We are keen to recruit an ambitious school leader to be our next Chair. You'll need to be passionate about mental health and wellbeing, be able to inspire schools to adopt approaches that embed mental health and wellbeing in schools and be keen to influence policy change at local and national level.
The Schools Wellbeing Partnership is recruiting for a new Chair.
Our vision is for every child and young person to thrive in their learning environment. We support this vision by advocating for wellbeing and good mental health to become a strategic priority nationally and locally, embedded into the culture and ethos of every school. Our definition of the ‘education system’ includes education settings in their broadest sense, including alternative provision, special schools, sixth forms, colleges and early years settings. It does not include universities. We have a specific focus on supporting policy and system change in educational settings to ensure that positive wellbeing and good mental health are embedded into the culture and ethos of every school.
Join us to help us make these ambitions a reality.
We are looking for an experienced school leader who is passionate about mental health and wellbeing, and happy to have conversations both with settings and with decision makers to ensure that mental health and wellbeing does not drop off the agenda.
A letter from our interim Chair, Alice Jones Bartoli, notes more:
I am delighted that you are considering applying to be Chair of the Schools Wellbeing Partnership (SWP), hosted at the National Children's Bureau (NCB). I am pleased to hold the role of interim Chair for the Partnership, and take an overall lead for Education and Early Years at NCB. However, I look forward to welcoming a new independent chair to bring their skills and experience to the partnership, and to move SWP on to even greater success. We’re looking for someone who is passionate about mental health and wellbeing, has educational leadership experience, and who can act as an ambassador for the SWP: helping to steer the Partnership’s collective voice into policy influence and action.
The Partnership has great potential to move forward the conversation about mental health and wellbeing in schools. We have been encouraged by positive progress in this area but there are still challenges ahead, including the continuing increase of poor mental health self-reported by children and young people against a backdrop of rapid policy change and challenges.
I would be delighted to talk to anyone who is thinking of applying to this role, which offers real impact in placing children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing as a key topic for all educators and decision makers.
Alice Jones Bartoli
Deputy Director, Education and Early Years - NCB
Interim Chair for the Schools Wellbeing Partnership
Read more in our Recruitment Pack
How to apply
Please apply by CV and supporting letter detailing your experience and the qualities you feel you would bring to the Partnership in the role of Chair.
The application deadline is Thursday 24 April 2025, 11:59pm and interviews will be held virtually in the week of Monday 12 May 2025.
Please submit by email to Gail Precious, Programme Lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing and lead for the Schools Wellbeing Partnership, on [email protected]
Should you wish to have an informal conversation before you apply this can be arranged via the above contact or with Alice Jones Bartoli, interim Chair ([email protected]).
You can find out more information about the work of the Schools Wellbeing Partnership on our website pages - explore our work.