Schools and colleges given support on mental health and wellbeing

The Schools’ Wellbeing Partnership, in consultation with the Department for Education, has published support for primary and secondary schools and colleges to help them prepare their recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic so that the mental health and wellbeing of the whole school community is protected.

The Coronavirus crisis has been one of the most challenging times that schools have ever faced. They have achieved a remarkable amount in making sure that children and young people have been kept safe and able to continue learning.

However, the pandemic is likely to have affected children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, both now and in the longer-term.

Supporting the whole school’s mental health needs is more important than ever, as children and young people adjust to the return to school.

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The guidance empowers schools to support and prioritise pupils’ wellbeing during this period, as well as putting in place sustainable changes for the longer term, based on the local context and staff capacity.

The tool builds on the eight principles set out in Public Health England’s guidance: Promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing: a whole school and college approach, and shows how schools can promote and support mental wellbeing through all aspects of school life.

The tool is designed to support senior leadership teams seeking to build on their current practice, providing information about the wide range of mental health and wellbeing resources available, and starting a conversation about the practical steps the school can take to support staff and pupil wellbeing.