Our students' mental health campaign helps influence Government policy

We’re really pleased that the Government has announced an expansion of mental health support teams to reach more schools, a key policy ask that our students have consistently advocated for through their campaign work in partnership with Citizens UK.

Students across our trust have been campaigning on the issue of mental health for many years. Their work began with the inaugural Schools Pandemic Recovery Summit in 2021 and has continued through engagement with the Bradford Health and Wellbeing Board, MP candidates, NHS leaders, local authority leaders, and the Mayor. Most recently, they played a leading role at the Citizens UK General Election Assembly, helping to shape the 2024 Citizens UK manifesto, where expanded mental health provision in schools featured as a central commitment.

Thanks to campaigning efforts across the Citizens UK alliance, the government included this vital pledge in its own manifesto. On Friday, it announced the first step toward fulfilling that promise: an expansion of mental health support teams to reach an additional 900,000 children, with an ambition to cover 100% of schools by 2030.

This is a powerful example of what young people can achieve when they work together for change. We’re incredibly proud of our students for their determination, leadership, and commitment to mental health advocacy.

You can hear some of our students from Dixons Allerton Academy sharing their views on the importance of mental health support in schools at 1:08 in this video from Citizens UK.