Supporting Student Wellbeing: Why Ongoing Mental Health Resources Matter in Schools

What Is The Power of Offering Ongoing Mental Health Support in Education? Let’s Explore

Mental health support in education has become more important than ever. With rising awareness of student wellbeing, schools are focusing on providing ongoing support to create an environment where both students and staff can thrive. Offering mental health resources that go beyond reactive measures is key to fostering a culture of care and stability within the educational setting. By understanding the power of consistent mental health support, educators can build a framework that addresses immediate concerns and promotes long-term resilience. This approach ensures that mental health is woven into the fabric of daily school life, benefiting everyone in the learning community.

Empowering Educators: The Role of Continuous Mental Health Training

Teachers play a critical role in supporting student mental health. However, without proper training, it can be challenging for educators to recognise signs of distress or provide the right guidance. Ongoing mental health training equips teachers with the skills and confidence to support their students.

Training programmes can cover key areas such as identifying early signs of mental health issues, developing strategies for intervention, and creating inclusive classroom environments that foster emotional wellbeing. Through continuous learning, educators stay informed about the latest best practices, enabling them to adapt to their students’ evolving needs. This training also ensures that teachers feel supported, contributing to a healthier school culture overall.

Integrating Mental Health Support into the Everyday School Environment

This needs to be tackled at multiple levels within school, normalising conversations around mental health across all lessons and making wellbeing a key focus for school councils, teachers, governors and senior leadership teams in order to help reduce stigma.

Wellbeing and social-emotional regulation should also be considered from a curriculum perspective. In primary schools, this could involve using programs like Zippy's Friends, Jigsaw, or the Zones of Regulation. Whereas in secondary schools, this could involve ensuring that PSHE lessons are up-to-date, perhaps including the Five Ways to Wellbeing or resources from Young Minds or Rise Above. In many instances, some degree of adaptation might be required to make it work for students, depending upon the need in each particular setting.

Providing universal support, such as setting up peer support systems where students can share their concerns, or lunchtime wellbeing activities, like mindfulness sessions or anxiety management workshops could also be beneficial. These are often run in dedicated wellbeing hubs designed to be calming spaces. Schools could further support students by conducting regular wellbeing surveys, appointing wellbeing monitors, and involving pupils in the creation of wellbeing charters. Another way is to use anonymous feedback boxes or (in the case of primary settings) ‘worry boxes’, which can work well to help children express their concerns, while 'you said, we did' assemblies, play an important role in demonstrating how student voice is being acted upon.

When it comes to more specialist or targeted support, staff need to be clear on referral pathways and how to work effectively with specialist professionals or teams that might be involved. One way to ensure comprehensive support is for schools to adopt a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing, which also benefits staff and parents, creating a more supportive environment for everyone involved.

Prioritising Wellbeing: The Long-Term Benefits for Schools

When schools prioritise mental health, the benefits extend far beyond immediate outcomes. By fostering an environment where mental wellbeing is a key focus, schools can significantly reduce issues such as absenteeism, behavioural challenges, and academic underperformance. Long-term wellbeing initiatives also contribute to a more positive school culture, where students feel empowered to manage stress, build resilience, and fully engage with their learning.

This prioritisation involves creating long-term plans that go beyond quick fixes and are sustainable. Establishing dedicated mental health teams, collaborating with external mental health professionals, and regularly reviewing the impact of mental health programmes are essential steps. By keeping wellbeing at the forefront, schools support their students and create a nurturing space for staff to become better equipped to maintain their own mental health while guiding their students.

The Critical Role of Senior Mental Health Leads in Schools

Senior mental health leads play an indispensable role in shaping a school’s mental health approach. These leaders ensure that a whole-school approach is in place and that mental health strategies are effectively implemented and evaluated over time.

The Government has advised senior mental health leads to take up a grant for specialised training, which will help them understand how to audit their school’s mental health provision and create a focused action plan to deliver meaningful change. Amongst other things, many of these courses provide coaching and instruction on how to evaluate and monitor interventions and improve referral pathways, refine school policies, identify staff training and supervision needs and influence and lead all stakeholders to keep them engaged and on track with wellbeing initiatives.

