Our Approach
Our approach at mdeducational foundation is to provide salary funding for a Wellbeing Lead; kickstarting the school’s long-term wellbeing strategy
Providing fully funded support for educational settings to improve student wellbeing
mdeducational foundation’s approach is to enable educational settings to kickstart their long-term wellbeing strategies by providing a three-year salary-funded commitment to placing dedicated wellbeing professionals within post-16 educational settings across the UK and Ireland.
Our dedicated wellbeing professionals are called Wellbeing Leads and their role is to promote positive wellbeing through the delivery of an age appropriate, agile, bespoke wellbeing curriculum, specifically designed for post-16 students. Through various forms of programmes, they support students’ wellbeing by normalising student psychological fitness and resilience through guidance and early intervention. Our Wellbeing Leads are pioneering a future for better wellbeing for young people so they are more empowered, no matter what their challenges are.
We know that the needs of post-16 students can in fact be different from junior students and clearly there is a need to improve specific research and support for 16-18 year-olds. We see further education as a crucial area for improvement when it comes to adequately meeting the wellbeing needs of young people who may be dealing with mental health challenges. We understand the pressures young people face and the impact this can have on their lives, and we also know more can be done on a national level to support them. By funding the placement of Wellbeing Leads into post-16 educational settings, we’re putting student wellbeing at the forefront of education – providing much-needed support for their wellbeing needs through education and beyond.
What we offer
- Dedicated support from a professional – we place full-time dedicated Wellbeing Leads in schools and educational settings who have the ability to support, listen and communicate effectively to support the needs of post-16 students
- Hearing the student voice – this support takes place within a dedicated space ‘the Wellbeing Hub’ often created in collaboration with post-16 students, providing a safe, non-judgemental space where young people can have their voices heard
- Early support – accessible wellbeing support at a time when they need it, without delay
- Wellbeing Curriculum – provision of a Wellbeing Curriculum specifically to meet the needs of post-16 students, providing crucial support to equip them with tools and strategies to develop their own life skills and emotional and intelligence resilience, helping them on their journey to a brighter future
- Additional support – through our charity’s partnerships and collaborations, our young people also have access to further regional support services for their mental health and wellbeing
- Advocacy for post-16 students – we’ll continue to advocate for post-16 students by raising awareness of their needs and how this influences their mental wellbeing into adulthood
- Prioritising student wellbeing – we’re putting student wellbeing at the forefront of education and providing support through education and beyond
- Kickstart long-term wellbeing strategy – we help enable schools to embed a wellbeing strategy within their post-16 curriculum
- Fully funded support – opportunity for three-year salary funding for a qualified wellbeing professional to be employed full-time, term-time
- Continuous guidance – assistance and guidance with the Recruitment and Selection Process and a consultative approach when designing the Wellbeing Hub
- Collaborative work – we work with schools to meet their specific needs throughout the three-year funding period
- Helpful resources – dedicated Resource Hub for Wellbeing Curriculum materials and toolkits that are continuously updated. Support resources can also be tailored to take account of the specific school context at any given time
- Clinical Supervision model – Clinical Supervision in place to support the Wellbeing Lead, funded by us during the three-year funding period
- Showcasing impact – support in evaluating and measuring the effectiveness and impact of our collaborative work
- Supportive collaborations – key partnerships and collaborations providing resources and support to help us create a brighter future for our young people together
- Wellbeing Lead Network – our Wellbeing Leads will have the benefit of an ever-growing Wellbeing Lead network, where as professionals they can enhance their own learning and emotional support, share their ideas, thoughts and best practices from their own respective Wellbeing Hubs and schools
- Clinical Supervision – to ethically support all aspects of the work of the Wellbeing Lead, in line with work within professional guidelines, codes of practice and boundaries to provide supported learning, reinforcement and self care
- Helpful resources – dedicated internal Resource Hub specifically for Wellbeing Leads to enable them to appropriately support post-16 students
- Additional support – opportunities for additional signposting and resources through our key partnerships and collaborations, equipping our Wellbeing Leads with up-to-date skills and knowledge
- Raise awareness – a unique opportunity to make a difference for post-16 students by advocating and raising awareness of their wellbeing and mental health
- Pioneering a better future for young people – by making their Wellbeing Hub a safe space, Wellbeing Leads help young people in schools thrive; their work can often impact far beyond the school life
The application process
Please note that due to the unprecedented demand from schools, new applications for 2024 & 2025 funding have now closed. Please check back later for future opportunities – we will bring back our Expression of Interest form once we are accepting new applications.
Our application process starts its first phase with an Expression of Interest form submission. Schools and other educational setting based in the UK and Ireland committed to student wellbeing can register their interest for the opportunity to receive salary funding for the placement of a dedicated Wellbeing Lead in their establishment.
Expression of Interest
1
Start the Application process by submitting an initial Expression of Interest form
Headteacher/ Principal Introduction Calls
2
Following the review of the Expression of Interest form, we’ll reach out for an introduction call with Headteachers/ Principals – a great opportunity to hear more about the school’s wellbeing challenges and initiatives
Application Form
3
Invited Schools will be provided with our full Application Form to apply for 3-year salary funding. (This will include Application Form, Student/School Video and Student Survey data)School Visit
4
After we’ve reviewed the full completed application, our team will schedule a school visit in person to potential schools – a wonderful opportunity to showcase wellbeing within the school
Decision
5
With the trustees’ approval, we’ll decide on the approval of salary funding
After approval
After your school or educational setting has been approved, we’ll move to the second phase: hiring a Wellbeing Lead for your establishment.
Contracting
1
We’ll start with the formal contracting between both parties (the foundation and the school) setting out the terms and conditions on which the 3-year salary funding is provided
Recruitment & Selection
2
Whilst the Recruitment Process should follow your own school’s applicable policies, it’s expected that all selections made at any stage should be fair & based on relevant merits as established from each candidate’s information
Support & Resources
3
We’re happy to provide support for the entire recruitment and selection process (Job Advertising & Interviews). A Job Description & Personnel Specification is provided
Appointment
4
In agreement with ourselves, each school will make the job offer to the selected candidate and confirm acceptance
Wellbeing Lead's first day!
5
After the Wellbeing Lead has been hired and prepared for the first day – they will begin their induction and are ready to start!
For the next three years
After the Wellbeing Lead has started, we’ll move to the third phase: creating a brighter future for our young people – through education and beyond.
Wellbeing Hub
1
The next step is to open the doors to the Wellbeing Hub – a safe and welcoming space for the post-16 students to go where the Wellbeing Lead will promote positive wellbeing to students through the delivery of a wellbeing curriculum
Clinical Supervision
2
Clinical Supervision in place to ethically support all aspects of the work of the Wellbeing Lead
Measuring Impact
3
Measuring the impact through data collection and tracking, participating in research projects and areas for development
Long-term wellbeing strategy
4
Monitoring and evaluating the long-term wellbeing strategy with ongoing impact reporting, footfall data, surveys & feedback
Through education and beyond
5
After mdeducational foundation has enabled the school to kickstart their long-term wellbeing strategy for the past three years, it’s time for the school to deploy it and continue to support the wellbeing of their students independently
”Our approach to prioritising student wellbeing is to support schools in kickstarting their long-term wellbeing strategy. We do this by providing fully funded support for a full time dedicated Wellbeing Lead to be placed in an educational setting, specifically to support post-16 students. As per our charity’s values, through educating, enlightening, and empowering, we’re on a journey to a brighter future.”
– Leah Iles, CEO at the mdeducational foundation
Learn more about mdeducational foundation
