One of the best ways schools can support children with medical and mental health conditions is by simply listening to them.

Young people know what is helpful and what is unhelpful. They are also creative and inspirational in finding solutions.

Additionally, schools find that when they work together with young people to overcome their challenges, the school then becomes a more positive place for all of their students, not just those identified as having medical or mental health needs.

What is helpful:

1. Hold awareness weeks every term. Ask young people that are comfortable with it, to give lectures talks about their own medical/mental health conditions.
2. Let students tell teachers only as much as they are happy to share.
3. Give students a time out card and let them sit near the door so that it is possible for them to leave discretely if things become overwhelming.
4. Allow students to wear noise-reducing headphones to reduce sensory impact.
5. Make the young person feel as comfortable as possible through extended deadlines.
6. Reduce pressure on exams/class tests and offer support where needed
7. Identify a named member of staff the young person feels comfortable with, so they have someone to talk to if they need to.

What is not helpful:

1. If students are falling behind in the classroom and struggling to do homework, it is sometimes out of their control. Often they cannot simply motivate themselves by saying “try harder” or “be more focussed”.
2. For some young people, it is not always helpful to keep asking them how they are feeling. Instead, make time to review how things are going for them.
3. Do not assume a child or young person cannot do something just because of their medical needs. Instead, ask them and find out; a simple adjustment might be all they need.

One student's experience:

The school that I used to go to wasn’t very aware of mental health issues, despite the rising occurrences in young people and adults.

There was little to no support, no education around the subject and a stigma amongst both teachers and students towards those who were in difficult situations, making the already difficult social environment even more challenging. As you could imagine, this did not do anything to help our mental health.

There was a counsellor at the school, however, they often didn’t keep the level of confidentiality or sensitivity required in a lot of situations, leaving pupils knowing that there was something wrong, but it wasn’t important enough to change anything, making them feel like they were isolated, and often exacerbating the situation.

Students were left to suffer in silence, thinking no one could understand, an approach that is outdated to say the least. The few who were referred to CAHMS were done so without the due urgency or empathy, leading to waiting times of at least 3 months.

The least they should have done is treated those students with care and support during that waiting time, instead of forcing them to continue with exams and homework, piling on pressure, despite their issues with either mental health, or home situations.

Student F