How school governance is shaping the conditions for pupils to thrive

Mental health is no longer a peripheral issue in schools. Particularly since the pandemic, it has become part of everyday conversations – discussed by pupils, parents and staff, and recognised as central to young people’s ability to feel safe and succeed.

At the same time, inclusion in its widest sense has moved up the government agenda. There is a growing and long-overdue focus on the experiences of pupils with SEND, those facing disadvantage and those whose needs have too often been missed or misunderstood.

Wellbeing and inclusion as a strategic priority

Amidst these changes, our schools and trusts are operating in ever-more complex conditions. NGA’s 2025 Annual Governance Survey revealed that schools are increasingly providing support beyond their core educational remit, including mental health provision and help meeting basic needs – the need for which is only rising.

These initiatives are often delivered without additional funding or staffing, yet 51% of boards reported an increase in the additional support their schools provided to pupils and families in the past year. It is within this context of rising need and limited capacity that conversations about pupil mental health and wellbeing must sit.

For many people, pupil wellbeing still feels like a classroom issue that sits with teachers or external specialists. But anyone involved in school governance knows that pupils’ everyday experiences are shaped just as much by the strategic decisions made at board meetings.

Governing boards across the country set the strategic direction, hold school leaders to account and ensure that values and priorities are reflected in policy and practice across the organisation. Over time, the conditions in which pupils thrive are built through this shared leadership, supported by the volunteers governing our schools and trusts.

Supporting pupil wellbeing

Governors and trustees are already deeply engaged in conversations about mental health and inclusion. While their influence is rarely visible in isolation, it can be felt through the accumulated decisions they make over time in what is prioritised, what is funded and what leaders are held to account for. In this sense, governance helps shape whether an intentional focus on pupil mental health becomes embedded in everyday practice.

Mental health intersects with a multitude of areas across school life, including attendance, behaviour and safeguarding, in ways that governing boards routinely oversee.

Patterns of absence or exclusion, for example, can often reflect unmet needs. These patterns may become particularly pronounced for pupils who are disadvantaged, have SEND or experience instability beyond the school gates. Boards that pay closer attention to these patterns create further room for responses that are supportive, proportionate and, most importantly, pupil-centred.

By asking why certain pupil groups are overrepresented in the data, and whether systems are working as intended for all children, governance can help shift practice towards earlier identification and, subsequently, earlier support offered to the pupils that need it the most.

Culture is shaped by the questions boards ask

School culture develops gradually, influenced by what is consistently reinforced at every level of the organisation. Governing boards play a significant role here. The questions they ask leaders, as well as the ones they return to over time, help shape whether pupil wellbeing is seen as a core feature of success.

This might include drawing on pupil voice surveys to understand how pupils experience school, particularly those from vulnerable groups. It may also involve asking leaders to share evidence of successful strategies, for example, how pastoral approaches, extra-curricular initiatives or targeted interventions are improving attendance, engagement and/or behaviour over time.

When boards consistently ask these kinds of questions, they reinforce a culture in which pupil wellbeing is treated as a core measure of how well the organisation is doing.

Policy as a lever

One of the most tangible ways governance can influence pupil experience is through school and trust policies. Behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and SEND policies all shape how children experience school, particularly when they are struggling.

For governing boards, this work does not necessarily mean creating new policies but ensuring that existing ones are working as intended. Policies should provide clear and consistent frameworks while enabling staff to adjust their approach in real time as pupils’ behaviour, circumstances and needs might change.

In practice, this means boards asking whether their policies:

Recognise that behaviour is often a communication of need, particularly for pupils experiencing poor mental health, trauma or undiagnosed SEND.
Support early identification and timely intervention.

Work effectively for pupils with SEND and those facing disadvantage, acknowledging how overlapping needs and social factors can compound mental health and wellbeing challenges.

Working with leaders

Strong relationships with school leaders are often the bedrock of effective school governance. While leaders are responsible for day-to-day implementation, boards provide strategic oversight and long-term perspective.

