The Education Act (1998) also highlighted the important role of school development planning in schools. The
development and promotion of a Health Promoting School should ideally happen in the context of the school
development planning process using a collaborative approach (Nic Gabhainn & Clerkin, 2004). The Inspectorate
publication School Self-Evaluation: Guidelines for Post-Primary Schools (Inspectorate, 2012) provides practical
support to post-primary schools in examining evidence, identifying needs, agreeing on where improvement is needed,
setting targets and evaluating and reporting on outcomes. The Mental Health Guidelines for Post-Primary Schools
(2012) also provide an additional support for schools to develop improvement plans to support the mental health and
well-being of young people through robust, evidence-based self-evaluation processes.