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Five mistakes schools make when supporting student Mental Health and Well-Being



Awareness of mental health and mental well-being in education is increasing – hooray! Yet we are still reading reports that mental health issues in young people is increasing - boo


We all know that providing effective support for mental health in school is difficult. Budgets are so tight that if they were a corset I would have stopped breathing by now. External agencies providing support are like rainbows – you see one and run towards it but it disappears when you get there.


Despite the budgets, many schools are taking steps to improve the support they provide for student’s mental well-being which is great. However, mental well-being support has to be part of the school ethos, not an add on. Here are five mistakes schools often make when supporting mental health:


1. Leaving it to the School Counsellor

So, what do you do in school to support mental health? Oh, we have a school counsellor and she sees all the students who have mental health issues. Does she have a waiting list? Oh yes, a long one so she’s very popular. Oh, OK. What else do you do? Um, should we get two school counsellors???

Having a school counsellor is great but isn’t the be all and end all. Student problems will not be fixed by having a school counsellor. Also, it can sometimes mean we stop doing anything else because they’re being seen by the counsellor. If you do have a school counsellor how often do you meet with her to discuss issues that might need to be addressed as school in PHSE for example. Do you discuss trends and take advice from him/her. Student mental well-being is the responsibility of the whole school and sending kids to be ‘fixed’ and returned back to class doesn’t work.


2. Ignoring staff mental well-being

I am regularly reading articles, studies and blogs about how stressed and pressured teachers are. We focus on supporting the students and forget about the staff. Staff mental well-being also has a direct effect on student mental well-being. If staff aren’t happy and supported, how can students be?

Staff mental health is still a taboo subject for so many educators I speak to – people are frightened to discuss it because they are frightened it will be used against them or be a black mark in their file – and it sometimes is. As a result, they carry on and things don’t really get better. This usually results in time off sick and/or looking for another job. Often leaving teaching all together. Staff should have mental health support and be able to discuss mental well-being without being stigmatised.

3. Failing to recognise all student talents

Ofsted recently said that we shouldn’t just be teaching to pass exams. Hooray we all cheered, until we realised that the whole system is still set up to measure schools based on exam results. As educators we are judged on how well students do in exams or assessments. This system is having a detrimental effect on student mental health. We have to find a way to embrace all students and their abilities, not just the academic or sporting high fliers.

Opportunities should regularly be provided for students to display their wide range of talents and be recognised for them. Chess, book clubs, cooking clubs for example. When I was at school we had a inter-house drama festival and music festival as well as the standard sporting competitions. This was great because I was more ‘artistic’ than sporty (if you know me the idea of me even vaguely being sporty is hilarious). Our school had it’s own version of X Factor long before it was on the telly – a fabulous boost to the self-esteem of some students who never had chance to shine. Low self-esteem is a core factor for many mental health issues. As educators we should not be exacerbating this.

4. Not listening

I should have put this first. This is one of the biggest mistakes we make in schools, and indeed as adults. We don’t listen to students. They say something and we immediately respond, sometimes ‘fixing’ it for them, or telling them it’s not that bad, or not believing them. We need to listen, just listen. Take five minutes and listen. You don’t have to fix it, you don’t have to tell them it’s not that bad, just listen. I’m trying to think of more eloquent and hilarious ways to get this across but I’m failing. It really is that simple. Take time and listen to them. Believe them.

5. Not including students in reviewing policies

How often does your school involve students in reviewing policies? If you don’t, how do you know if they are working? Your Equality Policy, your Bullying Policy etc, how can you review them without asking the main stakeholder if they are working? There’s no point reviewing them at executive levels presuming you know what is happening. Also ensure you pick a wide range of students to contribute to the review – not just the more eloquent high achievers. All students. I’m a big fan of anonymous surveys. Yes you will get some ridiculous answers and no doubt a fair few sexual references, but you will also get honesty and a true reflection of what is happening out there. The students are the client. Who reviews their service without asking the client?

I am hoping that this will be read and people will think about the support they are providing. I feel better for writing this but I am probably flattering myself and it will only be read by people who already know all of this. But by liking it and agreeing with me, it will help my mental health so thank you.