Support Your Primary School Pupils Experiencing Mental Health Issues

You can usually tell when a child in your class isn't themselves. Knowing what to do next, with no spare budget and no specialist on the staff, is the hard part. A primary headteacher who built a full mental health offer on very little money shows how to start small.

The ideas cost little. Try three minutes of guided meditation straight after playtime, or free a teaching assistant for one afternoon a week to check in with children who need a bit of TLC. An emotional register on the classroom whiteboard makes feelings an everyday topic, and you'll see how support steps up through pastoral care to interventions such as ELSA.

You'll also know where the school's job stops, when a family needs the GP or CAMHS, and how to push back if an outside agency asks more than your staff can safely do.