In 2018, Sam, my 15 year old younger brother took his own life. It was an unexpected and unbearable loss. We know that the suicide rate for people aged 15-19 is the highest in 30 years and 75% of mental illnesses arise by 18. All teachers, as a basic requirement, deserve training on mental health.
We believe the current approach to mental health training for teachers is economically inefficient and treats mental health education as additional knowledge when it should be a basic standard that all teachers have a right to.
This change would give teachers the ability to adapt lessons for students, intervene in concerning situations and better understand their own mental health.
We believe the best way to create a profession educated in mental health is by writing it into QTS standards.