How boosting mental health can boost grades

According to an article published by the Herald Sun, research shows that in the last year one in seven Australian children had a mental health disorder. This highlights the need for schools to focus more on boosting mental health in order to achieve better results.

“Happy, healthy and resilient students learn better, stay in school longer and achieve more”. – Premier Daniel Andrews (Premier of Victoria, 2016)

The Federal Government has already invested $73 million in mental health programs to support children as well as teachers or adults. In Victoria, over 70,000 students will also have regular access to a doctor at school with over 100 participating schools with half these schools being located in regional areas.

In addition to this, the government also initiated $52.7 million in funding for Beyondblue (a mental health organisation) to provide a contemporary program dealing with a range of different issues in conjunction with headspace and Early Childhood Australia.

Tackling mental health in schools goes beyond basic awareness and involves implementing the correct strategies,suicide prevention and crisis support. The idea is not just to support children or students but also involve parents, teachers and adults.