Guide to Creating a Mental Health Policy for Your School
Why Have a Mental Health Policy?
A policy is not statutory so why have one?
A policy can be the 'job description / route map' for a MH Lead and provides them with a support network across the school community. A policy also allows everyone in the school community to know that emotional wellbeing and mental health are an important (and public) part of school life. It also gives the school community a voice and helps all to know where to find help and support / who to speak to.
Ofsted
The Ofsted framework requires Ofsted inspectors to routinely assess and report on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
Ofsted will want to understand how all schools:
- Lead and develop a whole-school approach to support mental health and wellbeing.
- Monitor whole-school, RSHE and other strategies and activities that contribute to improvement priorities.
- Use approaches and activities, structures and staff within the school to promote the personal development, behaviour and the welfare of children and young people. For example:
- Promoting ‘breadth and balance’ in the wider school curriculum, including using RSHE and other strategies to support social and emotional skills and broader mental health and wellbeing.
- Using staff and peer relationships, school nurses (where available) and SEND support to help children and young people thrive and achieve.
- Develop in-school support strategies e.g. buddy systems or mentors.
- Have developed links to external support services via other agencies such as local specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and the broader range of local support services such as early help or voluntary sector organisations.
- Support the needs of particular groups or individual children/young people and their families, including pupils facing greater disadvantage who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), looked after children, those with medical needs and those with mental health needs.
- Manage risks such as bullying and ‘discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour’.
What could be in a MH Policy?
- Roles and responsibilities and key contacts (including external partners)
- What is wellbeing / mental health?
- Insight and information for some MH issues e.g. anxiety; low mood / depression; self-harm; eating disorders; OCD (as appropriate to your setting).
- Recognising need – using tools e.g. Wellbeing Measurement Framework; PASS; Boxall Profile; “I Wish My Teacher Knew…”; Pyramid of Need; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU) survey (more info here)
- Graduated response
- Universal: whole school – all staff / learners
- Targeted: support in school
- Specialist: partnerships with families and external agencies e.g. Bloom referrals
- Provision mapping and individual support plans / pupil passports etc.
- If I’m worried about a child… easy ways for everyone (staff / students / parents) to know how to support / signpost to the right people in school.
- Social and Emotional Learning in the Curriculum
- Training for staff and students e.g.
- Trauma informed practice
- Emotion Coaching
- MH First Aid
- Youth MH First Aid
- Peer Support
- Suicide Awareness
as appropriate to needs of your school.
- Transitions: into / within / out of the school – as appropriate
- Evaluating / Measuring impact of the policy and wider work e.g. using tools like the WMF / I wish my teacher knew
- Links to other policies e.g.
-
- Behaviour / relational - relationships are key. Need a relationships policy or element (not bolt on) in the behaviour policy
- Safeguarding
- SEND
- Equality / Diversity
- Nurture
- Anti-Bullying
- Self-harm
- PSHE
- Transition
- Staff wellbeing
- Teaching and Learning
It is important that there is a consistency and coherence across all policies. The most obvious example being a ‘draconian’ ‘no excuses’ Behaviour Policy with isolation as a core strategy on the one hand and a relational policy on the other.
Where to start?
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can"
Create your policy with the strength and needs of the community in mind.
The Whole School Approach to wellbeing* and our audit tools can be a useful tool to help you shape your policy
*Promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing: A whole school and college approach. Public Health England 2021. The latest revision to the PHE document includes cross referencing to the latest Ofsted Framework.The DfE training and support for MH Leads is centred around the PHE 8 principles.
Another excellent and accessible iteration of a Whole School Approach can be found in Pooky’s book “The Mentally Healthy Schools Workbook” which uses ‘Six Litmus Tests’.
Schools in Cornwall can request a copy of the complete workbook from us and this is a useful summary of the 6 Litmus Tests: How Mentally Healthy is your School (pdf)
Pooky Knightsmith's 6 Litmus Tests
Who should be involved?
- Everyone. There needs to be a Whole School Approach so everyone needs a voice including the hardly reached students / families (Pooky Knightsmith – refers to ‘GOALies’ –members of the school community who Go Out And Listen… and has a simple resource to help)
- SLT / all school staff / governors
- YP / Parents / School Nurse
- MHST workers / CAPs where appropriate
- Education Psychology Service
- External Agencies
- Feeder schools / clusters / MAT schools
Sharing and the Promoting the Policy
Ensure the policy is accessible – communicate it well internally and make it available for students and parents/carers to view.
You could:
Include reference to it in the school prospectus
Have a section dedicated to Whole School wellbeing on the school website
Make wellbeing a standing item for:
- SLT meetings
- Staff meetings
- Governors meetings
- Student council
Produce 'policy on a page' versions for staff / parents & carers / pupils
Display key messages including key contacts to display in classrooms and elsewhere (don't underestimate the value of the back of the loo door!)
Resources / links
Sample Policies / Templates
Pooky Knightsmith mental health policy and guidance for schools and colleges (PDF)
A comprehensive guide to creating a mental health and a template to adapt.
- Draft mental health and wellbeing policy primary Werrington (Staffs)
- Mental health and wellbeing policy
- Sample mental health and wellbeing policy SPGS
Creative Education online training portal
Check out the full and free access for Cornwall schools
Anna Freud - Mentally Healthy Schools
Resources for Governors
https://governorsforschools.org.uk/wellbeing-governors/external-mental-health-wellbeing-resources/
Relational Policies
Developing an Attachment Aware Behaviour Regulation Policy - Brighton and Hove (pdf)
Guidance for Developing Relational Practice and Policy - Devon
The documents below were originally hosted by Backcock LDP UK for Devon County Council. Those links no longer exist on the web (so references in the pdf docs below won't work) but the documents provide helpful information including a useful audit tool and support plan ideas.
Guidance for Developing Relational Practice and Policy
Relational Learning: Supporting learning, development and wellbeing through relationship. (including audit tool)
Quick guide to Developing Relational Practice and Policy (2 pages - from main guidance document Appendix 1)
The Cornwall Educational Psychology Service
The EPS are currently piloting their Guidance for Developing Relational Policies. Look out for updates
Recommended reading
Louise Michelle Bombèr (https://touchbase.org.uk/)
“Know Me to Teach Me: Differentiated discipline for those recovering from adverse childhood experiences”, Louise Michelle Bombèr 2020 (https://touchbase.org.uk/publications/)
This is a truly outstanding book. A must read. Includes a sample relational policy to adapt.
Paul Dix
“When the Adults Change, Everything Changes: seismic shifts in school behaviour”, Paul Dix (https://whentheadultschange.com/ )
Advocates for a relational approach to behaviour management. Again simply outstanding!