In 2016, CYPHP commissioned The Training Effect to develop and train teachers to deliver a mental health and wellbeing programme across primary and secondary schools in Lambeth and Southwark. The aim of the programme was to implement effective interventions that support children and young people’s healthy development, and their emotional wellbeing and resilience.
Between 2017 and 2019, 216 teaching professionals were trained to deliver a programme called Head-First over a number of classroom sessions. Of these professionals:
- 82% felt confident to deliver the programme.
- 94% felt competent in their knowledge about mental health, mental wellbeing, and how to develop resilience.
- 98% felt confident to support students who may be vulnerable in terms of their mental health or mental wellbeing.
- 92% felt confident to follow school processes around support, referral, and safeguarding.
For children and young people involved in the programme, a large majority felt that they:
- Felt listened to while participating in the sessions.
- Increased their knowledge about accessing support to help with their emotional health and wellbeing.
Other identified themes from students included:
- Increased knowledge about emotional wellbeing.
- Increased confidence to manage emotional wellbeing.
- Increased ability to identify emotions and behaviours that relate to emotions.
- Increased ability to draw on support if needed.
- Positive impact on strategic skills to manage emotional wellbeing.
- Positive impact on classroom learning.
In their own words, students said:
- “The sessions are a time to be myself when upsetting things are going on around me at home.”
- “I learned how to be healthy. I wasn’t always healthy before Head-First.”
- “It really helped me to be in a group and to hear about options to manage my anger.”
- “When there are problems, this has helped me to know how to speak with people.”
Who has access to the training, and how to get in touch?
If you are a teacher or teaching staff working in a school in Lambeth, you can access the web based training module called Head-First.
The module will support you to deliver training to children and young people in primary and secondary schools as part of their PHSE curriculum. You will be able to provide children and young people with the skills to cope better with stressful and difficult situations. If you would like to access the training or know more information, please contact The Training Effect.
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