Resources for school professionals
CYP Mental Health Pathway Guidance
Finding the right help at the right time to support children and young people (CYP) with their mental health and wellbeing can be confusing.
Schools and settings are placed in different localities that have different support structures or services around them. Some buy in their own mental health support services, others have Mental Health Support Teams (MHST).
The Derby and Derbyshire Mental Health Pathway Guidance has been developed with this in mind to assist those who work with CYP in Derbyshire and Derby City.
Schools and settings can add their own information to make it bespoke to them. Local CAMHS Specialist Community Advisors (SCA) can help and support with the development to make it comprehensive and relevant.
Policy template for schools
The Charlie Waller Mental Health Charity provides customisable documents to help schools develop policies and procedures around mental health and wellbeing.
Download a PDF of their guidance pack, which contains:
- Part A: Guidance for writing a Mental Health and Wellbeing policy for schools.
- Part B: A template for schools to customise their Positive Mental Health policy and procedures.
- Appendices: Further information and sources of support about common mental health issues.
Whole School Approach Mapping Tool
The diagram at the heart of this mapping tool represents the eight principles developed by Public Health England to promote a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing in schools.
A whole school approach is a whole systems approach and goes beyond learning and teaching in the classroom.
It pervades all aspects of school life including the school’s ethos and environment and its partnerships with parents and carers and the wider community.
There’s also a template for creating your own Wellbeing Action Plan.
Governor resources
As part of the Whole School Approach to mental health and wellbeing, it’s important to include all who contribute to children and young people’s learning. These training videos are a great way to support school governors in approaching wellbeing in a school context.
The Ethos and Environment Governor Training Video aims to:
- clarify your role as a governor with regard to ethos and environment
- consider what ethos is and why it is important
- provide activities to help develop the ethos and environment in your school.
The Whole School Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing Governor Training Video aims to:
- give understanding as to what a whole school approach to wellbeing is
- consider the power of pupil voice
- listen to the ingredients of a mentally healthy school from a pupil’s perspective.
SMILERS resources
SMILERS is a Derbyshire County Council wellbeing initiative designed to support mental health and emotional wellbeing in primary‑aged children. It provides a simple, memorable framework to help children understand and practice everyday habits that improve wellbeing.
Brain Break Wheel
SMILERS created a Brain Break Wheel as a fun way inject short activities into lessons, boosting energy and resetting attention.
Have a go on the Brain Break Wheel!
- Visit the Brain Break Wheel on the SMILERS website
- Click on ‘Edit options’
- Add your own brain break ideas to the boxes
- Click on Return to wheel
- Click on Spin… and enjoy!
For inspiration, take a look at the SMILERS videos and add some of those to the activity options!
Walter and the Restless Night – Lesson Plan
In partnership with the University of Derby through their Endeavour Project, SMILERS have written a story called Walter and the Restless Night.
It highlights the importance of sleep and is supported with a lesson plan that could be adapted and used in PSHE lessons, using the power of storytelling.
It aims to help children explore:
- what helps us fall asleep
- how we can get a good night’s rest.
The Power of Music
This is a resource aimed at professionals to use in schools to highlight ‘The Power of Music’ in supporting our wellbeing.
Developed in collaboration with the Derby and Derbyshire Music Partnership, it contains activities linked to music and the 7 ways to wellbeing, aiming to support children and adults with their health and wellbeing.
Healthy Smiles
As part of promoting good oral health, SMILERS created Feed Your Smile, highlighting the connection between diet and oral health.
Each of the SMILERS ways can help to boost our wellbeing and all can be done in ways that has an impact on our oral health. Take a look at our SMILERS Feed Your Smile activities.
Visit the Oral Health Foundation website below for more activities and downloadable resources.
SMILERS and Screen Time
SMILERS has collaborated with I-vengers to develop a resource linked to screen time.
These activities help to boost our wellbeing and all can be done in ways that have an impact on our mental and physical health.
SMILERS: Climate Change and Sustainability
We know children hear a lot about climate change and this may trigger lots of different emotions for them.
We also know that connecting together or with nature and taking action are wonderful ways to help make meaningful links and changes that support our mental health and protect our planet.
SMILERS have created a set of free activities with a climate change and sustainability focus that can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation or as a PDF.
Wise Ways to travel smart
Put smiles in your miles and move your feet to the Travel Smart beat! Travel Smart Week is campaign is supported by Public Health Grant and SMILERS, as well as the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership.
