Mental health lessons - Peer Education Project (PEP)

The mental health lessons are designed to be delivered to pupils aged 11-14, aiming to improve their mental health literacy and help-seeking.  

Each lesson has a pre-prepared lesson plan and PowerPoint slides, with an adaptable structure to meet different timetable schedules. 

The Peer Education Project (PEP) was originally designed with five core lessons, with pupils building their mental health understanding each week. The PEP mental health awareness lessons include: 

  1. Mental health and the mental health spectrum 
  2. The risk and protective factors to mental health 
  3. The 5 ways to wellbeing or The 8 tips for good mental health 
  4. Creating a mental health and wellbeing toolkit 
  5. Building a network of support 

We would advise lessons to be delivered in this order to best support pupils in their learning. 

Mental health awareness lessons

Each lesson has a pre-prepared lesson plan and PowerPoint slides, included in the downloads below.

Mental health and the mental health spectrum

This lesson introduces the concept of mental health and the mental health spectrum.
It explores how mental health can change over time, and in response to different factors and experiences.

The risk and protective factors to mental health

This lesson explores the risk and protective factors to mental health, at individual, social, and environmental levels.

The 5 ways to wellbeing

This lesson uses the 5 ways to wellbeing to explore how to protect and improving mental health and wellbeing.

The 8 tips for good mental health

This lesson uses the 8 tips for good mental health to explore how to protect and improving mental health and wellbeing.

Creating a mental health and wellbeing toolkit

This lesson explores how pupils can support themselves when they are not feeling at their best, both in the moment and if they continue to feel not at their best.

Building a network of support

This lesson explores the importance of relationships to mental health. It highlights how our experiences and the interactions with others, begin to build our support network, which will be individual to each person.

Additional mental health lessons

Each lesson has a pre-prepared lesson plan and PowerPoint slides, included in the downloads below.

Body image: How we think and feel about our bodies

This lesson explores what body image is, what can affect body image and the ways to develop a good body image to support mental health and wellbeing.

Developing healthy relationships with ourselves

This lesson highlights the importance of building and maintaining connections with ourselves.

Developing healthy relationships with our peers

This lesson explores the key factors that make our relationships with our peers healthy.

Loneliness: Finding our connections to feel less lonely

This lesson explores what loneliness is, and the ways to support ourselves, and others, when feeling lonely.

Sleep: Finding our confidence with sleep

This lesson explores what sleep is and how to develop good sleep hygiene.

Kindness: Why kindness matters

This lesson explores what kindness is, the different ways it can be shown, and how kindness can benefit our own and others’ mental health and wellbeing.

Nature: Connecting with nature and the world around us

This lesson explores how connecting with nature can be good for our mental health and wellbeing.

Supporting resources

Collection of ice-breaker activities

Each lesson uses an ice-breaker to build connections between the pupils, and to begin introducing the topic of the lesson.
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Collection of mindfulness activities

Mindfulness activities are practised at the start and end of each lesson, providing moments of self-reflection, and preparing the mind and body for the lesson content.
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How to deliver the lessons

The mental health lessons have been designed to be as flexible as possible to meet the individual needs of each school and differing mental health literacy levels of pupils.

PEP is modelled on older pupils known as Peer Educators, aged 15 and upwards, delivering the lessons to younger pupils, aged 11-14. However, if this is not possible for your school, the lessons can be delivered by staff. Each lesson has a pre-prepared lesson plan and PowerPoint slides, ready for you to pick up and deliver.

Evaluating PEP

Schools who use the PEP materials may like to evaluate for themselves what difference the lessons have made to their pupils’ knowledge and confidence. 

This survey measures mental health knowledge and confidence in seeking help and engaging in self-help, which are two important aspects of mental health literacy. It's been co-developed by Mental Health Foundation staff and researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Lancaster and Exeter.

For this to work best, the survey should be completed before the lessons begin, and then again after the final lesson.

A hand drawn illustration of question mark in a speech bubble

Guidance for Peer Educators

The Peer Educator handbook

This handbook provides Peer Educators with an overview of the project and their role and responsibilities.
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Lesson delivery reflection sheet

Peer Educators are encouraged to build in time for reflection following each lesson delivered. This reflection sheet is designed to support with this reflection.
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Continue exploring

PEP assemblies

Click through to see what assemblies are available
Explore assemblies

PEP guidance & support

Click through to see how to deliver the programme
Explore guidance