Mental health and wellbeing

What is mental health and wellbeing (MHWB)?

Mental health and wellbeing (MHWB) in schools and settings refers to the collective mental, emotional, and social wellness of children and young people, staff, and the entire community. It involves creating a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment that promotes positive mental health, resilience, and overall wellbeing.

Promoting mental health and wellbeing in schools is not just about responding to mental illness. It's about fostering an environment that allows everyone in the school community to thrive. It's about creating a culture of empathy and acceptance, reducing bullying, and promoting self-care, physical wellbeing, self-esteem, and self-confidence.

See further information in this guidance on Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges.

What are the principles?

The eight principles of a whole school or setting approach to promoting mental health and wellbeing are:

An ethos and environment that promotes respect, and values diversity
Leadership and management that supports and champions efforts to promote emotional health and wellbeing
Staff development to support their own wellbeing and that of pupils and learners
Curriculum teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning
Enabling student voice to influence decisions
Identifying the need for and monitoring the impact of interventions
Targeted support and appropriate referral
Working with parents and carers

It's also important to consider the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in any whole-school or setting approach to mental health.

Why is MHWB important?

The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England survey (2020) found 16% (1 in 6) of children and young people aged 5 to 16 years to have a probable mental health disorder, an increase from 1 in 9 in 2017. Recent Norfolk INDES data shows that 22.6% of the INDES submissions present an SEMH need.

Good mental health is important for helping children and young people to develop and thrive.

MWHB is crucial in schools and settings for several reasons:

Promotes a positive environment: A whole-school or setting approach to MHWB can create a positive and supportive environment.
Improves learning experience: Good mental health and wellbeing help children and young people feel comfortable and confident in the classroom, providing them with a more fulfilling individual learning experience.
Supports staff wellbeing: Improving the overall wellbeing of the school has a positive effect on school climate, children and young people achievement, school outcomes, and staff wellbeing.
Early support and intervention: Schools and settings are an ideal setting for developing children and young people's emotional, personal and social skills and fostering an overall sense of wellbeing. Understanding that mental health and wellbeing are closely related and ensuring that early support is in place to promote wellbeing is crucial.
Promotes positive outcomes: Mental health difficulties are associated with negative outcomes across the lifespan, including lower educational attainment and physical health problems. Schools and settings can play a key role in preventing or reducing these difficulties.
Helps at crisis points: In times of crisis schools and settings can provide a place of safety, security, and connection for children and young people.

What does the law say?

As set out in Chapter 6 of the statutory SEND code of practice, schools need to be alert to how mental health problems can underpin behaviour issues to support children and young people effectively, working with external support where needed.

They also need to be aware of their duties under the Equality Act 2010, recognising that some mental health issues will meet the definition of disability.

All schools are under a statutory duty to promote the welfare of their children and young people, which includes preventing impairment of children's health or development and taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes. Full details are set out in the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory guidance.

What support is available?

National

In the UK, there are several initiatives and resources available to support mental health in schools:

GOV.UK: The UK government's official website provides guidance on promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges.
Anna Freud: The Anna Freud website provides resources which focus on Personal, Social, and Emotional Development. They also provide resources to measure pupil wellbeing. Anna Freud provide valuable insights and resources for understanding and supporting children's social and emotional learning.
Senior Mental Health Lead training: Schools can train members of staff as senior mental health leads to develop and implement a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. The DfE are offering a grant for schools and colleges in England to train a senior mental health lead. They must start their training by 31 March 2025.
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) deliver evidence-based psychological interventions and low-intensity mental health support within schools for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. These teams also support the Mental Health Lead in each education setting to introduce and develop their Whole School Approach. MHSTs are being rolled out in Norfolk. Your school will be approached when a MHST is set up in your area.
Mentally Healthy Schools: This website brings together quality-assured mental health resources, information, and advice for schools and settings.
YoungMinds resources: The YoungMinds website offers a range of information, advice, and resources, including wellbeing activities, toolkits, and webinars to help support children and young people.
Whole school SEND: This website provides online CPD on topics including 'Creating an emotionally safe environment', 'Promoting mental wellbeing in your setting', 'Understanding and promoting resilience' and 'Understanding anxiety and creating a supportive learning environment'.

Norfolk

Our local offer draws upon what is available nationally, helping you contextualise approaches, and provides targeted support to meet the needs of your school community. Find out more on our Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) graduated support offer web page.

We are also developing an SEMH training module which is coming soon!

Key contacts

For expert advice around embedding a provision of mental health and wellbeing in your school, contact inclusionandsend@norfok.gov.uk.