{"id":34553,"date":"2026-06-08T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=34553"},"modified":"2026-06-15T08:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:40:33","slug":"promoting-mental-health-in-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/promoting-mental-health-in-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Promote Positive Mental Health in Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An individual’s mental health is just as important as their physical health and ignoring one\u2019s mental health can have life long negative effects. Children and young people, just like the adults around them, can struggle with their mental health. Daily stress, world events and raging hormones can become overwhelming and make life incredibly stressful for many young people. Teachers and those who work with children in a school environment are well positioned to recognise signs of declining mental health, support the children in their care and promote the importance of looking after one\u2019s mental health. In this article we will explore how schools can promote positive mental health and provide practical, actionable tips on how to implement a whole-school approach to promoting positive mental health. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Children\u2019s Mental Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The mental health of children and young people is often overlooked. Many young people do not feel seen or may struggle to communicate what they are feeling, either because they cannot recognise it themselves or because they simply do not have the language to explain what they are experiencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many adults can be, knowingly or unknowingly, dismissive of children\u2019s mental health issues, incorrectly assuming that they are \u2018too young\u2019 to experience mental health struggles such as depression or anxiety. Moreover, adults may also dismiss the severity of a child\u2019s struggle. For example, minimising anxiety to occasional worry and pushing a child to take part in something that is actively making them anxious as it \u2018will be good for them\u2019 or they need to \u2018learn to get over it.\u2019 When this happens children can feel misunderstood or ignored which can further discourage them from talking to people about how they feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not Making the Grade<\/a>, a report by Mind on how the approach to mental health for young people (11 – 25 year olds) is failing them, notes that many students can feel overwhelmed by the demands of school, exacerbating mental health struggles that may be rooted in issues outside of school. Furthermore, the report found that young people are not getting the help that they need from school and are instead facing punishment, isolation or exclusion for behaviour linked to their mental health struggles, significantly worsening their mental health. The report found that some young people were disciplined after being unable to meet deadlines or complete homework, whilst others found themselves excluded for certain behaviour. However, in most instances, the underlying reason for said behaviour, such as poor mental health, was not addressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous different factors that can impact a young person\u2019s mental health. As part of their report, Mind explored the key drivers of mental health problems amongst young people. Understanding the potential causes of mental health problems among young people is vital as it enables schools to offer tailored support that is actually effective. The report noted the following as significant drivers of mental health problems amongst young people.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Student<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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\n Trauma \"drop\n <\/h3>\n
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A third of the cohort interviewed said that problems at home had a negative impact on their wellbeing at school. Traumatic experiences at home caused some to behave in a way that led to being disciplined at school. Young women are more likely to have experienced trauma and subsequently suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This can result in intense anxiety, difficulties sleeping and feeling unsafe, all of which can impact a student\u2019s behaviour. Behavioural problems are a well recognised and common response to trauma and have an increasingly negative effect on a young person\u2019s mental health as the extreme behaviours, such as physical violence, can see them being punished or excluded rather than having their trauma identified. Sexual and emotional abuse, <\/span>domestic abuse<\/span><\/a>, involvement with drug dealing and worries about the cost-of-living crisis are just some of the traumatic events that a young person may experience that impacts their mental health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n Racism \"drop\n <\/h3>\n
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Failure to tackle racism in schools can have an incredibly damaging effect on a young person\u2019s mental health. 55% of young people surveyed from Black and Black British backgrounds had experienced racism at school, whilst 57% of young people from mixed ethnic backgrounds experienced the same.\u00a0 Common experiences for those who had experienced racism included being subjected to stereotyping, verbal abuse from other students and exclusion from activities or opportunities. This, coupled with the racism that students face outside of school on a daily basis, can be a significant burden on their mental wellbeing as they feel forced to repress feelings in order to avoid further prejudice. When racism is not tackled by teachers it can further exacerbate mental health issues as young people feel isolated and left to fight on their own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n School Closures and Lockdown \"drop\n <\/h3>\n
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The pandemic had a notable impact on the nation\u2019s mental health and unfortunately children and young people were not excluded from this. For many young people covid hindered important social development and made it harder to access face-to-face support. The impact of this has been far reaching and continues to cause delays in children and young people accessing the support that they need. Mind\u2019s report notes that mental health professionals expressed concern that school closures had made it more difficult to identify young people who were in need and struggling with their mental health. Moreover, for those who had difficult home lives, school offered a sense of safety and stability. School closures therefore saw numerous young people lose their only sanctuaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n Pressure for Academic Achievement \"drop\n <\/h3>\n
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Young people are often encouraged to prioritise their academic success. Whilst this has its benefits and can teach important life long skills, when done at the expense of one\u2019s wellbeing it can be incredibly detrimental to someone\u2019s mental health. Many young people feel immense pressure to succeed, with homework deadlines and exams creating intense feelings of overwhelm. 78% of young people surveyed said that school had made their mental health worse and mental health professionals note that this can be particularly common in high achieving schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

Additional factors in poor mental health among young people include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n