mental health | Schools Week

NAHT: Schools can’t get hold of mental health support for children

Over 90 per cent of teachers are unable to access specialist mental health support for the children in their school when it’s needed, according to a poll taken by school leaders’ union NAHT at its national conference in Liverpool today. Paul Whiteman, NAHT’s general secretary, said the system is “in crisis”, with unsupported children and young […]

Schools’ designated mental health leads will need support

A recent green paper suggests a new role in schools to manage mental health– the designated senior lead. Dai Durbridge considers how it might all work Mental health and pupil wellbeing have been in sharper focus over the past few years. Many adults with mental ill-health are likely to have suffered their first mental health […]

Mental health charities call for more youth specialists to be trained

Schools struggle to get pupils seen by qualified mental health professionals because training for counsellors focuses too much on treating adults, warns the head of a children’s mental health charity. Patrick Johnson, the director of learning at Place2Be, told a meeting of headteachers, charities and academics in parliament last week that it was “no surprise” […]

Mental health support IS available for schools – we’re just really bad at telling them about it

Mental health support has been more accessible since the introduction of single points of access in the past few years. But we still need to do more to tell schools about it, writes Dr Andrew Murray There are various common complaints about mental health support for young people. These include long waiting lists for services, […]

How can schools know when to make a CAMHS referral?

There are certain kinds of distress that can be managed by a school before a child is referred to a mental health service, explains Peter Fuggle Distress is not the same as having a mental health issue, but most mental health issues are highly associated with distress. This means it can be hard to tell […]

Schools need more mental health support

School leaders appreciate the government’s new mental health strategy, but without sufficient cash, says Sarah Hannafin, it won’t work School leaders are reporting a serious – and growing – concern for children’s mental health. The demand for professional mental health services has increased in recent years, but funding has plummeted. This means that schools are […]

Train all teachers in attachment issues, says trauma expert

School staff should all be trained to deal with emotional trauma among children in care, according to an expert. New rules that require schools to appoint a specific member of staff to specialise in helping pupils in care are “insufficient”, said Tony Clifford (pictured below), who chairs the Attachment Research Community, who insisted that all […]

Teachers for pupils in care must have ‘trauma’ training

Schools must appoint and train a member of staff to spot the mental health needs of pupils who have been in the care system, according to new statutory guidance. Under the new rules, school governors must ensure they have a “designated teacher” trained to “understand trauma and attachment” issues, as well as spot special educational […]

Tips for improving staff wellbeing in schools

Amid the retention crisis and ever-increasing levels of teacher stress, it has never been more important to look after staff wellbeing. Sonia Mainstone-Cotton has some suggestions Staff wellbeing is a significant challenge for managers and school leaders, who are in an excellent position to make a difference to the lives of their staff. If your […]