An ARC East of England study, developed in collaboration with young people and school staff, has produced evidence‑informed principles to help guide whole‑school approaches to addressing self‑harm among pupils. The findings highlight the need for clearer national guidance and more comprehensive training so staff can support young people in ways that are both effective and compassionate.
Nearly a quarter of 17‑year‑olds report having self‑harmed in the past year, highlighting a growing public health concern. The UK Government recognises that schools play a key role in early intervention and in preventing worsening mental health, yet teachers and other education professionals often lack clear guidance, knowledge and confidence to respond safely to the affected pupils. New research published in BMC Public Health addresses this gap in knowledge by developing key principles to help schools deliver effective support.
Working with school staff and young people, the study identified three priorities for how schools can better address self‑harm. These priorities informed the principles of practice, which provide a foundation for more consistent, compassionate and evidence‑informed training and support across UK schools. These include:
- Understanding the nature and scope of self-harm in schools, including recognising hidden and non-visible forms and challenging stigma and stereotypes.
- Building whole-school capacity to respond, through consistent training, clear policies, and shared responsibility across all staff roles.
- Creating a supportive school environment, with trusted relationships, youth-friendly spaces, transparency around confidentiality, and appropriate involvement of parents and peers.
“Schools are often the first place where signs of self-harm are noticed, but staff frequently tell us they lack the confidence, training and guidance to respond. By bringing together the voices of young people and school staff, this study provides clear, practical principles that schools can use to shape safer and more supportive responses.”
Dr Anne-Marie Burn, Principal Investigator of the study
Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Dr Anne-Marie Burn, Hayley Gains, Poppy Hall and Dr Joanna Reid, explored the perspectives of young people and school staff on how schools should respond to self‑harm. This paper forms part of the SORTS (Supportive Response to Self-harm) study, which has developed an online training programme and resource toolkit to help school staff support students who self‑harm. This work contributes to ARC East of England’s wider research focused on improving mental health support for children and young people.
The project ran seven focus groups with 38 school staff and young people with lived experience of self‑harm or supporting peers. Staff described a notable increase in self-harm, which they linked to academic pressure, friendship difficulties, social media and the ongoing effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic, and many said they did not feel confident responding effectively when concerns were raised. Young people highlighted several barriers to seeking support. This included stigma, worries about being seen as attention-seeking and being signposted to a single ‘Mental Health Lead’ with whom they may not have an existing or trusted relationship.
“I think a lot of it is people don't know where to get that kind of support [for self-harm]. So I think it's really important for schools to really put it out there and let students know where they should go to get that help.”
Anonymous, Young person involved in the study
Both groups emphasised the importance of trust and strong relationships between students and staff, as well as the need for specific training for all school staff, focused on recognising signs of self-harm and responding in an effective, productive and compassionate way. Young people also highlighted the need for reassurance and clear support when raising concerns about friends. Together, these insights were translated into principles of practice designed to support schools in responding to self-harm in a compassionate and effective way.
“I think mental health in general, school staff find it difficult if they've had no training or not thought about it, or if they think that speaking about it is likely to make it worse and therefore, don't ask the kind of direct questions you need to be able to make a risk assessment.”
Anonymous, Staff involved in the study
The project team is working with the Charlie Waller Trust’s lived experience and public involvement group to co‑produce an accessible, practical version of the principles for schools, helping staff and young people reflect on and strengthen their responses to self-harm. The guidance will be shared with local authorities, school networks, and the Charlie Waller Trust to ensure national reach. The team is also seeking further funding to develop a short film to support schools in understanding and implementing the principles of practice. The project has been shortlisted for an award at the Cambridge Awards for Research Impact and Engagement on Wednesday 4 February 2026.
The study calls for the Department for Education to consider developing national guidance on how to address self-harm in schools to support early identification, prevention, and compassionate responses. The SORTS project is well placed to support this need, combining the study’s principles of practice and the SORTS e‑learning resource to help schools adopt consistent, effective and scalable approaches.
