The Pros and Cons of Teaching Mental Health in Schools.

One of the ways to support pupils’ mental health and wellbeing is to teach them about how to recognise it, how to cope with the challenges they face and how to be resilient through adversity. In England mental wellbeing forms part of the statutory Relationships, (Sex) and Health Education Curriculum. 

There are a range of benefits, and also some drawbacks, to delivering mental health as part of the curriculum. We have undertaken a review of some of the pros and cons of teaching mental health in schools. 

Whilst this table is not exhaustive, it does give some of the factors to consider in the delivery of teaching a mental health and wellbeing curriculum. 

Pros and Cons

Summary: Mental health, wellbeing and personal development in schools In Focus Published Thursday, 08 February, 2024 https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/mental-health-wellbeing-and-personal-development-in-schools/  

Free Toolkits and Guides on Teaching mental health in schools: 

Education Support 2025 ‘Improving mental health awareness at school’ https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/guides/improving-mental-health-awareness-at-school/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-5a9BhCBARIsACwMkJ6pCgdAfLdJ97T9TQLM2qN1dEbHDWQ2edy_bXrnCtKx7dILFApoZ5AaAjR5EALw_wcB 

Education Hub 2024 6 ways we’re supporting children and young people with their mental health https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/supporting-children-and-young-people-mental-health/  

Department for Education 2024 Mental health resources for teachers and teaching staff https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/663b71f74d8bb7378fb6c3b6/Mental_health_resources_for_teachers_and_teaching_staff_V3.pdf 

References: 

Lawrence, D., Dawson, V., Houghton, S., Goodsell, B., & Sawyer, M. G. (2019). Impact of mental disorders on attendance at school. Australian Journal of Education, 63(1), 5-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944118823576  

Jerusalem, Matthias;Klein Hessling, (2009, Vol. 109, Issue 4, pages 329 – 341) Johannes Mental health promotion in schools by strengthening self-efficacy. Health education, 19 Jun. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09654280910970901/full/html  

Dolton A, Adams S, O’Reilly M. In the child’s voice: The experiences of primary school children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2020;25(2):419-434. doi:10.1177/1359104519859923 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1359104519859923  

 Owens, J.S., Murphy, C.E. Effectiveness Research in the Context of School-Based Mental Health. Clin Child and Fam Psychol Rev 7, 195–209 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-004-6085-x  

Hart, A., & Heaver, B. (2015). Resilience approaches to supporting young people’s mental health: Appraising the evidence base for schools and communities. Brighton; University of Brighton/Boingboing. http://www.boingboing.org.uk/resilience-approaches-guide/  

BA Gueldner, LL Feuerborn, KW Merrell – 2020 Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success  

Freeman, J., Wilkinson, S., Kowitt, J., Kittelman, A., & Brigid Flannery, K. (2018). Research-supported practices for improving attendance in high schools: a review of the literature. Educational Research and Evaluation, 24(8), 481–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2019.1602546  

Parker, J.D.A., Crane, A.G., Wood, L.M. (2018). Educational Leaders and Supporting the Mental Health of Students and Staff: Limited Research but Promising Practices in Preparing School Principals. In: Leschied, A., Saklofske, D., Flett, G. (eds) Handbook of School-Based Mental Health Promotion. The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89842-1_11  

Alexander (2021) “Well-being and attainment in Scottish education: a capabilities approach” https://theses.gla.ac.uk/81820/  

Hornby, G and Atkinson, M (2004) A Framework for Promoting Mental Health in School. Pastoral Care in Education https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0122.00256  

Fisher, P. (2010). Performativity, well‐being, social class and citizenship in English schools. Educational Studies, 37(1), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055691003799073  

Korinek, L. (2020). Supporting students with mental health challenges in the classroom. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 65(2), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2020.1837058  

Anna A. Peycheva a, Anthony F. Guevara b, Mark J.D. Jordans (2023) “Systematic review of strategies for improving attendance in health and mental health interventions for children and adolescents in LMICs: Implications for mental health interventions” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560323000993) 

Nielsen, L., Meilstrup, C., Nelausen, M.K., Koushede, V. and Holstein, B.E. (2015), “Promotion of social and emotional competence: Experiences from a mental health intervention applying a whole school approach”, Health Education, Vol. 115 No. 3/4, pp. 339-356. https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-03-2014-0039  

Wignall, A., Atkinson, C., & Grace, P. (2023). Facilitators and barriers to implementing a whole-school mental health programme. Pastoral Care in Education, 42(1), 25–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2023.2214903