Teach Secondary 14.4

The growing number of single-parent and dual- working households has led to increased stress on families and instances of hostile parenting. Compounding this are cost of living pressures, and the growing tendency for family homes to be located some distance away from extended family networks, in areas where community cohesion can be lacking. Anewapproach In tandemwith these challenges, there’s been a marked post-COVID rise in school refusal, and the number of families opting to home educate their children. Having recognised these challenges, the government included some proposals for tackling them in its ‘Plan for Change, Milestones for Vision’ policy document published in December 2024 (see tiny.cc/ts144-A3) , as part of its aim to break down barriers to opportunity. The government has committed to improving children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in school, seeing this as important for improving standards and helping them to achieve better outcomes in their subsequent work and later life. The DfE has since stated that “Embedding an evidence-based, holistic, whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing helps to achieve this.” (see tiny.cc/ts144-A4 ) Howshould schools respond? Schools have an essential role to play in nurturing and supporting the wellbeing of our children, guided by the government’s recommendations. It’s crucial that all staff who regularly interact with students and families recognise and empathise with the anxiety epidemic currently affecting many within our communities. Through improved training and education via courses and workshops, we could equip staff, students and families alike with the tools needed to better understand and manage symptoms of anxiety. Mental health leads and mental first aiders based in schools can perform a valuable function in this regard, by helping to foster supportive environments in which help is readily available for those who might need it. Putting early interventions in place can contribute to the development of a safer culture, whereby children feel heard and understood, and know how to reach staff who can intervene where necessary. By creating an environment where ‘ It’s okay not to be okay ,’ we can send the message that anxiety is, in fact, a natural, very human emotion that happens to involve feelings of worry, fear, dread and uneasiness – all of which form part of the human brain’s built-in fight-or-flight response to danger or stress. If we’re to achieve that, however, it’s essential that we establish robust systems for identifying early signs of anxiety in children. These systems should involve close collaboration between class tutors, behaviour leads, attendance officers, admissions officers, SENCos and other key members of school staff. Regular interdisciplinary meetings should be scheduled to thoroughly review children’s wellbeing, behaviour and attendance. During suchmeetings, staff can assess any safeguarding concerns related to a particular child, and adopt a more holistic approach to providing whatever support they need. By systematically sharing such observations and insights, we can reach a better understanding of every child’s specific needs – thus facilitating more timely interventions and tailored support strategies that will ultimately result in themhaving a more positive experience of school. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ann Marie Christian is a safeguarding and child protection expert; for more information, visit annmariechristian.com THENAND NOW Supporting students’ wellbeing was a stated aim of the Coalition government back in 2015, following the publication of a document entitled ‘Promoting Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being’ (see tiny.cc/ts144-A5 ) , which continued to be updated under subsequent governments. This document included eight principles the government wanted to see from whole school approaches to supporting students’ wellbeing: 1 An ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity 2 Targeted support and appropriate referral 3 Working with parents and carers 4 Enabling student voice to influence decisions 5 Staff development to support their well-being and that of students 6 Identifying needs and monitoring the impact of interventions 7 Curriculum teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning 8 Leadership and management that support and champion efforts to promote emotional health and well-being This period also saw the publication of a Green Paper (see tiny.cc/ts144-A6 ) , which proposed training and appointing senior mental health leads in every school, additional funding for mental health support teams who could provide early interventions, and the trialling of a 4-week waiting list for specialist support from the NHS. 29 teachwire.net/secondary H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G TEACH SECONDARY SPECIAL HEALTH & WELLBEING