Some students in Tauranga will now have access to specialist mental health support at school as part of a health funded pilot focused on building children's resilience and general wellbeing.
Nine schools in Otumoetai have formed a Community of Learning/Kāhui Ako; an initiative established by the Ministry of Education to raise student achievement from early childhood through to tertiary education by encouraging a more joined-up approach to learning.
There are 210 Communities of Learning across New Zealand, including 14 in the Bay of Plenty. Each community sets its own priorities, in Otumoetai, the top priority is student wellbeing.
Otumoetai lead principal Henk Popping said: "Collectively our schools had noticed a trend with students coming through the schooling system lacking resilience.
"This initiative, focused on student wellbeing, is about building the resilience of children at an earlier age - in those early childhood years.