The National Steering Group
Discover more about AMHIE’s National Steering Group
Following the release of the green paper “Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision” the government committed to providing trained mental health leads in schools. With the announcement of the mental health lead role from the Department of Education, Richard developed training for mental health leads. This in turn lead to the creation of the National Network of Mental Health Leads in 2021.
The Association is guided by members, for it’s members; we are always looking for more voices to add to our community ~ could you commit to 3 meetings a year and help us steer AMHIE and the National picture?
The origins of the National Steering Group.
A National Committee was formed to steer the agenda for the National Network of Mental Health Leads in 2021 with the drive for trained mental health leads in schools and colleges across England. Formed of professionals working within the sector, the committee draws from the experience of working on the frontline to face current issues.
The Association began.
At the start of 2024, the National Committee made the decision to rename the National Network of Mental Health Leads to The Association of Mental Health in Education in order to better reflect the growing community around the role. AMHIE launched in April 2024 and continues to grow and develop under the watchful guidance of the new National Steering Group.
Steering the national picture.
As AMHIE has developed the Steering Group continue to steer the national picture and how they can best continue to support and nurture our community. The name of ‘National Committee’ was shelved in favour of the ‘National Steering Group’ to better reflect the nature of how they develop and ‘steer’ the Association.
How you can help.
Can you help us steer the National picture for the association? The National Steering Group meet every 5-8 weeks for a short meeting to discuss the Association, what has been working, what has been less successful and what is needed to develop further. The expectation is that each member would attend at least 3 meetings a year, each meeting being a maximum of 2 hours.
Find out about the members of the National Steering Group
Richard Daniel Curtis
AMHIE National Steering Group Chair and Founder
Read Richard's story
Richard Daniel Curtis is an internationally renowned social, emotional and mental health expert and mentor, passionate about helping millions understand emotions and psychology. His background is a mixture of education, psychology and social care.
Richard’s work is said to have influenced millions across the UK and further afield. Author of the Social and Emotional Skills Assessment, a tool to assess the social and emotional development of children, Richard’s work has had an impact in 5 continents. He has written 13 books and was one of three experts brought in to write the mental health curriculum guidance in England. Richard chairs the Mental Health Awards, the Mental Health in Education and also the National Special Educational Needs and Disability Awards in the UK.
Richard set up The Root Of It group in 2013 to help people get to the root of barriers. Their brands include The Mentoring School, Skills for Progress and the Association for Mental Health in Education.
Richard also runs Tick Accreditation, a simple independent accreditation scheme for companies covering mental health, carbon reduction, modern slavery, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, occupational health and physical wellbeing.
Richard lives in Southampton and is a single parent of two children. In his spare Richard plays in a brass band, dresses as the Gruffalo at events and runs a team of Ghostbusters.
Nicola Bailey
BSc (Hons), QTS, NPQH, MEd, BPS
Read Nicola's story
Janine Rayner
Pastoral Care, Designated Mental Health Lead
Read Janine's story
I am the Designated Mental Health Lead at Wentworth Primary School, where I have worked for 24 years. I am also Pastoral Lead and Deputy Safeguarding Lead for the school. My role is very fulfilling and I find it a privilege supporting children with their mental health and wellbeing enabling them to live their best lives.
Alison Ollett
Assistant Principal Designated Safeguarding Lead
Read Alison's story
Alison is part of the Senior Leadership team for Maltings Academy, she is a trained Mental Health Lead with over 15 years experience in the sector.
Judith Abbott
Specialist Support Lead – Mental Health
Read Judith's story
Judith has been in education for over 35 years which all started as a volunteer parent listening to readers, to a Teaching Assistant, Higher Level Teacher Assistant, FE Inclusion co-ordinator to now the Specialist Support Lead – Mental Health at WCG. WCG is a group of five colleges, Pershore, Rugby, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick Trident and Moreton Morrell situated in the West Midlands, namely in the counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Judith ensures that all our students reach their full potential and are supported appropriately on their learning journey. This could be for example, via mentoring sessions, signposting to various agencies and or suggesting useful resources. World Health Day and Mental Health Awareness week Judith invites over eighty agencies in for events, a tutorial presentation is delivered and every student knows how to find the Mental Health internal website, which Judith has ‘built’ as a one stop shop.
For staff, Judith leads the WCG Mental Health First Aiders for Staff and a team of 80 Mental Health Ambassadors for both students and staff college wide. Judith delivers staff training, writes staff questionnaires and embeds a culture within WCG as being a community. Judith was nominated by members of staff for her work within WCG and was successful in being invited to the King Charles Education Garden Party in May 2025.
Judith is actively involved in the following networks and partnerships…
Rugby’s Health and Wellbeing (Healthwatch)– Children & Young People
Worcestershire’s Suicide Prevention Partnership
C&W Suicide Prevention Network
Suicide Prevention Community of Practice
Mental Health and Wellbeing in Educational Settings Partnership
AoC Mental Health Communities of Practice, West Midlands
An important area of interest for Judith is male mental health and engaging with the male cohort to come forward and seek support. Following Judith’s Master’s (Ed) dissertation entitled ‘To disclose or not to disclose – Male Mental Health in an FE College’ which received a distinction, the findings are a significant area of interest for a potential PhD.
Kat Thurtle
Mental Health Lead, PSHE Lead, IT Lead, and KS4/KS5 Class Teache
Read Kat's story
Kat Thurtle is Mental Health Lead, PSHE Lead, IT Lead, and KS4/KS5 Class Teacher at Mountjoy School, a 2–19 special school for pupils with complex needs in Dorset. Kat has been teaching since 2001, starting in mainstream education before moving into special education in 2012. She holds a Level 5 Mental Health Lead qualification, an NPQSL, and is an accredited Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor with Mental Health First Aid England, as well as an NLP Master Practitioner.
Kat is passionate about promoting mental health and wellbeing across the whole school community. She has led initiatives such as achieving the Mental Health Award for Schools during the COVID-19 lockdowns, trained over 25 staff locally in Youth MHFA, and delivered regional workshops through the TADSS alliance. Her current focus includes redeveloping the PSHE/RSE curriculum to strengthen emotional literacy, implementing a whole-school mental health strategy, and exploring AI integration to reduce staff workload and improve wellbeing.
She is an active member of the Senior Mental Health Lead Network in Dorset, the TADSS network, and works nationally with NASUWT to deliver MHFA training.
Join the steering group
To have a say in AMHIE and join The National Steering Group, all you need to do is contact us before the beginning of June to join in the start of the new academic year.
Contact us on support@amhie.com and express your interest today!
Questions? Ask us! 02381 120010.