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Mental and Physical Wellbeing

The Challenge

The importance of specific care around mental health has increased in colleges over the past decade, and has been exacerbated further by the Covid-19 pandemic. Around 60% of colleges have reported an increase in the number of students with diagnosed mental health conditions over the past three years, and 85% have seen an increase in the number of students with undiagnosed mental health difficulties.

In a recent members survey, 94% of colleges said they had students who had attempted suicide in the last year; among these, the number of attempts ranged between 1 and 44.

The Goal

These stark statistics highlight the urgent need for action in this area. We want to support colleges, staff and students through research, pilots, training and partnerships with organisations who are experienced in this field.

Our Work

Colleges are already doing a significant amount of work to support the mental health and wellbeing of existing students, teaching and support staff, as well as those in the local community.

In 2019, we launched the Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter, which gives colleges the chance to publicly state their commitment to the mental health agenda. As of November 2021, 193 colleges were signed up to the charter. We have also formed well-established partnerships with organisations like the Charlie Waller Trust.

Get Involved

We secure funding from a range of organisations and partners that wish to work with colleges and students through the vehicle of projects, programmes and research, managed and delivered by AoC. If you would like to know more please select one of the following options or contact us.

Physical Wellbeing

The Challenge

The benefits of physical wellbeing are well documented; we know that sport and physical activity are effective in improving mental health, and as such, directly support educational attainment.

We believe that sport and physical activity are essential components of college life, ones that give students a significant advantage in education, employment and health.

And yet, due to finite college funding, many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds do not have the same opportunities as others to engage with sport and outdoor activities.

The Goal

We want to support colleges to offer a wide range of sporting activities to every single student.

AoC Sport provides many opportunities for young people to get involved in sport and volunteering, and we would welcome any organisation who would like to partner with us to broaden our work in this area.

Our Work

AoC Sport work with the mental health charity Mind to develop mental health and physical activity projects for colleges. Mind’s Sector Support programme is funded by Sport England and the National Lottery. The programme aims to equip sports providers with the skills to support and engage those with mental health problems in physical activity.

We work closely with colleges to provide a number of initiatives for all students to engage with such as leadership, volunteering and inclusivity programmes. This is done through the AoC Sport Leadership Programme and we welcome partnership engagement in this area.