SEMH in schools – creating a whole-school relational and inclusive culture

Central to supporting children with SEMH in schools is the development and commitment to a whole school culture that actively promotes relational, inclusive practices.

All schools are under a statutory duty to promote the welfare of their children, providing good education, supported by high-quality pastoral care, to secure the best outcomes and enable their children to develop into resilient adults with good mental health.

Creating a positive and supportive environment for all children means reinforcing a shared language, activity, routines and strategies throughout the school. Making sure children feel seen, understood, and safe is crucial and requires positive, supportive relationships and interactions between teachers and children, making sure all children feel they fully ‘belong’ in the school.

SEL needs and development

The Public Health England Guidance¹ outlines the eight principles of a whole school approach that contribute towards protecting and promoting children’s mental health and wellbeing. In summary:

  • Leadership and management – a senior leadership team that champions efforts to promote mental health and wellbeing is essential for embedding mental health into school policies and improvement plans. Active, collective support from senior leaders and governors, including a designated Senior Mental Health Lead who leads through example, aligned with vision, values and beliefs. Empowering and ensuring staff wellbeing is prioritised alongside the provision for children.
  • Enabling student voice to influence decisions – it is vital that we actively listen to children and foster a sense of belonging and community. Listening to the perspective and experience of the child boosts belief in their own capabilities, building their knowledge and skills to make healthy choices and developing their independence. Children thrive when given a collective voice, enabling them to shape their environment and foster strong social bonds.
  • Curriculum teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning – schools should integrate practical and relevant social and emotional learning ‘taught’ explicitly through the curriculum, particularly through PSHE and SEMH targeted intervention but also in a way where the skills are modelled or acquired through a ‘caught’ approach where it is part of the values, ethos and culture of the school.
  • Staff development to support their own wellbeing and that of children – promoting staff wellbeing is an integral principle of the whole school approach. We need to start with the adults to create self-awareness, collegial support, develop their CPD and experience to equip them to be able to identify mental health difficulties in their children, as well as having formal and informal mechanisms in place, such as supervision and staff forums for ongoing support.
  • Identifying need and monitoring impact – to better understand and address mental health needs, SEMH assessment tools are required. Clear systems that monitor intent and outcome, ranging from simple feedback forms to validated measures, inform planning, resource allocation and effectiveness and feed into report writing, provision mapping and signposting.
  • Working with parents and carers – family plays a key role in influencing children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, so partnership working is vital. Parents need to feel heard, supported and part of the approach to supporting their children. Schools should clearly communicate mental health support to parents and collaborate with local authorities to connect them with wider community resources.
  • Targeted support and appropriate referrals – delays in identifying and meeting the mental SEMH needs can have far-reaching, lasting effects. Provision mapping with the needs of the child at the centre and a focus on social and emotional skills, with clear referral systems within school and to wider services, is important.

  • An ethos and environment that promotes, respects and values diversity – the school environment significantly affects children’s wellbeing. Respectful cultures, individualised support and positive relationships are essential. Through the relationships, how we are alongside children, the values systems that are modelled, how the school feels in terms of psychological safety, welcoming and where kindness is visible. The SEND code of practice provides statutory guidance and practical advice.

Public Health England Guidelines 2021

By ensuring policy, practice and relational approaches are at the centre of provision, schools can create an inclusive environment that nurtures pupils’ social, emotional, and mental wellbeing, enabling them to thrive, to have aspirations and to reach their potential both academically and personally.

¹ Public Health England working with the Department for Education https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614cc965d3bf7f718518029c/Promoting_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_and_wellbeing.pdf September 2021