PSHE aligned
A practical six-session sequence for Years 9-13.
Proactive and preventative wellbeing
Mind Education for secondary schools Equip students with lifelong mental health skills
A practical, neuroscience-based wellbeing programme for Years 9-13: six PSHE-ready lessons that teach students how to understand themselves and their emotions better and practise skills to manage or maintain their own mental health and wellbeing.
Alongside this, the series aims to normalise discussions surrounding mental health and some of the typical stresses of being a young person.
Why schools adopt it
It makes proactively teaching mental health skills normal and scalable.
Adolescence is a critical period for developing emotional understanding, self-regulation and compassionate responding, yet few young people receive structured education about how the mind works or skills to help them manage better in everyday life. This series makes that preventative work practical and teachable — think PE lessons, but for the mind.
Teacher led
Delivered by school staff, with two concise preparation sessions.
Scalable
Designed for whole-cohort delivery, reinforcement and evaluation.
How it works
Students learn how to think in helpful ways, not what to think.
The series starts with compassion-focused neuroscience, then builds practical skills that can be used in everyday life.
Neuroscience first
Students learn about the neuroscience behind how and why we think, feel and behave like we do.
Practical skills
Then learn five simple, practical, evidence-based skills they can use to manage or maintain their own mental health and wellbeing.
Proactive prevention
Like PE lessons, but for the mind, whole-cohort lessons normalise mental health and support students whether they are struggling or not.
The six-lessons
A coherent sequence that moves from understanding to practice.
Following the neuroscience, one skill is introduced per lesson, then practised and applied in everyday life.
Lesson 01
Why we think, feel and behave like we do
Students explore the threat, drive and soothing systems, how they are activated, and how inner tone grows them.
Lesson 02
Mindfulness
Students practise paying attention to the present moment: focus, notice, name distractions and gently return.
Lesson 03
Cheerleading
Students develop awareness and management of their inner critic.
Lesson 04
Can I change it, or not?
Students learn what to do to change a situation for the better and what to do when they can't.
Lesson 05
Personal values
Students identify what matters to them, why this is important and practise using their values to guide their actions.
Lesson 06
Personal boundaries and resolving conflict
Students learn how to be assertive in a way that lets others take them seriously, to protect what's important to them without damaging their relationships.
School delivery package
Built for PSHE teams to deliver, reinforce and evidence.
Everything is designed for school staff to use confidently, with enough structure to support consistent delivery across a cohort.
- Six PSHE-aligned lessons for Years 9-13
- Teacher training delivered in two 45-minute sessions
- Student workbooks and classroom activity resources
- Five-minute form time practices to support ongoing use
- Poster resources for cohort and tutor spaces to keep the skills current
- Evaluation structure for SLT, Ofsted or ISI
Curriculum alignment
2026 PSHE relevant content.
Mind Education contributes to the newly revised secondary school guidance for England. Although it supports many of the selected requirements, it is not a substitute for a school’s full statutory PSHE curriculum.
| Relevant statutory content | How the lessons contribute |
|---|---|
| Talk about emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary. | Lessons 1–3 introduce a shared language for emotional systems, mindful noticing and responses to the inner critic. |
| Understand that worrying and feeling down are normal experiences, and develop ways to manage difficult feelings. | Lessons 1–4 help pupils notice emotional responses and practise mindfulness, helpful self-talk, problem-solving and acceptance. |
| Evaluate which activities support wellbeing and use coping strategies to overcome barriers to rewarding activities. | Lessons 2–6 give pupils practical strategies and help them choose actions guided by what matters to them. |
| Develop self-esteem, independence and a positive relationship with oneself. | Lessons 3 and 5 focus on responding differently to self-criticism and using personal values to guide everyday choices. |
| Recognise the features of positive relationships, including boundaries, mutual respect, communication and conflict management. | Lesson 6 teaches assertive communication, personal boundaries, negotiation and constructive approaches to conflict. |
Source: Department for Education, revised statutory guidance in force from 1 September 2026. Review the full guidance on GOV.UK.
Implementation
Alongside the lessons.
Short tutor preparation in two briefings.
Before Lesson 1
Teachers review the materials, then receive a 45-minute briefing on the rationale, structure, neuroscience language and the first three skills.
Before Lesson 4
A second 45-minute briefing looks at feedback from earlier delivery, models the next lessons and gives space for teacher questions.
Skill reinforcement around the lessons.
Form time practices
Short practices to use, for instance in form time, that support pupils’ ongoing use of the skills.
Posters
For classrooms and tutor group spaces to remind and reinforce the skills.
Evidence and student voice
Designed to reduce stigma through whole-cohort learning.
Mind Education has been used in secondary schools since 2018, with encouraging findings from a University of Surrey Department of Psychological Interventions-supported evaluation.
“Really useful - I use the skills in every aspect of my life.”
“I'm learning how to cope, handle feelings and situations.”
“The neuroscience validates it's the real thing.”
“Thank you so much for doing this. It has really helped and I have gained important skills.”
“I loved teaching the series and use the skills myself.”
“Mind Education is a valuable and thoughtful resource that supports students’ mental health education.”
“The feedback was great and we would love to have this as part of our PSHE provision again.”
“Really constructive and positive feedback. So pleased with how it has been received by girls and teachers.”
Evaluation
A light-touch modelfor gauging impact.
Anonymous student questionnaires before and after delivery.
Two student focus groups shortly after the series.
One tutor focus group to capture delivery feedback.
An evaluation report for SLT, Ofsted or ISI.
School background
Since 2018, developed through real school delivery.
First introduced in 2018 as part of PSHE at Heathside School in Surrey.
Expanded across year groups and used by Guildford High School for five consecutive years.
Heathside's wider wellbeing work received National Children’s Bureau Wellbeing Award recognition in 2019 and 2023.
A University of Surrey Department of Psychological Interventions-supported evaluation reported encouraging findings in Spring 2025.
Implemented across other Surrey schools, increasing the evidence base for psychological literacy as a universal educational outcome.
Next step