Mental health training for schools

Our schools programme provides evidence-based training that builds confidence, increases understanding, and gives staff practical tools to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Our offer provides up to six days of funded support over one year with a dedicated, highly experienced mental health trainer, followed by one additional funded day of follow-up support each year after the partnership ends, with no limit on the number of years. This approach enables us to work collaboratively with leadership teams and staff, developing and building on existing work within the school, to create meaningful and sustainable improvements including:

• Policy development: ensuring governance structures and procedures support wellbeing and mental health consistently.
• Leadership engagement: equipping senior leaders to champion and model positive culture change.
• Staff wellbeing: enhancing staff resilience and capacity to lead and teach effectively, whilst being well-informed and supported with regards to mental health.
• Pupil/student voice: embedding mechanisms for pupils/students to influence and participate in shaping their environment.
• Parent and carer engagement: working with schools and the families they support to build a better shared understanding of mental health and wellbeing, strengthen home/school partnerships, and ensure consistent support for young people.

Our whole organisation approach support is practical, targeted and measurable, focused on delivering meaningful improvements aligned with your existing strengths and ongoing priorities. Working in a holistic way, we help to create a culture of positive mental health and wellbeing that benefits pupils, staff and the wider school community, as well as providing clear evidence for Ofsted.

You can find out more about the whole school and college approach by watching one of our recent webinars, delivered by mental health trainer Ian MacDonald below. 

• A designated Charlie Waller trainer with expertise and knowledge in young people’s mental health will provide training and guidance to introduce evidence-based policies and processes that support wellbeing.
• This includes mental health training for staff. We ask schools to invite all members of staff to attend, not only teaching and pastoral staff, but also where possible librarians, cleaners, technicians, facilities and catering staff.
• We will advise you and provide support on how to measure progress to show the impact of your activities.
• Talks and training sessions can be run for small or large groups.
• Sessions can last up to a whole day, depending on your requirements.
• We will signpost to and provide Charlie Waller mental health resources to support institutional initiatives.

Mental health training is essential for everyone working in a school as it encourages people to talk more freely about mental health, reduces stigma and creates a positive culture.

Our training can be developed and made accessible to those in a non-specialist mental health role at the school, for example parents and carers, teachers, volunteers, governors, managers, facilities and catering staff, etc.

When inviting attendees to a talk or training session, it’s important to ensure that the topic is relevant to all the participants and their roles so that they remain engaged and derive clear benefits from the training.

There also needs to be sufficient time and support given to those who attend the training to have safe conversations and share questions that may arise.