Nurturing Emotional Wellbeing in Schools

Emotional wellbeing provides the bedrock for learning

When schools address emotional wellbeing, they also provide the ideal conditions for the whole school community to engage in learning. It’s a win-win!

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Senior Mental Health Lead training

Information

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Healthy Minds has been developed by Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust CAMHS service in collaboration with Sheffield schools.

Initially launched as a whole school approach to emotional wellbeing in 2016, the service now includes the following:

  • The Sheffield Mental Health Support Team
  • Senior Mental Health Lead training
  • Further Healthy Minds training and resources in response to schools’ needs

Looking for help?

Sheffield Children’s Healthy Minds is here to help school staff promote positive wellbeing in schools.

If you’re looking for mental health support for yourself or someone you know: go to Further Support.

Healthy Minds works on the principle that schools are in an excellent position to educate about mental health, provide guidance and offer experiential learning that helps develop emotional resilience.

The service collaborates with schools to share psychological theory, trauma-informed learning, mental health research and practice alongside the expertise of schools to support school communities.

Healthy Minds has reached over 80% of mainstream schools in Sheffield.

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Services

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Whole school approach to emotional wellbeing

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A holistic emotional wellbeing offer for participating schools.

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Senior Mental Health Lead Training.
Future events and training library.

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Resources to support emotional wellbeing across the school community.

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News

The Sheffield Springs Academy Healthy Minds Champions

Have won the award for health and wellbeing at the Sheffield Youth Awards. On Monday, 10 November, Sheffield’s young Read More

Healthy Minds website launches

Please get in touch to let us know of any topics, training or resources you would like us to develop further or Read More

Sheffield Mental Health Support Team: Expanding School Partnerships from Easter 2026

Starting Easter 2026, the Sheffield Mental Health Support Team will be available to work with additional schools across Read More

Recommended reading

Working with Relational Trauma in Schools: An Educator’s Guide to Using Dyadic Developmental Practice By Louise Read More

HEALTHY MINDS SURVEYS

From 17,466 primary pupils in Sheffield.

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9% of primary pupils in Sheffield report that things are not going very well for them at all.

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The key issues reported as being a big problem for young people are

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29%

Sleep

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27%

Problems with friends

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24%

Worries

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19%

Feeling sad

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19%

Feeling angry

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19%

Schoolwork

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15%

Family problems

Feedback from Sheffield Children and Young People

“Sometimes people are mean to me”

“My grandma is ill”

“Sometimes I feel left out”

“I'm worried about my health”

“I fall out with my friends a lot”

“I struggle with learning ”

“I wish I was perfect”

“I worry about people getting hurt”

“I sometimes get urges to hurt others or myself”

“Stuff has gone badly wrong and I am trying to cope”

“Sometimes I feel like I can't talk to my friends because I have a different opinion”

“I feel sick a lot”

“Really struggling to focus”

“I am really struggling to know how to revise”

“I wish schools would focus on more things then just academic achievement”

“Everyone has high expectations of me”

“School can be very stressful especially when there are difficult things going on at home”

“Moving up to secondary has been very stressful - lots of homework and self study”

“I am struggling with anorexia”

“I find it hard to sleep”

“I get bullied for being small”

“I have been called fat which makes me feel bad about myself”

“I worry I wont finish my work on time and get a detention”

“My dad is worrying about his job which is hard as he is normally my anchor”

“GCSE stress”

“I'm exhausted”

“I've wanted to cry when I get home from school and I don't know why”

“I don't know how to explain, there is a lot of stuff going on”

“I do a lot of competitive sport which is making me stressed”

“I've lost my sense of taste from Covid and now having eating difficulties”

“I don't want to talk about it”

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