mental health | Schools Week

Revealed: the 21 areas set for £15m AP taskforces to prevent crime

The government has confirmed the 21 areas set to receive funding under a scheme to prevent vulnerable pupils in alternative provision “entering a life of crime”. Alternative provision specialist taskforces will be launched across England in “serious violence hotspots”, receiving £15 million between them in Treasury funding. The taskforces will include mental health professionals, family […]

Leading academy CEOs demand £5.8bn catch-up cash for poorer pupils

A group of leading academy trust bosses have set out proposals for a £5.8 billion Covid recovery plan, as Gavin Williamson confirmed he was lobbying within government for extra school funding. In an unusual intervention, the chief executives of five large multi-academy trusts have co-signed a letter to the education secretary warning failure to adopt […]

£45 million for schools to prevent violence ‘nowhere near’ amount needed

Experts have warned £45 million package of school funding is “nowhere near” enough to tackle youth violence, highlighting a decade of cutbacks to public services and the need for more wide-ranging reforms. The government announced the funding on Monday as part of a wider “beating crime plan”, promising to launch schools-based taskforces in “serious violence […]

Only a tenth of school leaders set to get mental health support

Only 10 per cent of school leaders look set to get mental health support, despite a previous promise to make the new government scheme available to all. The Department for Education is looking to award a £760,000 contract for an 18-month package of wellbeing support from autumn this year. The tender says the programme must […]

DfE: Schools may need to change curriculum ‘substantially’ to help kids catch-up

Schools may need to modify their curriculum “substantially” as part of their efforts to help children catch-up following lockdown learning losses. The Department for Education has today published non-statutory guidance for schools on “teaching a broad and balanced curriculum for education recovery”. DfE says schools should continue to teach a broad and balance curriculum in […]

Senior mental health lead training: 5 things you need to know

Up to two-thirds of schools will have to wait until at least next spring to hear if they will receive grant funding for senior staff mental health training, the government has confirmed. The Department for Education published brief new guidance on Wednesday setting out further details of its pledge to offer every school training for […]

DfE looks to spend £800k on headteacher wellbeing and mental health support

The Department for Education is looking to spend £800,000 on “tailored mental health and wellbeing support” to school leaders across England. A prior information notice published by the department refers to a “potential upcoming procurement” of a new mental health and wellbeing support scheme modelled on a limited pilot currently working with up to 385 […]

Government won’t say if mental health ‘first aid’ training started for primaries

The government is refusing to to say whether its mental health “first aid” training for all primary schools has started. The roll-out is an important strand of its promise to transform children’s mental health. In response to the 2018 green paper on young people’s mental health, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and Damian Hinds, then […]