HIGHFIELD and Brookham Schools in Liphook have placed emotional wellbeing and resilience at the core of pastoral planning.

Well ahead of the Prime Minister’s announcement last month of greater emphasis being given to children’s mental health, Highfield and Brookham hosted a conference in April 2015, launching a major campaign across prep schools nationally to place emotional wellbeing at the core of education.

The ‘whole school’ approach is to develop a culture with genuine involvement of all staff, pupils and parents, and includes mental health training, a peer listening scheme, ‘mental wealth’ check-ups, parenting talks, and the introduction of mindfulness practice in the school day.

Highfield and Brookham aim to enrol parents, teaching and non-teaching staff on the mental health first aid course, on how to spot the signs of mental ill-health.