Mental health and Wellbeing
Mental Health
What is mental health
We all have mental health. Your mental health affects how you feel, think and act. It refers to your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Your mental health can change on a daily basis and over time, and can be affected by a range of factors.
It’s important to look after your mental health, as you would look after your physical health. Your state of wellbeing affects how you cope with stress, relate to others and make choices. It also plays a part in your relationships with your family, community, colleagues and friends.
Good mental health among children and young people
When children and young people have good levels of wellbeing it helps them to:
- learn and explore the world
- feel, express and manage positive and negative emotions
- form and maintain good relationships with others
- cope with, and manage, change, setbacks and uncertainty
- develop and thrive.
When children and young people look after their mental health and develop their coping skills it can help them to boost their resilience, self-esteem and confidence. It can also help them learn to manage their emotions, feel calm, and engage positively with their education - which can, in turn, improve their academic attainment.
What affects children and young people’s mental health?
A child or young person’s mental health will be influenced by many things over time and, because they all have different personalities, they will react and cope with challenging situations in different ways.
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How many children and young people have a mental health condition?
The rate of poor mental health in children differs across the UK. Research for England suggests that one in 10 primary school children has an identifiable mental health condition, which rises to one in seven secondary school students. In both primary and secondary schools, this is equivalent to three children in every class.
The research shows that children are more likely to experience a mental health condition as they get older. The figure rises to one in six 17 to 19-year-olds who have a mental health condition.
It’s not always easy to identify a child whose mental health is deteriorating – and signs can often be overlooked until things reach a crisis point. But early identification and action is the best thing schools can do to help give young people the best start in life.
How schools can support children and young people’s mental health
Schools are the ideal environment to promote and support pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
Most children and young people spend a significant amount of time in school and with their teachers, which means that school staff are in a good position to identify a child who may be struggling, and help refer them to get the support they need.
Schools can also help children develop social and emotional skills, providing them with the coping skills and tools they need to understand and manage their thoughts, feelings, behaviour, goals and relationships.
Schools can do this through teaching health and wellbeing education (RSHE in England, Personal Development and Mutual Understanding or Learning for Life and Work in Northern Ireland, and Health and Wellbeing in Scotland and Wales) and weaving these topics and skills throughout the broader curriculum and school life. Health and wellbeing shouldn’t be taught in isolation but reinforced throughout the curriculum and the time that the child or young person is in school.
All staff have a responsibility to promote the mental health and emotional wellbeing of pupils. Staff with a specific responsibility are:
- Mrs Bone- Headteacher, Designated safeguard lead
- Mrs Oliver- Deputy/SENDCO, Designated safeguard lead
- Miss Russel- Family liaison officer, Attendance officer, Designated safeguard lead
- Mrs Apps- ELSA trained Teaching Assistant
- Miss Alman- ELSA Trained
The most important thing is that parents and children know they can come and talk to someone if they are worried about themselves or others. Please contact us if you feel you are or know someone who would benefit from this support.
Some useful links
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/make-it-count-guide-for-parents-and-carers
https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/