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Emotional Health and Wellbeing
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Schools in Mind have launched a new mental health lead resource hub on their Mentally Healthy Schools site.
In partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, they have collaborated with a range of education and mental health experts to produce this new hub for mental health leads and other education staff.
This hub is a comprehensive resource that signposts and showcases practical resources from trusted organisations and training providers - all under one roof.
It will enable mental health leads to continue to develop in their role, and embed an effective whole-school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.
For World Mental Health Day (10th October), Better Health have created two new mental wellbeing resources for pupils aged 5–11. Their What is wellbeing? assembly and Self-care resource can help young people understand the meaning of wellbeing and explore activities to help them feel good and boost their physical and mental health.
Accredited by the PSHE Association and the NHS, they include an immersive film featuring young people speaking about their thoughts on self-care, worksheets and scenario-based activities that can be delivered flexibly across the school timetable.
These are available to download for free on the School Zone website.
With a rise in the number of children vaping, Better Health have created teaching resources aimed at helping Key Stage 3 children understand the impact that vaping has on their physical and mental wellbeing. The three curriculum linked resources feature:
- Information on nicotine, what vaping is and the impact it has
- Films co-created by young people
- Activities to prompt pupil discussion and reflection
- Content written and reviewed by teachers
- Guidance on teaching about vaping
- Flexibility of use as either short form time activities or a full lesson plan
Download Teaching Resources here .
The Barnet Resilient Schools Programme is an innovative free initiative that takes a whole-school approach to promote and build resilience in schools, destigmatise mental health, and address mental and emotional well-being concerns early on. Resilience in schools is seen when pupils, parents, carers and staff have a greater ability to “bounce back’’ when faced with difficulties so that they can achieve positive outcomes. For further information on the programme and/or how you can become a Resilient School, please contact jayne.abbott@barnet.gov.uk.
Let's Talk about Anxiety is an animation and accompanying teacher toolkit from Schools in Mind.
Aimed at students aged 11 to 13, the resource will help young people to normalise, understand and manage anxious feelings.
As well as the animation, which was co-created with young people, the resources include:
- materials for delivering a lesson, including a PowerPoint, lesson plan and worksheets
- materials for delivering an assembly, including a PowerPoint and assembly plan
- guidance materials for teachers, PSHE co-ordinators and parents/carers.
To download the resources click here
April is Stress Awareness Month, so Education Support have put together some new resources.
Don't forget. Their free and confidential helpline, is there to support you and your staff every day of the year. You're never on your own.
Tel: 08000 562 561.
1. Stress Risk Assessments
A stress risk assessment can help to reduce the risk of stress to yourself and your colleagues, promote good mental health, and create a happy and healthy school environment.
To find out more and how to approach doing a stress risk assessment in your school click here.
2. Dealing with the Stress of Behaviour Management
Through his vast teaching experience, Athir Hassan, also known as The Behaviour Trainer, has developed various techniques to manage the stresses and anxieties related to managing student behaviour. To find out more click here.
3. Stress Busting Tips
A fantastic panel of teachers and mental health experts share some excellent tips to help you gain control on your stress-levels. Watch here.
4. Boost staff wellbeing with an Employee Assistance Programme
Hear from Mark and Sophie, who work with schools across the country, about the tangible benefits of Education Supports Employee Assistance Programme could bring your school. Watch here.
Racism can present itself in different ways in a young child’s life. A child may have direct or indirect experiences of racism, but the impact can be felt all the same. Our new early years resource has been written by Dr Pamela Hamilton and Dr Bisi Showunmi, two Child Psychologists. Both have delivered anti-racism sessions for schools and local authorities, with the second author writing her thesis on race and identity development in school children.
This booklet introduces the idea of racial socialisation and how it supports child development. It identifies some ways to facilitate your journey in supporting racial socialisation in an early years setting.
View and download the resource here .
This webinar was held in February and was recorded and will be available to watch back on the Anna Freud Centre YouTube channel in a few weeks. You can subscribe for new content notifications.
Useful links from the session
- Value, Money and Me - online books, games and resources for families to learn about money: Click Here.
- Love Food Hate Waste - put the name of the food that you need to use up, and it will give you a list of recipes to use that food:Click Here.
- For low-cost recipes: Click Here
- Join the National Centre for Family Learning for Free: Click Here.
- Money Helper high-quality support and advice: Click Here.
FREE mental health and resilience training for schools
Mindapples has been promoting public mental health and wellbeing across the UK since 2008. Over the years they’ve received lots of similar feedback from adults “if only I was taught this at school”. The vision at Mindapples is of a world where taking care of our minds is natural and normal for everyone – and this should start with children and young people. Since mental wellbeing and resilience became a statutory part of the curriculum, Mindapples want to help schools deliver on this promise to young people. Working with schools across the UK, they have developed a package of training and classroom resources to support teachers in delivering the new curriculum and developing an approach to mental wellbeing that can benefit the whole school community of staff, pupils and parents. The training equips school staff with the awareness and understanding they need to take care of their own minds, and the tools to help them facilitate positive conversations about mental health and wellbeing with pupils, school communities and families, to build cultures which promote healthy habits and open conversations.
“It was a really well run, well-delivered, well-resourced and useful course which I thoroughly enjoyed. I will be delivering training on this to our whole student body and I only hope I deliver it half as well as you did and inspire our staff to make a difference as you have me!"
Judith Firth Assistant Head Mayfield School Portsmouth
Mindapples recently took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge and reached their fundraising target so can now provide their schools programme to more schools in the UK for FREE. They are now looking for schools to receive our training so if you would like more information on the programme, course dates and registration please visit here. If you have any questions please email Michele Worden at schools@mindapples.org.
Young Minds know how important it is for young people to have mental health advice that takes into account their faith, and cultural background. For young Muslims in particular, finding tailored support can be challenging. For a young person who’s struggling, it can feel very difficult to talk about what you’re going through and reach out for support especially if you’re worried that the people around you won’t understand. But Young Minds want young people to know that they don’t have to struggle alone, and that they deserve to feel proud of who they are. Whoever they are. That’s why Young Minds have teamed up with Muslim Youth Helpline, and worked directly with young Muslims from across the UK, to create a range of faith friendly information and mental health advice.
Download Young Minds Faith Friendly resources here .
