New action plan to tackle mental health stigma in schools

25 Mar 2015 01:37 PM

Schools across the country are to receive new advice to improve teaching about mental health and tackle stigma in schools.

 

One in 10 children has a diagnosable mental health disorder - around 3 children in every classroom. The new measures announced today (25 March 2015) by the Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan will help ensure pupils who may be suffering in silence have the support and knowledge they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, while helping their classmates to develop an understanding of the problems they’re facing.

Unveiling a step-change in the way children and young people with mental health problems are to be supported both inside and outside the classroom, Nicky Morgan announced there will be:

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, said:

As a mum myself, I know growing up today is no easy task. Young people are under more pressure than ever before in ways that are unimaginable to my generation. This is driven home to me every week when I visit schools across the country and talk to pupils about the issues affecting them - and mental health comes up time and time again.

We send our children to school to learn life lessons both inside and outside the classroom. The new guidance published today will give teachers the confidence to teach mental wellbeing sensitively and effectively, while the lessons plans will give them the material needed to inspire them.

There must be no trade-off between learning about mental health and academic success. By improving teaching on this subject we will help young people make sense of mental health issues and teach them how to keep themselves and others healthy.

Childcare and Education Minister Sam Gyimah said:

Children’s lives can be disrupted by poor mental health, from stress and anxiety about exams to incredibly serious and debilitating long-term conditions. It can also be hard to help these young people access the right support they need to get better.

The new guidance and lesson plans will help make sure that every single school in the country is a place where mental health needs are identified and where appropriate support is provided sympathetically and without stigma.

The new guidance will also be matched by detailed lesson plans - to be published in time for the new school year - with tangible and real-life examples of how these important matters should be taught to children and young people.

The new £4.9 million funding forms part of the government’s voluntary and community sector funding stream - a £25 million pot of money designed to bolster the work of organisations that make a difference to children and their families. This is the first year that the programme has placed a specific focus on mental health projects.

Successful bids include:

Notes to Editors

The government is wholeheartedly committed to improving the quality of mental health provision for young people and tackling what can far too often be a hidden problem. A number of significant steps have already been taken to help schools develop character and identify issues, including:

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