GL Assessment helps schools identify mental health needs of pupils30 September 2009 - One in 10 children between the ages of five and 16 has a clinically recognisable mental disorder* that could affect their achievement in school and beyond. As schools now have an obligation to help identify the mental heath needs of their pupils, GL Assessment has today published Measures of Children' s Mental Health & Psychological Wellbeing: A Portfolio for Education and Health Professionals. This valuable collection of paper-based assessments is designed to help make early recognition and identification of children with emotional and psychological needs a much simpler task, ensuring specialist help can be provided quickly to those who need it. Responding to government initiatives such as the Children' s Plan and the Targeted Mental Health in Schools programme, Measures of Children s Mental Health & Psychological Wellbeing is authored by highly-respected professionals from across the fields of educational and clinical psychology. The tests can be used by a range of school staff to assess their pupils mental and emotional needs and ensure that, where appropriate, they can be referred on quickly for more in-depth diagnosis and treatment. It is therefore a timely resource to assist schools and associated staff in their function as the front line of child and adolescent mental health services. Using the tests, schools will be able to measure a range of psychological wellbeing issues, such as whether their pupils feel accepted and respected, how well they are coping with the stresses of daily life, how much they enjoy their time in school and to what extent they are adopting healthy lifestyles. The results are essential to enabling children to achieve their potential and progress in school. Tracey Riseborough, Publisher for Health & Psychology at GL Assessment, explains, If a child is experiencing issues such as anxiety or depression in school, this could have a negative impact on their learning and prevent them from reaching their full potential. Measures of Children' s Mental Health & Psychological Wellbeing will make it easier for schools to identify these issues quickly so that children get the pastoral and psychological support they need to enjoy a happy and healthy life. The Portfolio comprises seven booklets containing over 50 assessments for measuring children s mental health and psychological wellbeing. It also contains an informative introduction booklet offering guidance on key issues surrounding the assessment, intervention and evaluation of pupils emotional and psychological needs. Structured around the Every Child Matters outcomes, the booklets cover the themes of Belonging, Distress, Enjoyment, Healthy Living, Resilience, Responsiveness and Social Behaviour. All of the measures are easy to administer, score and interpret and will help ensure that any interventions introduced to support the overall personal development and wellbeing of pupils are having an impact. Schools can use the results as evidence to help complete the Ofsted Self-Evaluation Form relating to pupil development and wellbeing. ENDS Notes to the editor:
About GL Assessment GL Assessment is the UK’s leading independent provider of tests and assessment services for education. It publishes across the 4 -19 age range, with the majority of its assessments designed for 5-14 year-olds. GL Assessment has an extensive portfolio of print-based tests for education which assess children’s progress in literacy, ability and numeracy and identify a broad spectrum of special educational needs. It offers tests and programmes that support the development of emotional literacy and thinking skills. GL Assessment also provides assessments for use in the Health and Psychology service by clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists and paediatricians. For further information, please contact Danielle Morgan
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