Schools have long been recognised as a key influence on children and young people’s health. Issues with mental health and wellbeing can stifle aspiration and prevent children from achieving their full potential. Young people struggling with mental health are unlikely to be able to learn effectively and more likely to be absent from school or college. 

According to NHS Digital, one in six children aged six to 16 in England had a probable mental health condition in 2021, up from one in nine in 2017. Creating a positive culture of wellbeing in schools is therefore an imperative.

Schools health remit is changing

Traditionally, a school’s role in health education had a narrow focus on healthy behaviours around nutrition and disease. 

But as we move away from this outdated view, health education in schools includes the development of skills and competencies to manage and control behaviours that influence a student’s environment. Schools should not only deliver health education via the curriculum, but should also have a culture and ethos that supports health and wellbeing in all its forms. Put simply, the school environment can influence young peoples’ health just as much, or perhaps even more than, health education delivered within the curriculum. 

A whole school approach

Schools with senior leadership buy-in create a more sustainable model for promoting an open culture around mental health. It’s also important to take a whole school approach: from student leaders driving activities, through to headteachers who feel it is an essential part of school life, not a ‘nice to have’.

A whole-school or college approach therefore requires a culture change across the school community.  School culture is the shared beliefs, attitudes and values of stakeholders in a school as well as the relationships between school staff, students and families.

According to this report, there is consistency of evidence on the link between school culture and student health. A positive school culture has been associated with positive child and youth development, effective risk prevention and health promotion efforts, with extensive evidence for the impact on student mental health. 

Whole-school approaches to mental health improve attendance and attainment and can help children and young people – and school staff – before problems escalate. Children from the toughest backgrounds are most likely to benefit.

Why early intervention matters 

Half of all mental health conditions are established before the age of fourteen, and we know that early intervention can prevent problems escalating and have major societal benefits. 

Staff working in schools are ideally placed to recognise and respond to early signs of mental health difficulties in young people. There is clear evidence that schools and colleges can, and do, play a vital role in identifying mental health needs at an early stage, referring young people to specialist support and working jointly with others to support young people experiencing problems. 

As a cornerstone of the government mental health and wellbeing strategy, the government would like every school to have a Senior Mental Health Lead in place by 2025.

The importance of shared experience

Reducing stigma as a barrier is an important reason for schools to encourage conversations about wellbeing.

Regular wellbeing events encourage an open dialogue among pupils, and that can stretch beyond the school gate. Inviting neighbouring schools to take part is an effective way to share the message and to bring pupils together with other young people in their community.

But it can’t be left to standalone activities. Rather than addressing mental health as a separate item on the agenda, embedding discussions about loneliness, anxiety or isolation into the curriculum helps to normalise the theme.

Building trust as the bedrock for change

In April, mdeducational Foundation hosted a roundtable with an esteemed panel of experts including psychologists, teachers, students, counsellors, and entrepreneurs. You can read more about the roundtable here. Together we explored the state of mental health in young people in the UK.

The panel all agreed that trust is a critical element in order to encourage young people to seek support at school. PhD student Dave Mcpartlan was a panellist at the roundtable event. He supports the development of a non-judgemental school culture, which he noted is difficult in today’s exam-based system. He said that “the current system for identifying young people with mental health challenges is broken as it relies on teachers being aware of what’s going on with every pupil. Instead, the focus should be on training young people to look after themselves, to support each other, and to know where to go if they do need help”.

How schools could improve their mental health culture

A mentally healthy school helps to safeguard young people’s current and future success. By creating the right environment, a school can develop and enhance its mental health awareness.

Former teacher and founder of Luma³, Michael Crinnion suggested in the roundtable that the way in which mental health education and support is currently delivered in schools could be improved. 

Michael suggested that PE lessons could be changed to general “wellness” lessons where the connection between mind and body is as one – that going for a run is as good for your health as it is for your mental wellbeing. Michael says “there are many ways we can support our own mental health and build emotional resilience and these must be included as a core part of our curriculum with as much importance as other subjects.”

There are many ways that mental health and wellbeing can be integrated across the curriculum and through the school culture. By giving young people regular opportunities to talk openly about mental health, supporting them to better understand their own mental health and how to take care of it, schools and colleges can encourage more open discussions and help break down the stigma around mental health. When schools offer a supportive environment with open communication it’s easier to respond in advance of problems arising and set our future  generations up on the path to better mental health.

​​mdeducational Foundation places qualified mental health professionals into secondary schools, supporting young people through tailored intervention strategies designed to give them the tools they need to thrive. If you’re interested in working with us to support your young people in their wellbeing, contact us today.