Senior Mental Health Lead Training in Schools: What Has Changed

Senior mental health lead training in England is no longer funded by the Department for Education (DfE). The £1,200 grant that helped state-funded schools and colleges pay for DfE quality-assured courses has finished, so a school that wants its lead trained now has to pay for a course itself. This guide explains what the programme was, what GOV.UK says now, and what schools in England can do as at 15 October 2026.

It covers England only. Education policy is devolved, and the grant and guidance described here were set by the DfE for English schools and colleges.

What was the senior mental health lead training programme?

The programme was a DfE initiative to help schools and colleges build what it calls a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Rather than training every member of staff in depth, the idea was that one senior person in each setting would gain the knowledge and skills to lead that approach.

According to the DfE, the grant funding page was first published on 21 September 2021. The grant paid for, or contributed towards, a DfE quality-assured senior mental health lead course. The DfE's conditions of grant for 2024 to 2025 describe the government's aim as offering the training to all eligible state-funded settings by 2025.

Is the grant still open?

No. The DfE's grant funding publication was withdrawn on 16 October 2025 and states: "This grant has now finished." The current DfE page, Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges, gives the closing dates:

• Applications closed on 31 December 2024.
• Existing applications had to be completed by 31 January 2025.
• Grant funding ended on 31 January 2025.

That page was last updated on 28 April 2026, and it still describes the grant as closed. It also says the standalone senior mental health lead training page has been withdrawn, with its learning outcomes and peer network material moved onto the main page in a July 2025 update.

The government's stated 2025 aim is therefore now historical. The DfE pages we reviewed do not set out a new target or a replacement funding scheme, so we cannot say whether one will follow.

Quick reference

Who was eligible for the grant?

Under the 2024 to 2025 conditions of grant, eligible settings were state-funded settings receiving ESFA pre-16 revenue, high needs or 16 to 19 funding. That included academies and maintained schools, special and alternative provision, further education colleges, sixth-form colleges, local authorities and independent training providers.

Applications came from individual settings, so schools in a multi-academy trust each applied separately. Fee-paying independent institutions without those funding types, and leaders of early years settings, were not eligible. A setting that had already claimed could apply for a second £1,200 if its trained lead had left before the whole school approach was embedded; the DfE introduced this second grant in October and November 2023.

What did the training cover?

The DfE did not publish a fixed syllabus on the pages we reviewed. The application guidance says the course had to give the lead the knowledge and skills to develop and implement a whole school or college approach to emotional health and mental wellbeing. The detailed learning outcomes now sit on the DfE's Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing page, which describes them as the knowledge and skills a lead might develop to embed that approach.

The same page says leads can take training to refresh knowledge in priority areas, pursue advanced training or gain a relevant qualification, and that peer support networks and a mental health lead resource hub are available.

The DfE also published a list of courses, last dated March 2025. That list is now withdrawn, and it said the DfE does not quality assure or fund the courses it listed. It did not state course lengths, so we have not given any here.

Who should be the senior mental health lead?

According to the DfE, each school or college chooses its own lead. It could be a headteacher, deputy head, another member of the senior leadership team, or another member of staff who can develop and oversee the whole-school approach. If the lead is not on the senior leadership team, the DfE says the setting should check that they have the authority, capacity and support to drive strategic change.

Where a setting works with a mental health support team (MHST), the lead can be the team's coordinator, a liaison for the team, or a different member of staff. The DfE describes MHSTs as adding capacity through early, evidence-based interventions, supporting leads to build a whole-school approach, and giving advice and liaison with specialist services.

What does "Mental health and behaviour in schools" say?

The DfE's departmental advice, Mental health and behaviour in schools (November 2018), remains a core reference for staff. It is non-statutory advice, so it sets out what the DfE recommends rather than creating new legal duties. Its main points include:

• Mental health should be part of a consistent whole-school approach covering culture and environment, teaching, and partnerships with families and the community.
• School staff cannot act as mental health experts and should not try to diagnose conditions. They should recognise possible warning signs and follow clear escalation routes.
• Schools should track changes in attainment, attendance and behaviour, and use the graduated response cycle of assess, plan, do, review where difficulties are suspected.
• For serious cases, schools should refer to specialist children and young people's mental health services.
• If a mental health concern is also a safeguarding concern, staff should act immediately under the child protection policy and tell the designated safeguarding lead or a deputy.

The 2018 text encourages schools to appoint a designated senior lead for mental health and refers to free training for that role. That wording dates from before the grant closed, so treat the free training reference as out of date. For the safeguarding side, see our guide to Keeping Children Safe in Education annual staff training.

What can schools do now that the grant has finished?

• Use the free DfE material. The learning outcomes, peer network list and resource hub on the DfE page cost nothing and can help a new lead plan their development.
• Budget for a course. Some providers say they continue to offer senior mental health lead training to settings that can self-fund. Check current fees and content with each provider, because the DfE no longer quality assures a list.
• Check the lead's authority. A well-trained lead without time or seniority will struggle to change practice across the school.
• Plan wider staff development. The 2018 advice says leadership teams decide staff training needs as part of professional development. Teaching assistants often see changes in pupils first, so our guide to teaching assistant qualifications and CPD may help when planning that.
• Record the training. Keep dates, content and outcomes with the school's other CPD records. You can browse more on CPD and professional development.

Frequently asked questions

Is senior mental health lead training mandatory?

Not on the DfE pages we reviewed. The programme was a grant to support settings that chose to take part, and we found no statutory duty to appoint a lead.

Can my school still get the £1,200 grant?

No. According to the DfE, applications closed on 31 December 2024 and funding ended on 31 January 2025. The grant publication was withdrawn on 16 October 2025.

Do academies and independent schools have to appoint a lead?

The DfE's pages do not create a duty for any type of school. Eligibility for the grant covered state-funded settings, including academies, but not fee-paying independent institutions without the relevant ESFA funding.

Does the senior mental health lead replace the designated safeguarding lead?

No. They are separate roles. The DfE advice says that where a mental health concern is also a safeguarding concern, staff should follow the child protection policy and inform the designated safeguarding lead or a deputy.

Is the learning outcomes document still available?

Yes. The DfE says its learning outcomes and peer network material now sit on its Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges page, following a July 2025 update.

Closing thoughts

The funded programme has ended, but the role has not gone away. The DfE still expects settings to choose a lead who has the authority, capacity and support to shape a whole-school approach, and it still publishes free learning outcomes to guide their development. Check the GOV.UK page before you commit to a course, because DfE guidance has changed several times since 2021.

This article is general information about DfE guidance in England and is not legal, safeguarding or clinical advice. Check the current GOV.UK pages and seek professional advice for decisions about individual pupils.