Place2Be is working in partnership with the Universities of Edinburgh and Stirling to ensure that future generations of teachers in Scotland are equipped with the skills and understanding to support children’s mental health.

The two-year pilot programme, started in September 2018, embedding specialist Place2Be clinicians into Moray House School of Education (The University of Edinburgh) and the Learning and Teaching department at The University of Stirling with the aims to bring mental health expertise to both students and staff within the schools.

 
The objectives of the pilot are to:

• Strengthen the two Schools of Education’s approach to mental health/emotional resilience
• Embed reflective practice in order to specifically engage deeper learning in supporting children’s emotional wellbeing
• Through direct teaching input enable students to gain knowledge, skills and opportunities for critical reflection in relation to mental health in schools (for example attachment theory, Adverse Childhood Experiences)

The announcement of the pilot followed research conducted by SAMH, which revealed that 63% of teachers in Scotland don’t feel they received sufficient training in mental health to allow them to carry out their role properly, and only one in 100 respondents recalled doing detailed work on mental health when they were student teachers.

Read the 1st year evaluation summary

Student teachers and lecturers talk about the pilot