It takes a community to care: Mental health support in senior schools

When we reflect on our schooldays, it’s often the big events that we remember: that trip overseas, the traditions we took part in, the major successes or the crushing failures. But for this generation of children, I’d hope that what will stand out will also be the people who cared and supported them through their time; those that went above and beyond in their roles. 

Children’s Mental Health Week offers an important moment for reflection, not just on the needs of young people, but on the responsibility we hold as schools to care well, consistently and collectively. In senior schools especially, where pupils are navigating adolescence, following a childhood where they were locked in and isolated, or entertained by screens, mental health support cannot be an add-on. It must be embedded, visible and rooted in genuine care. 

In recent years, many schools have recognised the growing demand for mental health provision. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that ad hoc initiatives, however well-intentioned, are no longer enough. Young people need systems they can trust, staffed by adults who know them, within a culture that actively encourages help seeking rather than quietly discouraging it. 

At Worksop College, this understanding led us to develop the Willow Hub Initiative: a physical space, but also a multifaceted, school-wide wellbeing programme designed to support pupils, staff and families alike. Central to its purpose are three aims: ensuring access to professional mental health support with minimal wait times; improving early identification and intervention; and empowering young people with the skills to care for themselves and others long after they leave school. 

What matters most, however, is not the structure of the programme, but how it was built. From the outset, our ethos was simple: wellbeing works best when a community takes ownership of it together. Pupils, staff and parents were involved at every stage, from shaping provision to physically transforming an old school shop into a fully functioning wellbeing centre. That collective effort sent a powerful message: this space belongs to everyone. 

Like many schools nationally, we have seen an increase in anxiety and depression amongst pupils of all ages. In response, our in-house mental health team introduced trainee counselling and psychotherapy placements, allowing us to maintain exceptionally low wait times from self-referral to professional support. We also invested in further early intervention strategies, using STEER data to help guide our tutors in their weekly one-to-one tutorials with pupils. The combination of the two has been transformative. 

Crucially, our response extended beyond pupils. Supporting young people’s mental health also means supporting the adults around them. We enhanced access to in-house counselling for staff, delivered trauma-informed CPD, and offered evidence-based wellbeing and mindfulness courses for both staff and parents. Care, after all, is not a finite resource, but it does require replenishment. 

External data, year on year, has since shown a measurable shift in our school culture, including an increase in pupils proactively seeking support. We have been particularly proud of the effect on the boys’ houses. This matters because it tells us something vital: when young people feel safe, seen and respected, they will speak up. 

Our work has been recognised as we were recipients of the Independent School of the Year for Pupil Wellbeing 2025, but ultimately, the greatest lesson we have learned is this: asking for help is a strength, but only when there are people ready to listen. Mental health support in senior schools succeeds not because of one initiative or one team, but because of a community that chooses, every day, to care. 

So, when our pupils reflect on their time at Worksop College, I hope they will remember the events, the trips, and the traditions, but more than that, the names and the faces of the people that cared and cared well.