At their best, these relationships create the room for honest conversations about the patterns leaders are seeing and what additional support may be needed. This includes supporting leaders to look beyond shorter-term measures and to consider more sustained approaches to wellbeing: sufficient pastoral capacity, staff training and access to external mental health support where needed.

In the current climate, where schools are increasingly filling gaps left by other services, these strategic decisions are critical.

Beyond the school gate

Children’s mental health is shaped by far more than what happens in a school. Family circumstances, financial insecurity and community pressures all influence how pupils arrive each day. Boards can support leaders by recognising this reality and championing meaningful engagement with families and external partners.

Boards might want to ask their leaders:

How are we ensuring parental engagement or involvement from trusted adults (including local authority partners for looked after pupils), so that every child has a champion both inside and outside of school?
Is the school connected with community groups our pupils use – like religious organisations, youth centres, or local sports and arts facilities, as well as local businesses and employers – to gain a more holistic view of their circumstances?
What does our non-core offer look like? Are there opportunities to promote extracurricular activities that support personal development and wellbeing? – Such as music, dance, drams, sports, the arts etc.

How can we collaborate with other schools or trusts, feeder-primaries and secondaries, to share best practice and resources? Are there local programmes that could benefit our pupils, and how can joint initiatives support young people while remaining financially and operationally sustainable?

A shared responsibility in challenging times

Children’s Mental Health Week offers an opportunity to reflect on how schools support pupils’ emotional wellbeing.

Alongside the visible activity taking place in classrooms and assemblies, there is quieter work happening through governance – work that focuses on culture and long-term conditions that support our young people through increasingly difficult times.

When governors and trustees keep mental health and inclusion in view across their work, they help ensure that wellbeing is reflected in everyday decisions as well as the long-term strategy.

In a system facing increasing pressure and complexity, this steady influence provides an important foundation, supporting schools to create environments where pupils are understood, supported and able to reach their full potential.

Emma Balchin, NGA Chief Executive, said:
“Children’s mental health and wellbeing is a responsibility shared across the school system.
“In supporting trust and school governance, we see the real difference it makes when boards create a culture which supports this by setting clear expectations, supporting and challenging leaders and treating wellbeing as fundamental to success.
“When this happens, schools and trusts create environments in which children feel safe, supported and engaged in their learning.”

Catherine Roche, Place2Be Chief Executive, added:
“The culture we create in our schools influences everything from mental health and wellbeing to attendance, aspiration and attainment.
“The theme of Children’s Mental Health Week this year is ‘This is My Place’, because when young people feel they belong – feel nurtured, included, inspired, encouraged, challenged, and celebrated - it empowers them to contribute positively to the world and make a real difference.
“Findings from some of our recent research shows a tangible link between an improvement in mental health during childhood and later GCSE outcomes. This is proof positive that developing a supportive school culture, where children can thrive, is the springboard to success in adulthood.
“In addition, schools who have implemented our ‘whole school approach’ were assessed as progressively ‘mentally healthy’, with increasing numbers of children able to say there was someone in school who believed they would be a success. This surely must be an outcome all governing boards are striving for.
“Children’s Mental Health Week is a moment to recognise and support the groups and systems surrounding our children, as we encourage peers, families, schools and communities to create inclusive and nurturing environments, where children and young people feel they belong and can say ‘This is My Place’.”

Place2Be has partnered with NGA to produce a governor toolkit that supports the mental health and wellbeing of pupils. It forms part of NGA’s Widening the Lens campaign, aimed at tackling disadvantage in education, signposting resources to support pupils and includes questions for governing boards to explore.

Place2Be's Children's Mental Health Week 2026 takes place from 9-15 February 2026.

The theme this year is 'This is My Place', spotlighting the systems around children and young people that help them feel they belong, whilst raising awareness of children’s mental health and giving a voice to all children and young people.

There are lots of free resources for primary and secondary schools, to help mark the week. Visit www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk.

Fariha Choudhury

Senior Policy and Impact Officer

Fariha supports the development of NGA's policy and information outputs with a particular focus on multi academy trust governance. Alongside working at NGA, Fariha is undertaking a Masters in Education at the University of Birmingham.

View Fariha's full profile