Figures released by the NHS in February 2024 showed open referrals to children and adolescent mental health services reached over half a million by the end of December 2023, an all-time high, and analysis by Mind (mind.org.uk) suggests more young people than ever are seeking help for their mental health.
So what are schools doing to ensure children not only have access to mental health care resources, but that the importance of good mental health and wellbeing is promoted on a day-to-day basis?
At Queen Ethelburga’s College, the in-house ‘THRIVE@QE’ programme includes activities to help with managing feelings, building self-esteem, reducing and managing stress, and addresses issues that could arise from a move to boarding school, such as home sickness.
The school’s head of student welfare and personal development, Erica Papaglimis, says Queen Ethelburga’s have ‘invested heavily’ in their welfare provision, and if a child is awaiting a referral for CAHMS or other services, the school will ‘offer them as much support as we can.
‘Students have access to a trained onsite school counsellor as well as an independent listener,’ Erica explains. ‘The counsellor can help them to gain a better understanding of their feelings and thought processes, and to find their own solutions to problems. An independent listener is someone outside of collegiate staff who students can speak to privately.’
The school also has student engagement officers who run open discussions away from staff, and student welfare ambassadors who promote mental wellbeing.
‘So far, they have helped to devise a mental health and wellbeing policy and planned a YouTube channel to support student welfare,’ Erica says. ‘Ambassadors can access peer mentoring training and qualifications such as the Youth Mental Health Aware course and The Diana Award, which is for tackling and preventing bullying.’
Jemma Holroyd, head of student wellbeing adds that Ethelburga’s programme is ‘reviewed regularly’ and offers varied approaches: ‘It’s a flexible system with initiatives such as peer mentor support, dealing with stress, emotion management and ‘tea and talk’,’ she says. ‘We have dedicated teams and spaces for wellbeing 24/7. We train our senior managers in mental health first aid and our medical centre team consists of nurses, a GP and a trained paramedic who offer medical care to students and work closely with visiting GPs, counsellors and NHS providers.’
At Lancing Prep Worthing, they use opportunities within the curriculum, outdoor activities and a specialised programme to promote wellbeing. There is also a staffed facility, The Hive, within the school, where children can always access someone to speak to.
‘The Hive has an open-door policy, and children can come to talk with a trusted adult about anything they are struggling with and have a moment to regulate and rebalance if they are feeling overwhelmed,’ says Emily Brown, Lancing’s head of wellbeing. ‘We also offer individual, tailored ELSA programmes (Emotional Literacy Support) to support children who are struggling to understand and regulate their own and others’ emotions.’
This year, the school is teaching ‘Zones of Regulation’, a social and emotional framework which helps children work through their emotions and learn to self-regulate. ‘It is woven into all subjects and is a proactive whole-school approach to increase students’ emotional literacy and improve individual emotional regulation and resilience,’ says Emily. ‘The aims are to provide children with the vocabulary, understanding and confidence to express their emotions, and to use strategies to help them regulate.’
The programme teaches children four zones: Go slow (blue), good to go (green), caution (yellow), and stop (red). ‘No one zone is good or bad, and the zones relate to emotions and energy levels,’ Emily says. ‘For example, you can be in the red zone for high-energy behaviour such as anger or excitement. Our children have been incredibly positive and engaged when learning about themselves. They relate to each zone and can identify ‘good to go’ expected behaviour as where they are their best selves and can achieve and perform at their optimum level.’
The school also has extensive extra-curricular activities to help promote wellbeing and recently introduced a pair of school pets. ‘At the end of last year, two guinea pigs joined our school community who are particularly good at reducing stress and anxiety and promoting social skills,’ Emily adds.
Ali Cocksworth is deputy head pastoral, and designated safeguarding lead at Lord Wandsworth College, where, she says, looking out for pupil’s mental wellbeing is ‘embedded into our practice as classroom teachers.
‘Everyone is on the lookout for a tell-tale change in the child. A change in behaviour could be down to a bad day or test result, but, as we all know, it could also signal something more concerning and early intervention is key.’
‘All school staff are trained to report concerns quickly and clearly. This, combined with a close partnership with parents, means that when a pattern emerges, we can support the child early and prevent concerns escalating. Our pupil leaders are excellent ambassadors for mental health around school, working to raise awareness and help our students to look after their own mental health and support friends in a healthy way.’
All the pastoral staff at Lord Wandsworth College have undertaken mental health first aid training, and the college is currently in the process of becoming an ‘Attachment Aware and Trauma Informed Practice’ accredited school.
‘This means that all staff are receiving training in this area, which informs their practice in all areas of school life, whether in the classroom or in the boarding house,’ Ali explains.
The college’s health centre is central to its mental health provision, and children can go there for support from nurses or more targeted help through counsellors. The college also has a youth worker and eating disorder specialist, as well as visiting mental health ambassadors.
‘In class emotional wellbeing lessons combine with focus days where guest speakers work directly with pupils,’ Ali says, adding that they will soon be having mental health campaigner Natasha Devon visit the students. She says this ‘multi-pronged approach’ yields real results – with increased reporting of self-esteem concerns there has also been a notable drop in those presenting with acute anxiety and eating disorders.
‘Young people’s mental health is an ever-evolving picture, complicated by technology and the wider world,’ she says, ‘Addressing it means affording young people time and space to talk to people properly trained to listen.’
When it comes to mental health initiatives in boarding schools, Lancaster Royal Grammar School is leading the way with its bespoke boarding PSHE programme, and association with Lancaster University. ‘We wanted a structured way to support boarders’ discussions on issues in their lives,’ headteacher Chris Pyle explains. ‘Lecturers from a range of backgrounds have visited to lead activities, with some focused on promoting positive mental health, while others shone a light on contemporary themes as diverse as cybersecurity, masculinity and the environment.’
The school has also set junior boarders up with the Govox wellbeing app which includes a monthly survey for students to reflect on the positives and negatives of the previous weeks. The app flags negative answers to school staff who will then, Chris says ‘have a quiet chat or keep an extra eye out.
‘This is working in a very practical way,’ he explains. ‘Staff have had conversations where they previously wouldn't have known about an issue. These have all been relatively low-level, but that’s the whole point. Let’s fix the issues early on, so we won't have the more serious ones.’
In association with:
AMCIS is the Assocation for Admissions, Marketing and Commnications in Independent Schools. amcis.co.uk
The Boarding Schools Association (BSA) is the leading voice for boarding schools in the UK. bsagroup.org.uk
Find out more:
Queen Ethelburga’s, qe.org
Lancing College, lancingcollege.co.uk
Lord Wandsworth College, lordwandsworth.org
Lancaster Royal Grammar School, lrgs.org.uk
