showed a significant reduction in their stress, and significant increases in their well-being, mindfulness and self-compassion, compared with the control group. The effect sizes were large for all four outcome measures<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Given these positive findings, we continue to develop and offer a foundation course in various formats for our teachers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The findings of MYRIAD have confirmed the wisdom of ensuring <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">our 5-stage Mindfulness in Schools Pathway begins with an 8-week programme establishing mindfulness for the teacher, to promote their wellbeing and to establish a sound understanding of what mindfulness is, and to promote their wellbeing. This is followed by the development of regular personal practice to give teachers an inside understanding of the sometimes paradoxical nature of mindfulness and the ability to embody it authentically to their pupils. Only then do they follow a recognised MiSP &#8216;Train to teach&#8217; course enabling them to deliver the relevant age-appropriate programme for children and young people. The MYRIAD findings confirm our confidence in\u00a0and commitment to the process of putting the teacher\u2019s mindfulness at the heart of school-based mindfulness training.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">W<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e agree with MYRIAD that mental health is a product of a wide range of environmental factors and are pleased to see that the study showed that school climate was improved by training. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We strongly support the emphasis on whole school approaches and the suggestion that more attention be paid to the promotion of teacher wellbeing in general. The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MYRIAD study contributes to the evidence that mindfulness in general, and the work of MiSP, have an important part to play in creating supportive whole school environments and the promotion of wellbeing of the whole community.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">2. Continue to develop a differentiated approach<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The MYRIAD study contributed to exploring how different types of students respond to mindfulness, looking at the differential impact of several factors,\u00a0 including gender, ethnicity, mental health status and levels of poverty (see the summary of findings above). These nuanced insights inform the ongoing efforts MISP is making to provide, and encourage in the teachers it trains, a differentiated response.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have a strong commitment to making mindfulness engaging and relevant to as wide a range of pupils as possible.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will be supporting the teachers we train to free up their creativity, explore ways to co-create approaches and resources with young people, make their teaching accessible and engaging, and explore different ways of supporting the many and varied needs of a wide range of pupils.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">3. Take care to meet the needs of those with mental health issues<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MYRIAD found that pupils at higher risk of mental health problems right now benefitted less than the average. This confirmed our longstanding awareness that pupils with current mental health vulnerabilities require special consideration; similarly that our guidance to the teachers we train is right to emphasise sensitivity to mental health needs and the overriding need to keep pupils safe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the protocol for the MYRIAD project was established, now 7 years ago, we have become particularly aware of the growing field of trauma-sensitive mindfulness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The teachers we train are guided to understand safeguarding and trauma-sensitive mindfulness and we also recommend further trauma-sensitive training. We are conscious that mindfulness practice in a meditation-type format may not be suitable for children who are particularly vulnerable to mental health difficulties. We encourage the teachers we train to ensure their school\u2019s Designated Safeguarding Lead or other pastoral stakeholders deselect any particularly vulnerable pupils from mindfulness classes, or provide an appropriate alternative in parallel. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">4. Reach out to pupils from disadvantaged areas<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We note that children from less advantaged backgrounds responded more positively to the training. It inspires us to continue our efforts to reach increased numbers of children and young people from economically disadvantaged areas, through fundraising for subsidised training places, in line with our charitable objectives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">5. Encourage practice outside the classroom<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whilst not that many young people in the MYRIAD study routinely carried out mindfulness practice outside the context of the lesson, those who did enjoy better mental health and wellbeing. Many previous studies, including from our programmes<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, have demonstrated the relationship between the amount of practice outside the classroom and positive outcomes in the short term. More skilful teachers in the study managed to encourage greater levels of personal practice, while their students showed greater benefit from the training. MISP has always been committed to helping teachers find creative ways to encourage their pupils to engage in practice outside the classroom, in the natural settings in which pupils operate and we continue to develop these approaches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also increasingly acknowledge part of our training for teachers in schools is to enable a fuller understanding of what mindfulness actually is, enabling more people across the lifecourse to access it, having been introduced to knowledge and skills from the earliest age possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">6. Link more with work on school climate<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the MYRIAD study, teachers reported that they felt that mindfulness had improved the school climate, in particular cultivating greater levels of respect. T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he MYRIAD study adds to the growing evidence that mindfulness can contribute to the kind of positive whole school context, ethos, climate, and environment which have been shown to have a profound effect on students and staff development and wellbeing. <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We agree with MYRIAD\u2019s suggestion that there be more research and development on school climate, on integrating mindfulness within broader strategies, and on education policies and school structures that shape school climate. We are incorporating these insights even more vigorously into our ongoing work.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">7. Note that mindfulness cannot be \u2018scaled up\u2019 without laying important foundations first<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MYRIAD took a programme which been shown to be successful when developed slowly and naturally, delivered on a small scale with teacher-led adaptations, and with schools and with teachers who are naturally drawn to mindfulness. It attempted to discover whether it was possible to scale up a standardised version of the curriculum, with large numbers of schools and teachers, all of whom were new to mindfulness. We would conclude from the results that scaling up mindfulness programmes in this way has proved not to be feasible. We therefore continue to offer our programmes in our normal fashion, on a modest scale, in a steady way and in their natural settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If there was ever to be interest (and funding) for a large scale roll out of mindfulness in schools<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, ensuring there is first a communications campaign amongst teachers and others would be key \u2013 i.e. to ensure understanding of what mindfulness is.\u00a0 Likewise, to stress the invitational nature of this work rather than attempting to conscript all teachers.\u00a0 As with other subject areas, having teachers trained in an area they are passionate about would continue to be important.