“You can't stop the waves...
... but you can learn to surf”

Mental health issues, whether generated internally or externally, have become an increasing challenge for schools and colleges. Significant amounts of time and resources are being spent, both in supporting and promoting the wellbeing of staff and pupils, and in trying to manage and reduce the many working hours and days lost directly and indirectly to mental health problems.

Even with the wide range of mental health support tools and training programmes now available and being adopted, mental health problems continue to rise and, increasingly, schools and colleges simply do not have enough time, money or counsellors to meet the growing needs of staff and pupils facing mental health challenges.

An ability to identify and adopt proactive and preemptive approaches that will reduce the number and severity of individual mental health challenges is vital.

How can we help?

andResilience for schools is about creating and supporting an environment where students, staff and parents are encouraged to adapt and cope effectively in the face of stress, trauma and mental health adversity, whether in a personal or an educational context. In particular it encourages everyone to:

• recognise that life is often far from perfect, and that wellbeing, happiness and success depend on how well-prepared individuals are to step up to and overcome the challenges they will face.
• take a positive, ‘can-do’ mindset in the face of all types of adversity
• explore the different resources and techniques organisations and individuals can adopt to reduce the impact of the many challenges they face.

What is the andResilience Proposition?

andResilience for Schools will support you in changing the mindset and narrative around Mental Health to always include resilience and provide you with the tools you need to achieve that change. This involves:

1. Creating a Positive Mental Health Narrative and Mindset: At the centre of the approach is a commitment to incorporate the word Resilience into the written and spoken word, promoting resilience into the business’s mental health and wellbeing strategy and into the employee mindset. So “Mental Health” becomes “Mental Health and Resilience” and “Wellbeing” becomes “Wellbeing and Resilience” (and/or variations around this theme). Just taking this one simple (no cost) step will start reshaping a school’s mental health and well-being narrative and focus and create a more positive mindset when tackling mental health and other challenges. Our Foundations Programme has been created to support schools in taking this first step.
2. Identifying and Adopting Resilience Best Practices: In addition, the andResilience Best Practice Gateway for Schools offers online access to established resilience building strategies that schools can use with students, parents and staff immediately and also includes strategies which staff and parents can adopt individually. These resources have been gathered from charities, schools and mental health specialists, offering a range of resilience strategies and tools that you can search and adopt in different settings. Go to: Resources: Best Practice Gateway.