Learning Beyond the Label: Enhancing Classroom Identification and Support for Children’s Wellbeing (HOLMESJ_U26SENSSC)

Cognitive difficulties and poor socio-emotional wellbeing at school are among the strongest predictors of academic disengagement and long-term educational disadvantage. In England, access to support typically depends on formal diagnoses (e.g. anxiety or ADHD) or Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). However, increasing demands mean there are long waitlists, exacerbating inequities for families unable to pursue private assessments or advocate for their child’s needs.

While Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) offer low-intensity interventions in schools in England, their coverage is uneven and relies on integration with overstretched specialist services, leaving many pupils without timely or tailored support. This PhD will address this gap by bringing together expertise from psychology, health, and education to develop a practical, diagnosis-independent tool designed for teachers to identify needs and implement evidence-informed strategies. This PhD will deliver a range of studies to co-produce and validate a practical, classroom-ready cognitive and socio-emotional mapping tool to help classroom teachers profile children’s needs and implement evidence-informed strategies.

It includes a three-month integrated placement providing hands-on experience of practical and strategic approaches to delivering needs-led support for children and young people across health services (NHS) and education (schools). This placement deliberately bridges NHS needs-led transformation and school-