Mental health support for school staff

School staff will be offered new support as part of a £1.5 million funding package to help manage additional pressures from the pandemic, the Scottish Government has announced.

Barnardo’s Scotland and mental health charity Place2Be will offer the mental health support services which are expected to be available after the October break.

John Swinney MSP, the education secretary, said supporting the health and wellbeing of teachers and other staff was of paramount importance.

He said: ‘This was true before Covid-19, but it is of crucial importance as school staff support our children and young people to recover from the pandemic.

‘This additional package of measures will complement the excellent practice which is already taking place to support the wellbeing of staff in schools across Scotland.’

Ken Muir, chief executive, of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, said: ‘GTC Scotland is pleased to deliver this important support to hard-working teachers in collaboration with our partners in education.

‘GTC Scotland has invested heavily in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals and we look forward to continuing to do so.’

Gillian Hamilton, strategic director at Education Scotland, said: ‘Ensuring school staff feel well supported, particularly at this time, is essential.

‘This new support package, designed collaboratively with partners in the Education Recovery Group, provides direct access to a range of focused supports including coaching, reflective supervision and opportunities for school staff to learn together through the challenges presented by Covid-19.’