Pupil voice and peer support programmes

Pupil voice

'Pupil voice' in schools means a whole-school commitment to listening to the views, wishes and experiences of all children and young people.

Children and young people need to be provided with meaningful opportunities to share their experiences, views and hopes about their school. Pupils need to know that it is safe and that it is important for them to express their views on what happens at school. They need to know that what they say is valued and will be listened to and considered.

• Pupil voice guidance and resources (opens new window)
• Measuring pupil wellbeing (opens new window)
• Pupil voice KS1 and KS2 template (PDF) [74KB]
• Pupil voice KS3, KS4 and KS5 template (PDF) [69KB]

Peer support

Establish a peer support programme (opens new window): 'Peer support' is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of interventions and approaches, including peer tutoring, coaching, listening, mentoring, mediation and counselling, befriending and buddying.

Peer support schemes that focus on mental health and wellbeing can have a range of positive outcomes for children and young people (opens new window).

Working together

Working together (opens new window) to integrate mental health and wellbeing across the whole school or college community, the views of everyone in that community must be represented in both policy and practice.

Setting up a Mental Health Action Group (opens new window) is a good starting point for making sure that everyone is playing a role in promoting good mental health.

The purpose of a Mental Health Action Group is to advise senior management on strategies to improve and support mental health and wellbeing across the school or college community.