Lesson 7 of 7 · 5 min · 8-card deck

Pupil wellbeing and mental health awareness

Recognising mental health needs and your role within a wider system.

Around 1 in 6 children aged 5–16 in England now has a probable mental health condition. As a teacher, you are not a clinician — but you are very often the first adult to notice that something is wrong, and your response can be the start of help.

Common indicators include sustained changes in mood, withdrawal from friends, falling attainment, fatigue, irritability, signs of self-harm, weight changes, or expressed hopelessness. These overlap with safeguarding concerns and should be treated with the same seriousness — record and refer.

Active recall flashcards

Work through every card. Try to answer in your head before flipping — the act of retrieving is what builds durable memory.

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Practice scenario

A teacher notices a normally cheerful Year 8 pupil has been quiet, exhausted and tearful for three weeks. He logs the change with the pastoral team, who arrange a check-in with the pupil and contact home. A referral is made to the school counsellor.

Try this in your classroom

Watch for sustained mood and behaviour change — not one-off bad days.
Refer wellbeing concerns through pastoral/DSL routes.
Build predictability and low-stakes participation into lessons.
Protect your own wellbeing — supervision, boundaries, sustainable workload.