During the campaign week pupils, parents and carers are encouraged to follow the SMILERS ways to wellbeing on their school journey. Each day of Travel Smart week has a SMILERS wellbeing focus alongside an active travel themed song to help inspire a healthier and safer school journey which is good for us and the world around us!
Example of previous themes are given below, to help you plan your own Travel Smart Week.
Stay connected Monday
Pupils are encouraged to share, sing and chat with the friends and grown-ups they travel with about the songs which make them happy.
I like to move it Tuesday
Pupils move it, shake it off, jump, stomp, hopscotch or get spinning around on their wheels for an active school journey.
Walk this way Wednesday
Pupils are reminded to keep their senses tuned. To stop, look out and listen for traffic when they get to the roadside and to look out for each other and for safer places to cross.
Step back in time Thursday
Pupils are encouraged to find out interesting and fascinating facts about journeys in the past.
Feel good Friday
Pupils are reminded to encourage drivers to switch off when they drop off and to park away from school for a fume free Friday that helps everyone smile and feel good!
Take a look at another example of a previous Travel Smart Week.
You can use the PowerPoint or download the PDF to promote Travel Smart week in your school in a classroom or assembly setting. You can also edit and adapt it as necessary, including taking screenshots of the slides for your social media, newsletters and other forms of communication.
You can share your ideas, stories and your top 10 Travel Smart Tunes that inspire you to make an active journey on the Travel Smart X account and Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership on X.
SMILERS Ways to Wellbeing posters
View the Key Stage 1 and 2 posters:
- SMILERS Wellbeing - Key Stage 1 Poster
- SMILERS Goal Setting - Key Stage 2 Poster
- SMILERS Stay Connected - Key Stage 2 Poster
- SMILERS Move - Key Stage 2 Poster
- SMILERS Interest - Key Stage 2 Poster
- SMILERS Look - Key Stage 2 Poster
- SMILERS Eat Well - Key Stage 2 Poster
- SMILERS Rest - Key Stage 2 Poster
- SMILERS Support - Key Stage 2 Poster
SMILERS videos
The SMILERS programme is used as part of a whole‑school approach across Derbyshire schools and aligns with the Five Ways to Wellbeing. The SMILERS short videos support the delivery of this. The first group of videos listed below include hip hop moves, breathing techniques and beat boxing sessions for children to try out.
These videos can also support the brain break activity wheel in tab 5, and provide a great opportunity to try something new.
SMILERS activity videos:
Extension activities:
- Can you teach the moves to someone else?
- Can you make up your own?
SMILERS midday supervisor videos
SMILERS has a series of short videos with ideas for lunchtime activities, helping to promote connection, activity and general wellbeing:
Stay Connected
Move
Interest
Look
Support
Staff wellbeing
We know that it’s important for school/setting staff to have access to good mental health and wellbeing support. Below are some recommended resources to help with this:
Supporting Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Video
Created by the charity Education Support, this video outlines what wellbeing means and provides resources, ideas and signposting for the Education Workforce.
School Workload Reduction Toolkit Guidance
These are practical resources for school leaders and teachers to help reduce workload.
Produced by school leaders, teachers and other sector experts together with the Department for Education (DfE), they’ve been tested with a range of schools across England. They can be adapted to fit your school context and can be used in colleges and other settings.
These resources will help you to identify workload issues in your school; address workload issues in your school (such as feedback and marking); and evaluate the impact of workload reduction measures.
Wellbeing Measurement for School Staff Survey
This guidance provides sets of questions to help schools and colleges better understand their staff and provide them with the support they need. It includes tools that can be used to measure wellbeing robustly and consistently. Use these sets of questions to find out:
- how teachers and school or college staff are feeling
- what is driving good and poor mental health (including asking staff how they feel about work practices, culture, engagement and management)
- how supported teachers and school or college staff feel
- whether staff feel equipped to support children and young people with their mental health
- any additional support they need for their mental health and wellbeing.
Schools and colleges may want to use the whole survey or may want to select sections from it, depending on priorities and needs.
Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire
A healthy workplace environment can benefit both the organisation and its staff. Research shows investing in health and wellbeing can enable staff feeling valued, increase productivity, reduce sickness absence and improve staff retention.
Part of Derbyshire Public Health, we support workplaces across Derbyshire (excluding Derby City) in the public, private, community and voluntary sectors to:
- invest in initiatives promoting health and wellbeing
- create a working environment that is happy, healthy, supportive and productive.
They’ve created a brief video overview of the support they offer. For more information, register your interest and complete this online form.
You can also sign up to their newsletter and follow them on X and Facebook.
Further resources and information
More information and guidance for supporting staff wellbeing: