Better by Water is a 12 week programme which combines art, physical activity and advice and guidance around maintaining and promoting good mental health and wellbeing. Designed by the Canal and River Trust the sessions will consist of walks along the cnacl, paddle sports (kayaking), arts and crafts activities and some sessions exploring techniques for supporting their wellbeing.

Start date may be moved back- If you are interested please get in contact with tracy.yates@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Pupils can create a coaster design to respresent being dementia aware - the winning design will see their coaster manufactured for use, and shared across the county. Open to all pupils of schools and colleges in Gloucestershire, entries can be submitted (using the template provided) anytime from now until closing date on Friday 8th of May 2026.

Template for Coaster Entries

Join GHLL for an online session with The Talk About Trust. The session will include information on the effects of Ketamine and how to have preventative and harm reduction conversations with young people around vaping using the Talk About Trust resources.

Click here to book your space

The following schools have recently been successful in achieving our Healthy Schools and/or Mental Health Champions Award. To find out more about our Awards please click here.

This scheme is open to all education settings in Gloucestershire including colleges and FE. Support is available for your whole journey from your schools GHLL Lead Teacher. For more information or an informal chat get in contact with us at ghll@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Families in Partnership Newsletter for April 2026

• The Schools White Paper, which was published by the Department for Education (DfE) in February and includes proposed reforms to the SEND system, along with the proposed timeline. 
• Exam stress and what this can look like for young people with SEND.  
• National charity WellChild relaunch their free In Your Area digital platform. 
• Gloucestershire libraries supporting neurodivergent young adults.
• How Severn Vale School are supporting their students with SEND through their Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) programme. 
• News from the SEND and Inclusion Local Area Partnership 
• The Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Youth Hubs celebrate winning their award for championing Youth Voice. 
• Events and activities, such as Big Health Day 2026; Listen to Me and Other Events 

Plus much more! 

Welcome to the Families in Partnership Newsletter for April 2026 - supporting families with SEND | Gloucestershire County Council

The next PSHE network Meeting is taking place on Thursday 11th of June. Split into a session in the morning, 09:30-12:30, for Primary settings at Dowty Sports & Social Club and a Secondary/College/FE session taking place between 15:30-17:00 virtually. These useful meetings are an opportunity to keep up to date with the latest guidance, resources and support for delivering a high-quality PSHE curriculum. To find out more and book your FREE space click here. 

Online dating has become one of the most common ways people meet. But alongside the opportunities, a growing and often hidden landscape of harm is emerging.

First Light are offering a free professional webinar, where they'll share key findings from their new research, Abuse from Online Dating, drawing on insights from:

• Dating app users
• Frontline professionals across policing
• Domestic abuse and sexual violence services
• Youth work and safeguarding

This session offers space for practitioners to reflect on how we identify these experiences and how we can ensure consistent, appropriate support for victims when harm starts online but continues offline.

📅 Thursday 30 April
🕘9:00–10:30am (online)

👉 Register here:
Abuse from Online Dating – The Invisible Issue: https://OnlineDatingAbuse.eventbrite.co.uk

To book your space on one of the webinars click here

Ygam in collaboration with Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning are offering a free gaming and gambling harm prevention workshop for youth-facing professionals such as teachers and youth workers.

This virtual event will be held on 30th April 15:30 - 17:30

Book your place here : Education Workshop Booking Pre Workshop Questions – Bespoke | Ygam

New session " Leading a More Reflective Culture- Theory, Strategies and Impact".

Click to find out more and book your space.

Bite Back in Schools is a FREE programme empowering students in Years 7–10 to improve their school food environment and understand the political processes shaping it. Schools receive:

• A £500 grant to fund student-led improvements
• A ready-made resource pack with physical workbooks, session plans, slide decks and a Championing Change card game
• An inspiring kick-off assembly from a Bite Back Ambassador
• Ongoing support from our team
• Badges, merchandise and celebration opportunities

Schools can sign up here : https://www.biteback2030.com/bite-back-in-schools/england-join-bite-back-in-schools/ 

Anna Freud have released their summer term edition of the mental health and wellbeing school and college calendar. 

It includes lots of ideas, activities and free resources to support the mental health and wellbeing of your students, 
staff and wider community.

Access the calendar here: summer-term-calendar-2026.pdf

11-17 May 2026

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, there are really usefull rescources avaialble to help spread awareness

These tipsheets are designed to give you the tools to take action to support your own mental health. From quick-wins and simple actions to long-term lifestyle shifts, try a few to find what works best for you. 

• Top ten actions for good mental health
• Quick actions for a mental health boost
• Eight actions to improve mental health in the long-term

Posters

Download these posters and help spread the word about Mental Health Awareness Week:

• Awareness poster (PNG file)
• Event poster (PNG file)
• Share your action (PDF file)

South West Nature Park

The National Education Nature Park programme empowers children and young people to make a positive difference to both their own and nature's future.

Go on a journey to get to know your outdoor space and use creative decision-making to improve your grounds for both people and nature. This free programme provide all educators with the resources, support and guidance to embed climate and nature into learning in a way that suits your setting and learners.  

How it works | Education Nature Park

You can even invite them to run a session at your setting! Get in touch at Southwestnaturepark@rhs.org.uk

Kidscape have recieved funding to support young people, parents, and carers with bullying in Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire. 

