A new wellbeing and mental health programme is being launched for Bristol schools in a bid to halt rising trends in teenage suicide rates. These have increased by 45 per cent over the past decade.
The initiative, which is set to give support to up to 1m pupils in its first year, is backed by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi MP and has also been welcomed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The scheme is said to be part of the largest ever mental health and wellbeing programme to take place in UK classrooms, said Govox Wellbeing in a statement, with all state secondary schools in Bristol able to sign up now.
Richard Lucas, founder of Govox Wellbeing, said: “We truly want to make mental health support available to as many pupils in Bristol as possible. Tight budgets should not stop them getting the help that, both the data and the personal experience of so many, shows is urgently needed.
Read more: Casamia Bristol announces permanent closure due to 'financial unviability'
"It is time to remove the stigma around talking about how we feel and move on from the ‘man up’ generation to the ‘speak up’ generation. I am urging every school in Bristol to sign up so we can work together to ensure that any pupils who are struggling can be identified and get the help they need.”
Govox Wellbeing said pupils involved complete simple ‘check ins’ on the Govox Wellbeing platform, where they answer a set of short questions that analyse their overall mental health, providing a ‘wellbeing score’ and flagging any concerning findings, in particular highlighting any ‘high risk’ pupils.
The £5m programme is being funded and run by Govox, which is offering the platform – developed with input from experts at King's College London and NHSx – completely free of charge in up to 1,000 schools nationally, it continued. The programme is being offered on a first-come-first-served basis, meaning every school in Bristol is currently able to sign up.
Schools in Bristol are being urged to sign up to the programme in May and early June in order for the platform to be installed ahead of the summer holidays, in time for the new academic year, Govox added. The 1,000 school places will be offered on a first-come-first served basis, but any schools who do not sign up in time are able to register their interest for the planned future expansion of the programme.
The programme is being delivered with the signposting support of suicide prevention charity Papyrus, the Mental Health Foundation and Local Mind, the statement continued. Govox also said that research from the British Journal of Psychiatry suggests that one in 14 (seven per cent) children have tried to end their life by the age of 17.
"According to Young Minds, one in six children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in 2021, a huge increase from one in nine in 2017," it added. "The programme will allow schools in Bristol to assess pupils' overall mental wellbeing, ability to cope with their work and exams, and any other pressures or issues they may be facing.
"It provides ongoing monitoring to make struggling pupils visible to schools, offers personal wellbeing reports on each pupil, and signposts to relevant organisations if external support is required."
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi MP, said: “This Conservative government is putting an extra £2.3 billion into mental health services in the next year and this, alongside entrepreneurs and passionate advocates of mental health like Richard Lucas we will be able to massively improve and protect the mental health of younger generations in the UK today.”
