Secure a Level 4 qualification and align your setting with the 2026 White Paper reforms. Gain the advanced framework required to lead through the SEND reforms and deliver evidence-based strategic improvement that translates into measurable impact.
£1300 + VAT (Total: £1560) ENROL NOW
Immediate Strategic Impact:
- Legislative Readiness: Immediately audit your provision against the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ policy paper requirements to ensure full compliance.
- SEND Reform Integration: Learn how to embed the new Individual Support Plans (ISPs) into your mental health strategy to reduce the burden on EHCP applications.
- Advanced Level 4 Status: Achieve the highest level of accreditation, certifying your ability to lead complex cultural change during a period of national educational reform.
Download the course prospectus here
About the course
Leading to a Level 4 Certificate in Mental Health Aware Leadership (Educational Mental Health Lead) in addition to accreditation as a Designated Mental Health Lead.
Dates: 9th March 2026, 20th May 2026 & 16th June 2026
Times: 09:00-15:30
Length: Three Days
Location: Online
Course Overview
This is an in-depth reflective course designed for:
- Forward-thinking Leaders tasked with navigating the 2026 policy shifts and the national focus on attendance and attainment.
- Established Mental Health Leads looking to move beyond crisis management into sustainable, systemic leadership.
- Settings committed to Staff Retention, providing senior leads with the supervision frameworks necessary to protect workforce wellbeing in a high-pressure environment.
Beginning with culture and ethos, the course takes learners through the requirements for the role, ensuring monitoring and improvement cycles help to develop provision.
Course Overview
This course is designed to transition your school’s mental health strategy from competent to exemplary. It ensures you have the tools to develop and monitor provision based on the highest standards.
- Culture & Ethos: Move beyond ‘wellbeing Wednesdays’ to a culture of psychological safety that meets the 2026 DfE role requirements and drives school-wide ethos.
- Attendance & Attainment: A new focus on the ‘vicious cycle’—using mental health strategy as a primary lever to improve persistent absence and academic outcomes.
- Curriculum Integration: Seamlessly weave resilience into the 2026 National Curriculum updates, ensuring mental health is a foundation of learning, not an add-on.
Need approval from your finance/budgeting team? Download this prospectus covering all of the course content, outcomes and information.
Assessment
To become a qualified Advanced Mental Health Lead and achieve the Open Awards Level 4 qualification, you must successfully complete a portfolio.
Portfolio Submission: The portfolio is a crucial part of the course and needs to be submitted within 7 months of starting. It is designed to be completed alongside your training.
Attendance Certificate: Once you have completed the modules, you can download an attendance certificate.
Course Preparation
All course materials are delivered digitally. This means you will need to bring a device or download the materials before coming on the course.
Before the course you are required to complete a personal skills audit and also a setting audit. These are both available online through amhie.com/learn. If a colleague is also completing a course with us, then complete the setting audit in tandem.
Cost
Course costs £1300+VAT per learner (£1560 total).
We offer discounts for those training a second lead (if their previous lead has left post) and for AMHIE members (up to 30% on training bookings).
Course Access
You will be invoiced £1,300 plus VAT.
Unmatched Support: You’re Not Alone in This
While this is a self-study course, your investment includes dedicated support to ensure you successfully complete your qualification:
- Direct Access: Contact our central team anytime by phone or email to discuss content or ask questions.
- Live Q&A Sessions: Attend regular drop-in sessions with the lead assessor and QA officer.
- Complimentary Strategic Mentoring: You are entitled to a one-to-one session focused specifically on embedding these changes within your unique 2026 Budget and School Improvement Plan, helping you overcome local barriers to systemic change.
Your Expert Instructor: Richard Curtis
Your course is delivered by Richard Curtis, an industry leader whose expertise bridges education and clinical practice.
- He is the Chair of the National Special Educational Needs and Disability Awards and the Mental Health in Education Awards.
- Richard’s extensive background includes Mental Health Nursing, Primary Teaching, and Local Authority Leadership, ensuring the content you receive is practical, compliant, and deeply informed.
Course Instructor
For additional queries not answered above, contact the central team on support@amhie.com