How Yorkshire’s schools can be equipped to help support mental health and wellbeing - Laura Jackson

The suicide of a Reading head teacher, Ruth Perry, in early 2023 in the wake of a disappointing Ofsted report, brought the issue into sharper focus.

A landmark Ipsos survey has now found that 54 per cent of UK participants cite mental health as their biggest health concern, overtaking cancer and obesity for the first time.

The uptick is believed to be multifactorial, with contributory factors being the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and geo-political instability.

Perhaps the longest shadow cast from the pandemic will be on our community’s mental health.

Today, more than a million people in England are on a waiting list for NHS mental health care. Worryingly, a 2023 report by NHS England found that more than one-in-five children aged 8 to 16 years had a probable mental health challenge.

Sound staff wellbeing is the foundation for a mentally healthy school and improved pupil academic achievements.

The most recent national Teacher Wellbeing Index reports that 78 per cent of all staff are stressed and 81 per cent have experienced mental health symptoms, as a result of their work.

In order to address what is fast becoming a mental health crisis, the Government has introduced an unprecedented Children’s Wellbeing Bill, announced in The King’s Speech this summer.

The Government has also set out plans to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. The Bill seeks to ensure mental health is given the same attention as physical health.

So, as Yorkshire joins the world in marking World Mental Health Day, with this year’s theme being wellbeing in the workplace, what are schools in our county doing to lighten the load on the region’s teachers and support them?

Here at Ashville College in Harrogate, we have already established our own Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre. This provides support and practical advice from a team of three nurses; colleagues who are ‘listening ears’ (less formal than a counsellor) and a wellbeing coach. We offer proactive rather than reactive pastoral care to enable young people to recognise issues before they become problems.

We have also appointed a Senior Mental Health Lead, who is working on a whole school strategy for pupils and staff to improve mental health and wellbeing.

But a more recent initiative has been the appointment of GP and workplace wellbeing consultant, Dr Sarah Hattam. She has provided us with data that demonstrates the specific issues that are driving mental wellbeing for staff, and ongoing staff support on pressures which can lead to anxiety, stress and burn-out if they’re not addressed.

All of which have the potential to impact performance across the school and outcomes for our students.

Peer support is vital - but a professional perspective like this is hugely valuable. We can set up support groups and initiatives to inspire and reward our staff but, sometimes, a view from outside education adds that important extra dimension.

So, while mental health might once have been taboo, post-Covid initiatives in education indicate a radical change in approach.

Laura Jackson is Deputy Head (Staff) at Ashville College, Harrogate.