Ticking the boxes on mental health: Let's move beyond the superficial

For many politicians, dripping into conversations concerning children’s “mental health and wellbeing” is a way of showing themselves to be “on message”.

The phrase has taken over from “social mobility” and before that “equity and equality”. These terms are important, but the suspicion remains that many know the words but not the tune.

The re-introduction of face masks for children was an example of this. The policy to protect physical health was diluted by a nod to “worries” about the impact on mental health, all deflecting from the real issues facing schools – namely the challenges enforcing such a policy.

In our new book – About Our Schools: Improving on previous best (2022) – we analyse interviews with people from across the world of schooling: 14 former secretaries of state, including the unfortunate Gavin Williamson, together with interviews with more than 90 others, including such influential figures as heads of Ofsted and CEOs of MATs as well, of course, as teachers and heads of schools.