Exploring the barriers and facilitators to ITE student engagement with a Place2Be-University mental health partnership programme

There is a need to ensure student teachers have the knowledge, skills and confidence to support and promote the mental health of the children and young people they will teach. Set within an interpretivist context, this study explored student perceptions on the barriers and facilitators to student teacher engagement with one aspect of an innovative, first of its kind pioneering partnership between Initial Teacher Education (ITE) at a university provider and mental health charity Place2Be. Place2Think are one-to-one and/or small group sessions for ITE students, led-by Place2Be, offering a unique reflective space, where students can reflect on their practice, their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, as well as their own wellbeing. The current study examined a total of 19 student perspectives, utilising focus groups interviews to gather data. A thematic analysis revealed six themes; a) the accuracy of understanding of Place2Think, b) three facilitators including linking sessions directly to placements, a personalised approach to awareness raising of the partnership and informal drop-in sessions following lecture and c) two barriers including approaches to awareness raising and academic pressures and lack of time. The findings offer valuable insight into embedding mental health provision within and beyond ITE.