AXA UK&I partner with Teach First

AXA and Teach First announce partnership to support youth mental health
AXA will deliver the Head Coaches training programme to teachers and leaders in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities
The AXA and Teach First partnership will train 150 teachers and pastoral leaders with the potential to reach 40,000 pupils

AXA and Teach First today announce a dedicated partnership to deliver the AXA Head Coaches programme in disadvantaged communities across England. The programme is a youth-focused mental health initiative designed to help teachers and pastoral leaders spot potential mental health issues with their pupils and signpost them to appropriate professional help.

Before COVID-19, one in eight young people suffered with mental health issues (NHS, 2017)¹ and teachers were the most commonly cited professional service (48.5%) in supporting young people with mental health worries (NHS, 2019)². By partnering with Teach First and supporting educators to look out for the signs of mental ill health, AXA will support those in the most disadvantaged areas to get pupils the support they need and tackle inequality in the education system.

AXA’s Head Coaches programme, delivered by AXA Health clinicians and experts, will train teachers and pastoral leaders working with young people as Youth Mental Health First Aid Champions, providing them with the skills and confidence to spot common signs and triggers of mental health issues and help pupils seek further support. The trained Youth Mental Health First Aid Champions will be equipped with appropriate resources to guide those in need to further professional help from charities and organisation such as Childline, doctors or health workers or support from within their school.

Conducted online, through a mix of presentations, discussions and activities, the course explores how to identify symptoms of mental ill health, how to start supportive conversations and listen non-judgementally as well as providing initial help, signposting and guidance towards appropriate professional help and tools to protect themselves whilst performing their role.

The pilot programme, which will run in Autumn 2021 and February 2022, is set to train 150 teachers and pastoral leaders, with a potential reach to 40,000 pupils. From there, Teach First will further extend the programme to many more schools, increasing the impact and reach to communities in need of support.

“We believe that when it comes to mental health, we’re all in it together. That’s why we’re pleased to have partnered with Teach First to offer support to those who are best placed to provide it. Working together, we can train teachers and leaders through our AXA Head Coaches programme to become Youth Mental Health First Aid Champions for the pupils who need them the most, ensuring young people’s mental health and wellbeing is prioritised alongside their education.”

Claudio Gienal, Chief Executive Officer, AXA UK & Ireland

“Maintaining good mental health is vital for a young person’s wellbeing and their ability to thrive at school. The pandemic has been extremely challenging for some young people and it’s more important than ever that we equip teachers and leaders with the training they need to support them and put them in touch with appropriate mental health professionals. We’re delighted to be working with AXA to deliver this initiative and we believe it will have a positive impact for thousands of pupils across the country.”

Russell Hobby, Chief Executive Officer, Teach First

AXA Head Coaches was developed as a component of AXA’s partnership with Liverpool Football Club (LFC) as Official Training Partner. The programme has so far trained 56 staff from the LFC Foundation (LFC’s official charity) as Youth Mental Health First Aid Champions and together they reached over 28 thousand children last season.

To find out more about AXA’s Head Coaches programme, visit our Helping society to share page.

¹ Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, PowerPoint Presentation (digital.nhs.uk), NHS 2017

² Guidance - Mental health and wellbeing: JSNA toolkit 5. Children and young people - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), NHS 2019 update

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About AXA UK

AXA Insurance UK plc registered in England and Wales under registered number 078950 and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority under Financial Conduct Authority registration number 202312. Registered office is 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG.

AXA UK is part of the AXA Group, a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 147,000 employees serving 94 million clients in 50 countries. In 2023, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 102.7 billion and underlying earnings to Euro 7.6 billion. AXA had Euro 844 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023.

In the UK & Ireland, AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Insurance, AXA Health and AXA Ireland. AXA UK & Ireland employs around 10,000 staff.

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Certain statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans, expectations or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause AXA’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward looking statements. Please refer to Part 5: “Risk Factors and Risk Management” of AXA’s Universal Registration Document 2022, for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect AXA’s business and / or results of operations. AXA undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws and regulations.

AXA UK&I partner with Teach First to build a resilient generation