Most teachers in the UK have never received any training on mental health.
We think that is wrong.
Just months before his GCSEs, 15 year old Sam West took his own life.
Coming to terms with the most horrific of losses, Sam's brother Ben began to talk to teachers at his school and was shocked to learn that despite coming across poor mental health every day, none of them had received any training on mental health at all.
Ben created a petition to change this in 2018 to give every trainee teacher a standard education in mental health and child development as part of ITT.
This petition has now received over 315,000 signatures and Ben has since grown to become one of the leading mental health campaigners in the UK.
We are calling on the Department for Education to include standard mental health and child development training in the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) statutory curriculum to give every teacher the preparation they deserve.
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Here are six reasons you should support this change:
01
The vast majority of teachers have never received any education on mental health and 60% don't feel equipped to teach a child in their class with a mental health need.
03
Children are more likely to speak to a teacher about their mental health than any other person including their friends and family.
05
Teachers are already required to safeguard children with mental health concerns and are recognised as tier 1 CAMHS mental health professionals. They carry this legal responsibility despite having no formal training. This is deeply unfair on teachers.
02
The USA and Australia already provide this training for every teacher with positive results for staff wellbeing, staff retention, education outcomes and suicide prevention.
04
A 2015 government review of ITT (The Carter Review) recommended this change but those recommendations were never implemented.
06
Teachers that are proficient in social emotional learning improve education outcomes and life chances for children.
There is ample evidence, research and international precedent to support this campaign.
You can access a selection of the research and evidence below.
Supported by:
Louisa Rose
CEO, Beyond
"With standardised mental health training, more teachers would have more chances of recognising
mental health conditions at an early stage, and providing their pupils with the support they need
so they can thrive academically and emotionally. By investing in more training, we are not just
creating a safer and more supportive education environment; we are empowering teachers to
help shape a brighter, healthier future for our children. That is why Ben West's campaign
matters, and why it has the full support of everyone at Beyond.”
Brian Dow
CEO, Mental Health UK
Deputy Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness
"We support Ben West and Beyond's campaign to implement standardised mental health training for all teachers. Too many children and young people reach the point of crisis. Standardised mental health training could go some way towards identifying and signposting early enough that it helps pupils thrive and achieve their full potential"
Numera Anwar
Principle and CEO, Westminster Academy
"We support Ben West and Beyond's campaign to implement mental health training for all teachers and staff within schools. Standardised training would support early identification and intervention which potentially would avoid students reaching crisis points. Staff would also feel more empowered and skilled to manage concerns around mental health for students. This is especially important given how stretched and limited the support available is out there nationally."
Alice Moore
Senior Mental Health Lead and Educational Wellbeing Consultant.
"My journey from teaching to mental health advocacy has taught me a crucial lesson: equipping educators with mental health training is essential. I wholeheartedly believe it should be the foundation of teacher training – to support staff wellbeing (and thereby teacher retention), ensure optimal educational outcomes and vitally, protect and nurture the young lives we have the privilege of shaping."
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Beyond Youth Board
Zara Qaisar on behalf of the Beyond Youth Board
"Mental health training for every teacher would finally allow all students to feel supported, to feel understood and to not feel alone in their school community. This is what is needed to create an environment for all young people, where they feel safe. This is the change young people are in need of"
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Trauma Informed Schools UK
Director Group: Dr Margot Sunderland, Julia Bird, Christine Davies, Julie Harmieson, Dr Coral Harper, and Rachel Toller
We wholeheartedly support Beyond and Ben West’s campaign for high quality mental health training to be included as a mandatory element in Initial Teacher Training. We have trained thousands of staff from all phases of education. They tell us that with improved confidence, their practice has been transformed and they are better able to recognise and meet the needs of their pupils appropriately. They just wish they had had the training earlier in their career."
Just Like Us
Laura Mackay, CEO
"It's vital that teachers have access to the resources and training they need to be able to support young people navigating these challenges during their time in education. We know, for example, that LGBT+ school pupils are twice as likely to have depression and anxiety than their straight peers - that's why we dedicate so much of our charity work to providing resources and training, and that's also why this is so important”
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