Supporting pupil mental health: Bullying and loneliness

Introduction

This bitesize CPD collection is part of a series of online micro learning units for teachers and school leaders on supporting pupil mental health and wellbeing in practice. The units offer insights into best practice in supporting children and young people, building on the latest evidence base. They are designed to develop knowledge around a range of topics that now form part of the statutory Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, supporting teachers to consider how they might most effectively deliver these topics as part of the curriculum. Specifically, topics covered include:

• Anxiety
• Sleep and screen time
• Bullying and loneliness
• Trauma
• Eating disorders
• Self harm
• Addiction and substance use
• Bereavement
• Social media
• Whole-school approaches

These online micro learning units incorporate a range of content types to support professional learning and reflective practice, including:

• Recordings from ‘Pedagogy in practice’ – a webinar series developed in partnership with The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) with a focus on how to teach key topics aligned with the RSHE curriculum
• Access to a Padlet with ideas and resources shared by teachers
• Case studies from practising teachers and school leaders and research reviews summarising the latest evidence base
• Reflective questions to support learning and reading lists signposting further sources and support.

This online learning is being supported by the Bupa Foundation and the Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH).

Webinar

In this webinar, Dr Verity Jones discusses how racism (as a form of bullying) impacts the mental health and wellbeing of children aged nine to 11 years old, drawing on findings from ongoing interdisciplinary research involving experts in education, creative art and psychology. Verity considers the strategies children use to cope with bullying and loneliness and how teachers and schools can work towards inclusive educational experiences. The webinar also features a presentation by Sharon Mangoma (MCCT) on encouraging students to reflect upon and perform intentional acts of kindness within the school context. Panelists Harriet Gill (Managing Director of Education and Wellbeing, Coram Life Education) and Jenny Barksfield (Deputy CEO and Director of Education, PSHE Association) discuss questions raised during the webinar. Further information can be found on the event page on our Video Hub.

Webinar transcript download

Padlet

This Padlet includes resources and ideas shared by practitioners during the webinar.