Whole school approach (WSA)
A mentally healthy school or college is one that adopts a whole school/college approach to mental health and wellbeing. This brings the whole school/college together.
It needs partnership working between:
- senior leaders
- teachers and school staff
- parents and carers
- the wider community
This broad approach is more effective than focusing on only one or two parts of school/college life.
Providing healthy and happy school/college environments for children and young people, and staff:
- supports effective learning
- prepares children and young people with their readiness to learn
A whole school/college approach to mental health and wellbeing is a process, not a one-off activity.
The following pages provide resources and information based on the eight key principles of a whole school/college approach.
To audit mental health and inform action plans you can use the:
- School health check
- WSA: Mapping and planning tool [225.1 KB] [xlsx]
