The government should create a national network of “wellbeing supervisors” in state and independent schools to provide “one-to-one personal support” for staff with mental health responsibilities, a coalition of leaders has said.
The Coalition for Youth Mental Health in Schools also called for mandated national waiting time standards for all child and adolescent mental health services, a greater element of mental health training in teacher education and a national survey of youth mental health.
It comes as analysis by the Education Policy Institute found that of 135 government policies introduced since 2015 to boost youth mental health, just 36 per cent have been fully implemented.
A Schools Week investigation last year revealed how schools had thousands of pupils stuck on waiting lists to access mental health support, with trusts instead funding provision from their own pockets or saying they cannot afford to help.