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"collapsible-heading\"><a><span class=\"collapsible-before\"><\/span><span class=\"collapsible-text\">8. Looking more deeply at the unexpected findings - the central importance of teacher readiness and competence<\/span><\/a><\/h3><div class=\"collapsible-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><div class=\"collapsed-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The findings in this case on the lack of impact of mindfulness training on pupil mental health are at both odds with much of the previous research across the field in general<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and more specifically with the results of the 2013 trial of 522 pupils of the .b curriculum used<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which showed a small but significant impact on pupil stress, depression and wellbeing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 The MYRIAD team commented, \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This wasn\u2019t what we had predicted\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The moderate (4.5\/10) level of popularity of teaching with pupils was also out of line with previous research. The 2013 trial of the .b curriculum found that 7 out of 10 enjoyed the teaching and found it useful<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 The feedback data MiSP teachers routinely collect shows that, of 5,000 pupils who have completed class impact surveys, over 80% said they found the .b course enjoyable, and around 70% said they found the course useful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Readiness to teach may be behind unexpected results. There was a clear difference in terms of teacher selection between how the programme is normally delivered by MiSP and how it had to be designed for the MYRIAD project to meet the strict protocols of a large-scale research project, a very different context. To meet the standards needed for an RCT it was decided that schools were only eligible if they had no previous involvement in mindfulness, and the teachers chosen were excluded if they had previously recently trained in mindfulness. In contrast, in the 2013 trial which formed the pilot for MYRIAD the curriculum was taught by experienced mindfulness teachers with an established practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On average the teachers of the MYRIAD RCT only reached the level of \u2018advanced beginner\u2019, a score of 3 out of 6 on a competence scale (where 1 is \u2018incompetent\u2019) and defined as just fit for practice \u2018at a basic level\u2019. Teachers who fell below this threshold of competence were nevertheless still included in the data collected. We think this decision was unfortunate, and may well help explain the unexpected outcomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We note that teacher competence was influential over positive outcomes too.\u00a0 The MYRIAD study found that teachers who were most skilled in teaching mindfulness and taught the most classes had the highest rates of young people enjoying mindfulness, practising out of class and learning new skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The strongest effects were found for quality of delivery (i.e., teacher competency)&#8230; More SBMT (school-based mindfulness training) sessions and better quality of delivery were associated with greater mindfulness practice and responsiveness<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The teachers who routinely sign up to learn to teach MiSP programmes generally come as volunteers, with a personal interest and often some experience in mindfulness. Schools that approach MiSP generally have had some contact with mindfulness, and usually contain several key members of staff who are interested. The MYRIAD results give us increased confidence in this process. We will be making proactive efforts to reach out to teachers and schools with a natural interest and some prior experience. We will also be seeking ways to communicate to more teachers and schools what mindfulness is.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h2>Conclusion: continue to develop at our own pace<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout the 8-year course of the MYRIAD project, we have continued to develop and deliver our programmes in a steady way in their natural settings while learning from research into our programmes. Teachers and schools have continued to provide consistently positive feedback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We concur with the reflections of the independent think tank, the Mindfulness Initiative, that this approach is safe and appropriate to continue. We will proceed with this approach, with confidence, while continuing to learn from the emerging evidence base. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In our view, these findings suggest we should not attempt a compulsory mass roll out of SBMT (school-based mindfulness training). Any expansion should continue to be by invitation with those teachers naturally interested, and include resources to explain and provide a taste to other teachers new to what mindfulness is. We can safely continue to recommend and support sound programmes of SBMT which are developing well at their own pace in their natural settings. We should take the development of such programmes carefully, invite and train only teachers and schools who positively opt to do so, support teachers and schools new to this teaching, and take steps to try to ensure that teachers are reaching the necessary standard. All of this will take substantial time and resources&#8230; (<a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Mindfulness-Initiative-Response-to-MYRIAD-Study-Results.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">continue reading<\/a>)<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Acknowlegements<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thank the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust for the major contribution the MYRIAD project has made to our <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/what-misp-learned\/\">knowledge<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/8-evidence-based-principles-that-guide-misp\/\">approach<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Further reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/myriadproject.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plain language summaries and links to the academic papers<\/a> that have emerged from MYRIAD<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Mindfulness-Initiative-Response-to-MYRIAD-Study-Results.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Mindfulness Initiative&#8217;s Initial reflections on the MYRIAD study<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/chris-cullens-reflections-on-myriad-research-and-its-subsequent-presentation\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chris Cullen, MiSP co-founder, reflects on MYRIAD<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/myriad-reflections\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Richard Burnett<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/chris-cullens-reflections-on-myriad-research-and-its-subsequent-presentation\/\">, MiSP co-founder,<\/a> reflects on MYRIAD<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/misp-welcomes-the-myriad-project-findings-july-2022\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MiSP\u2019s immediate response to the MYRIAD results<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/\">Discover more about the outcomes of mindfulness in education<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary MYRIAD confirmed that mindfulness improves the wellbeing of teachers and school culture. It also showed the central importance of teachers\u2019 competence in terms of pupil outcomes. We will continue to ensure that all teachers we train have a solid grounding in mindfulness for themselves, both to establish a sufficient level of understanding and skills [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-excerpt\"><a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/myriad-what-misp-learned\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8367,"featured_media":0,"parent":144747,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_custom_body_class":"","_custom_post_class":"","Layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["entry","author-amytubb","post-317358","page","type-page","status-publish"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>The MYRIAD project: What has the Mindfulness in Schools Project learned? - Mindfulness in Schools Project<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mindfulnessinschools.org\/the-evidence-base\/myriad-what-misp-learned\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The MYRIAD project: What has the Mindfulness in Schools Project learned? - Mindfulness in Schools Project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Summary MYRIAD confirmed that mindfulness improves the wellbeing of teachers and school culture. 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