Teachers in Northamptonshire share concerns about mental health as new coaching programme launches

More than 30 Northamptonshire teachers and school leaders said they are crying out for better mental health support as they celebrated the launch of a new coach training programme.

Educators from across the county came together during the official unveiling of the Educators Coaching Academy (ECA) at the end of last month, which is new mental health coach training that equips teachers with strategies and techniques to help young people, while supporting their own mental health in the process.

The event was led by former teacher and international mental health coach Sam Moinet who guided attendees through a series of practical and hands-on coaching approaches. He also shared his mission to revolutionise mental health support in UK schools – not just for children, but for school leaders and educators too.

A teacher from Chilton Primary School, Dallington said: “Teachers need more support to be able to deal with young people’s mental health challenges whilst overcoming their own at the same time. It was an inspiring event with lots of takeaways.”

Dan Cox assistant head at Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School in Towcester added: “There’s been so much focus on mental health awareness, but the knowledge for teachers to be able to help themselves and their children hasn’t caught up. There’s a definite knowledge gap across the industry in general which needs addressing.

“I’ve always been extremely passionate about supporting my students, but I hadn’t always known how to help them. The work we have done with Sam through the ECA at our school has made such a difference.”

The launch workshop featured inspirational talks from a qualified teacher, former student and current ECA coach whose different stories and experiences seemed to resonate deeply with the audience.

Sam Moinet founder of the Educators Coaching Academy (ECA) said: “This was the first in-person event from the ECA, marking its official launch and I couldn’t have asked for a more passionate and determined group of teachers to start this journey with me.

“It’s clear, both from the discussions in this workshop and the wider UK picture that we aren’t supporting our students or teacher’s mental health effectively and there’s so much more we can do. My mission is to make lasting change in the education system by supporting, empowering and inspiring educators and teaching them valuable skills and techniques to support their own mental well-being and happiness, and to become confident mental health coaches. I strongly believe things can and will change which is why I want to stand for more.”

Many of the teachers attending the event have already signed up for the accredited training programme and others have taken the information back to their schools and headteachers in order to get support for accessing the resource.

Sam has a series of ECA roadshows planned in schools across the UK this year and will also be releasing a range of free online tools and resources to support teachers with mental health coaching.

For more information about these events and to find out more about the training available visit the Educators Coaching Academy website.