Children's Mental Health and Emotional Well-being in Primary Schools: A whole school approach

The mental health and emotional wellbeing of children is fantastically important. It has a huge impact on learning and development and more and more, there is recognition of the importance of mental health for everyone. Despite this, many school staff feel overwhelmed and lack confidence when it comes to dealing with these issues in their classrooms.

This new text is written for all those working in primary schools. It supports schools to develop strategies to enhance the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing, to work on preventative strategies and to support children when they need more intervention. The text explores what we mean by mental health and wellbeing.

Many children will not reach the threshold for clinical diagnosis, but they nonetheless need support. This text will outline lots of effective strategies for working with children who are struggling to manage the school day. It offers advice for engaging meaningfully with parents and considers the importance of working with school staff to ensure they are fully supported.

Table of Contents

Children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing

Promoting a whole school approach

Behaviour

Positive self-esteem

Supporting a positive body image

Families and supporting mental health

Bullying, social media and promoting resilience

The need for inclusivity

What can we do to help?

Who’s looking after who?