The resource, produced by the NCB’s Partnership for Well Being and Mental Health in Schools, aims to help schools develop existing practice as well as identify new programmes, set priorities and evaluate their ways of working.
It comes in the form of a four-stage framework, with each step including developmental questions and activities aimed at bringing the whole school together to tackle and prevent mental health challenges. The stages are:
- Stage 1: Deciding to act and identifying what is in place already.
- Stage 2: Getting a shared understanding and commitment to change and development.
- Stage 3: Building relationships and developing practices.
- Stage 4: Implementation and evaluation.
It comes after a joint NCB-Association of School and College Leaders survey revealed that 55 per cent of school leaders had seen “a large increase in anxiety or stress” among students; 79 per cent reported an increase in incidents of self-harm or suicidal thoughts among students.
Enver Solomon, the NCB’s director of external affairs, said: “We know supporting children and young people’s emotional health contributes to a positive academic environment. It can enhance attainment levels, reduce exclusions, and re-engage students who may have experienced problems.”
The toolkit and supporting resources can be found on the NCB website via http://bit.ly/2flJBaa