Despite the inclement summer weather, the student teacher graduands exuded enthusiasm and joy as they accepted their academic degree scrolls back in July, stepping into their new identities as probationary teachers in Scotland.
However, as an embedded Place2Be clinician within an initial teacher education (ITE) department, I have witnessed the emotional load placed on these student teachers during their challenging courses.
Teaching is a profession where there is growing concern about the number of staff leaving at a relatively early stage in their careers.
This links directly to challenges around the sustainability of students’ enthusiasm and drive during their studies and beyond.
Should you listen to the warnings?
Do the warnings from friends and family about the pitfalls and challenges of working in schools hold true? Are comments from some unhappy teachers in the staffroom - urging students to “get out while you can” - predictive or alarmist?
For the past five academic years, the children’s mental health charity Place2Be has partnered with the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education and Sport, embedding a clinician with expertise in children’s mental health across ITE programmes.
This arrangement (for more details see June’s Place2Be Initial Teacher Education in Scotland Report) supplements knowledge and skills already provided in ITE courses, equipping student teachers with essential children’s mental health knowledge. They can then apply these skills in the classroom to identify and support child and adolescent mental health and resilience.
A key component is Place2Think, a distinct educational and therapeutic space encouraging reflective practice and aimed at empowering student teachers with a greater sense of agency.
Evaluation indicates that such sessions have significantly helped trainees with their own wellbeing, self-awareness and resilience as teachers, helping them to understand the impact of their emotions and experiences on their practice and leading to better support for children and young people.
Rolling out the partnership model
Expansion of the Place2Be ITE partnership model into the universities of Glasgow and Stirling is now under way, bringing support to more than a third of all student teachers across Scotland.
Complementing the work of ITE around mental health builds capacity: mental health and emotional wellbeing underpin the success of educators’ efforts.
To understand the lasting impact of such partnerships on early-phase teachers and wider school cultures is now a strategic research aim.
Ongoing conversations with Moray House alumni attest to the continued influence of initiatives such as Place2Think:
“You can’t have genuine interactions if you aren’t self-aware. Children know.”
“Pressure from management and their expectations can drive empathy away. But I take a step back and focus on the children’s needs. I’m conscious of creating a safe haven for them in the classroom.”
Unsupported and overwhelmed
However, alumni also highlight the lack of a universal agreed-upon strategy for addressing mental health in schools, often talking about feeling unsupported and overwhelmed in their early career stages.
Schools play a dual role in the mental health of their communities.
Positive environments can prevent mental health difficulties, while robust referral pathways aid in identifying problems before they worsen.
Teaching staff dedicate themselves to making a difference in students’ lives and educational outcomes, but the pressures they face demand support for their own mental resilience.
Reflective spaces should be the norm
The loss of dedicated teachers from the profession necessitates a conversation about incorporating clinician-led reflective spaces such as Place2Think as the norm within ITE, early-phase teaching and the profession as a whole.
The expansion of this model to more institutions signifies a step towards addressing the mental health challenges (their own and those seen in classrooms) faced by new teachers.
By prioritising teacher wellbeing and mental health, schools can create a positive and supportive environment that benefits teachers and students - and that will ultimately foster a healthier and more resilient education system.
Kathleen Forbes is a Place2Be clinician at the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education and Sport
