Suicide awareness in schools to be trialled across country

Thousands of schoolchildren across England will be taught about suicide prevention and screened for suicide risk from September under a trial funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.

More than 5,000 pupils aged 13-14 will receive a package of mental health support and learn how to support classmates, while teachers will also receive training.

National suicide rates among 15–19-year-olds have reached their highest level in 30 years, with 200 young people dying by suicide in the UK each year. 

The scheme, trialled in Merseyside and Cheshire over the past year, is led by the Suicide and Self-Harm Research team at Liverpool John Moores University and has received backing from local authorities and suicide awareness campaign groups including 3 Dads Walking.

Until now, most of the services dealing with suicide have been at the point of crisis. Our aim is to get ahead of the feelings that drive young people down that road much, much earlier, and schools are potentially an ideal place to engage with that.

Dr Emma Ashworth, reader in child and adolescent mental health at LJMU and co-lead researcher

After a successful pilot study in Cheshire and Merseyside, the scheme has received a £1.7m grant from the National Institute for Health Research to run at 36 more schools across the country, reaching 5,400 pupils. Schools are now being recruited for the trial.

The 18-month pilot in six schools, which began in 2024, found that pupils approached teachers about their classmates after attending the course, and identified many young people experiencing difficulties which schools had been unaware of.

Under the scheme called MAPSS (Multi-Modal Approach to Preventing Suicide in Schools) all Year 9 students – aged 13-14 - are taught how to spot the signs of suicide and how to get help for themselves and their classmates, they are also screened and those identified as high risk are offered an eight-week course of support. 

Equipping people with life-saving skills

Mike Palmer, Andy Airey and Tim Owen, known collectively as 3 Dads Walking, who lost daughters to suicide, said: “The extension of MAPSS is excellent news and LJMU continues to lead the way in providing the evidence that is needed to make suicide prevention in schools a success. 

“We have had the privilege of witnessing the work in schools first hand and, as fathers who have lost daughters, we want to see the scheme equip generations to come with life-saving skills.”

Dr Rory McGill, Cheshire and Merseyside’s Lead Director of Public Health for Suicide Prevention, said: “It is a tragedy that more and more young people are taking their lives and not knowing where or how to seek support. School communities could have a major role to play in reversing this trend and I welcome this LJMU initiative and commend the lead shown by schools in Merseyside and Cheshire.”

This is very much not about passing more public services on to schools. MAPSS is designed to offer expert help to schools and to support teachers and pupils every step of the way.

Professor Pooja Saini, MAPSS co-lead

Sian Ibbotson, Assistant Headteacher and designated safeguarding lead at Calderstones School in Liverpool, which took part in the pilot, said: "The suicide prevention programme provided a vital opportunity to engage our Year 10 students in meaningful conversations about mental health and wellbeing. 

“Most importantly, it highlighted that some students were struggling with suicidal thoughts and risks that had not previously come to our attention. Identifying these young people allowed us to act quickly and ensure they received the appropriate support. This experience reinforced just how essential proactive suicide prevention education is within schools."