Supporting Mental Health in Schools
Appointing a Senior Mental Health Lead is a key step. This individual should have strategic oversight of mental health across the school or college and help make the best use of existing resources to support pupils, students, and staff.
To assist schools in recognising when behaviour may be linked to mental health concerns, the Department for Education (DfE) has issued the Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools guidance. It outlines how to identify potential issues and provide appropriate support.
Following a first aid needs assessment, you may also decide to train staff to spot signs of mental health problems and offer initial support. While school staff are well-placed to observe pupils’ day-to-day behaviour, only qualified professionals should make a formal mental health diagnosis.
Mental health in the workplace also matters. Consider how to support your team by offering training, providing access to occupational health professionals, appointing mental health first aiders, or introducing targeted support programmes.
Mental health first aid training equips staff to identify early warning signs, approach conversations with confidence, and offer support while ensuring their own wellbeing. A range of providers offer this type of training, and you can find options that suit your school’s needs with a simple internet search.
The HSE offers practical guidance on managing mental health in the workplace, and Education Support provides free 24/7 counselling for all current and former education professionals.
Remember: school staff are not mental health professionals. Where pupils are experiencing more serious or ongoing difficulties, they should be referred to external services such as Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS), voluntary organisations, or GPs.
Although it’s not a legal requirement to have Mental Health First Aiders, it’s considered good practice. Leaders are encouraged to treat mental health with the same importance as physical health by assessing needs and addressing any risks identified.
School leaders play a vital role in shaping a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing
Creating a Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan
One of the most effective things a leadership team can do is develop a staff wellbeing plan. This should outline:
Clear priorities and focus areas;
Agreed actions and who is responsible for them;
How success will be measured; and
A timeline for regular review and updates.
A good wellbeing plan isn’t just written and forgotten. It should be a living document—reviewed regularly, communicated clearly, and adjusted as needed to reflect feedback and changing circumstances.
Government Scraps Promised Mental Health Training for Primary Schools
A government pledge to provide mental health first aid training in primary schools has been quietly dropped, despite being part of a wider £300 million plan to improve support for children.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had initially promised to deliver the training by 2022 but refused to confirm if the programme had even begun. After a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from Schools Week, the department admitted it had chosen “not to implement” the initiative, citing feedback from “busy schools.” Instead, it said alternative mental health support measures were introduced.
Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at the ASCL school leaders’ union, called the move “a major cause for concern,” warning of a growing mental health crisis in young children. “We need recognition at government level, backed by proper funding, to support primary schools where it’s needed most,” she said.
Secondary Schools Received Training, Primaries Left Behind
The pledge stemmed from the government’s 2018 green paper on young people’s mental health, which included a commitment to train staff in every secondary school by 2019 and every primary by 2022. While secondary schools received the training—at a cost of £200,000 per year—progress on the primary school rollout stalled.
The training was intended to help at least one staff member in each school identify mental health issues and direct children to appropriate support. But DHSC repeatedly declined to clarify whether the primary school component had launched, until the FOI request revealed it had been shelved.
Pandemic Prioritised Over Initial Plan
According to the FOI response, early work on the primary school programme was “halted” so the DHSC and Department for Education could focus on mental health efforts linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. These included awareness training for school staff and the £8 million Wellbeing in Education Return initiative, used by over 90% of councils before ending in March.
A follow-up £7 million Wellbeing in Education Recovery package was introduced in May, offering local authorities tailored training and support. The government also launched a free online Psychological First Aid course, with over 71,000 enrolments so far.
Critics Say Action Falls Short
In a statement, the DHSC said: “Our £15 million wellbeing for education programmes gave schools and teachers the tools to support children through mental health challenges during the pandemic. We remain committed to supporting wellbeing in primary schools and have prioritised COVID-related training based on school feedback.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, added: “All school staff should receive high-quality training to identify and support pupils with emerging mental health needs.”
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