Children’s Mental Health Week in Schools: Supporting Emotional Wellbeing

Children’s mental health and emotional well-being are increasingly central to life in UK schools. For headteachers, senior leadership teams, SENCOs, supporting pupils’ wellbeing is not separate from learning; it underpins behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and long-term outcomes.

Children’s Mental Health Week is an annual awareness event led by Place2Be, designed to shine a positive light on children’s emotional wellbeing and encourage meaningful conversations at school, at home, and in the wider community.

This guide explores practical, realistic ways schools can support emotional wellbeing day to day, how schools can work alongside families, and how clear digital communication, including through your school website, can help ensure support is visible, accessible and consistent.

What Is Children’s Mental Health Week?

Children’s Mental Health Week takes place every February and is supported by thousands of schools, organisations, and families across the UK.

Each year, the campaign focuses on a different theme, encouraging children to:

• Understand their emotions
• Express how they feel safely
• Build confidence and self-esteem
• Know that it’s okay to ask for help

For schools, Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 is not about solving every challenge in one week. Instead, it supports a whole-school approach where emotional well-being is normalised, conversations feel safe, and pupils know who to turn to when they need support.

Why Children’s Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Matters

Mental health is just as important as physical health, especially during childhood, when emotional habits and coping skills are forming.

Children who feel emotionally supported are more likely to:

• Engage positively in learning
• Build healthy friendships
• Develop resilience and confidence
• Feel safe expressing their feelings

When emotional needs go unnoticed, children may instead show changes in behaviour, confidence or communication. Schools play a vital role in noticing these early signs and offering trusted, consistent support.

Practical Ways Schools Can Support Emotional Well-being Day to Day

Supporting children’s mental health in schools does not require complex programmes or constant initiatives. Often, small and consistent actions have the greatest impact.

Practical approaches include:

• Creating safe spaces where children feel listened to
• Encouraging emotional language such as “I feel worried” or “I feel overwhelmed”
• Normalising all emotions, not just positive ones
• Maintaining calm, predictable routines that help children feel secure
• Making sure pupils know who they can talk to if they need help

Children do not expect adults to have all the answers. What matters most is knowing there is someone who will listen, take them seriously and support them.

Supporting Children’s Mental Health at Home: Guidance for Parents and Carers

Schools and families are most effective when they work together. Children’s Mental Health Week is a useful time to share clear, reassuring guidance with parents and carers.

Helpful messages schools can share include:

• Ask open questions about how children are feeling, not just what they did
• Listen without immediately trying to fix the problem
• Reassure children that all emotions are normal
• Model healthy emotional behaviour by talking calmly about feelings

Sometimes, the most supportive response an adult can offer is simply:
“That sounds hard. I’m really glad you told me.”

Sharing this guidance through newsletters, emails and wellbeing pages on your school website helps ensure families feel supported and informed.

Talking About Feelings Doesn’t Make Things Worse

One common worry is that talking about mental health might make children feel worse, but research and experience show the opposite.

When children are given the language and space to express emotions:

• Feelings become less overwhelming
• Children feel less alone
• Problems are more likely to be spotted early

Children’s Mental Health Week helps remind us that open conversations build strength, not weakness.

Making Mental Health a Year-Round Priority

While Children’s Mental Health Week is an important moment in the calendar, emotional well-being shouldn’t be limited to one week a year.

The most effective support happens when:

• Emotional check-ins are part of everyday school life
• Wellbeing is embedded into school culture and communication
• Schools and families work together consistently
• Pupils know where to find help throughout the year

By focusing on ongoing, practical support backed by clear communication and reliable digital systems, schools can create environments where children feel safe, supported and valued.

How School Websites and Digital Tools Can Support Wellbeing

Clear communication is a key part of supporting children’s mental health. A well-organised school website can act as a central wellbeing hub for pupils, staff and families.

Schools can use their website to:

• Create dedicated wellbeing and support pages
• Share mental health policies, support pathways and key contacts
• Publish updates and resources during Children’s Mental Health Week in schools
• Signpost families to trusted local and national support services

Having secure, up-to-date school websites ensures this information is always available when it is needed most. Reliable website hosting and support also help schools stay compliant, secure and stress-free.

As North East Schools – websites and ICT for education, we work with schools and academies to ensure their digital tools genuinely support day-to-day school priorities.

Supporting Children Every Step of the Way

Children’s Mental Health Week is a valuable reminder that emotional well-being underpins everything children do at school. By encouraging open conversations, working closely with families and making support visible, schools help children develop confidence and resilience that lasts far beyond the classroom.

If your school is reviewing how it shares wellbeing information online, North East Schools can support you with school website design, website hosting and support, and digital solutions tailored for schools and academies.