Senior Mental Health Leads in schools and colleges can now apply for grant funding to access Department for Education (DfE) training. The DfE is offering a £1,200 grant for a senior member of school or college staff to access quality assured training to implement an effective whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing in your setting.
How to apply?
- Check the eligibility of your school or FE college on the Department for Education’s terms and conditions
- Reserve and pay for your place on our DfE approved training by completing the booking form
- Complete the DfE grant funding form
- Receive confirmation email from DfE
- Upload evidence of your booking to DfE
- Receive funding from Dfe
To find out more about the grant visit the Senior Mental Health Lead Guidance or download their latest leaflet.
Contact Us
All courses are suitable for:
- Infants, Juniors, Primary schools
- Secondary schools
- Colleges
- Middle deemed primary & secondary schools
- Special schools or Alternative provision
- Independent schools
Spring 2025 are dates now available to book on our Training calendar.
Please note our courses below are based on local need and are developed in collaboration with local service providers such as the local authority, NHS and other education specialists.
To help you access where you are in your knowledge around Senior Mental Health Lead training and to access the right level of training for you please use this pre-course self assessment tool.
Beginners Programme
Programme Content
**This course has been assured for DfE grant-funded senior mental health lead training – Use Code SMHL123 when applying **
This programme is for those who are new to the mental health lead role or have not previously accessed formal training. Taking on a new role in an already busy environment can be overwhelming and you may not know where to start. We will introduce you to the concept of a whole-school approach and help you start to think about how you can develop your strategy. We will use a range of tools to help you assess your current provision, prioritise needs, access resources and sources of information, and create an action plan.
The format of the programme will allow you to combine trainer-led sessions, additional peer networking forums, reflective coaching and supervision, and self-directed learning to provide a holistic suite of support to successfully implement and sustain a whole school approach in your setting.
The programme complements other local initiatives to add value and provide you with a comprehensive support package to support your whole school community with solutions to address the wider needs of your setting. You will have access to self-assessment tools, a competency framework to help assess staff training needs and a comprehensive web-based resource giving details of local services and resources.
- 1x 2hr workshop – An introduction to whole-school approaches
- 4 x 3hr workshops covering the following:
- Effective leadership and Creating a positive ethos & environment
- Identifying need, targeted support and impact
- Curriculum, teaching & learning, and staff development
- Student voice and parental engagement
- Termly 1.5hr peer networking forums with other leads^
- 2x 1.5hr Reflective group Supervision sessions (groups of 4-6)
- 30min 1to1 feedback session
- Web resource with self-directed learning tools, resources and templates
^All delegates on the training will have access to termly forums as part of the offer. However Schools within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be signposted towards their Mental Health Support Team or local Mental Health Forum (organised for non-MHST schools by the Emotional Wellbeing Service) as a recommended alternative option.
Intermediate Programme
Programme Content
**This course has been assured for DfE grant-funded senior mental health lead training – Use Code SMHL127 when applying **
This programme is for those who are familiar with the senior mental health lead role but either need to refresh their knowledge or have not had sufficient prior training to be confident in the role. We will take you through the eight principles of a whole school approach and help you review existing provisions and look at practical tools to develop your strategy. We will use a range of tools to help you strengthen your knowledge and confidence to identify needs, access resources and sources of information, and create a targeted action plan.
The format of the programme will allow you to combine trainer-led sessions, additional peer networking forums, reflective coaching and supervision, and self-directed learning to provide a holistic suite of support to successfully implement and sustain a whole school approach in your setting.
The programme complements other local initiatives to add value and provide you with a comprehensive support package to support your whole school community with solutions to address the wider needs of your setting. You will have access to self-assessment tools, a competency framework to help assess staff training needs, and a comprehensive web-based resource giving details of local services and resources.
- 4 x 3hr workshops covering the following:
- Effective leadership and Creating a positive ethos & environment
- Identifying need, targeted support and impact
- Curriculum, teaching & learning, and staff development
- Student voice and parental engagement
- Termly 1.5hr peer networking forums with other leads^
- 2x 1.5hr Reflective group Supervision sessions (groups of 4-6)
- 30min 1to1 feedback session
- Web resource with self-directed learning tools, resources and templates
^All delegates on the training will have access to termly forums as part of the offer. However Schools within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be signposted towards their Mental Health Support Team or local Mental Health Forum (organised for non-MHST schools by the Emotional Wellbeing Service) as a recommended alternative option.
Advanced Programme
Programme Content
**This course has been assured for DfE grant-funded senior mental health lead training – Use Code SMHL136 when applying **
This programme is for those who are experienced senior mental health leads but would like additional support for certain areas of the whole school approach, to help you effectively monitor and evaluate provision, and/or to sustain a long-term strategy that involves others.
Rather than attending a full training course, you will be given optional modules to attend based on needs, which will help you refresh your knowledge, re-assess and evaluate provision, as well as provide tools to support others in order to sustain your whole-school approach in your setting.
The format of the programme will allow you to combine trainer-led sessions, additional peer networking forums for you or colleagues to share good practice, reflective coaching and supervision, and self-directed learning to provide a holistic suite of tools and resources.
The programme complements other local initiatives to add value and provide you with a comprehensive support package to support your whole school with solutions to address the wider needs of your setting. You will have access to self-assessment tools, a competency framework to help assess staff training needs, and a comprehensive web-based resource giving details of local services and resources.
- 4x 3hr workshops covering one or more of the following:
- Effective leadership and Creating a positive ethos & environment
- Identifying need, targeted support and impact
- Curriculum, teaching & learning, and staff development
- Student voice and parental engagement
- Termly 1.5hr peer networking forums with other leads^
- 2x 1.5hr Reflective group Supervision sessions (groups of 4-6)
- 30min 1to1 feedback session
- Web resource with self-directed learning tools, resources and templates
^All delegates on the training will have access to termly forums as part of the offer. However Schools within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be signposted towards their Mental Health Support Team or local Mental Health Forum (organised for non-MHST schools by the Emotional Wellbeing Service) as a recommended alternative option.
Cost
£880+VAT (schools who are ineligible for the grant, or would like additional training can still book a place and purchase this separately)
Cost
£830+VAT (schools who are ineligible for the grant or would like additional training can still book a place and purchase this separately)
Cost
£990+VAT for the full programme (schools who are ineligible for the grant or would like additional training can still book a place and purchase this separately).
How To Book
Course dates are in the TARGETED section of our training calendar.
Please note that dates only include the training workshops at this stage, with the remainder of the programme (i.e. 1to1 feedback session, Forums and Reflective Supervision organised separately).
To reserve your place, please complete the booking form.
ALL delegates who attend our senior mental health lead training will also receive a 15% discount off any of our other training to be used for whole school programmes or any staff member from the setting as many times as you wish for up to 12 months!
