Mental health and wellbeing has had the spotlight shone on it in recent years. Many schools are asking what they can do to support this. We have put together a simple list of easy things your school can implement 

So what is it that schools and colleges can do to help our students?

• Take part in training

  You might not have time or resource to take out of your busy schedules to go to days’ worth of training, and you don’t have to. As well as more traditional training, The Charlie Waller Trust provide free online training for those working in education that look at topics from what signs you need to look out for, knowing who to involve, and transitions.

  If you are able to dedicate a bit more time and money into training there is lots of training run through different charities and organisations. Mental Health First Aid provide training which can be found here.

• Run 'Tea & Talk' sessions

  There are lots of mental health awareness days such as World Mental Health Day (October 10th) or Mental Health Awareness Month in May, or Time to Talk day in February, giving plenty of opportunities to have those important conversations.

  Running a termly Tea & Talk session could show students that it’s OK to talk openly about mental health, just provide some hot drinks and a few biscuits. This is a simple activity that can be done in tutor time but could mean a lot to some students.

• Talk positively and openly about mental health

  Students will pick up on so many things that you do and say, and this is why checking the way you talk about mental health is incredibly important. Knowing terms that you should and should not say is really important. Avoiding terms such as ‘chin up’, or ‘pull your socks up’ is a good idea. There are lots of hints and tips through websites such as Time to Change that you can check out if you are unsure.

• Make sure your school is talking about suicide prevention

  With over 200 school children dying by suicide each year, it is vital that schools are looking at what role they can play in helping to prevent suicide. PAPYRUS, the Prevention of Young Suicide Charity have put together a guide on how you can make your schools suicide safer, and writing suicide prevention strategies.