In today’s educational landscape, schools are expected to support every aspect of a pupil’s development, including emotional wellbeing and mental health.
This has become a central concern, often underpinning or exacerbating other needs. In 2023, one fifth of children aged eight and over had a probable mental health issue, up from 12 per cent since 2017.
This growing demand raises a vital question: How can schools meet these needs effectively, affordably and ethically?
At HEARTS, we have an innovative strategy we think others can learn from.
Mental health and emotional wellbeing (SEMH) is placed at the centre of the trust’s three-year strategic plan, resulting in a comprehensive model addressing five key areas:
- Early intervention
- A child-centred, holistic approach
- Support tailored to level of need – not all concerns require counselling
- Staff CPD and training to embed a culture of “think mental health”
- Inclusive support for parents and staff
Empower staff
The first logistical challenge was affordability and ensuring a whole-school approach. Our solution: empower staff.
Through targeted CPD, individuals passionate about mental health were trained as mental health first aid champions via St John Ambulance and Mental Health First Aid England.
As regular users, we are now offered a substantial discount directly with the trainer.
Every school has at least one youth and one adult champion. In the past year alone, these champions conducted 590 consultations across the trust.
The support network has been expanded by utilising staff experience, or by training staff through government and private sector schemes, to create learning mentors, Thrive practitioners, spiritual leaders and wellbeing committees. This results in a responsive, needs-led system.
Regular mental health awareness training is delivered to all staff. These sessions have become powerful platforms for sharing stories of resilience and recovery, reinforcing the trust’s message: ‘think mental health’.
As Ofsted recently noted at one of our schools: “Within the school, pupils’ wellbeing is a high priority. The Mental Health Champions, as well as the Trust’s counsellor, are integral to supporting this.”
Tap into voluntary placements
Despite this, the trust has seen a rise in complex or chronic mental health needs among pupils, parents and staff – especially post-Covid.
In 2024, nearly 40,000 children nationally were waiting at least two years for support, a challenge mirrored across HEARTS schools.
Hiring more counsellors wasn’t financially viable. But a breakthrough came through trainee counsellors seeking clinical placements. As part of their qualification, trainees must complete 100 hours of voluntary placement.
So we developed a robust clinical placement package, now recognised as exceptional by colleges and universities. Every school benefits from therapeutic support delivered by trainee counsellors, available to all.
We currently manage the caseloads of 13 trainee counsellors and psychotherapists, which significantly reduces referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Sustaining strategy
We also use mental health data, gathered from assessments with pupils and staff, to inform targeted support for the following academic year.
For example, a high number of anxiety-related referrals led to the development of a trust-wide anxiety response plan tailored to each school’s needs.
This proactive approach has reduced referrals and aligns with best practices outlined in Ofsted’s inspection framework.
Each school also has a qualified senior mental health lead who oversees the HEARTS triage system and support structure.
The leads plan, implement, and evaluate the trust-wide SEMH strategy. They also coordinate awareness events.
In terms of what comes next, we recognise that deeper parental engagement is essential to sustaining this strategy.
Therapy alone cannot address the complexities of modern parenting.
While sharing good practice and learning from others remains fundamental, we are now exploring how best to support families within the constraints of an educational setting.
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