At the heart of the Church of England Vision is the verse John 10:10 ‘life in all its fullness’. In our schools we want all to flourish spiritually, morally, socially, emotionally and culturally, and good mental health and well-being is needed to help this flourishing, whatever the age, pupils and staff alike. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Guidance puts it like this:

‘Nurturing the health and wellbeing of pupils is a key facet of holistic education for human flourishing as exemplified in the Church of England Vision for Education: Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good. It should not be seen as a stand-alone item but as part of an embedded approach across the school’s ethos, linking with other aspects of health education, spiritual development, the wider school curriculum and the ethos and policies that underpin the school. Any whole-school approach needs to ensure good partnership working with other agencies and health services.’[i]

The SIAMS framework introduced in 2018 has placed greater emphasis on the flourishing of all pupils AND staff. Strand 4 investigates Community and Living Well together, as part of this the question is asked; ‘How well do leaders ensure there is support for good mental health in children and adults and a sense of belonging that embraces and celebrates difference?’

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Guidance document to support this strand states;

‘Schools and school groupings need to develop strategies to preserve good the good mental health and wellbeing of its staff. Governing bodies in particular have a legal responsibility to ensure this through their ‘duty of care’. Teachers who are well are more able to support children effectively and to cope with the stresses that come with teaching.’[ii]

This section of our website signposts and recommends recources to use for pupils, staff and the school community alike.