Guidance for schools: Thriving
These are about whole school approaches for teaching and support staff from reliable and established sources. Please also see guidance materials for Getting advice and signposting, Getting help, Getting more help and Risk support).
Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges DFE June 2021.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges
A key document with links: This excellent resource is accessed via a link in the above document.
Mental health resources for teachers and teaching staff (publishing.service.gov.uk)
- Before you start
- Whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing
- Senior mental health leads training
- Wellbeing for education recovery
- The Link Programme
- Relationships, health and sex education (RHSE) training module
- Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs)
- Psychological first aid training
- Mental health and wellbeing resources
NGA Pupil wellbeing guidance and toolkit - the NGA have published new guidance with mental health charity Place2Be to help governing boards support pupil mental health and wellbeing through a whole school approach. The guidance outlines:
- governing boards’ statutory responsibilities for wellbeing
- the eight principles of a whole school approach to how governing boards can influence and support a whole school approach
- questions to ask to review and monitor implementation and impact
As part of their ‘widening the lens: addressing educational disadvantage’ collection, the NGA has published a new toolkit to help governing boards work with their school leaders in identifying and tackling educational disadvantage of those with mental health challenges in their setting. It is recommended the Governors and Trustees use the guidance in conjunction with the toolkit.
Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing A whole school or college approach (Public Health England working with the Department for Education 2021). Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing (publishing.service.gov.uk)
NHS Digital Survey This is the second (wave 2) in a series of follow up reports to the Mental Health and Young People Survey (MHCYP) 2017, exploring the mental health of children and young people in February/March 2021, during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and changes since 2017. Experiences of family life, education, and services during the COVID-19 pandemic are also examined. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2021-follow-up-to-the-2017-survey
Learn together-https://www.cambslearntogether.co.uk/ for guidance and training for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools and settings.
Education Safeguarding team https://www.cambslearntogether.co.uk/services-to-schools/education-safeguarding-team
Provides services to all forms of educational establishments across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough so that they can fulfil their responsibilities under current legislation and government guidance on safeguarding.
Promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing (PHE updated 2021).
Guidance for headteachers and college principals on the 8 principles for promoting emotional health and wellbeing in schools and colleges.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing
The Children & Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Education Framework (DfE Feb 2021).
The main emphasis of the Framework is to support educational settings to promote emotional health and wellbeing at a universal level, through a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach, and providing early and enhanced support for those children and young people who may be at risk or showing signs of needing further help’.
https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/emotional-health-and-wellbeing
Mentally Healthy schools (Anna Freud National Centre for children and families https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/
Information and guidance to help schools implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-approach/
and https://www.annafreud.org/schools-and-colleges/resources/
and https://www.annafreud.org/schools-and-colleges/5-steps-to-mental-health-and-wellbeing/leading-change/prepare-for-change/
PSHE Association. https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/
Guidance on teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing.
https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/curriculum-and-resources/resources/guidance-teaching-about-mental-health-and
Local link: https://www.pshecambridgeshire.org.uk
National Children’s Bureau
Two frameworks outlining effective approaches that support the emotional well-being and mental health of the whole school community and the welfare of staff, given their pivotal role in promoting well-being.
https://www.ncb.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/files/ncb_framework_for_promoting_well-being_and_responding_to_mental_health_in_schools_0.pdf
and https://www.ncb.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/files/NCB%20School%20Well%20Being%20Framework%20Leaders%20Resources_0.pdf
Plus another useful resource: What works in promoting social and emotional well-being and responding to mental health problems in schools? Professor Katherine Weare
https://www.ncb.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/files/NCB%20School%20Well%20Being%20Framework%20Leaders%20Tool%20FINAL.pdf
Healthy schools https://www.healthyschools.org.uk/
Focusing on building resilience.
Whole School Approach - Healthy Schools (healthyschoolscp.org.uk)
Wellbeing in schools
Free toolkit and links to the Ofsted inspection framework.
https://www.bouncetogether.co.uk/education/wellbeing-in-schools
Samaritans/ DEAL https://www.samaritans.org
DEAL is a free resource for teachers and other educational professionals designed to help develop resilience in young people.
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/schools/deal/
Time for change Although Time to change has closed, resources such as assembly and lesson plans can still be accessed on their website.
https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/resources
Schools in Mind https://www.annafreud.org/schools-and-colleges/ is a free network for education professionals which shares practical, academic and clinical expertise about mental health and wellbeing in schools and FE colleges.
The Health Related Behaviour Survey https://sheu.org.uk/
This has been operating in Cambridgeshire secondary schools bi-annually since 2002, gathering data from Year 8 and Year 10 students. This trend data is used by schools to identify their curriculum priorities, whole school health related priorities, to inform a pupil voice agenda and school self review and evaluation. The data is also compiled on Cambridgeshire wide and district basis to help inform strategic priorities and planning.
