A new initiative to help support children's mental health is being launched, which will see school pupils complete mental health “check-ins”

The Government-backed platform from Govox Wellbeing, developed in conjunction with NHSX and King’s College London, is being delivered with the support of suicide prevention charity Papyrus, the Mental Health Foundation and local Mind organisations.

Pupils involved will complete mental health “check-ins” where they answer a series of short questions about their overall mental health, which will provide a “wellbeing score”, as well as flagging any findings of concern and highlighting pupils whose mental health is at “high risk”.

This scheme is part of the largest mental health programme ever introduced in schools, and it will hope to address the fact that one in 14 children have tried to end their own life by the age of 17, while teenage suicide rates have risen by 45% over a decade.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The initiative will hope to address the fact that teenage suicide rates have risen by 45% in the last decade (PA)The initiative will hope to address the fact that teenage suicide rates have risen by 45% in the last decade (PA) (Image: PA)

The programme, which offers £5 million worth of support, will be offered for free to 1,000 state secondary schools.

Richard Lucas, founder of Govox Wellbeing, said: “Today marks a very important day for the wellbeing of pupils in our schools across the country. We truly want to make mental health support available to as many pupils in the UK as possible.

“Tight budgets should not stop them getting the help that both the data and the personal experience of so many shows is urgently needed.

“It is time to remove the stigma around talking about how we feel and move on from the ‘man up’ generation.”

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “This Conservative Government is putting an extra £2.3 billion into mental health services in the next year and (with) this, alongside entrepreneurs and passionate advocates of mental health like Richard Lucas, we will be able to massively improve and protect the mental health of younger generations in the UK today.”