Written by Dean Johnstone, CEO and Founder of Minds Ahead
In July 2025, the Children’s Commissioner released a stark report: Growing Up in a Low-Income Family. The findings were confronting—children describing shame, hunger, overcrowding, and fear. But they also pointed towards solutions.
This blog is a direct response to that call. We ask:
What can schools do—and how can Minds Ahead help them?
👉 If you missed our earlier blog reflecting on the lived experience behind these findings—and the emotional realities facing pupils every day—you can read it here:
Mental Health in Schools: We Can’t Ignore What’s Really Going On »
🎯 The Big Message: Schools Can’t Solve Poverty, But They Can Change Lives
The Commissioner makes it clear: mental health isn’t just about what’s happening inside a child—it’s about what’s happening around them. Unsafe housing, skipped meals, missed opportunities, isolation, and stigma all affect how a child learns, behaves, and connects.
These are known as the social determinants of mental health, and schools are on the front line. The good news? There are practical steps schools can take right now to buffer children against these harms and help every pupil feel safe, valued and seen.
🛠 Minds Ahead in Action: 5 Ways Schools Can Respond Today
Below are five key recommendations from the Commissioner’s report, and how Minds Ahead is helping schools take action.
1. Build Awareness Across All Staff
“Teachers and school staff need to understand the challenges children in poverty face—and this should be consistent across all staff.”
How Minds Ahead helps:
- 🎓 We offer Level 2, 5 and 7 qualifications to deepen understanding of the real-life challenges children face.
- 📚 Training equips staff with the language, tools and mindset to respond with compassion, not punishment.
- 🧠 We centre lived experience, trauma-informed practice, and systemic thinking—not just individual behaviour support.
2. Train Trusted Adults and Spot Early Warning Signs
“Children rely on one or two trusted adults in school. Earlier support is essential.”
How Minds Ahead helps:
- We train staff to spot early signs of mental distress—especially when it presents as withdrawal, anger or non-attendance.
- We support peer mentoring models and early help pathways that encourage disclosure and reduce stigma.
- We audit current systems and advise on inclusive referral and support processes.
3. Challenge Stigma in Access to Support
“FSM, uniforms, and bursaries can come with stigma. Schools must remove the shame from getting help.”
How Minds Ahead helps:
- We help schools audit how they provide material and emotional support—and redesign processes to remove visibility, shame or judgement.
- We equip school staff to challenge bias and uphold dignity, especially in day-to-day decisions like uniform, attendance, or classroom behaviour.
4. Expand Access to Enrichment and Belonging
“Low-income children struggle to access extracurriculars, clubs and career-building opportunities.”
How Minds Ahead helps:
- Our peer mentoring and student-led initiatives create no-cost enrichment with huge mental health benefits.
- We help schools develop inclusive strategies for trips, clubs, leadership roles, and community engagement—ensuring every child can participate and thrive.
5. Make School a Safe Haven
“Children want safe, warm, welcoming spaces where they can be themselves.”
How Minds Ahead helps:
We create cultures where children trust adults and can show up as they really are—without shame.
We support schools to become mentally healthy environments, with clear boundaries, calm adult presence, and spaces for reflection and rest.
We embed the principles of psychological safety, co-regulation, and trauma-informed teaching into whole-school strategy.
💡 This is About Equity. And It’s About Now.
We’re proud to see the Children’s Commissioner spotlight issues many school staff see daily—but feel powerless to change. That’s where we come in.
At Minds Ahead, we don’t just talk about mental health—we help you lead it strategically, teach it compassionately, and embed it systemically.
Whether you’re a headteacher, trust leader, or wellbeing lead, we’ll help you design an approach that meets your community’s needs—and reflects what your pupils are telling you every day.
📩 Ready to act on the Commissioner’s recommendations?
Here’s how we can support your school:
✅ Train your team through nationally recognised qualifications (Levels 2, 5, 7) – Learn more
✅ Build a whole-school mental health strategy – Learn more
✅ Introduce peer mentoring and inclusive leadership pathways – Learn more
✅ Offer consultancy aligned to national guidance and your local context – Learn more
📧 Email: info@mindsahead.org.uk
🌐 Website: www.mindsahead.org.uk
Because while schools can’t fix poverty, they can be places where every child finds safety, belonging, and a path forward.