Importance of Mental Health

Mental Health in Primary School

Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) is a framework being expanded to all government primary schools across Victoria in recognition of the important role schools play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. The framework is reinforced by evidence-based tools and professional development from the University of Melbourne to support schools to assess their unique needs and create a whole school approach.

Schools can be flexible in the path that they take in developing their approach to support students’ mental health and wellbeing. The wellbeing of our students at FPS has long been a priority for teachers and families. Working within this framework we will follow a continuous improvement cycle to assess the mental health and wellbeing needs of our students, plan goals to support these needs, and reflect on the implementation of whole school strategies. 

Part of the model is for Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders (MHWLs) to complete the required training and take on the responsibility to:

• Build staff capacity to support student mental health through development and delivery of professional learning and support.
• Plan and implement a whole school approach.
• Support the creation of clear care pathways.
• Support teachers to implement evidence-based strategies and wellbeing supports.
• Work to enhance mental health literacy across the school community.

This is a dedicated role with protected time away from other responsibilities. 

Find out more about the program here:

What's Next

The work that we have been doing over the past couple of years as Wellbeing Leaders will be enhanced by this training, and supplemented by some of our current practices. For example; 

• School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports, 
• Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships, 
• Positive Classroom Management Strategies and the 
• Disability Inclusion Profile. 

Looking at wellbeing data collected through the Student Attitudes to School Survey, Parent Opinion Survey, and Teacher Opinion survey, we have been able to identify our first goal as MHWLs and School Leadership; develop consistent definitions of ‘mental health’ and ‘wellbeing’ across our school community. 

While this feels like a big idea, our MHiPS training shared the World Health Organisation’s definitions, that we plan to explore with school staff, students and the wider community:

• Mental health is a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.
• Wellbeing encompasses quality of life and the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose.
• Mental health literacy is the action that individuals or groups take to benefit their own mental health or that of others.

MHiPS is an approach which goes beyond the learning and teaching in the classroom to pervade all aspects of the life of a school, mutually reinforcing the connection between wellbeing and learning. As we continue through our MHiPS training and develop a plan to achieve our first goal, we will share more information through the newsletter.

Cathy Turner & Grace Clark

Wellbeing Leading Teachers