The mental health and emotional wellbeing of children is fantastically important. It has a huge impact on learning and development and more and more, there is recognition of the importance of mental health for everyone. Despite this, many school staff feel overwhelmed and lack confidence when it comes to dealing with these issues in their classrooms. This new text is written for all those working in primary schools. It supports schools to develop strategies to enhance the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing, to work on preventative strategies and to support children when they need more intervention. The text explores what we mean by mental health and wellbeing. Many children will not reach the threshold for clinical diagnosis, but they nonetheless need support. This text will outline lots of effective strategies for working with children who are struggling to manage the school day. It offers advice for engaging meaningfully with parents and considers the importance of working with school staff to ensure they are fully supported.

Author Biography

Colin Howard is a senior primary lecturer in Initial Teacher Education (ITT) at the University of Worcester. He has been involved in primary education for over 24 years of which 14 years has been as a successful head teacher in both small village and large primary school settings. He has a strong research interest which includes primary science, aspects of professional practice and teachers' professional identity. He is a SIAMS inspector of the Diocese of Hereford. Madeleine Burton is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and for several years worked in both inpatient and community CAMHS. Maddie is currently Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the University of Worcester. Maddie continues to maintain close links with CAMHS practice and works with schools from a CAMH perspective. She holds membership of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the Association for Infant Mental Health. Maddie's research interests include suicide and self-harm in children and young people, infant, maternal and parental mental health. Denisse Levermore is a Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the University of Worcester. Her qualifications include: Registered General Nurse, Registered Children's Nurse, Diploma in Social Work and MSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Denisse has over 15 years' experience of working with vulnerable families and child and adolescent mental health in her previous roles as a Nurse Therapist within CAMHS and as a Family Nurse within Family Nurse Partnership.