The Mental Health, Wellbeing and Education SIG (launched in 2018) provides a dynamic and inclusive forum for academics, practitioners, researchers, students, and others passionate about education. This SIG offers a creative and eclectic range of events, publications and social media resources for the broad education community to engage in conversations about mental health and wellbeing, share their experiences, exchange knowledge, disseminate research findings, and forge new networks and collaborations. The global Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing mental health crisis which is tangible across education settings and the work of our SIG continues to grow in scope and impact in response to an ever-changing educational landscape. 

 Research interests 

• Mental health and wellbeing interventions in education  
• Education staff mental health and wellbeing 
• Children and young people’s mental health and outcomes 
• Educational and life transitions  
• Intersectional identities and their relationship with mental health 
• Mental health, wellbeing and digital technologies 
• Mental health and wellbeing strategies and policies 

 SIG aims: 

• To facilitate a network of academics, practitioners, researchers, students and others who have a special interest in mental health, wellbeing and education  
• To raise awareness and promote mental health and wellbeing for everyone in education  
• To encourage and support research in the area of mental health, wellbeing and education and contribute to knowledge 
• To create a dynamic forum to discuss pertinent issues in relation to mental health, wellbeing and education  

• To inform and shape good practice and education policy specifically in relation to mental health and wellbeing in education 
• To foster a diverse and inclusive culture of support and collaboration for the education community 
• To produce, support and deliver high-quality events, publications and social media content 

News

Mental Health on Record: A film created by young people

‘Mental Health on Record’ is a stop-motion animation film made by a group of young people which explores how contemporary views on mental health can be used to interpret historical records from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The project was run by the Education team at the National Archives in partnership with Richmond Borough Mind.

This film can be used to support KS3 and KS4 Health Education elements of the PSHE curriculum. You can view the video in full by following the link below and explore the lesson activities provided on the National Archives web pages: https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/mental-health-on-record/

Follow this link to view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcl1kIjAfGk&feature=emb_title

Looking after your self-ie: A guide to finding your balance on and offline
The Royal Society for Public health (RSPH) has developed a free, open access e-learning Looking after your self-ie: A guide to finding your balance on and offline, which aims to help social media users to build a meaningful, more balanced relationship with platforms. The programme focusses on awareness-raising; encouraging meaningful use by educating users on the potential harms and benefits of social media. Relevant to members of the public of all ages, the resource explores social media’s impact on loneliness, relationships, self-image, self-esteem, sleep, online trolling and bullying.

To access the guide, click on the following link: https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-services/e-learning/courses/free-courses/rsph-learn-looking-after-your-selfie.html 

Useful Links

• Relationships and Sex Education new curriculum guidance – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/908013/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf
• https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper
• Mental health foundation https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work
• Mental health: One in four young women struggling –  22 November 2018 – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46295719
• Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017 [PAS] https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2017/2017
• Break the stigma https://www.breakthestigma.org/
• Thorley, C. (2017) Not by Degrees: Improving students mental health in the UK’s universities, IPPR,  http://www.ippr.org/research/publications/not-by-degrees
• Mental Health Awareness Week – Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week will take place from 10-16 May 2021. The theme is ‘Nature’: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week
• Prince’s Trust Youth Index Report https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about-the-trust/research-policies-reports/youth-index-2018
• Mind your head evaluation report
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-49689893
• Royal College of Psychiatrists report on technology use and the mental health of children and young people
• How to Tell if Social Media is harming your Mental Health: https://www.zocdoc.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-social-media-is-harming-your-mental-health/ 

Twitter: @EdandHealth

Twitter Meets:

We host regular ‘chats’ on Twitter. Each chat is focused on a specific theme. In each chat, we post a series of questions for participants to respond to. The discussions are often lively and informal.

Examples of recent themes have included:

• The mental health and wellbeing of education practitioners
• Transitions
• Social media and mental health
• Student mental health in higher education

We would like to run more of these during 2023/24. If you would like to contribute to these, or if you have ideas for suitable topics, we would be delighted to hear from you.

BERA Mental Health, Wellbeing and Education Forum