FEATURE FOCUS: MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
opportunity for cyberbullying; the responsibility of young people particularly if they are acting as young carers; and identifying as LGBTQ+ and potentially finding it difficult to tell friends and family. Teachers and learning professionals have a
responsibility of care for their students and should strive to create a positive learning environment. Even the smallest of gestures can have a lasting impact on pupils that might be suffering from mental health issues in silence. Once teachers have fully understood and can sympathise with why certain issues and events might cause pressures on young people, there are a variety of tactics of guiding principles to follow that will help to overcome these problems:
• Encourage time to be social: having a designated time slot where pupils can forget about school work is absolutely vital. Encourage them to chat, play games or complete a challenge together within their set bubbles in order to create a relaxed, but still stimulating environment.
• Promote lunchtime learning: give students the option to try something new and not just follow the curriculum. From arts and crafts to film clubs, creating a sense of community within bubbles will help relieve the pressures of work and the outside world. It might even help them find a new and niche hobby that they enjoy and thrive at!
• Have an open-door policy: it is imperative that students feel comfortable talking to any teacher or staff member about how they are feeling. Whether it is an issue within school or with their home life, they must know that those working in the school will always prioritise their mental wellbeing.
• Be equipped to deal with the problem: Continuous Personal Development (CPD) training is extremely important in the education sector. As schools, learning practices and indeed the world we live in constantly evolves, teachers must always be at the forefront of these changes in order to provide pupils with the best possible education and support - from mental health to equality and diversity in the classroom training.
• Make mental health known: communicating through posters, handouts, PSHE lessons,
assemblies and any other form of communication that it is okay to talk is key. Students should not feel like it is a taboo subject amongst their friends or teachers. Inviting charities into the school to discuss the topic in front of both students and parents is also an effective way of making people feel comfortable on the subject.
• Keep to a routine: after such a long period away from attending school, some children might find it difficult to get back into a set routine depending on how they were home schooled throughout lockdown. Routine does, however, help to reduce stress and brings with it a feeling of security. Whilst we cannot control what is going on in the world around us, from Monday to Friday teachers can create an environment that instils a sense of normality in a young person’s life and will consequently help their overall mental wellbeing.
• Promote optimism and positive thinking: young people often learn by example. So, rather than telling students how to act or feel, having a positive attitude and responding optimistically to difficulties can have an incredibly successful effect instead. Observant and engaged students will notice the advantages of having this positive
mindset and may start to adopt the behaviour themselves.
• Implement a mental health policy: the aim of the policy is to demonstrate to both students and parents that the wellbeing of those associated with the institute, including students, staff and parents, is a top priority. It’s important that the policy showcases the school’s investment in this subject, both for issues that arise at school and at home and not only during the high-pressure testing period, but all year round.
The topic of mental health amongst young
people is incredibly complex, however following these eight steps in schools can have a significant lasting and positive effect on pupils’ lives. Evidence suggests that education providers are opting to inform themselves on both the potential pressures faced by those in school and how to help overcome them in preparation for September. At High Speed Training, we have seen a 510% increase in registrations for our Child Mental Health online training course since the start of lockdown (23rd March), compared to the same period in 2019. There will of course be mixed emotions about
returning to school, but learning professionals should seek to create enthusiasm about easing back into normal life. Whilst closing the knowledge skills gap amongst students will be a momentous task to tackle for teachers across the UK, as we enter this period of unknown in the education sector, we should absolutely not lose sight of safeguarding pupils. Being educated on the subject, sympathetic with the issues that young people are currently facing, observant to how pupils ease back into school and by implementing effective procedures will all help to create a harmonious place of education.
High Speed Training is responding to an increase in demand in the education sector by developing its online training resources, including mental health training focused on the wellbeing of pupils, and likewise for teachers themselves. As a leading provider of online learning, it is also committed to supporting schools with free resources available including safeguarding policy templates and mental health resource packs.
September 2020
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