What is the role of Senior Mental Health Leads? Senior Mental Health Leads act as a bridge between students, parents, staff, and external support services, ensuring that mental health initiatives are cohesive and accessible. Their influence extends across the school, ensuring staff and students benefit from consistent and professional mental health support. Moreover, these leaders provide essential training and resources to other staff members, helping create a unified approach to mental health that is embedded throughout the school’s structure.

Strengthening Mental Health Initiatives Through Collaborative Leadership

Although Senior Mental Health Leads develop the whole-school strategy, effective mental health initiatives thrive when leadership teams work collaboratively. A joint effort between senior leaders, teachers, and pastoral staff ensures that mental health support is comprehensive and far-reaching. A more inclusive approach can be established by involving various members of the school community and addressing the unique needs of students and staff.

Leaders should create opportunities for open dialogue and collaboration across all levels of the school. This could involve regular meetings where mental health strategies are discussed, peer reviews to assess ongoing programmes, and training sessions that bring different departments together. Collaboration fosters a shared sense of responsibility, allowing for a unified and effective mental health programme woven into every aspect of the school’s operation.

Breaking Barriers: Encouraging Open Conversations About Mental Health

One of the biggest challenges in addressing mental health is overcoming the stigma that often surrounds it. Schools have a unique opportunity to create safe spaces where students and staff feel comfortable discussing their mental health concerns without fear of judgement or misunderstanding.

Encouraging open conversations about mental health starts with leadership but requires the involvement of the entire school community. Regular discussions in classrooms, assemblies, and staff meetings can normalise the subject, making it easier for individuals to seek help when needed.

How Mental Health Training Courses Can Equip School Leaders

Mental health training courses equip school leaders with the knowledge and tools to support their community. These courses provide a solid foundation for understanding mental health and offer practical strategies for managing student and staff wellbeing.

Participating in these courses enables senior leaders to develop whole-school plans for mental health and wellbeing that fit their school’s unique context. Training also empowers leaders to act confidently and effectively, whether to address anxiety in the classroom or implement long-term support systems for staff. One option for senior leaders is to explore senior mental health lead training courses, such as the ones from Real Training, which are led by educational psychologists and can offer essential guidance on developing a whole-school action plan for mental health in your setting.

Fostering a Culture of Mental Health Awareness in Education

Creating a culture of mental health awareness within schools is vital for long-term success. This means going beyond individual initiatives and fostering an environment where everyone recognises, respects, and prioritises mental health. Schools can achieve this by making mental health a topic of ongoing discussion, ensuring it is addressed in moments of crisis, and embracing it as an integral part of the school’s ethos and values.

Educational institutions should regularly review their policies to reflect a strong commitment to mental health. This may involve updating behaviour management strategies, introducing regular mental health workshops for staff and students, or embedding wellbeing into lesson planning. Schools should also engage parents and carers in the conversation, helping to extend this culture of awareness beyond the school gates and into the home, strengthening overall support for students.

Sustaining a Supportive Environment for Students and Staff Alike

Mental health support in schools needs to be consistent and sustainable. A one-off approach to mental health initiatives is rarely effective; instead, schools must work towards creating a supportive environment that evolves with the community's needs. This involves maintaining a continuous focus on wellbeing of both students and staff.

Schools should invest in resources that provide ongoing assistance to sustain a supportive environment. This can include access to counselling services, mental health professionals on-site, and frequent mental health check-ins. Schools may also consider adopting wellbeing apps or digital platforms that allow students and staff to monitor their mental health and access help when needed. Additionally, ensuring that staff receive regular mental health training and support can help to prevent burnout and improve their ability to assist students.

Moving Forward

Offering ongoing mental health support in education is not just about responding to crises; it’s about creating a school environment where mental health is prioritised at every level. By taking these steps, schools can create a healthier, happier learning environment—one where students and staff alike can thrive. As mental health awareness continues to grow, so should the commitment to providing the right resources and training. It’s an ongoing journey, and the benefits are clear: a school that values mental health is a school that empowers its community to succeed.