Department For Education
A whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing
Taking a coordinated and evidence-informed approach to mental health in schools and colleges leads to improved pupil and student wellbeing, which, in turn, can improve learning.
The guidance outlining a whole school or college approach describes the areas to consider to enable good mental health and wellbeing practice.
Before you start developing your approach
You will find it helpful if you first understand how your pre-existing statutory responsibilities on the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice, safeguarding and relationships, health and sex education (RSHE) curriculum relate to mental health and wellbeing, and how they can support the development of your whole school or college approach.
Senior mental health leads training
DfE is encouraging schools and colleges to?identify?a senior mental health lead who will have?strategic oversight of their settings whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.
School and college staff are not expected to, and should not, diagnose mental health conditions or perform mental health interventions.
Features
Senior lead training gives senior leaders the knowledge and skills theyll need to develop an effective whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.
Benefits
This programme will help you to:
- use your existing resources more effectively
- promote good mental health and wellbeing in your setting
- quickly identify individual pupils or students who need support with their mental health
- work effectively with local children and young peoples mental health services, including Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), where they are established
Eligibility
State-funded schools and colleges in England, including those in receipt of Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) pre-16 revenue, high needs block or 16 to 19 programme funding, are eligible to apply for a grant. Further information on eligible setting types is available in the conditions of grant.
Independent settings with fee-paying pupils and students are not eligible for a grant, but may access DfE assured training independently.
Settings that claimed a grant in the 2021 to 2022 financial year are not eligible to apply for further funding.
Senior mental health lead training is not intended to help meet the specific needs of children and young people in early years settings or settings with learners over 18 years old.
Availability
Up to two-thirds of all eligible schools and colleges in England will have the opportunity to benefit from a grant to access quality assured senior mental health lead training by the end of the financial year 2022 to 2023. Between October 2021 and March 2022, more than 8,000 schools and colleges had claimed a training grant, including more than 1 in 3 primary schools and colleges, and over half of secondary schools.
Settings ready to further develop or introduce their whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, with capacity to commence training before March 2023, are now encouraged to consult the guidance and arrange training.
We aim to provide the opportunity for all state schools and colleges to access the training by 2025.
Get more information
Senior mental health leads can now search for and book a training course. Senior mental health lead training provides further information on how you can do this.
Training providers
Training providers interested in providing senior mental health lead training can find out more on Contracts finder.
Relationships, health and sex education (RSHE): mental wellbeing training module
Through the new mandatory health education curriculum, pupils are taught:
- how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns, including common types of mental ill health
- where and how to seek support
- whom they should speak to in school if theyre worried about their own or someone elses mental wellbeing
The mental wellbeing training module aims to help schools:
- understand what they should teach
- improve their confidence in delivering mental wellbeing content
- engage children and young people in conversations about mental health and wellbeing
Who it is for
Subject leads and teaching staff in primary and secondary schools.
Features
This resource helps subject leads and school staff:
- get the content they need to teach young people about managing their mental health and wellbeing
- see examples of good practice
- access training resources and templates they can customise
Benefits
This resource will help them to:
- understand what they should be teaching
- become more confident at training teachers or teaching about mental health and wellbeing
- respect sensitivities
Availability
Ongoing.
Time commitment
The training lasts between 90 and 180 minutes.
How to access the support
- Access the Teaching about mental wellbeing training module
- Get further guidance on planning your RSHE curriculum
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs)
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) is a new service designed to help meet the mental health needs of children and young people in primary, secondary and further education (primarily for ages 5 to 18), by providing mental health support in schools, colleges and other education settings such as alternative provision.
By 2023, nearly 400 MHSTs will be working with and in schools and colleges attended by almost 3 million pupils in England. This will increase to more than 500 MHSTs from spring 2024, surpassing the commitments set out in the 2017 mental health green paper.
Who it is for
Schools and colleges in participating areas selected to receive additional mental health and wellbeing support, and extra capacity for early intervention and help for mild to moderate mental health issues.
Eligibility
Only certain local areas will be participating in this programme, and decisions on which schools and colleges are selected are made locally. The approach to working with schools and colleges will be determined by each MHST site with their education partners, including the local authority, NHS England, NHS Improvement, and DfE regional leads and integrated community systems.
MHSTs are designed to support all types of education settings, but support is being targeted in the areas where there is the greatest need and the ability to establish teams effectively. Use the NHS website to find out more.
Features and benefits
MHSTs will:
- deliver evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health issues
- support senior mental health leads to introduce or develop a whole school or college approach
- give timely advice to school and college staff, and liaise with external specialist services, to help children and young people get the right support and stay in education
Evaluation
You can read how the service has been evaluated at: