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The Second Sixth Form Working Party of the Schools Council showed, in Working Paper 45 16 – 19: Growth and Response, that as many as 25 per cent of students entering the sixth form in 1970 did not undertake studies beyond General Certificate of Education ‘O’ level or the Certificate of Secondary Education. To this number must be added the large number who entered further education colleges. Both figures seem to have risen in the last five years. Typically these students repeat, or take additional subjects, at ‘O’ level or CSE, or ‘convert’ a CSE into an ‘O’ level or take equivalent qualifications. Their time‐table may well contain a large number of private study periods. Most stay for only one year for a variety of reasons: because their parents wanted them to do so; because they want more time or more qualifications before getting a job; or because they are not old enough to start in their chosen career. Others attend as part of an educational programme, on day release from their jobs.

This paper charts the progress of the health‐promoting school concept in Wales from a pilot project to a key component of mainstream health‐promotion activity. The paper particularly focuses on Wales’ participation in the European Network of Health‐Promoting Schools and on the current initiative, the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes. It also identifies the key lessons learned from the work in Wales, including the need to gain the support of the schools’ senior management, to appoint an enthusiastic school co‐ordinator and to plan clearly a limited number of actions, with achievable timescales.

Purpose: We critically examine the idea of neurodiversity, or the uniqueness of all brains, as the foundation for the neurodiversity movement, which began as an autism rights movement. We explore the neurodiversity movement's potential to support cross-disability alliances that can transform cultures.

Methods/Approach: A neurodiverse team reviewed literature about the history of the neurodiversity movement and associated participatory research methodologies and drew from our experiences guiding programs led, to varying degrees, by neurodivergent people. We highlight two programs for autistic university students, one started by and for autistics and one developed in collaboration with autistic and nonautistic students. These programs are contrasted with a national self-help group started by and for stutterers that is inclusive of “neurotypicals.”

Findings: Neurodiversity-aligned practices have emerged in diverse communities. Similar benefits and challenges of alliance building within versus across neurotypes were apparent in communities that had not been in close contact. Neurodiversity provides a framework that people with diverse conditions can use to identify and work together to challenge shared forms of oppression. However, people interpret the neurodiversity movement in diverse ways. By honing in on core aspects of the neurodiversity paradigm, we can foster alliances across diverse perspectives.

Implications/ Values: Becoming aware of power imbalances and working to rectify them is essential for building effective alliances across neurotypes. Sufficient space and time are needed to create healthy alliances. Participatory approaches, and approaches solely led by neurodivergent people, can begin to address concerns about power and representation within the neurodiversity movement while shifting public understanding.