As concerns surrounding children’s mental health continue to grow, the role schools can play in supporting children’s mental health is receiving more attention. Universal, school-based interventions known as  “Social and emotional learning” (SEL) interventions, delivered to all children, are a cost-effective and non-stigmatising approach to supporting wellbeing and healthy child development. These interventions aim to prevent the onset of poor mental health and reduce unwanted behaviours, such as bullying. In this article, Dr Ola Demkowicz, Suzanne Hamilton, Lauren Burke and Annie O’Brien highlight the importance of prioritising interventions that support social emotional learning in primary schools.  

• SEL interventions are typically delivered by the classroom teacher and help build children’s social emotional skills (self-awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making) in a safe, caring and engaging environment.
• SEL interventions are cost-effective and align with a public health approach to mental health. They can reduce societal and economic burdens of early school drop-outs on labour force engagement and reduce healthcare and welfare costs.
• Researchers at The University of Manchester are trialling and delivering various SEL interventions throughout Greater Manchester.

What we know about SEL and children’s mental health and wellbeing

Our research team have found SEL programmes improved children’s social and emotional skills, peer relationships, wellbeing, minimise experiences of distress and aggression, and improve academic achievement. International research confirms both immediate and lasting improvements.

Mental health difficulties can cause significant challenges for the individual child, who can continue to experience poor physical and mental health as they enter adulthood. Additionally, the economic and societal burden is increased through healthcare and welfare costs and reduced labour force engagement. Promoting and supporting children’s mental health through social emotional learning is a cost-effective approach to nurturing healthy and engaged citizens.

SEL interventions may indirectly reduce stigma by not singling out individuals receiving targeted interventions and can help children who may not otherwise receive support.

Trials, interventions and results – current SEL research led by The University of Manchester

A trial of an SEL programme called Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), was by academics at The University of Manchester and involved over 5000 children in 45 primary schools across Greater Manchester (GM). Children received lessons on topics such as identifying and labelling feelings.  Children receiving PATHS reported improved social-emotional skills and wellbeing compared to those receiving usual school provision, and, students with teachers delivering over 80% of PATHS lessons showed even greater improvements in wellbeing, school climate and perceived peer and social support. This shows the potential impact of PATHS (when delivered well) which was found to be cost-effective when considering the cost of delivering the programme and the long-term economic benefit of nurturing these skills in children.

Researchers from The University of Manchester have also found that INCLUSIVE (an SEL programme aimed at reducing bullying and aggression) extended its benefits to academic outcomes. Secondary school students who participated in the program showed improvements in English and maths scores compared to those following the usual school curriculum.

Current trials of other SEL interventions are underway. Researchers are examining whether a programme called ‘Passport’ can improve coping skills among 9-11-year-old primary school children in GM. The trial examines whether Passport supports children in regulating their emotions, experiences with peers, and any impacts it might have on mental health (such as well-being) as well as academic performance. The researchers also visited some of the schools delivering Passport, talking to teachers and children to understand their experiences of engaging with Passport, and how they can best be supported during programme delivery (for example if they felt the training they received was sufficient). This is important when considering if the programme works in real world situations and whether all children benefit from Passport equally.

The benefits of SEL

The benefits that SEL programmes can offer (understanding and managing emotions, building positive attitudes towards oneself and others, and social skills) are particularly important for disadvantaged children. Disadvantage in childhood can hinder the development of essential social-emotional skills, such as emotional and behavioural regulation. Everyday challenges of the school environment can become even more difficult and can have a detrimental effect on mental health. In turn, this disrupts learning, posing a risk to children’s academic achievement.

This is a trend that we see year on year: current attainment data indicates that disadvantaged pupils in England are less likely than other pupils to meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key stage 2. The gap in GCSE attainment between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils has widened consistently since 2020 and is at its widest in a decade. In GM, about 250,000 children live in poverty, meaning one in three children in the region. This is higher than the UK-wide child poverty rate of 29%. In 23 of GM’s 27 constituencies, the child poverty rate is 30% or more, with some reaching as high as 51.3%. It is not surprising, then, that Key stage 2 attainment in reading, writing, and maths across GM is below the national average. The number of pupils not meeting the expected standards steadily increasing year on year since 2017.

However, there is evidence that SEL can help narrow the gap between disadvantaged children and their affluent peers through the teaching of social and emotional skills. University of Manchester research has shown that social and emotional competence helps protect children’s mental health so it is less likely to affect their academic performance. This study indicates that social and emotional skills allow children to sustain relationships, recover in the face of failure, regulate emotions and stress, seek out educational opportunities, make responsible decisions, and identify with prosocial (as opposed to unhealthy) friendship groups. These skills can mitigate the negative effects of emotional symptoms and risky behaviours, which would otherwise have a negative impact on their academic achievement.

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted children’s social-emotional development, particularly in the North of England, where they missed more school and felt lonelier, with Manchester’s CAMHS seeing a 125% increase in demand. Social-emotional learning programs can help address these gaps, especially for children facing economic disadvantage.

 Integrating SEL into policy

Overall, there is evidence that delivering SEL programmes in schools can improve children’s mental health and wellbeing while being cost-effective.

The new government have promised a commitment to the wellbeing of young people, with an emphasis on prevention and early intervention in schools.

While Labour plans to employ specialist mental health professionals in every school to provide early support, implementing SEL interventions offers a cost-effective approach to equip children with essential life skills, helping them manage challenges before they escalate. We recommend that the Department for Education engage with interventions such as PATHS, INCUSIVE and Passport, and implement rollout at a national level, alongside mental health support.

A commitment to enhancing youth wellbeing was emphasised in the King’s Speech, which highlighted the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing Bill. This proposed legislation underscores the importance of raising educational standards and supporting student wellbeing, areas where SEL programmes can make a substantial impact. We strongly recommend that mental health support is embedded into the legislation which should include SEL programmes being embedded into curriculums.