The Department for Education is offering eligible schools and colleges a grant of £1,200 to pay for training for senior mental health leads in educational settings. The training will help embed an effective whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, including:

• understanding and identifying mental health and wellbeing needs
• approaches to plan and lead change to improve an approach
• developing a setting’s universal and targeted support offer
• strategies to listen to student/pupil voice and develop positive relationships with parents, families and carers
• approaches to work effectively with community mental health services

The grant can also be used to pay for supply cover to backfill the individual undertaking training, or for further support to sustain approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Training will commence by 31 March 2023.

Grants are available for around a third of all state schools and colleges in the 2022 to 2023 financial year, with the aim of offering grants to all settings by 2025.