A HUGE conference is to be held in York to help teachers recognise issues surrounding mental health in schools and help staff and pupils tackle increasing demands.

The Pathfinder Teaching School is organising the conference for April 24 to deliver workshops on facing problems both inside and outside the classroom.

Keynote speakers will include Dr Pooky Knightsmith, a mental health ambassador and educator, and Ben Smith, a ultra marathon runner who completed 401 consecutive marathons last year and raised thousands of pounds for anti-bullying charities.

Mr Smith’s challenge saw him run the length and breadth of the country and he twice started from York primary schools where he spoke to pupils about the impact of bullying.

The conference takes place at Archbishop Holgate’s School - the home of the Pathfinder Teaching School - and has been funded entirely by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, which was set up in 1998 after the 28-year-old man killed himself while suffering from depression. Organisers were keen to make the event cost-free to prevent it from hitting already overstretched school budgets.

Workshops will include supporting teachers, parents, children and pastoral leaders.

Kate Sowter, deputy head at Pathfinder Teaching School Alliance, said: “Over the last couple of years there’s been a real onus from the Government on improving mental health.

“As a teaching school we want to be mindful that our teachers and schools are accessing the most current strategies to have an impact on the lives we serve.

“One of the things we have worked really hard to do is develop access for our authority and region to have effective and quality training for teaching staff in schools, and that’s everyone from high level teachers to pastoral leads, so there’s a really good opportunity to receive very good training.

“It’s not just about training, this is a package of mental health training so it’s a lasting impact on the children to have a strong society.”

The Pathfinder Teaching School regularly works with the Education Support Partnership to tackle issues surrounding mental health in schools. Their free, confidential helpline is open to anyone working in education by phoning 08000 562561. The group can also be contacted through their website at https://www.educationsupportpartnership.org.uk/