WSA Leadership & Management
Key question: How is the school providing visible senior leadership for emotional health and wellbeing?
School leadership, including governors, support and champion efforts to promote EHWB e.g.
- In school improvement plans
- In creating a school environment a place of safety and belonging
- In policies - including relational / behaviour
- through a planned, progressive programme of PSHE
- Involvement of staff and pupils in developing policies and practice
- Appointing a Senior MH Lead as part of the SLT
Prompts and Resources
- MH Leads - top tips and support
- Creating an Effective MH Policy
- Anna Freud guidance on mental health in the school development plan
Governors and a Whole School Approach
The support of Governors is fundamental to the success of a WSA and the effectiveness of the mental health lead role.
The role of the Governors in a WSA
Questions to reflect on (from an article by Dr Pooky Knightsmith:
- Is our school "filled with safety and belonging"
- Is our school a listening school?
- How aware is the school community of the importance of promoting good mental health?
- Do we have a mental health policy?
- Is mental health a part of our curriculum, e.g. in PSHE?
- Have staff been trained to recognise and respond to mental health issues?
- Do staff know who to refer mental health concerns on to?
- Have we usefully pooled our knowledge of local support and services?
- Have we considered how best to work with parents and the wider community?
- Are we meeting the emotional wellbeing needs of staff?
Read more on the role of governors from Pooky
Training for Governors
Check out the Cornwall Wellbeing Hub online webinars / on-demand intereactive training
All school staff / governors have full and free access to the all of the online on-demand training / live learning and resources on Dr Pooky Knightsmith's Creative Education Platform until the End of July 2026
A new elearning course for governors intended to complement the emergent DfE MH Leads Training is available from the Carnegie Centre for Mental Health at Leeds Beckett University. It is intended to support governors to take a strategic approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing in school.
Explore the other Principles of a Whole School Approach
Leadership and management that supports and champions efforts to promote emotional health and wellbeing
Leadership and management that supports and champions efforts to promote emotional health and wellbeing
An ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity
An ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity
Curriculum, teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning
Curriculum, teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning
Enabling student voice to influence decisions
Enabling student voice to influence decisions
Staff development to support their own wellbeing and that of students
Staff development to support their own wellbeing and that of students
Identify need and monitoring impact of interventions
Identify need and monitoring impact of interventions
Working with parents/carers
Working with parents/carers
Targeted support and appropriate referral
Targeted support and appropriate referral