Our Senior Mental Health Lead Training has been assured for Department for Education grant funding, Course Code SMHL067. To book your place, please visit our dedicated booking page.
Senior Mental Health Lead in schools training is a two-day DfE fully funded course that provides a designated senior leader at your setting with the tools to develop a whole school or college approach to wellbeing and mental health.
Department for Education grants are now available for training starting in the 2024-2025 financial year (before 31st March 2025).
Schools and colleges can now claim a second DfE £1200 SMHL grant if their previously trained Senior Mental Health Lead has left the setting.
How is the Senior Mental Health Lead Training delivered?
Before the course, Senior Mental Health Leads (SMHLs) will complete a 30-minute self-guided E-learning session that introduces the topic and offers useful digital resources.
SMHLs will then engage in a two-day programme delivered over consecutive weeks online via Zoom. Delegate numbers per course are restricted to a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 16 to keep SMHLs supported while they learn.
Courses are facilitated by an expert Altruist trainer with a wealth of experience in supporting a diverse range of educational settings, engaging with senior leaders and supporting them to foster cultural and organisational change. The trainer is accompanied by a young person facilitator who will share their lived experience of mental ill-health whilst in education.
During the training, a peer network of mental health leads will be established to encourage sharing ideas and best practices. This support will exist beyond the completion of the training and will involve a Facebook group and in-person meetups.
Following the training, each Senior Mental Health Lead will be offered a one-to-one coaching session with an Altruist trainer to provide personalised support with their whole school/college approach.
Book your place today on one of our cohorts.
Am I eligible for Senior Mental Health Lead grant funding?
The following settings are eligible for Senior Mental Health Lead grant funding:
- mainstream academies and local authority maintained schools
- special academies and local authority maintained schools special schools (including alternative provision)
- independent special schools whose pupils’ education is funded by their local authority
- further education (FE) colleges attended by under 18-year-olds (one claim per campus ID)
- sixth-form colleges
- special post-16 institutions
- non-maintained special schools
- local authorities
- independent training providers
We also offer tailored mental health lead training to independent schools. Independent institutions (with fee-paying pupils and students) that do not receive the funding types outlined above are not eligible for a grant, but they can still access DfE assured training courses that are open to self-funded learners.
Confirm you meet the eligibility criteria for the Senior Mental Health Lead DfE grant.
Who is the Senior Mental Health Lead training for?
Your school or college can decide who your Senior Mental Health Lead is and could be your;
- Headteacher
- Deputy headteacher
- Member of the senior leadership team (SLT)
- If not a senior leader, an appropriate member of staff, working with colleagues, who is empowered to develop and oversee your whole school or college approach
A Senior Mental Health Lead is not a mental health professional. The designated mental health lead in schools role is not to diagnose mental health issues or deliver interventions.
How to apply for the Senior Mental Health Lead Training DfE Funding?
Each setting can apply for a fixed value grant of £1200 to train one person. The funding consists of £800 for the high-quality training and £400 to support further wellbeing initiatives.
You can apply for your DfE Senior Mental Health Lead training grant in three simple steps:
- Complete senior mental health lead form 1 to confirm your eligibility and reserve your grant.
- Book your DfE quality assured training, to start by 31st March 2025. You will need to keep evidence of your booking i.e. Altruist course confirmation and invoice.
- Complete senior mental health lead form 2 to claim your grant. Your evidence must include the title of the training course, the start date, the name of the training provider (Altruist Enterprises UK Limited) and course code SMHL067.
Please contact MentalHealth.LeadTraining@education.gov.uk if you believe you are eligible to apply for a grant but are experiencing issues with the application form.
Altruist Senior Mental Health Lead Training Feedback:
Altruist were one of the first DfE assured providers of Senior Mental Health Lead training. Since 2021, we have supported over 300 schools and colleges to develop and implement an effective whole school approach to wellbeing.
- 99% of delegates were very satisfied or satisfied with our Senior Mental Health Lead trainers*
- 96% of delegates were very satisfied or satisfied with the practical support provided by the course.
- 93% of delegates would recommend the training to a fellow Senior Mental Health Lead
*External evaluation: sample size of 206 delegates from 18 deliveries of the Senior Mental Health Lead training
'Altruist provided high-quality training that was delivered to an excellent standard. The training has allowed me to reflect on our school’s capacity to support the mental health needs of our pupils and take a more structured and cohesive approach towards planning for longer-term outcomes.
It is a challenging role, at a challenging time for young people in education, and I could not recommend the training enough! Thank you to Altruist'. - Elisa Yañez, Associate Assistant Head/SENDCo, St Peter’s Catholic School Solihull
'The course was excellent. The trainers and facilitator were superb. The content of the course and the way it was delivered was exceptional. It allowed for a lot of reflective practice. I also appreciated the opportunity to receive training among a supportive group of like-minded professionals and practitioners, which led to great discussions on best practice' Photini Bohacek, Principal, West Heath School
Book your place today on one of our cohorts.
What does a Senior Mental Health Lead do?
A senior mental health lead is a designated leader responsible for developing and overseeing the mental health and wellbeing strategy in a school or college, referred to as a 'Whole School Approach'. A whole school approach involves all school stakeholders working together and being committed to mental health and wellbeing. School stakeholders include senior leaders, teachers, school staff, parents, carers, pupils and the wider community.
Senior Mental Health Lead Training Learning Outcomes
Taking a coordinated and evidence-informed approach to designated mental health leads in schools improves the wellbeing of children and also fosters young people with greater readiness to learn.
Schools and colleges which have taken this approach to support pupils report improved attendance, attention, behaviour and attainment.
The designated mental health lead in schools training was originally announced in the Transforming Children and Young Peoples' Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper and Next Steps in 2018.
The learning outcomes align with Public Health England's eight principles for promoting children and young people's emotional health and wellbeing, these are:
- Leadership and management that champions efforts to promote emotional health and wellbeing
- Creating an ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity
- Curriculum, teaching and learning to promote resilience and social and emotional learning
- Identifying need and monitoring impact of interventions to meet pupils' wellbeing needs
- Targeted support and appropriate referrals to ensure that pupils receive timely mental health support
- Working with parents, families and carers to ensure shared aims and strategies in the school community
- Enabling the pupil voice to influence decisions
- Staff development to support their wellbeing and that of pupils and students
This CPD course (continuous professional development) will enable your Senior Mental Health Lead to fulfil their role effectively, complementing existing frameworks within education.
Training is quality assured by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools.
View our full list of SMHL learning outcomes.
Senior Mental Health Lead Training Course Name, Learning Level, Course Code and Cost
Our Senior Mental Health Lead Training is an intermediate level course available to all eligible settings. Our course is listed as Combined Setting Senior Mental Health Lead Training - SMHL067 (Altruist Enterprises UK Limited) in the DfE assured provider list. The cost of our Senior Mental Health Lead training is £800 + VAT which is covered by the DfE grant.
Course Location:
Our Senior Mental Health Lead training is delivered online via Zoom. One-to-one coaching and peer network meetups can be delivered online or in person. We are based in Birmingham but are experienced in providing training and support throughout England, depending on your school’s requirements.
How to Book:
Our course has been quality-assured for DfE grant-funded senior mental health lead training. To book your place, please visit our dedicated booking page.
If you require more information, please email info@altruistuk.com or call 0121 271 0550 and one of our team will be able to help you.
We also offer training for teachers including the Youth Mental Health First Aid Course and Mental Health Workshops for Young People.
