PUPILS in Tynedale will receive innovative mental health support.

Queen Elizabeth High School, in Hexham, is one of 370 schools in England chosen by the Education Secretary Damian Hinds to take part in a series of trials aimed at supporting young people’s mental wellbeing.

As part of the scheme, staff at the school have received mental health training and will roll out six, one-hour lessons to Year 9 pupils.

Leading the scheme is the school’s Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) leader Andrew Hedley, who said: “Addressing the stigma of mental health is very important. Young people often wait a year to talk about their mental health problems because of the stigma around it, and we need to get young people talking about their own wellbeing.

“We address mental health issues a lot in PSHE lessons, but we are always looking to improve that.”