In May 2022, the Department for Education announced a £10 million boost in mental health training for senior mental health professionals in schools in order to support students from primary age through to university. According to recent NHS studies, 1 in 4 young people aged 11-16 accessed mental health support at school, and nearly 26% of older teenagers have probable mental health issues and disorders. Alongside funding for mental health professionals, reports from the DfE outlined the outcomes of the Wellbeing for Education Return and Wellbeing for Education Recovery programmes, which provided local authorities with £15 million of additional funding over the course of the pandemic to help pupils recover from the emotional impact of the pandemic.
The impact of ‘crisis stress’ has been well documented in students over the past two years following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but hearing directly from these young people is less common. The Erasmus+ funded Well-Be project took active research across Europe, surveying pupils, teachers, and parents to receive their direct feedback on the wellbeing, learning, and development of secondary aged pupils in the years following the start of the pandemic. TMC have been part of this research group across Europe, alongside partners in Spain, Bulgaria, and Italy, using findings to develop a practical toolkit of resources and support for teachers and educators to properly support students in facing the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic.
On Monday 12th December, TMC will be holding an online wellbeing session to review the findings of the Well-Be survey, discuss how the UK compared to our European partners and what practical steps can be taken by educators to support pupils. The session will also look at how we can use these findings to future proof the wellbeing of young people.
The full Well-Be report and teacher’s guidebook can now be downloaded for free through the TMC website and booking for the free event on Monday 12th December is now open.
