AMHIE Newsletter December 2025

Happy New Year! It’s your AMHIE news round up for December 2025

It’s the end of 2025 and what a year it’s been for the sector and for AMHIE, we started our first podcast, we opened a YouTube channel and we support thousands of you with mental health at your educational setting. Here’s a round up of our year in numbers…

“As we wrap up 2025, it is clearer than ever that mental health has moved from the sidelines to the very heart of the UK education system. This year marked a turning point with the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which formally wove emotional support into the fabric of daily school life—reminding us all that a child cannot thrive in the classroom if they are struggling in their head. We’ve seen a real push to bridge the “support gap,” using data to tackle school avoidance and expanding Mental Health Support Teams to reach more students than ever before.

While the pressure on our schools remains high, there is a powerful sense of hope: for the first time, we are moving toward a “whole-school” culture where wellbeing isn’t just an add-on, but the foundation. It’s been a year of long-overdue recognition, and as we look toward 2026, we do so with a stronger, more compassionate community ready to ensure no student has to face their challenges alone.”

Lily Blakeledge, AMHIE Marketing and Content creator

December 2025.

• AMHIE Conferences: We now have dates for regional conferences throughout 2026, visit https://community.amhie.com/amhie-conferences/ to book your place.
• AMHIE Membership: Our membership offer covers everything your team need to promote DfE and Ofsted compliance for mental health visit for more info: https://amhie.com/our-offer/membership/
• AMHIE Training: New year, new strategy – have you trained a mental health lead? It’s time to get ahead of the curve and book your place for 2026 https://community.amhie.com/training/

Alerts and Releases December 2025

• The DfE announced that the government is investing £3 billion to thousands of new specialist places for children with SEND.
• In a press release on 4th December 2025, the DfE have confirmed that the ‘Best Start Family Hubs will act as one-stop-shop for parents with SEND professional and services to support speech and language development’. 

Our Blog December 2025

• Why Specialist FE Colleges Are the Blueprint for a Whole-College Mental Health Approach
• My reflections on 2025, the challenges and the rewards

As of December 2025, the education landscape is dominated by a major overhaul of the UK national curriculum and a significant legislative push toward student wellbeing and inclusive support.

Here are the main talking points summarised into four key themes:

1. The “Skills for Life” Curriculum Reform

Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review led by Professor Becky Francis, the government has begun laying the groundwork for a modernised curriculum (set for full rollout by 2028). Key discussion points include:

• Critical Literacy: For the first time, primary students are being taught how to spot “fake news” and navigate AI-generated misinformation.
• Oracy & Voice: A new “National Oracy Framework” has been launched, elevating speaking and listening skills to the same status as reading and writing.
• The “V-Level” Introduction: Debate is high around the new vocational V-Levels, designed to provide a prestigious alternative to A-Levels for 16–18-year-olds.
• Digital Exams: Ofqual has launched a major consultation on moving toward on-screen exams by 2030, sparking debate over digital equity for disadvantaged students.

2. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

This landmark legislation is currently moving through Parliament, focusing on “breaking down barriers” to education:

• Free Breakfast Clubs: The national rollout in primary schools is a central talking point, aimed at tackling child poverty and improving morning attendance.
• Home-Schooling Registers: A controversial proposal for a “mandatory register” of children not in school has sparked debate between safeguarding advocates and home-educating parents concerned about family autonomy.
• Unique Child Identifiers: Plans for a single digital ID for every child to help schools, the NHS, and social services share data more effectively to prevent “at-risk” children from slipping through the cracks.

3. Crisis & Investment in SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) remains a “hot-button” issue due to a critical shortage of specialist places.

• The £3bn Investment: In December, a massive funding package was announced to create 50,000 new specialist places, aimed at ending the “postcode lottery” for families seeking support.
• Mainstream Inclusion: A national conversation is underway regarding how mainstream schools can better adapt to support neurodivergent students (ADHD/Autism) as local authorities struggle with the backlog of EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) assessments.

4. AI and “Human-Centric” Skills

Beyond policy, the classroom environment is shifting toward a “post-AI” pedagogy:

• AI as a Teaching Assistant: Discussions have shifted from “should we use AI?” to “how do we use it to reduce teacher workload?” specifically for grading and lesson planning.
• The Rise of “Soft Skills”: With AI handling technical tasks, there is a massive push for teaching emotional intelligence (EQ), resilience, and collaborative problem-solving—skills that employers in 2025 are prioritizing over pure academic rote learning.

Would you like to be kept up to date on mental health in education? Consider joining us as a Free Member and never miss a thing, receive free resources and get advice and support on mental health guidance and policy from the DfE and Ofsted.

(Resources you could have accessed this month as a free member: Wellbeing and Culture Toolkit.)