Health column: mental health in schools – from a young person’s perspective
When we think about mental health, we often focus on illness or diagnoses, but it’s much broader than that.
Mental wellbeing is shaped by how we think, feel and cope with everyday life.
It includes resilience, hope, connection and the confidence that we can recover when things are difficult. Every emotion, experience and positive interaction helps build our sense of stability and happiness.
Across the UK, more young people are finding life challenging, making the supportive role of schools more important than ever.
School is where children and teenagers spend most of their time and it influences their friendships, identity, confidence and sense of the future. When school feels safe, understanding and encouraging, it lays the foundation for lifelong wellbeing.
It’s encouraging that conversations about mental health are becoming more open. Young people now want this awareness reflected in everyday school life.
We want schools where emotional wellbeing is valued alongside academic success; where adults are approachable, notice when something might be wrong and feel confident offering support early.
Feeling listened to, understood and safe can make a huge difference to how young people experience school.
Early support truly changes lives. Teachers often spot the first signs that something is wrong, a change in mood, behaviour or motivation.
When school staff know how to respond to these signs, it becomes much easier for young people to reach out.
Schools already prepare us academically, but emotional resilience, social confidence and coping skills are just as important for navigating life’s pressures.
Being a teenager can feel complicated. We’re learning who we are, managing friendships and family expectations, dealing with social media and keeping up with schoolwork and exams.
Schools can play a key role in easing that pressure by slowing down, listening and creating space for honest conversations.
When wellbeing sits at the heart of school life, students feel more grounded and supported.
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to go for help, which is why strong partnerships between schools, local services and national organisations matter.
When these connections work well, young people get the right support at the right time and feel confident asking for it.
In Wigan, young people benefit from a wide range of support.
The Wigan Healthy Schools programme helps schools build environments where wellbeing is prioritised.
Wigan Youth Zone offers a safe, welcoming space with trained youth workers, and research shows that 80 per cent of members feel happier through regular attendance.
CAMHS supports young people experiencing challenges such as anxiety, depression or family pressures.
Kooth provides an anonymous online space for support.
WithYou Wigan and Leigh offers individual and group support in familiar community settings.
For those aged 16 and over, Think Wellbeing Wigan provides free NHS support for concerns like anxiety, low mood or sleep difficulties.
More than 30 per cent of Wigan schools now have Mental Health in Schools Teams (MHIST) and every school has a trained senior mental health lead.
But schools can’t do this alone. Supporting young people’s mental health is a shared effort involving families, teachers, health professionals, community organisations, local councils and national partners.
If schools across Wigan continue creating supportive environments and everyone works together to make help easier to access, young people feel valued and reassured that they don’t have to face things alone.
When our wellbeing comes first, we feel more confident, more supported and better able to thrive now and in the future.