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Anxiety and depression: The new normal?

11 March 2020

An estimated one in 10 teens have mental health problems, with high prevalence of anxiety and depression. In this five-part series, Dr Stephanie Thornton advises schools and teachers. In part one, she considers whether this is the new ‘normal’ and some implications for schools

Staff wellbeing: Conversations about mental health...

4 March 2020

Opening up about mental health can be daunting and can make a person feel vulnerable. Amy Sayer advises on how to handle these conversations to ensure the best outcomes

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Trauma and adverse childhood experiences

12 February 2020

Trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a huge impact on behaviour and learning. Darren Martindale advises how we can identify these problems and offer support

Trapped in social media: Beating the algorithms

12 February 2020

There is a real fear about the negative impact that social media is having on a generation of young people. Edwina Dunn looks at recent research and one simple yet effective solution

Pupil wellbeing: The healing power of art

27 January 2020

More schools are offering placements to trainee art therapists to support the rising number of young people with emotional or mental health issues. How does it work in practice? Sam Phipps reports

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Creating calmer classrooms

30 November 2019

Your classroom environment can play a crucial role in influencing the emotional state of your students. Shahana Knight offers some quick and practical tips…

Techniques to help students suffering with anxiety

13 November 2019

Anxiety-related disorders are increasingly common among young people. Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers us five simple calming strategies that can be used in the classroom

When death happens: Bereavement in schools

6 November 2019

To mark Children’s Grief Awareness Week, Alison Penny considers how schools can be better prepared to support young people who are coming to terms with the death of someone close

A safe haven: Ideas for your school library

22 October 2019

The school library is about more than literacy and ICT – it should be a safe haven for all pupils and should cater for the whole child. Valerie Dewhurst offers some practical ideas

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A collaborative approach to mental health support

24 September 2019

Adopting a collaborative approach and developing your existing networks can help improve the mental health of students and teachers. Lisa Fathers explains how this approach has worked in Greater Manchester

Keeping Children Safe in Education: Important changes for the new school year

18 September 2019

The new school year has seen some minor – but important – changes to the statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping children safe in education. Dawn Jotham runs through the changes and offers her advice

Supporting children through crisis moments

17 September 2019

When a young person with mental health or wellbeing issues faces a crisis moment, there are some simple techniques and ideas that could help. Dr Pooky Knightsmith explains

Self-harm: How teachers should respond

3 July 2019

A guide from the University of Oxford and the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust offers practical ways in which schools and school staff can support young people at risk from self-harm

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Getting transition right for vulnerable pupils

20 June 2019

We all know that transition to year 7 can lead to a dip in student outcomes. Daniel Sobel speaks to Jez Piper about how we can get transition right, particularly for our most vulnerable pupils

Supporting young people who have had adverse childhood experiences

20 June 2019

Half of children will live through an adverse childhood experience and around one in 10 will suffer four or more. How can schools support these young people? Lynn Miles, who suffered ACEs herself, explains more and offers her advice

Promoting summer holiday wellbeing

12 June 2019

The long summer break can be challenging for students facing mental health or emotional wellbeing issues. Dr Pooky Knightsmith looks at how we can help students to prepare

Preparing students to handle the mental health challenges of FE and HE

21 May 2019

When students make the step-up to further or higher education they can face a range of challenges to their mental health. Clare Stafford looks at how schools can prepare their students to help them cope with these pressures.

Teacher burn-out and how you can avoid it

16 May 2019

Burn-out is a clear and present danger for teachers and is something that Victoria Hewitt – who you might know as @MrsHumanities – has experienced. But it is possible to protect yourself and pull yourself back from the brink...

LGBT within high-quality RSE

8 May 2019

What can schools do to make LGBT-inclusive approaches central to high-quality, statutory relationships and sex education for all pupils. Lucy Emmerson offers some guidance

Mental health: Stamp Out Stigma...

20 March 2019

Students at Hendon School have organised and run their own mental health conference for the past three years. Emma Lee-Potter hears about their work to Stamp Out Stigma and raise awareness about mental health

Case study: Reflective conversations, peer mediation and a restorative ethos

13 March 2019

A restorative approach to behaviour management, including peer mediation and reflective conversations, has helped Holte School to win a Mentally Healthy School Award. Andy Oliver and Lee Farmer explain

Therapeutic schools: Some quick ideas to support wellbeing

13 March 2019

With the many challenges young people face to their mental health, Shahana Knight says that the age of the therapeutic school is here. She looks at how we might change common areas of practice to better support wellbeing

Trauma-informed practice in schools

6 March 2019

The symptoms of ADHD, autism and other common child diagnoses often match those of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Dr Margot Sunderland explains why schools must become trauma-informed

Poverty-proofing the school day

27 February 2019

The one place where it can be particularly miserable to be poor is in school. The Poverty Proofing the School Day initiative seeks to help schools identify and tackle the many financial barriers that prevent pupils from fully partaking in school life. Emma Lee-Potter explains

Supporting vulnerable learners: Aspiration & wellbeing

27 February 2019

The statistics tell us that Black African Caribbean children face many barriers to their education and wellbeing. Continuing her series, Clare Stafford looks at the challenges and what schools might be able to do to tackle these barriers