National Children’s Bureau launches new mental health toolkit for schools

The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) has launched a new toolkit that aims to help schools to deal with the growing issue of mental health and well being.

A joint NCB and Association of School College Lecturers (ASCL) survey conducted earlier this year found that 55 per cent of school leaders have seen a large increase in anxiety or stress, with 79 per cent reporting an increase in self harm or suicidal thoughts amongst teenagers.

The new toolkit, entitled ‘A whole school framework for emotional well-being and mental health - A self-assessment and improvement tool for school leaders’, is broken down into four stages:
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

Each step includes development questions to answer and activities to complete, with the aim of encouraging a whole school approach to combating mental health issues in students and staff.

Enver Solomon, director of external affairs at the National Children’s Bureau, said: “The tool kit is an accessible easy to follow guide that will help schools improve the mental health and well-being of all pupils. 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.”