Undertake a work-based project to improve an aspect of supporting pupil mental wellbeing at own school or college, informed by current research and scholarship, and conducted in ethically approved, methodologically robust ways.

Module Aims

• To enable students to clearly differentiate between the SMHS and other school or college-based staff and external stakeholders who support children and young people in school or college.
• To develop the knowledge, skills, confidence, and competence of the school mental health specialist through visiting and learning from other schools and colleges.
• To develop the research skills and data analysis capabilities of students by undertaking an independent work-based study.

Module Learning Outcomes

• LO1 – Differentiate the roles and responsibilities of the SMHS, from internal staff and external organisations who support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
• LO2 – Compile a detailed, evidence-based case study of how another school or college support their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing after visiting them and use this to draw thoughtful conclusions regarding relevant applications to own school or college.
• LO3 – Undertake a work-based project to improve an aspect of supporting pupil mental wellbeing at own school or college, informed by current research and scholarship, and conducted in ethically approved, methodologically robust ways.

Assessment Information SummaryIn this module, students will undertake a work-based project after consultation with a course tutor. Whilst course students will be given the same assessment brief and be assessed against the module learning outcomes, course students are given a great deal of autonomy and choice in terms of the specific focus of their project. They will also choose a peer from the course to visit at their school or college, enabling peer support and inclusive learning.The assessment for this module is a work-based project and participants will receive guidance and supervision in choosing the focus of attention for their project, with the project as it takes place and in the write-up of the project.Through the course, each student will have a work-based mentor (for example the school or college senior lead for mental health) and will receive supervision from a suitably trained and experienced course tutor. This is not clinical supervision but will support course participants as they apply the learning and development gained during the course to their role as the school mental health specialist.Indicative Reading

• Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper (Cm 9523, 2017) London: Department of Health and Department for Education. [Accessed 25 April 2023].
• Department for Education (2016) Mental health and behaviour in schools. Departmental advice for school staff. Department for Education. [Accessed 25 April 2023].
• Beer, M., Eisenstat, R. & Spector, B. (1990) Why change programs don’t produce change. Harvard Business Review, 68 (6) Nov-Dec, pp. 7-12.
• Schaffer, R. & Thomson, H. (1992) Successful change programs begin with results. Harvard Business Review, 70 (1), pp. 80-89.
• Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Second Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
• McLeod, S. A. (2017). Kolb’s Learning Styles And Experiential Learning Cycle. [Accessed 25 April 2023].