Evidence of Efficacy of mental health school-based intervention report

A new report from the Early Intervention Foundation around adolescent mental health and school-based interventions provides schools with a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of what works, for whom and under what circumstances.

The report examined meta-analyses and narrative reviews published in the last ten years and primary studies from the last three years to create a picture of the impact of various interventions on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. Given the current concern around the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people across the UK this is a welcome summary.

Among the key findings are that prioritising social and emotional learning at a whole-school level with dedicated teaching time allocated to it will be beneficial. With the report noting that:

• Universal, whole setting social and emotional learning can enhance social and emotional skills and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in the short term.
• Supporting the development of social, emotional and behavioural competencies at a universal level is a key determinant to young people’s mental health and achieving positive outcomes in school, work and life.

With regards to additional, targeted support the report noted that:

• Universal and targeted cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is effective in reducing internalising symptoms in the short term and in the case of targeted interventions, in the medium term. However, only those CBT interventions delivered by external professionals produce convincing evidence. 
• Bullying prevention interventions provide good evidence for a reduction in frequency of bullying in the long-term. 
• High-quality programme implementation is critical to achieving positive outcomes.

With the new compulsory RSHE curriculum being embedded as schools return to relative normality this September, this report would provide a solid evidence base for any interventions being planned. There is also a need to support staff to ensure they have the skills and confidence to support young people’s mental health needs and to not delay engaging professionals to support the most vulnerable as early intervention is key.