Children’s Mental Health Week 2025
Children’s Mental Health Week 2025
This week marks the 10th annual Children’s Mental Health Week, launched by Place2Be, with this year’s theme being “Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.” Place2Be has partnered with The Walt Disney Company to provide resources for children to understand their emotions and deal with those emotions appropriately. For anyone who has watched Inside Out 2, you will be familiar with the havoc caused by the arrival of the new orange character named “Anxiety”.
But beyond parents helping to navigate a child’s path through the complexities of their emotions at home, a school aged child spends at least 30 hours per week at school. So, what can, and what should, a school be doing to also support their pupils? If the school isn’t doing what it should, how can an education solicitor help?
The interaction between children’s mental health issues and their educational experiences
In my work I regularly observe that a child suffering from mental health issues has a profound impact upon their ability to learn.
Those mental health issues may stem from a variety of sources either outside of school, such as bereavement or Covid; or from experiences within school, such as bullying or other safeguarding issues.
Whatever the root cause of children’s mental health issues, it is imperative that a school is able to recognise those issues and then act appropriately to help the child to access the support they need to be able to enjoy an enriching educational experience.
If these issues are not caught early, or not dealt with effectively, they will only magnify with many children refusing to attend school at all. This can have far reaching consequences into a child’s future, so much so that there is Government guidance encouraging schools to Work Together to improve school attendance and to “be particularly mindful of pupils absence from school due to mental… ill health”.
What should a school do to support its pupils with mental health issues and how can we help?
- Recognise those pupils with a mental health concern and access support from external agencies
Education staff should be alert to identify those pupils either suffering from a mental health concern or at risk of doing so. They should talk to the parents about accessing support from external agencies such as CAMHS.
If the school or college fails in this duty, we can support you to advocate for the child, navigate the school’s complaints procedure or pursue legal action if necessary
- Provide support for a child’s Special Educational Needs (SEN)
A child suffering from a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression, may need adjustments made to the way they are taught. For example, they may need rest breaks in exams or therapeutic intervention to enable them to access education. Schools are generally able to provide some level of SEN support without the need for an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
If the school fails to provide the appropriate adjustments, we can support you to navigate the relevant school policies and law to persuade the school to comply with its duties to children with SEN.
- Assist families with the process to obtain an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
If a child’s needs cannot be met with the provision provided at school, the child may need additional support provided by a Local Authority as detailed in an EHCP.
If the school does not offer this assistance to the parents, we can work with you and the school through the assessment process, to securing the appropriate support is included in the EHCP, ensuring the EHCP support is then implemented and appealing any decisions to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
- Managing disciplinary processes including, in particular, suspensions and exclusions
I regularly see a link between children with underlying additional needs being punished by schools for behaviour which should more appropriately be attributed to those needs rather than the child being labelled ‘naughty’.
If a child has additional needs, those should be borne in mind when a school applies its behaviour policy.
If a school incorrectly applies its policies, we can help support you to challenge exclusion decisions and work with you to seek the child’s return to school.
Our team recognises the importance of children accessing the support they need as soon as possible and will support you to do so.
Get in touch with our children’s mental health solicitors
The information given here is intended for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice.
For specific guidance relevant to your situation and to arrange an initial fixed fee education law consultation, with one of our specialist education solicitors, please contact our education law administrators, Kinjal or Rachael, on 01895 207 961 or email educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk.