See GHLL's full Training Calendar for 2025-2026

⭐New sessions added on Self Harm Awareness and from EPS on Loss & Bereavement, Introduction to Emotional Coaching and Understanding Trauma and Attachment - FREE to attend ⭐

A major review of the curriculum – what children learn at school – and the qualifications and assessment system has just been published, and the government is making changes based on what it found.

The National Curriculum hasn’t been updated in over ten years, so these changes will ensure it stays relevant for today’s world.

What you need to know about the changes to the National Curriculum – The Education Hub

Gloucestershire County Council has launched a new online resource giving parents and guardians information about the benefits and risks of online spaces, with details of further information and where support is available. 

Click here to access the Information and Posters to display to raise awareness with you parents and carers about the new resource.

On Your Mind Glos is a place for Children and Young People to turn to when you need help and support with your mental health but you aren’t sure where to go. We have an anonymous Mental Health Support Finder, which is also available via text, for anyone aged 0-25 that will help you find the most appropriate support options for you in Gloucestershire. On Your Mind Glos also has some self help guides and resources designed for both young people and their families to provide general support and advice about self-care. Click here to find out more.

More than 6,000 Children from 113 Schools across Gloucestershire are particpating in the Big Brush Club. See the full report by BBC News featuring Bream Primary School where lessons on how to brush and daily brushing at school are having a positive impact on improving oral hygiene.

View information from Talk Well on their Eating Difficulties Counselling Service. 

Children will have experienced an average of 15 significant losses before adulthood, and may also encounter depictions of death in the media and social media, which are often explicit. The recent Covid-19 pandemic further highlighted change, loss and death, and children and their families may have experienced loss during this time.

PSHE Association have updated their Change, loss and grief lesson packs for KS1 - 4 to cover these topics safely, effectively and sensitively. ]

You will need a PSHE account to download these resources.

New data commissioned by domestic abuse charity Refuge reveals the scale of domestic abuse is significantly underestimated.  Read the full blog around the impactful educational campaign created in response.

Poor mental health and absence from school are impacting the education of children and in turn their futures. Read the full blog from GOV.UK on 'How we're helping children and teachers with their mental health and wellbeing' 

The results for the Pupil Wellbeing Survey have now been published. Click here to see the report.

Surfers Against Sewage "Plastic Free Schools" iniatitive is empowering the next generation of ocean activists. To find out more and sign your school up click here

Useful article from Claire Watts from High Speed Training, on what "Incel" means, the manosphere, and how this correlates to misogyny, radicalisation, and violence. This article looks at why teachers should be aware of Incel Culture and how Schools can tackle this issue.

The NHS Gloucestershire Asthma Team are looking into the current management of asthma in schools across the county. We would be very grateful if you could complete this questionnaire. The feedback you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence.  It will be stored securely and only used to improve this service. Thank you in advance for your responses. 

Please click here to complete the questionnaire. 

Please click here to view AFS resources. 

Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage is an engaging child-led, parent/guardian supported therapeutic intervention that can be used on most smartphones or tablets free for all Gloucestershire families. 

It facilitates graded exposures (the active ingredient of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with psychoeducation to empower 7-12 year olds with mild to moderate needs to learn to self-manage fears, worries and anxiety.

myHappymind is an award winning programme for schools & nurseries, families and organisations. It is delivered by class teachers across 5 modules, all designed to develop critical knowledge and habits that support children’s mental health. This means that children can develop a toolkit of resources to use when they need to. For further information on the pilot click here

After the outbreak of war in Ukraine in early 2022, we all saw how the resulting conflict impacted tens of thousands of children through separation, loss or bereavement. Bear Us In Mind was launched to provide early intervention to support those children and the adults in their lives.

Whether you’re a teacher, teaching assistant, Head, Governor or a supporting adult from the child’s school or local community, Bear Us In Mind is designed to help you be a compassionate and confident thinking partner for a child when it’s most needed. Download the complete Bear Us In Mind toolkit guide here.  To receive your 'bear in a box' email ghll@gloucestershire.gov.uk 

Mental Health e-learning - Children and Young People's Mental Health

This short course will provide you with information and guidance to help support the young people you work alongside.

The course will introduce you to some common mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties, and will provide you with practical examples that you can use to help you to recognise and respond to children’s emotional health and wellbeing.

Text and WhatsApp support from Winston's Wish now available 8am - 8pm

Many children experience the trauma of parental imprisonment, yet their needs often remain unseen and unspoken within schools and services. With current budget pressures making training harder to access, we’re determined to remove barriers and share this learning as widely as possible.

Parental Imprisonment: Schools, Prisons and Families Working Together to Reduce Trauma Created and delivered by Julie Jones from Invisible Walls and Butler Trust Award recipient.

This FREE session explores:

• The lived reality of children affected by parental imprisonment
• How shame, secrecy and loss show up in school and community settings
• Trauma-informed ways adults can offer safety, understanding and support
• Practical actions that make a real difference

📅 Tuesday 21st April

⏰ 9.30am-11.30am

📍 Live online (Zoom)

💛 Free / Open Access

👉 Register now: LINK HERE